Deck 14: Social Psychology

Question 1

The so-called "Pygmalion effect" is a type of ________.

A) self-fulfilling prophecy
B) selective perception
C) unifying trait
D) response characteristic

Answer 1

self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 2

Cognitive social psychologists call ready-made categories concerning people ________.

A) exemplars
B) schemata
C) formal operations
D) rationales

Answer 2

schemata

Question 3

The tendency of people to place too much emphasis on personal factors when accounting for other people's actions and too little emphasis on personal factors when accounting for our own actions is known as the ________.

A) actor-observer bias
B) self-serving bias
C) recency effect
D) primacy effect

Answer 3

actor-observer bias

Question 4

Judgments about whether a behavior is more revealing about a person or a situation have been studied under the heading of ________.

A) locus of control
B) cognitive dissonance
C) the primacy effect
D) attribution theory

Question 5

The extent to which a behavior is the same whenever the presumed cause of the behavior is present affects our attributions of the behavior. This exemplifies ________.

A) consistency
B) distinctiveness
C) consensus
D) frequency

Question 6

The collection and assessment of information about other people, so as to form first impressions and to try and understand their behavior is known as ________.

A) the bystander effect
B) a response characteristic
C) social cognition
D) selective perception

Question 7

According to Heider, we usually attribute someone's behavior to ________.

A) internal causes only
B) either internal or external causes, but not both at the same time
C) internal and external causes at the same time
D) external causes only

Question 8

The extent to which the first information we receive about someone influences our impression of that person more than later information is called the ________.

A) primacy effect
B) halo effect
C) phi phenomenon
D) recency effect

Question 9

A special kind of schema based on almost any distinguishing personal attribute is a ________.

A) concept
B) primacy effect
C) unifying trait
D) stereotype

Question 10

A set of characteristics believed to be shared by all members of a social category is a ________.

A) unifying trait
B) primacy effect
C) stereotype
D) perception

Question 11

When Erika first met Bill, she found him to be very pleasant and likable. However, over the next few weeks she hears repeated stories of his rude and insensitive behavior toward others. In spite of that, she continues to view him as a nice person who is just "misunderstood." Her refusal to see that her initial impression of Bill was mistaken is most likely due to the ________.

A) halo effect
B) phi phenomenon
C) primacy effect
D) recency effect

Question 12

Which of the following is not one of the kinds of information Kelley believed we use to draw conclusions about the causes of behavior?

A) frequency
B) consistency
C) consensus
D) distinctiveness

Question 13

The degree to which other people behave the same way as one person behaves in a situation affects our attributions of that person's behavior. This is an example of ________.

A) consistency
B) distinctiveness
C) consensus
D) frequency

Question 14

The scientific study of the way in which thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of one individual are affected by the real, imagined, or inferred characteristics or behavior of others is known as ________ psychology.

A) interpersonal
B) cognitive
C) environmental
D) social

Question 15

John's friends told him that Mary was the homecoming queen last year. Al's friends told him that Mary was not invited to any of her friends' parties last year. Both John and Al take Mary out on blind dates. Which of the following is the most likely outcome?

A) Mary will be friendlier toward John than toward Al.
B) Mary will be friendlier toward Al than toward John.
C) Mary will not be friendly to either Al or John.
D) Mary will be very friendly toward both Al and John.

Question 16

When pairs of participants played a competitive game, and researchers told one member of each pair that the other was either hostile or friendly, the players who were led to believe that their partner was hostile behaved ________.

A) differently than players who were led to believe that their partner was friendly, and their partner's behavior actually became more hostile
B) differently than players who were led to believe that their partner was friendly, but their partner's behavior did not change
C) no differently than players who were led to believe that their partner was friendly, and their partner's behavior did not change
D) no differently than players who were led to believe that their partner was friendly, but their partner's behavior actually became more hostile

Question 17

Research indicates that the teachers' expectations of students ________.

A) has little or no effect on student performance
B) only negatively affects the poorest student performers in a given class
C) only positively affects the top student performers in a given class
D) can have a powerful positive or negative effect on student performance

Question 18

To the extent that a behavior occurs only when a particular event occurs, we tend to attribute the behavior to that event. This is an example of ________.

A) consistency
B) distinctiveness
C) consensus
D) frequency

Question 19

When the expectations of one person bring about the expected behavior in another person, the expectation has become a(n) ________.

A) attribution
B) primary drive
C) self-fulfilling prophecy
D) response characteristic

Question 20

The tendency to give too much emphasis to personal factors when accounting for other people's actions is called ________.

