Deck 9: Social Influence

Question 1

The main difference between compliance and obedience is that obedience occurs in response to

A) a more powerful person or group.
B) a request.
C) a personal belief.
D) imagined pressure from others.

Answer 1

a more powerful person or group.

Question 2

People who hold a minority view tend to change the majority opinion through

A) normative social influence.
B) informational social influence.
C) public compliance.
D) guilt and shame.

Answer 2

informational social influence.

Question 3

Glenda has just heard a compelling statement from Rhonda about why she should fasten her seatbelt. Glenda believes Rhonda's statement is accurate and fastens her seatbelt as a result. This type of conformity is a form of ________ social influence.

A) informational
B) educational
C) automatic
D) normative

Answer 3

informational

Question 4

According to research on informational social influence, Anton is more likely to agree with the recommendations of others on the best tax-preparation company to use if he

A) is in a bad mood.
B) does not know much about tax preparation.
C) wants to be liked.
D) has internalized cultural norms.

Question 5

If you decide to buy new clothes that fit the latest fashion trend just to blend in with others, you are responding to ________ conformity pressures.

A) explicit
B) implicit
C) compliance
D) informative

Question 6

John is a mathematics graduate student, whereas Lisa is a local celebrity. Although both John and Lisa are likely to have some increased ability to elicit conformity from others, Lisa is more likely to influence conformity through

A) informational social influence.
B) internalization.
C) reciprocal concessions.
D) normative social influence.

Question 7

According to the textbook, conformity can be beneficial for society because it

A) encourages people to think hard about every possible action.
B) makes group distinctions more clear.
C) leads to smoother social interactions.
D) makes people more likely to challenge unfair laws.

Question 8

Going into a group meeting at work, you are concerned that you will end up conforming to the rest of the group on decisions, even when you disagree. Which of the following factors could influence whether you conform?

A) feeling uncertain about the topic at hand
B) recognizing that other group members have more status than you do
C) having to share your opinion with group members
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 9

Tanya Chartrand and John Bargh (1999) found that people mimic such behaviors as face rubbing and foot shaking, and that this mimicry is particularly likely to occur when

A) the person or people being mimicked are well liked.
B) the person doing the mimicking has a high need to affiliate with others.
C) people have lower levels of self-awareness.
D) Both a and b are correct.

Question 10

Compared with people who grow up in independent cultures, people who grow up in interdependent cultures are ________ susceptible to ________ social influence.

A) more; normative but not informational
B) more; informational and normative
C) less; normative but not informational
D) less; informational and normative

Question 11

Gerald has been spending a good deal of time at work reading about elderly nursing-home patients, their ailments, and the physical decline that they experience. When he returns home, his wife comments that Gerald is walking slowly and seems to be stooped over, as though he were physically weaker. Gerald has probably been influenced by

A) ideomotor action.
B) autosuggestion.
C) self-hypnosis.
D) an excessive empathic response.

Question 12

Hank attends a focus group where he and five other men are asked to rate three lawn mowers. Hank knows a lot about lawn mowers and is certain that lawn mower A is superior and deserves the highest rating. However, the rest of the men say that lawn mower B is the best. If Hank ends up publicly agreeing with the rest of the group, he has probably succumbed to

A) the autokinetic effect.
B) informational social influence.
C) normative social influence.
D) the chameleon effect.

Question 13

"Tight" cultures differ from "loose" cultures in that they

A) have strong norms about how people should behave.
B) have weak norms about how people should behave.
C) demand that group members are tolerant and caring toward one another.
D) encourage self-reliance and self-discipline.

Question 14

Normative social influence often has a greater impact on ________ than on________.

A) public compliance; private acceptance
B) private acceptance; public compliance
C) private acceptance; internalization
D) internalization; private acceptance

Question 15

In his attempts to persuade Roger to get a fraternity tattoo on his arm, Dan assembles one hundred tattooed fraternity members. Dan probably wasted a lot of effort in doing so, because

A) the effect of group size on conformity is relevant only for women.
B) group size matters for informational social influence, but not normative social influence.
C) the effect of group size on conformity levels off when group size reaches about three to four people.
D) group size does not affect conformity levels.

Question 16

Recall that Muzafer Sherif (1936) showed participants a point of light in a completely darkened room and participants were asked to judge the light's movement. The results from this study suggest that people

A) rarely experience conflict when their own judgments differ from those of other people.
B) adopt more extreme judgments with the passage of time.
C) often change their own judgments in accordance with others' judgments.
D) often ignore others' judgments, even when these judgments are obviously accurate.

Question 17

Which of the following scenarios best characterizes the concept of obedience?

