Deck 7: Social Influence

Question 1

A positive reference group

A) is psychologically significant for a person
B) can also be a membership group
C) is one to which a person conforms
D) all of the above

Answer 1

all of the above

Question 2

While the process of controlling others through domination is referred to as power,the process of mobilising others to attain a common goal is referred to as

A) compliance
B) leadership
C) motivation
D) obedience

Answer 2

leadership

Question 3

Edward believes that Raewyn has informational power.This is because

A) Raewyn deliberately withholds information from him
B) he believes Raewyn has more information than he does
C) Raewyn's information comes from a reliable source
D) Edward's remaining information comes from an unreliable source

Answer 3

he believes Raewyn has more information than he does

Question 4

Kelly is a student.However,she does not socialise with fellow students (as she thinks they are childish)nor does she have lunch at the student cafeteria.Instead,she dresses in suits and has lunch at a nearby café frequented by executive types.The category of 'student group' for her is probably a

A) membership group
B) positive reference group
C) negative reference group
D) both A and C

Question 5

Some forms of social influence bring about a surface change in behaviour but no internal change in attitudes.This is referred to as

A) obedience
B) conformity
C) compliance
D) conversion

Question 6

A poster of the Brown Eyed Beans adorns Nicky's bedroom wall.Although Nicky's voice is not the best,she does sing their songs,and she wears a jacket modelled on that worn by members of the band.For Nicky,the Brown Eyed Beans are a(n)

A) ingroup
B) positive reference group
C) membership group
D) outgroup

Question 7

According to Raven (1965),referent power is exerted by someone

A) with whom others identify
B) who is attractive to others
C) who is respected by others
D) all of the above

Question 8

According to Moscovici (1976),an important prerequisite for coercive compulsion and compliance is that the source of social influence is perceived by the target of social influence to have

A) power
B) positive emotion
C) an eloquent way of speaking
D) rewards for the target

Question 9

Groups to which an individual belongs by objective criteria or social consensus are called

A) criterion groups
B) control groups
C) reference groups
D) membership groups

Question 10

Public compliance

A) is an outcome of persuasion
B) can be a result of coercion
C) refers to a surface change in behaviour
D) all of the above

Question 11

Compliance,obedience and conformity

A) are theories of power and influence
B) are types of social influence
C) relate to different stages in a series of social pressures
D) follow the same norms and standards

Question 12

'Compliance' refers to

A) a private and enduring change of attitudes and behaviour
B) voluntary adherence to the norms of a reference group
C) people's attempts to exhibit their group's prototypical behaviour
D) an external change in behaviour and in expressed attitudes

Question 13

Stevie only brushes his teeth at night when reminded by his father.Otherwise he hops straight into bed with a book.Stevie's dental hygiene is an example of

A) true obedience
B) conformity
C) the cause of caries
D) compliance

Question 14

Conformity

A) requires constant surveillance
B) is based on the subjective validity of social norms
C) produces true internal change
D) all of the above

Question 15

As a result of what we know about Kelly from the previous question,she will _________ to/with student norms but ___________ to/with executive-type norms.

A) conform; comply
B) conform; obey
C) comply; conform
D) obey; comply

Question 16

In considering the concepts of leadership and power,research now indicates that

A) leaders are required to exercise power over followers
B) although both concepts involve social influence, they can still be differentiated
C) leadership always involves informational power
D) leadership always involves expert power

Question 17

A collection of individuals who are significant for a person's attitude and behaviour both in a positive as well as a negative sense is termed

A) a control group
B) a membership group
C) a reference group
D) a significance level

Question 18

Mr Swine is the owner of a new shoe factory.He can threaten,or even punish,his predominantly immigrant and female factory workers if they make mistakes.Mr Swine's power is

A) delegated
B) coercive
C) referent
D) illegitimate

Question 19

An experimental finding by Bochner and Insko (1966)that information is more readily accepted when presented by a Nobel Prize-winning personality is an illustration of

A) indoctrination
B) referent power
C) authoritative power
D) expert power

Question 20

Mindy thinks that Marvin knows more than her and is also more skilled.For her,Marvin holds

