Question 1

What is the moral or take-home message of Solomon Asch's series of experiments in which participants were asked to judge the lengths of lines? People will go to great lengths

Accepted Answer

Asch's experiments showed that people are willing to go to great lengths to fit in with others, even if it means going against their own judgment or perception. This highlights the powerful influence of social pressure and conformity on individuals.

Question 2

The emphasis on group unanimity at the expense of critical thinking is called ________.

Accepted Answer

Groupthink refers to the prioritization of group harmony and cohesion over critical evaluation and divergent thinking, which can result in flawed decision-making and a failure to consider alternative perspectives. Deindividuation refers specifically to the loss of self-awareness and inhibitions that can occur in large groups or anonymous settings. Conformity refers generally to the tendency to adjust one's attitudes and behaviors to align with those of a group or authority figure. Obedience refers specifically to compliance with the commands or requests of an authority figure.

Question 3

Explain conformity and discuss the social factors that influence the level of conformity.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain conformity and discuss the social factors...

Question 4

Can the Milgram obedience study and the Zimbardo prison study be considered ethical? Could they be conducted today?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Can the Milgram obedience study and the...

Question 5

As the Stanford prison study was not carefully controlled, it was more of a demonstration than an experiment, and the prisoners and guards may have experienced demand characteristics to behave in their more assigned roles. Researchers have not been able to demonstrate Zimbardo's findings. This lack of research consistency is a problem for which of the six principles of scientific thinking?

Accepted Answer

Replicability is the principle of scientific thinking that requires that research findings be replicated or repeated by other researchers to confirm the validity of the original study. The lack of research consistency in being able to demonstrate Zimbardo's findings suggests that the study's results may not be replicable, which is a problem for the principle of replicability.

Question 6

Although he knew he was right, Paul changed his answer under pressure from the other three members on the panel. Paul's behaviour demonstrates the power of ________.

Accepted Answer

Paul's behavior demonstrates conformity, which is the tendency to change one's behavior or beliefs to match those of a group due to social pressure.

Question 7

According to Asch and others, all of the following are social factors that influence conformity EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Asch and others, all of...

Question 8

The Stanford prison study ended ________ days early.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Stanford prison study ended ________ days...

Question 9

In his famous study, this researcher recruited college students to portray either guards or prisoners with some rather shocking results.

Accepted Answer

The famous study in which college students were recruited to portray guards or prisoners is commonly known as the Stanford Prison Experiment, and was conducted by social psychologist Philip Zimbardo.

Question 10

________ is the tendency to engage in uncharacteristic behaviour when people are stripped of their usual identities.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ________ is the tendency to engage in...

Question 11

The Bay of Pigs invasion, the Challenger explosion, and countless other meetings where group unanimity comes at the expense of critical thinking and sound decision-making, is known as ________.

Accepted Answer

Groupthink is the phenomenon where a group of people prioritize the desire for consensus and conformity over critical evaluation of alternatives. The result is often flawed group decisions. The Bay of Pigs invasion and the Challenger explosion are just two of many examples of the negative consequences of groupthink. Socialthink and thinktank are not recognized terms for this phenomenon, and group polarization is a related but different concept where group discussion leads to a shift toward more extreme positions.

Question 12

The Stanford prison study involved a total of ________ male undergraduates.

Accepted Answer

The Stanford prison experiment involved a total of 24 male undergraduate participants who were randomly divided into guards and prisoners.

Question 13

If you're like ________ per cent of participants in the original Asch study, you'd conform to the incorrect norm on at least one of 12 trials.

Accepted Answer

In the original Asch conformity experiments, about 75% of participants conformed to the incorrect group norm at least once during the 12 trials.

Question 14

Zimbardo concluded from his Stanford prison study that prisoners and guards adopted their designated roles more easily than anyone might have imagined because of ________.

Accepted Answer

Zimbardo believed that deindividuation played a significant role in the ease of adoption of prisoner and guard roles. Deindividuation refers to giving up one's individual identity and adopting the normative behaviors of a group, which can lead to a loss of personal responsibility and moral values.

Question 15

Devoid of any retribution, thousands of fans at a football game swarmed the field, climbed on the goal posts, yelled, screamed, and took their clothes off. This behaviour of normally mild-mannered citizens is known as ________.

Accepted Answer

Deindividuation occurs when individuals lose their sense of self-awareness and responsibility in a group setting, leading to a breakdown of normal restraints on behaviour. The described behaviour of the football fans suggests that they have become deindividuated.

Question 16

Asch also tried to rule out alternative hypotheses for his findings. He examined whether group norms affected participants' perceptions of the lines, and he then conducted his original study but asked participants to write, rather than call out, their responses. In this condition, he found the answers to be right more than 99 per cent of the time. Which of the six principles does this example demonstrate?

Accepted Answer

Asch's attempt to replicate his findings and rule out alternative hypotheses demonstrates the principle of replicability, which is the ability to replicate a study or experiment to test its validity and reliability.

Question 17

Many early studies have suggested that women are more likely to conform than men. This sex difference may have been due to the experimenters being all male. Later studies found these differences had vanished when the studies were conducted by female experimenters. Which of the six principles does this example demonstrate?

Accepted Answer

This example demonstrates the principle of ruling out rival hypotheses, as it suggests that the observed sex difference in conformity may have been influenced by the gender of the experimenters, rather than an inherent difference between men and women.

Question 18

Zimbardo maintained that the Abu Ghraib fiasco was a product of ________.

Accepted Answer

Zimbardo's theory of the situationist perspective posits that individuals' behaviors are greatly affected by the situation they are in, rather than solely relying on their individual personality or character traits. He argued that the situational forces present at Abu Ghraib, such as the dehumanizing environment, lack of proper training, and perceived lack of accountability, contributed greatly to the abusive behaviors of the soldiers. Therefore, the best choice is situational forces (B).

Question 19

The overwhelming majority of United States prison guards during the Iraqi War did not engage in abuse, so the reasons for such abuse don't lie entirely in the ________, but in the ________ of the guards.

Accepted Answer

The sentence implies that the reasons for abuse don't lie solely in the disposition (attitude or personality) of the guards, but also in the situation. Therefore, the best option is D, where the first blank is filled with "situation" and the second blank is filled with "disposition."

Question 20

In the experiments conducted by Solomon Asch, what was the main task that subjects had to perform?

Accepted Answer

In the experiments conducted by Solomon Asch, the main task that subjects had to perform was to select line sizes. The experiments were designed to study conformity and group norms, and participants were asked to compare the length of lines on different cards and indicate which line matched the length of a standard reference line. The real participants were surrounded by stooges and were often swayed by the incorrect answers given by the stooges, leading to group conformity.

Quiz 13: Social Psychology