Question 1

Selena believes that people who do not share her religious faith are morally inferior to those of her faith. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Selena's belief that people of different religious faiths are inferior to those who share her beliefs is an example of prejudice, which involves negative attitudes and beliefs held towards individuals or groups based on characteristics such as religion, race, gender, or sexual orientation. Prejudice can lead to discriminatory attitudes and behavior, whereby individuals are treated unfairly based on these characteristics. Group polarization (A) refers to the tendency for people who share an opinion or belief to become more extreme in that belief when they are in a group with others who hold the same opinion. Social conformity (D) involves changing one's behavior or attitudes in response to perceived pressure from others, and does not involve necessarily holding negative attitudes towards out-group members. Discrimination (B) is an example of negative behavior towards members of a particular group, and typically results from prejudice.

Question 2

Over time, typically passionate love _____ and companionate love _____.

Accepted Answer

Passionate love is characterized by intense emotions and strong physical attraction, which typically decrease over time, while companionate love is characterized by a deep, enduring bond, which tends to increase over time as partners develop closeness, intimacy, and shared experiences.

Question 3

The idea that people behave aggressively when their goals are thwarted is:

Accepted Answer

The frustration-aggression principle suggests that when people are prevented from achieving their goals, they will become frustrated and this frustration will lead to aggressive behavior. This principle was first proposed by Dollard, Doob, Miller, Mowrer, and Sears in 1939.

Question 4

Which statement about Milgram's studies on obedience is true?

Accepted Answer

Milgram's studies found that over 60% of participants (teachers) were willing to administer the highest level of shock, believing it to be potentially deadly, due to the authority of the experimenter.

Question 5

When you are visiting another country with completely different cultural beliefs and societal guidelines than your own, it is often helpful to imitate the behavior of the people you see around you. This best illustrates the idea of:

Accepted Answer

Normative influence refers to the tendency to conform in order to fit in with a group or to avoid social rejection. When visiting a foreign country, imitating the behaviors of the locals can help you fit in and avoid standing out as an outsider.

Question 6

Times are economically tough and Bob is forced to take a job as a used-car salesperson to make ends meet. Bob likes to think that he is an honest guy, but he finds himself selling defective automobiles to unsuspecting customers. Bob is likely to experience _____, which probably will be alleviated by _____.

Accepted Answer

Bob is likely to experience cognitive dissonance because his actions are conflicting with his beliefs about being an honest person. To alleviate this discomfort, he may attempt to justify his actions by convincing himself that the cars he sells are actually of good quality. This is an example of self-justification, which is a common way people deal with cognitive dissonance.

Question 7

Rosie is making a _____ when she gets a bad grade on a test and says it is because the teacher didn't prepare her well enough and she was having a bad day, instead of admitting that she didn't study as much as she should have.

Accepted Answer

Rosie is making a situational attribution by blaming external factors (the teacher and her bad day) for her poor performance, rather than acknowledging her own lack of preparation.

Question 8

Stereotype threat can actually cause individuals to conform to the given stereotype because:

Accepted Answer

Stereotype threat can cause individuals to conform to the given stereotype because negative views and expectations directed toward them can create anxiety, pressure, or self-doubt, leading individuals to perform poorly or to act in ways that align with the stereotype. This is particularly true when the stereotype is salient or activated, and when individuals are invested in the domain or task being evaluated. Stereotype conformity is not the same as stereotype accuracy, and individuals may or may not endorse or internalize the stereotype. The other choices are incorrect because stereotypes are not always accurate predictors of individual behavior, individuals may not always be reinforced for conforming to stereotypes, and punishment for not conforming is not necessarily common or uniform.

Question 9

After a big football win, Jordan and a few dozen other students tore down the goalposts on their school's football field. It cost the college $20,000 to replace them. Despite hearing about this cost, Jordan does not feel guilty for his actions because of:

Accepted Answer

Diffusion of responsibility occurs when individuals in a group feel less personal responsibility for their actions since there are others present who could share the blame. In this situation, Jordan and his peers collectively caused the damage, decreasing the personal responsibility he feels.

Question 10

Men who are prone to violence tend to have:

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that men who are prone to violence often have unrealistically high self-esteem, which can lead to aggressive behavior when their self-image is threatened.

Question 11

Altruistic behavior benefits:

Accepted Answer

Altruistic behavior is characterized by actions that benefit others at a cost to oneself, without expecting any personal gain.

Question 12

In Asch's classic study on conformity, most people reported that two lines of obviously different lengths were _____ on at least one trial when all of the people in the experiment with them said they were the same.

Accepted Answer

In Asch's classic study on conformity, most people reported that two lines of obviously different lengths were the same on at least one trial when all of the people in the experiment with them said they were the same.

Question 13

The mere exposure effect suggests that you are likely to find someone _____ the _____ time you spend with them.

Accepted Answer

The mere exposure effect states that the more you are exposed to something, the more likely you are to develop a liking towards it. Therefore, the more time you spend with someone, the more attractive you are likely to find them.

Question 14

When a vacuum cleaner salesman persuades people to let him vacuum their living room for free, he is likely to increase his chances that he will make a sale. The salesman is using the:

Accepted Answer

The foot-in-the-door technique involves making a small request or offering a small favor before making the larger request or trying to make a sale. By offering a free demonstration of his product, the vacuum cleaner salesman is using this technique to increase the likelihood that the person will buy the product.

Quiz 13: Section 5: Social Psychology