A) informational power
B) reward power
C) knowledge power
D) expert power

Question 21

A context that is relevant for making social comparisons is called a(n)

A) frame of reference
B) group task
C) prototype
D) experimental situation

Question 22

Participants who were assigned the role of administering electric shocks in Milgram's study were

A) recruited from the community
B) mild-mannered, softly spoken and courteous
C) reluctant to administer shocks beyond the 'moderate' level
D) selected for their violent pre-dispositions

Question 23

The findings of Asch's study on conformity would have led him to reject his original theory that

A) people can conform even when they do not believe the group is correct
B) housewives will be more persuaded to cook with offal if there is an established group norm
C) if the object of judgement is unambiguous, people will not be influenced by the group
D) people may conform because they believe their perceptions must be inaccurate and the group is correct

Question 24

In a conformity experiment by Deutsch and Gerard (1955),which of the following caused people to be more susceptible to group pressure?

A) When they were uncertain in their judgement
B) When the group had a goal
C) When they had visual contact with the group
D) All of the above

Question 25

In an early study,Allport (1924)noted that,as compared to individuals,people in groups make decisions that are

A) based on a continuum
B) based on previous decisions
C) less extreme
D) less conservative

Question 26

Milgram's classic studies on obedience

A) were stimulated by Asch's (1951) experiments on conformity
B) incorporated all necessary ethical controls for psychological experiments
C) investigated why housewives ate meat recommended to them by their doctor
D) were an outcome of American military research

Question 27

An agentic state,as thought by Milgram,is

A) a frame of mind in which people as agents transfer personal responsibility to the person giving orders
B) a frame of mind of conforming with the ideologies of the state
C) a frame of mind characterising unquestioning obedience
D) both A and C

Question 28

Which of the following was NOT raised as an ethical issue following Milgram's obedience experiment?

A) Were participants free to terminate the experiment?
B) Were the hypotheses underlying the research important?
C) Were the participants paid an adequate sum?
D) Did participants give their consent freely?

Question 29

In studying conformity in a group pressure situation,Asch found that people conformed even when

A) the task was difficult
B) they believed the others were wrong
C) others seemed to know what they were saying
D) there was no basis for thinking anything

Question 30

Lewin's study of group meetings of housewives who discussed recipes for eating offal meat permitted

A) a group norm to be developed
B) a new advertising strategy to be put in place
C) health consciousness to be expressed
D) women to be creative in their cooking

Question 31

A frame of reference

A) is the space between group norms
B) is how an argument is put
C) is the basis of the metacontrast principle
D) permits social comparisons and allows norms to develop

Question 32

Autokinesis was a phenomenon used by Sherif to study

A) hypnosis
B) destructive obedience
C) conformity to confederates in a group
D) norm formation

Question 33

Findings in Milgram's obedience to authority experiment

A) were vastly different to what psychiatrists predicted
B) were predicted fairly accurately by psychiatrists
C) indicated differences between women and men
D) did not show participants obeying authority figures

Question 34

When can obedience be beneficial?

A) When nurses blindly obey doctors' orders
B) When conforming to peer pressure
C) In an emergency situation
D) Obedience can never be beneficial

Question 35

One reason that people continued to administer electric shocks in Milgram's study may be that the experiment starts with quite trivial shocks and,once the participant has committed themselves to giving shocks,it can be difficult for them to change their mind and not continue their commitment.This process

A) reflects the psychology of 'sunk costs'
B) is similar to the foot-in-the-door technique of persuasion
C) both A and B
D) neither A nor B

Question 36

In Sherif's autokinetic experiment,people's judgements became

A) a frame of reference
B) polarised
C) more extreme
D) topics for discussion

Question 37

When comparing the impact of situational and personality factors in accounting for a tendency to conform,the evidence seems to favour

A) situational factors
B) personality factors
C) neither A nor B
D) both A and B carry the same weight

Question 38

Which of the following did NOT influence obedience in Milgram's research?