A) Janet is making several photocopies on the library copy machine. Bill, Janet's classmate, shows up and asks if he can make just one copy. Janet says, "Sure, no problem."
B) Bob is socializing at a party and does not feel like drinking alcohol. But Bob notices that almost everyone else at the party is drinking heavily, so he ends up drinking beer as well.
C) David is pouring himself a cup of coffee when his boss shows up and says, "Pour me a cup." David pours the cup of coffee and gives it to his boss.
D) Howard is eating dinner at his professor's house with several other classmates. His professor asks him if he likes sushi. Howard does not, but he still says, "Yes, I sure do!"

Question 18

Janet has a minority opinion about dorm curfew and is afraid she will feel pressured to conform to the majority opinion at an upcoming dorm meeting. To resist conformity pressures, Janet should

A) express strong negative emotions during the meeting.
B) bring an ally to the meeting.
C) bring cookies to the meeting.
D) adopt an interdependent mind-set right before the meeting.

Question 19

All of the following are examples of social influence EXCEPT a

A) woman choosing not to participate in an event that goes against her moral beliefs.
B) college student buying the same brand of jeans that her friends wear.
C) soldier obeying orders.
D) child cleaning his room because he knows it will make his parents happy.

Question 20

Research on gender and conformity shows that compared with women, men are

A) more likely to conform in stereotypically female domains (e.g., child rearing).
B) more likely to conform during face-to-face social interactions.
C) less likely to conform when the judgment at hand is ambiguous.
D) more likely to conform in stereotypically male domains (e.g., cars).

Question 21

Reactance theory suggests that compliance may be ________ likely if people ________.

A) more; are aware that others are trying to influence their behavior.
B) less; perceive that their freedom of choice is being threatened.
C) more; are motivated to feel better about themselves.
D) less; are motivated to feel better about themselves.

Question 22

After successfully requesting that his neighbor loan him his jumper cables to start his car, Jeremy then persuades his neighbor to drive him the ten miles to where his car is stalled. This kind of foot-in-the-door technique works because people

A) feel obligated to reciprocate a favor.
B) want to be liked.
C) perform certain actions because they are consistent with their self-images.
D) engage in mindless obedience.

Question 23

The principle of ideomotor action states that

A) pretending to feel a certain way can make one truly feel that way.
B) thinking about a behavior can make its actual performance more likely.
C) people intentionally mimic each other's behavior.
D) most behavior is consciously determined and deliberative.

Question 24

Anya needs $500 to help pay for a trip to Europe. She calls her parents to see if they will give her $5,000 for her trip, and they say no. She then asks if she can have just $500, and they say yes. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the ________ technique.

A) door-in-the-face/reciprocal concessions
B) foot-in-the-door
C) that's-not-all
D) negative state relief

Question 25

Minorities influence majority opinion primarily through

A) normative social influence.
B) informational social influence.
C) descriptive norms.
D) prescriptive norms.

Question 26

Jim just received an "A" on his statistics exam. While he is still happy about this, a classmate asks to borrow his lecture notes. According to research on emotion-based appeals for compliance, why is Jim likely to comply with this request?

A) The request will seem less threatening to Jim.
B) Jim will feel guilty if he does not comply.
C) Granting the request will help Jim sustain his good mood.
D) Both a and c are correct.

Question 27

Juliet is in a committed romantic relationship with Romeo, but her parents have forbidden her to date him any longer. According to reactance theory,

A) Juliet will become even more committed to Romeo.
B) Juliet will become less committed to Romeo but will not break up with him.
C) Juliet will break up with Romeo.
D) Juliet's commitment to Romeo will remain unchanged.

Question 28

According to the principle of reciprocal concessions, Amal's dad is more likely to comply with her request to buy her a used car if Amal

A) previously asked her dad for a new car and her dad said no to that request.
B) has never asked her dad for a car before.
C) previously asked her dad for a used car and her dad said no to that request.
D) has been generous when her dad needed help in the past.

Question 29

Dave's roommates call him a "moocher," a "parasite," and a "leech." These names suggest that Dave

A) is an exceptionalist.
B) violates the norm of reciprocity.
C) lacks negative state relief.
D) is reactive.

Question 30

Jillian heard that city officials wanted to construct a new highway near her house. Initially, she thought this was a bad idea. Then she attended a city council meeting where she heard several viewpoints and obtained detailed information about the highway project. After the meeting, she told her neighbors that the new highway seemed like a good idea. Jillian's endorsement of the project is best characterized as an instance of

A) public compliance.
B) internalization.
C) normative social influence.
D) the chameleon effect.

Question 31

A social norm that reflects how things are typically done is considered ________, whereas a social norm that reflects what behaviors are approved is considered ________.