A) the Peter principle
B) the fundamental attribution error
C) the primacy effect
D) defensive attribution

Question 21

Studies on similarity and attractiveness have found that ________.

A) similarity appears to be unrelated to attraction
B) complementarity is a more powerful influence on attraction than similarity
C) the more similar two people are, the weaker the attraction, because of boredom
D) the more similar two people are, the stronger the attraction between them

Question 22

The term psychologists use to describe how close two people live to each other is ________.

A) complementarity
B) reciprocity
C) proximity
D) propinquity

Question 23

When someone reveals too much, too soon in communicating with someone else, the other person is likely to ________.

A) retreat and stop communicating
B) continue the relationship as if nothing had happened
C) speed up the pace at which he or she reveals information
D) listen more and further explore what has been revealed

Question 24

Bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people, according to the ________.

A) reciprocity model
B) Peter principle
C) just-world hypothesis
D) Premack principle

Question 25

The quality of genuine closeness and trust achieved in communication with another person is called ________.

A) reciprocity
B) synergy
C) intimacy
D) propinquity

Question 26

We are ________ likely to be attracted to and ________ likely to vote for a political candidate with whom we share similar attitudes.

A) more; more
B) no more; more
C) no more; no more
D) more; no more

Question 27

A relatively stable organization of beliefs, feelings, and behavior tendencies toward something or someone else is a(n) ________.

A) affect
B) attitude
C) cognition
D) archetype

Question 28

The most important factor in interpersonal attraction is usually ________.

A) proximity
B) attractiveness
C) reciprocity
D) similarity

Question 29

Which of the following illustrates the power of complementary traits?

A) a dominant woman marries a submissive man
B) two tennis players become good friends
C) a girl marries the boy next door
D) a girl and a boy who both like jogging fall in love

Question 30

Intimate communication is based on the process of ________.

A) kinesics
B) self-disclosure
C) proxemics
D) deindividuation

Question 31

Betty went to the dentist to have a filling replaced. Kim, however, found out she needed root canal work. According to the just-world hypothesis, ________.

A) Betty is a lucky person
B) Kim must have disliked Betty
C) Kim has a genetic predisposition toward poor teeth
D) Betty has taken better care of her teeth than Kim

Question 32

According to attribution theory, when evaluating their own behavior, people tend to ________ for good situations and ________ for bad ones.

A) take credit; take credit
B) take credit; deny responsibility
C) deny responsibility; deny responsibility
D) deny responsibility; take credit

Question 33

Research has found that Japanese students studying in the United States usually attribute their successes to ________ sources and their failures to ________ sources.

A) external; internal
B) internal; external
C) internal; internal
D) external; external

Question 34

Roberta is shy, but she falls in love with Sven, who is very outgoing. This illustrates the effect of ________.

A) reciprocity
B) complementary traits
C) similarity
D) proximity

Question 35

Barbie and Ken just moved into a housing development. They are most likely to be attracted to ________.

A) people in other housing developments
B) people who live in adjacent buildings
C) their next-door neighbors
D) people who do not live in housing developments

Question 36

The tendency to explain our successes according to our personal abilities and attribute our failures to forces beyond our control is called ________.

A) the primacy effect
B) the fundamental attribution error
C) a self-delusional thought
D) a defensive attribution

Question 37

When Jason gets an "A" on a math test, he claims it is because he is smart. However, when he fails a social studies test for which he didn't study, he claims the test was too hard. His behavior is an example of the ________.

A) actor-observer effect
B) self-serving bias
C) primacy effect
D) fundamental attribution error

Question 38

Most of us associate ________ with good personality traits, intelligence, and happiness.

A) wealth
B) attractiveness
C) old age
D) youth

Question 39

In hospitals, premature infants rated as "attractive" by attending nurses ________ and gained ________ weight than those judged as less attractive.

A) thrived more; more
B) thrived the same; the same amount of
C) did not thrive; less
D) thrived less; less

Question 40

A racing driver whose car skids off the road in an important event is most likely to attribute his performance to ________.

A) problems he is having in his personal life
B) slick conditions on the asphalt
C) errors in judgment on his part
D) his late-night partying on the previous evening

Question 41

Which of the following is not one of the three major components of attitudes?

A) evaluative beliefs
B) behavioral expectancies
C) goals
D) feelings

Question 42

Many northern cities in the United States have experienced several waves of immigration, each wave depositing large numbers of people who soon began competing with already established groups for jobs. The theory that would best explain prejudice against the latest wave of immigrants in these terms would locate the origin of the prejudice in ________.