A) Proximity to the victim
B) Immediacy of the authority
C) Dispositional traits
D) Peer pressure

Question 39

In Milgram's obedience experiment,when orders were given by telephone

A) no participant persisted to the end
B) obedience decreased considerably
C) participants refused to administer shocks
D) participants' obedience increased

Question 40

Several ethical questions were raised following Milgram's study of obedience to authority.These included which of the following?

A) Why were the participants paid?
B) Why were most studies carried out at a university?
C) Were the hypotheses underlying the research important?
D) Why was one study carried out in a run-down city office?

Question 41

Asch found that a few dissenters,although incorrect,were taken seriously by a correct majority.This can be viewed as a precursor to later studies on

A) minority influence
B) group conflict
C) reference groups
D) obedience to authority

Question 42

The dual-process dependency model of social influence refers to both informational and normative influence.However,it has been challenged because

A) studies cannot be replicated
B) it disregards the role of group belongingness
C) it overlooks the properties of the stimulus
D) personality differences are neglected

Question 43

According to Moscovici and Faucheux (1972),in Asch's study where a lone individual gives in to a number of incorrect confederates,we are actually dealing with

A) minority influence
B) the weight-of-numbers bias
C) common sense
D) majority influence

Question 44

The concept of referent informational influence has arisen from

A) the social identity approach
B) social cognition
C) balance theory
D) the concept of normative influence

Question 45

Rather,the dual-process model focuses on

A) group belongingness
B) social norms
C) interpersonal dependency
D) collectivist ideals

Question 46

Research has found that more ____________ societies are more highly conformist.

A) collectivist
B) Western
C) individualist
D) male-populated

Question 47

Thelma and Louise were out of prison at last.It was time to resurrect their careers and rob a few banks.Thelma said 'Let's just rob one bank at a time; then we might get away from the cops!' 'Great idea',Louise replied.'Why didn't we do that last time?' Thelma's suggestion is

A) an informational influence
B) a stimulus-absent kind of judgement
C) the weapons effect
D) great female logic

Question 48

When it comes to matters of taste,and when you are concerned about 'fitting in' with the group,group size will have a ___________ effect on conformity.

A) non-linear
B) linear
C) weak
D) null

Question 49

Supporters,dissenters and deviates reduce conformity because they

A) increase criticism
B) shatter the majority's unanimity
C) provide a competent viewpoint
D) create cognitive dissonance

Question 50

Wayne has taken up surfing.Now he spends every free minute at the beach.He wears long baggy shorts,wrap-around sunglasses and has dyed blonde curls.In joining a 'world of surfies' he is responding to

A) majority pressure
B) referent informational influence
C) his personal disposition to conform
D) the latest fashion trend

Question 51

An influence to comply with others to gain social approval or avoid social disapproval is termed

A) a stimulus-present kind of judgement
B) illusion of control
C) the rebound effect
D) normative influence

Question 52

According to Wilder (1977),who from the following will be more influential?

A) A group of five friends who turned up to the experiment together
B) The University of Sydney indoor soccer team of 4 players
C) Three other independent participants who appear to have the same opinion
D) None of the above

Question 53

Which of the following factors have only a minor,if any,influence on whether people conform?

A) Task or topic variables (e.g., sex-stereotypic or not)
B) Dispositional traits (e.g., low or high anxiety)
C) Cultural background (e.g., collectivistic or individualistic)
D) The nature of the group (e.g., same-sex or not)

Question 54

When we self-categorise,we

A) make a bid to be leader
B) go beyond our group boundaries
C) de-individuate ourselves
D) use a group norm to guide our behaviour

Question 55

The process of self-categorisation

A) leads to assimilation to the group norm
B) helps establish individuality
C) is based on a gregarious instinct
D) is described in Asch's conformity study

Question 56

According to Moscovici,what is the social influence modality that defines when a minority creates and accentuates conflict in order to persuade the majority to adopt the minority viewpoint?