A) descriptive; prescriptive
B) prescriptive; descriptive
C) normative; informational
D) informational; normative

Question 32

Parker has just been named Employee of the Month at the grocery store where she works and is delighted. Coincidentally, her younger brother Marty decides to ask her for $20 so he can take his girlfriend to the movies. Compared to any other day, Parker would be ________ likely to comply with his request today, because ________ compliance.

A) more; positive mood increases
B) less; negative mood increases
C) just as; mood state has no influence on
D) less; only reason-based requests increase

Question 33

All of the following statements about automatic mimicry are true EXCEPT people

A) tend to like those who mimic them more than those who do not.
B) who have been mimicked tend to engage in more prosocial behavior afterward.
C) who have been mimicked tend to feel irritated with the person who mimicked them.
D) tend not to mimic individuals toward whom they hold negative attitudes.

Question 34

Emily is in a good mood. This means that she is most likely to comply with which of the following requests?

A) a request to donate to a charitable organization
B) a request to give electric shocks to another person as part of a research study
C) a request to deliver bad news to someone
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 35

A television infomercial tells viewers that they can get the world's best steak knives for only $25. Right before the infomercial ends, viewers are told that if they call within the next thirty minutes, they will also receive a can opener for free. This example demonstrates the ________ technique.

A) door-in-the-face
B) foot-in-the-door
C) lowball
D) that's-not-all

Question 36

To increase compliance, descriptive and prescriptive norms should

A) be aligned with one another.
B) highlight other people's failure to engage in the desired behavior.
C) encourage individuals to exert minority influence.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 37

A study conducted by Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks and his colleagues (2009) found that ________ participants performed better and reported less anxiety in a mock job interview when the interviewer deliberately ________ the interviewee's behavior.

A) Hispanic American; mirrored
B) Anglo-American; mirrored
C) Hispanic American; refrained from mirroring
D) Anglo-American; refrained from mirroring

Question 38

Researchers asked Catholics to donate to the March of Dimes either when they were on their way into church for confession or on their way out. In support of the argument that ________ influences compliance, results revealed that ________.

A) a positive mood; people gave more money before confession
B) guilt; people gave more money before confession
C) a positive mood; people gave less money before confession
D) guilt; people gave less money before confession

Question 39

Imagine that you work for a local animal shelter and your goal is to increase the number of people who are willing to adopt a dog from the shelter. According to the ________ technique, one approach could be to first ask people if they would be willing to wear a button that says, "Adopt a dog today," and then a couple of weeks later ask them if they would be willing to adopt a dog themselves.

A) door-in-the-face
B) foot-in-the-door
C) that's-not-all
D) lowball

Question 40

The main difference between Sherif's conformity study and Asch's conformity study is that Asch's study

A) examined situations in which one's own beliefs clearly conflict with those of the group.
B) demonstrated the powerful effects of social influence.
C) showed higher rates of conformity.
D) measured participants' judgments of visual stimuli.

Question 41

The results of the Milgram experiments are less surprising to us when we consider the

A) stepwise nature of the experimenter's commands.
B) participants' attempts to terminate the experiment.
C) participants' ability to view the experimenter as responsible for their actions.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 42

In which of the following ways do the results of the Milgram experiments parallel the events in Nazi Germany leading up to the Holocaust?

A) In both situations, perpetrators largely took responsibility for their own actions.
B) In both situations, perpetrators had no opportunity to exercise choice or free will.
C) In both situations, harmful actions occurred in an incremental, step-by-step manner.
D) In both situations, most perpetrators had sadistic dispositions and enjoyed harming others.

Question 43

About ________ percent of the participants in Milgram's original experiment delivered the maximum shock of 450 volts.

A) 22
B) 42
C) 62
D) 82

Question 44

Which of the following is true about the original Milgram experiment?

A) Nearly all participants called the experimenter's attention to the learner's suffering.
B) Many participants stated explicitly that they refused to continue.
C) Both a and b are correct.
D) None of the above are correct.

Question 45

Using a ________-based approach to reduce destructive behavior is likely to be most effective when people ________ the popularity of the behavior.

A) norm; overestimate
B) norm; underestimate
C) reason; overestimate
D) reason; underestimate

Question 46

According to the norm of reciprocity,

A) people should agree to others' requests.
B) people rarely return favors.
C) people should benefit those who benefit them.
D) emotions lead to compliance.

Question 47

A prison warden has instructed his prison guards to hose down the prisoners with icy cold water as punishment, despite the fact that this is likely illegal. When one of the guards protests, the warden informs the guards that he himself will take personal responsibility for any negative consequences. This will make the guards more likely to obey because it

A) reduces the guards' stress about what they are doing.
B) reduces the guards' empathy for the prisoners.
C) distracts guards from the prisoners' distress.
D) increases the guards' decisiveness.

