Question 1

The term aversive racism refers to a blatant, obvious form of hostility for people of other races.

Accepted Answer

The term aversive racism actually refers to a more subtle form of racism that involves a discomfort or unease towards people of other races, but is usually not overtly expressed as hostility or discrimination.

Question 2

Two groups have a history of prejudice and hostility between them. The research has found that the best way to reduce this prejudice is to have members from each group talk and try to get to know each other.

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that while intergroup contact can reduce prejudice, it is most effective when it involves cooperative activities towards common goals, not just conversation.

Question 3

Tony, a sophomore, listens to a speech favoring a tuition increase at his college for next year. Because Tony intends to return for his junior year, he is more likely to follow the central route to persuasion in listening to the speech than the peripheral route.

Accepted Answer

The central route to persuasion involves a thorough analysis of the arguments presented, whereas the peripheral route relies on simple cues such as the speaker's credibility or attractiveness. Since Tony has a personal stake in the decision (he plans to return for his junior year), he is more likely to engage in the central route processing and carefully consider the arguments presented in the speech.

Question 4

A group of volunteers and paid staff work for a political campaign. The candidate loses the election. According to the theory of cognitive dissonance, the volunteers are more likely to be upset and feel that they have wasted their time than the paid staff.

Accepted Answer

According to the theory of cognitive dissonance, volunteers are more likely to rationalize their efforts and maintain a positive view of their participation to resolve the dissonance between their efforts and the outcome, whereas paid staff might not experience the same level of dissonance since their efforts are compensated, making them less likely to feel they wasted their time.

Question 5

Hank falls to the sidewalk among many other pedestrians-he's having a heart attack! Harry falls to the sidewalk in the presence of just one other pedestrian-he's having a heart attack! Hank is more likely to receive help than Harry is.

Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates the bystander effect, where people are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present. Harry, being in the presence of just one other pedestrian, is more likely to receive help than Hank, who is surrounded by many pedestrians.

Question 6

Couples that divorce within the first seven years of marriage actually begin their marriages with more love and affection than do couples that remain married.

Accepted Answer

This statement is false. Research shows that couples who stay married for the long term actually report higher levels of love and affection over time than those who divorce early on in the marriage.

Question 7

The vast majority of students at Really Big State University wear backpacks with straps over both shoulders. The vast majority of students at the University of Some Distant State wear backpacks with just a single strap over one shoulder. Students at both universities say they wear their backpacks that way because it is the most comfortable for them. The students' backpack wearing behavior at both schools reflects normative influence.

Accepted Answer

The passage describes how the behavior of students at Really Big State University and the University of Some Distant State is influenced by norms, specifically in how they wear their backpacks. Therefore, the statement that this behavior reflects normative influence is true.

Question 8

The basic lesson from Zimbardo's simulated prison study and from Milgram's teacher-learner study is that humans are crueler than previously realized.

Accepted Answer

The basic lesson from these studies is that situational and systemic factors, rather than inherent human cruelty, can strongly influence individuals' behavior, leading them to act in ways they might not otherwise consider.

Question 9

The Implicit Association Test, taken by over 600,000 people, finds that even Whites who claim to have little or no prejudice, link White-pleasant and Black-unpleasant more quickly.

Accepted Answer

This statement accurately reflects the findings of the Implicit Association Test regarding racial bias among White participants.

Question 10

Psychologists once regarded morality as a set of arbitrary, learned rules, such as learning to stop at a red light and go at a green light.

Accepted Answer

This was the traditional view of morality in psychology until the 1960s when researchers began to focus more on the underlying mental processes involved in moral decision-making.

Question 11

According to research on the sleeper effect, persuasion attempts are much more likely to be successful when we hear them subconsciously, such as when we are asleep.

Accepted Answer

The sleeper effect refers to the phenomenon where a persuasive message may initially have little impact, but over time its credibility may increase, leading to attitude change. It is not related to subconscious persuasion attempts while sleeping.

Question 12

To measure the maturity of someone's moral judgments, Kohlberg devised a series of moral dilemmas, which are problems that pit one moral value against another.

Accepted Answer

Kohlberg did indeed use a series of moral dilemmas to measure the maturity of someone's moral judgments.

Question 13

Researchers have found that composite photos that produce average facial features are rated as highly attractive.

Accepted Answer

This is true. It is known as the "averageness hypothesis" which suggests that average features are perceived as attractive because they signify genetic health and the absence of genetic anomalies.

Question 14

According to the door-in-the-face technique, an effective way to get you to agree to a big request (take a group of juvenile delinquents to the zoo on Saturday) is to first ask you to do an even larger request (serve as a counselor to the delinquents for two hours, every week for the next two years).

Accepted Answer

The door-in-the-face technique involves making a large request first (which is likely to be rejected) and then following up with a smaller request (which is the actual request you want them to agree to). The theory is that the second request will seem more reasonable in comparison.

Question 15

You are going to play a prisoner's dilemma game with the same partner every day for a week. According to the research, the choice that is most likely to lead to a big pay-off over the course of the week is for you to choose to compete as frequently as possible.

Accepted Answer

Research on the prisoner's dilemma, especially in repeated games, suggests that cooperative strategies, like "tit for tat" (where you initially cooperate and then replicate your partner's previous move), tend to lead to better outcomes over time compared to consistently competitive approaches.

Question 16

On the average, first impressions are more influential than information learned later.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that first impressions are formed quickly and strongly, often creating a lasting impact on our perception of someone or something. This can make them more influential than information we learn later, which may be biased by our initial impressions.

Question 17

Your professor is passing back exams, and as you are waiting to receive your exam, you notice that the student sitting next to you has a big, red "F" at the top of her exam. You think, "Wow, this must have been a really difficult exam." Your thinking illustrates the fundamental attribution error.

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error involves overestimating the influence of personality and underestimating the influence of situations when explaining others' behaviors. In this scenario, attributing the failure to the exam's difficulty rather than the student's abilities or personality traits does not illustrate the fundamental attribution error.

Question 18

Proximity refers to a feeling of warmth, affection, and closeness to another person.

Accepted Answer

Proximity refers to the physical or geographical closeness between people, not the emotional closeness or feelings of warmth and affection.

Question 19

Altruistic behavior refers to helping others despite some cost or risk to others.

Accepted Answer

Altruistic behavior refers to helping others despite some cost or risk to oneself, not to others.

Question 20

Solomon Asch had participants choose which line was the same length as a comparison line in the presence of confederates who chose obviously wrong answers. Asch found about twice as much conformity when the number of confederates was large (about 10) as when it was smaller (about 5).

Accepted Answer

Asch found that conformity increased with the number of confederates up to a point, but not significantly after three or four confederates, indicating that increasing the number of confederates beyond three or four does not significantly increase conformity.

Quiz 13: A--Social Psychology