A) Normalisation
B) Persuasion
C) Innovation
D) Conformity

Question 57

Moscovici criticised the traditional perspective of social influence for its 'conformity bias'.This bias implies that

A) individuals always conform to majorities
B) social influence works at multiple levels but with the same outcome
C) researchers interpret cultural adaptation as conformity
D) intergroup convergence is interpreted as conformity

Question 58

Referent informational influence differs from normative and informational influence because in referent informational influence

A) people conform to validate physical reality
B) people conform because they are group members
C) people conform to avoid social disapproval
D) people conform only if they are highly anxious women

Question 59

Sistrunk and McDavid (1971)found that men conformed more than women when

A) there was no positive reference group
B) there were more women than men in the group
C) the task was more familiar to women
D) an attractive female was making a statement

Question 60

When women conform to a group opinion more than men,the most likely reason is that

A) the group is too big
B) men talk too much in a group
C) women don't talk enough in a group
D) the topic of discussion is sex-stereotyped

Question 61

Behavioural style typifies a successful minority.To be effective a minority needs to characteristically

A) be perceived as principled and not pursuing a hidden agenda
B) demonstrate that it is making some sacrifices
C) disrupt the majority's norm
D) all of the above

Question 62

For a minority to project certainty that its viewpoint is coherent and a viable alternative to the conventional viewpoint it needs to be

A) overwhelming
B) creative
C) consistent
D) stubborn

Question 63

Members of a majority are likely to perceive that the contrary views put forward by a minority that is consistent,unmotivated by self-interest or other pressures,and flexible in style,are

A) subversive
B) disastrous
C) chosen freely
D) externally induced

Question 64

The majority share the attitude that chocolate is the best flavour for ice-cream.However,I think vanilla ice-cream is the best.According to Nemeth's 'convergent-divergent' theory,upon discovering that my attitude towards ice-cream flavours is in disagreement with that of the majority,I should feel _____________.This will then lead to ____________ thinking.

A) surprise and stress; convergent
B) guilt and shame; divergent
C) surprise and stress; divergent
D) fear and relief; convergent

Question 65

Which is NOT a characteristic of a minority that has successfully challenged the majority viewpoint?

A) Being consistent
B) Being uncompromising on core issues
C) Being unanimous
D) Being numerous

Question 66

According to Moscovici,when a member of a majority shows a private change in opinion toward the attitudes of the minority,it is called a ________ effect.

A) persuasion
B) regression
C) capitulation
D) conversion

Question 67

When a group such as Greenpeace takes persistent and unswerving action it is demonstrating

A) a consistent behavioural style
B) a majority norm
C) pig-headedness
D) that 'those who laugh last, laugh loudest'

Question 68

Ben likes soccer.Out of 200 people in his grade at school,10 people do not like soccer.According to Nemeth's theory of majority/minority influential differences,this allows Ben to have

A) convergent thinking
B) abstract thinking
C) divergent thinking
D) inward thinking

Question 69

A paradox of minority influence is that the relatively small size of a minority group can

A) make people more confrontational
B) cause an accentuation effect
C) give it more social impact
D) be tactically less obvious

Question 70

In his dual-process model of minority and majority influence,Moscovici (1980)argued that

A) minorities can induce a conversion effect in majorities
B) majorities restrict the extent to which minorities can be innovative
C) majorities use advantageous situations to drive their point home
D) minorities use contradictory strategies to influence the majority

Question 71

One thing a minority established by the majority as an 'ingroup' (as opposed to an 'outgroup' minority)can have with the majority is

A) a leniency contract
B) a disagreement
C) social impact
D) a contract of rules and regulations

Question 72

Overall,minorities can be more influential if they can

A) be considered by the majority as a despised outgroup
B) be considered by the majority as part of the ingroup
C) ridicule the majority until the majority can't stand to be around the minority
D) picket and rally until the majority have to fight back

Question 73

Maass and Clark (1983)studied the influence of the expressed views of both majority and minority groups towards gay rights.They found that _________ expressed attitudes conformed to the majority,while _________ expressed attitudes shifted towards the minority.

A) privately; publicly
B) publicly; privately
C) publicly; overtly
D) none of the above