A) frustration-aggression
B) stereotyping
C) interpersonal conflict
D) genetic predisposition

Question 43

Prejudice and discrimination directed at a particular racial group is called ________.

A) harassment
B) focused attention
C) secularism
D) racism

Question 44

Pete has a Ph.D. in the performing arts, but he has been working at odd jobs for years to barely survive. He has had little success as an actor and resents the fact that success has eluded him. He blames his failure on the fact that he is a heterosexual in what he believes is a homosexual-dominated business. His resentment has blossomed into a full-blown hatred of homosexuals. The development of Pete's prejudice is best explained by the ________ theory of prejudice.

A) interpersonal conflict
B) frustration-aggression
C) conformity
D) hostility/aggression

Question 45

People who are ________ on self-monitoring are especially likely to override their attitudes and behave in accordance with others' expectations.

A) low
B) nonreactive
C) reactive
D) high

Question 46

________ is an unfair, intolerant, or unfavorable attitude toward another group of people.

A) Prejudice
B) Conformity
C) Discrimination
D) Oppression

Question 47

Which of the following personality types is most likely to be prejudiced?

A) altruistic
B) egalitarian
C) authoritarian
D) intellectual

Question 48

Roberta is trying to decide whether or not to vote for a political candidate, John. In her opinion, he is not qualified for the position, but she agrees with his political rationale. Also, she trusts him and likes his decisive personality. In fact, she likes him so much she sent a small donation to his campaign. Her trust of the candidate represents the ________ component of her attitude toward him.

A) feeling
B) intuition
C) behavioral tendency
D) belief

Question 49

The belief that members of certain racial or ethnic groups are innately inferior is ________.

A) racism
B) secularism
C) focused attention
D) harassment

Question 50

One who is unjustly blamed and punished for problems he or she did not cause is a ________.

A) victim
B) pariah
C) scapegoat
D) bigot

Question 51

Using superordinate categories to reduce stereotyping and prejudice is an example of ________.

A) cooperative empowerment
B) controlled processing
C) pole-shifting
D) recategorization

Question 52

Sally knows her own mind. She consistently expresses her beliefs and acts on those beliefs with little regard for the constraints imposed by the situation. She is probably a ________ self-monitor.

A) reactive
B) low
C) nonreactive
D) high

Question 53

Before speaking or acting, Sally examines a situation for cues of how she should react, and then tries to meet the demands of the situation rather than act on her own feelings. She is probably a ________ self-monitor.

A) reactive
B) nonreactive
C) high
D) low

Question 54

________ is an act taken toward one group that is unfair when compared with our behavior toward other groups.

A) Discrimination
B) Bigotry
C) Oppression
D) Prejudice

Question 55

Roberta is trying to decide whether or not to vote for a political candidate, John. In her opinion, he is not qualified for the position, but she agrees with his political rationale. Also, she trusts him and likes his decisive personality. In fact, she likes him so much she sent a small donation to his campaign. Her sending a donation to the campaign represents the ________ component of her attitude toward him.

A) feeling
B) behavioral tendency
C) intuition
D) belief

Question 56

The tendency for a person with stereotyped beliefs about a particular group of people to make internal attributions for their shortcomings and external attributions for their successes is known as the ________.

A) fundamental attribution error
B) actor-observer effect
C) ultimate attribution error
D) self-serving bias

Question 57

Roberta is trying to decide whether or not to vote for a political candidate, John. In her opinion, he is not qualified for the position, but she agrees with his political rationale. Also, she trusts him and likes his decisive personality. In fact, she likes him so much she sent a small donation to his campaign. Her opinion that the candidate is not qualified represents the ________ component of her attitude toward him.

A) intuition
B) behavioral tendency
C) feeling
D) evaluative belief

Question 58

Luther operates a small nightclub that specializes in soul music and features up-and-coming African-American singing groups. He actively discourages White couples from coming in and always gives them the worst seats if they insist on being admitted. Luther's behavior is best described as ________.

A) discrimination
B) prejudice
C) ambiguous
D) oppression

Question 59

Ralph, a White student who grew up in Maine, is about to enter the University of Southern California on an athletic scholarship. He is aware that many of his teammates will be Black and assumes that they will dislike him and ostracize him. Ralph's attitude is best described as an example of ________.

A) discrimination
B) ambiguity
C) nonconformity
D) prejudice

Question 60

Many of our most basic attitudes ________.

A) are inherited
B) are innate
C) come from early, direct personal experience
D) come from what we learn in school

Question 61

Expanding our schema of a particular group, such as by viewing people from different races or genders as sharing similar qualities, is a strategy called ________.