Question 48

Following his initial experiment, Milgram conducted several additional experiments to examine factors that might increase or decrease obedience to authority. In one of these experiments, Milgram showed that participants were less likely to obey the experimenter's orders if

A) they thought the learner would perform better without getting shocked.
B) the experimenter's requests to continue were issued over a telephone.
C) they thought the experimenter was responsible for the learner's welfare.
D) they were put into a sad mood.

Question 49

In the original Milgram experiment, the experimenter asked participants to shock someone else whenever that person made a mistake on a learning task. The results of this experiment showed that people

A) learned better when they were punished.
B) did not experience distress when other people were in pain.
C) were unwilling to advance science if it meant hurting someone else.
D) were willing to inflict pain on strangers.

Question 50

Define conformity, compliance, and obedience and provide an example of each.

Question 51

Describe the phenomenon of automatic mimicry and give two reasons why it occurs.

Question 52

In the original Milgram experiment, participants found themselves in an agonizing conflict. Forces compelling them to complete the experiment included all of the following EXCEPT

A) advancing science.
B) avoiding the experimenter's disapproval.
C) a sense of fair play.
D) feeling empathy for the victim.

Question 53

________ is the first step in the foot-in-the-door technique.

A) Giving people a small gift
B) Giving people a large gift
C) Making a small request
D) Making a large request

Question 54

Technological advances such as long-range missiles mean that countries can to inflict harm on each other from great distances. Research conducted by ________ suggests that these advances make it considerably ________ likely that people will be willing to inflict harm.

A) Asch; more
B) Asch; less
C) Milgram; more
D) Milgram; less

Question 55

The foot-in-the-door studies and the Milgram studies are similar in that they both

A) ask people to comply with a small, relatively unobjectionable action at first.
B) need to use authority figures to induce compliance.
C) involve a reduction in stress.
D) ask people to comply with large, objectionable actions right off the bat.

Question 56

Hideous crimes against humanity include the Holocaust in Nazi Germany, the "ethnic cleansing" in Bosnia, and the tribal massacres in Rwanda. According to the textbook, there are two different ways of explaining such crimes. One of these explanations, the normalist thesis, holds that

A) only highly sadistic, desperate, or ethnocentric people harm others.
B) under certain circumstances, almost anyone has the capacity to harm others.
C) evolutionary pressures favored traits that involved a greater willingness to harm others.
D) the media (television, movies, video games) have made violence commonplace.

Question 57

Describe three specific strategies a person could use to resist social influence in a situation where he or she has a minority opinion.

Question 58

According to the negative state relief hypothesis,

A) positive moods increase compliance.
B) negative moods decrease compliance.
C) granting someone's request decreases negative mood states.
D) granting someone's request increases negative mood states.

Question 59

Drawing on research described in the textbook, evaluate the claim that women conform more than men. Be sure to address the role of situational factors.

Question 60

Define informational and normative social influence and describe two circumstances under which people are more likely to be swayed by informational as opposed to normative social influence.

Question 61

Imagine that you are developing an antilittering billboard. One of the members of your team suggests that the billboard should include statistics about the high prevalence of littering in order to convince people that it is a major problem. Drawing on your knowledge of descriptive and prescriptive norms, explain why this may not work and propose a more effective alternative.

Question 62

Imagine that you work for a student newspaper, and your job is to sell ad space to local shops. Explain how you could increase your chances of getting a shop to buy ad space if you used (a) the that's-not-all technique and (b) the reciprocal concessions (door-in-the-face) technique. In your answer, first define each of these techniques. Then, for each technique, describe what you would do to convince shop managers to buy ad space.

Question 63

Describe two factors that likely increased obedience in both the Milgram experiments and the events in Nazi Germany that took place leading up to and during the Holocaust.

Question 64

A study conducted by Sanchez-Burks and his colleagues (2009) found that Hispanic American and Anglo-American participants differed in their responses to mimicry during a mock job interview. Describe these differences and interpret them in light of cultural differences in the importance of attunement to the emotions and behavior of others.

Question 65

Describe the two opposing forces operating on participants in Milgram's original obedience experiment. Which force appeared to exert a stronger influence on participants' behaviors? Justify your answer on the basis of research and theory.

Question 66

Explain how norm-based social influence can play a role in increasing symptoms of bulimia (binge eating and purging) in sororities.

Question 67

How have norm-based approaches been used to curb binge drinking on college campuses? What explains the effectiveness of these approaches?

Question 68

Give an example of an emotion-based strategy for getting someone to comply with your request for help. Then explain how and why this strategy should influence compliance.

Question 69

Evaluate the claim that participants in the Milgram experiments who delivered the maximum level of shock must have been uncaring or sadistic by nature.

Question 70

Describe how participants' construal of the social context in the Asch experiment could have led to greater conformity than what could be expected to occur in everyday life.