A) cooperative empowerment
B) recategorization
C) pole-shifting
D) controlled processing

Question 62

Contact between members of two groups can work to undermine prejudicial attitudes if each of the following conditions are met except ________.

A) social norms encourage contact
B) the groups should come together to engage in healthy competition
C) group members must have equal status
D) people must have one-on-one contact with members of the other group

Question 63

When listening to persuasive messages, there is a tendency, over time, for people to forget the source while remembering the content. This is known as ________.

A) recategorization
B) the sleeper effect
C) controlled processing
D) Moore's Law

Question 64

It is generally better to present ________ when trying to change someone's opinion.

A) only criticisms of the opposing viewpoint
B) only your side of an argument
C) both sides of an argument
D) only criticisms of your side of an argument

Question 65

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Messages that create fear can sometimes work well at persuading an audience of a particular point.
B) Fear has not been properly investigated as a factor in attitude change.
C) A one-sided argument is more persuasive than a two-sided argument.
D) The greater the level of fear in a message, the more effective it will be in changing attitudes.

Question 66

The best medium for making people understand complex arguments is a(n) ________ presentation.

A) written
B) audiotaped
C) videotaped
D) live

Question 67

The most powerful method of changing people's opinions is usually ________.

A) a face-to-face interaction
B) a written argument
C) second-hand "word of mouth"
D) a media presentation

Question 68

Which of the following would result in cognitive dissonance?

A) Wearing glasses is dignified; a respected political leader wears glasses.
B) Pink shirts are effeminate; Arnold Schwarzenegger wears pink shirts.
C) Orange juice is healthy; I love orange juice.
D) Dresses are feminine; Britney Spears wears dresses.

Question 69

Which of the following people is going to be the most likely to have his or her attitude changed by a persuasive message?

A) A person who has a strong commitment to present attitudes, the attitudes are not shared by others, and the attitude was learned from the family in early childhood.
B) A person who has a strong commitment to present attitudes, the attitudes are shared by others, and the attitude was learned in college and young adulthood.
C) A person who has a weak commitment to present attitudes, the attitudes are shared by others, and the attitude was learned in college and young adulthood.
D) A person who has a weak commitment to present attitudes, the attitudes are not shared by others, and the attitude was learned in college and young adulthood.

Question 70

Whenever a person has two contradictory cognitions at the same time, a state of ________ exists.

A) nonreciprocity
B) cognitive dissonance
C) identity diffusion
D) cognitive congruence

Question 71

Cognitive dissonance theory was developed by ________.

A) Festinger
B) Kelley
C) Hall
D) Milgram

Question 72

In attempts to change attitudes, people with ________ are more easily influenced than others.

A) high self-esteem
B) low self-esteem
C) low achievement need
D) high achievement need

Question 73

The most critical factor (and the one most difficult to change) in altering attitudes is the ________.

A) medium of the communication
B) audience's characteristics
C) message itself
D) source of the message

Question 74

Tom rationalizes that his illicit use of marijuana is permissible because the drug is not particularly habit-forming and therefore should not be prohibited by law. Tom's rationalization serves to ________.

A) increase his acceptance by his pot-smoking friends
B) increase his cognitive dissonance
C) reduce his fear of being caught
D) reduce his cognitive dissonance

Question 75

Teaching a group of sixth-graders to be more understanding of handicapped people and to think about their situations by asking such questions as "How might a handicapped person drive a car?" is an example of ________.

A) recategorization
B) controlled processing
C) cooperative empowerment
D) pole-shifting

Question 76

It would be most difficult to produce change in attitude in an audience that is composed of ________.

A) people with average intelligence who have low self-esteem
B) highly intelligent people who have high self-esteem
C) people with average intelligence who have high self-esteem
D) highly intelligent people who have low self-esteem

Question 77

The communication model of persuasion identifies ________ key elements people use to change attitudes and behavior.

A) four
B) three
C) two
D) five

Question 78

Each of the following is identified by the communication model of persuasion as a key element in changing people's behaviors except ________.

A) the source
B) the context
C) the medium of communication
D) characteristics of the audience

Question 79

Each of the following is a promising strategy for reducing prejudice and discrimination except ________.

A) recategorization
B) controlled processing
C) increasing competition between groups
D) improving contact between groups

Question 80

We are most likely to change our negative attitudes toward a certain make of automobile if ________.

A) someone in the family owns the car
B) a friend, who is a mechanic, likes the car
C) the president of the auto firm endorses the car
D) our friends like the car