Deck 13: Social Psychology

Question 1

Which of the following would be considered a stable cause of behavior?

A) A company lays off 10 employees because of economic downturn.
B) A woman, who loves children, breaks up with her boyfriend when she finds out he hates kids.
C) A college student is lonely during the first semester on campus.
D) A family is homeless after a tornado destroys their home.

Answer 1

A woman, who loves children, breaks up with her boyfriend when she finds out he hates kids.

Question 2

Sheila is late for class. She is LEAST likely to attribute her tardiness to

A) a faulty alarm clock.
B) her lack of organizational skills.
C) the teacher starting class early.
D) her parents letting her sleep late.

Answer 2

her lack of organizational skills.

Question 3

The fifth-grade teacher was surprised when her Japanese-American student, Hiroko, performed poorly in math. The teacher's reaction was due to

A) polarization.
B) stereotyping.
C) self-serving bias.
D) deindividuation.

Answer 3

stereotyping.

Question 4

Professor Jenkins is interested in whether or not people respond differently to interview questions posed by a single person versus a group of interviewers. His area of expertise lies in ________ psychology.

A) neurological
B) cognitive
C) social
D) behavioral

Question 5

Mr. and Mrs. Lee warn their new babysitter, Alison, that their son, Dennis, is very aggressive and mischievous. As a result, Alison starts calling the child "Dennis the Menace" and she behaves in ways that elicit aggressive and mischievous behaviors from Dennis. This example best demonstrates the phenomenon called

A) the self-fulfilling prophecy.
B) the self-serving bias.
C) the fundamental attribution error.
D) social conditioning.

Question 6

You are watching golf and see Tiger Woods frown. You would be making the fundamental attribution error if you assumed that he

A) just missed a putt.
B) has a volatile personality.
C) was thrown off by the flash of a camera.
D) thought it looked like it was going to rain.

Question 7

Greg is confident that although he did poorly on his first psychology exam, he will do much better on the next one. Greg is depicting which dimension of attribution theory?

A) internal/external
B) stable/unstable
C) controllable/uncontrollable
D) positive/negative

Question 8

Which of the following is of interest to those who study social cognition?

A) how people select social information
B) how people interpret social information
C) how people remember social information
D) All of these.

Question 9

Chuck just met Elle, a new Harvard law school student. Although Elle is very intelligent, she looks more like a blonde beauty queen than a law school student. Chuck thinks that someone as beautiful as Elle is much less likely to do well in school. Chuck's views about beautiful blondes are an example of a(n)

A) attribution.
B) stereotype.
C) negative illusion.
D) false consensus.

Question 10

It appears that many attractive people possess a number of positive characteristics. This is possibly due to

A) the fundamental attribution error.
B) social conditioning.
C) the self-serving bias.
D) the self-fulfilling prophecy.

Question 11

Eric is normally very calm, but today he yelled at his roommate for not doing his laundry. We might attribute Eric's yelling to ________ causes.

A) internal
B) stable
C) unstable
D) controllable

Question 12

Felicia tells her roommate that she failed the biology test because her professor made the test too difficult. Felicia is depicting which dimension of attribution theory?

A) internal/external
B) stable/unstable
C) controllable/uncontrollable
D) positive/negative

Question 13

Within the context of a person trying to explain why she did well on a psychology exam, an internal attribution is to an external attribution as ________ is to ________.

A) hard work; intelligence
B) an easy test; luck
C) luck; hard work
D) intelligence; an easy test

Question 14

You have been asked to assist a defense attorney in planning a defendant's case. You insist that all of the defense character witnesses be above average in looks. What is the most likely reason for your request?

A) Those who are below average in looks are considered to be easily manipulated.
B) Those who are below average in looks are considered unbelievable.
C) Those who are above average in looks are considered more likable.
D) Those who are above average in looks are considered to be well versed in the law.

Question 15

Samantha studied all night for her history exam and was feeling very confident. However, during the exam, the power went out in the classroom and the exam was rescheduled for a later date. Which dimension of attribution theory came into play?

A) internal/external
B) stable/unstable
C) controllable/uncontrollable
D) positive/negative

Question 16

Billy's third grade teacher read in his file that he has a history of being a trouble maker. When Billy accidently drops his pencil on the first day of school, his teacher immediately takes five minutes off his recess time, which in turn causes Billy to talk back to her. She smiles at him and says, "I knew you were going to be trouble!" What concept is being depicted in this scenario?

A) stereotype
B) social cognition
C) self-fulfilling prophecy
D) social bias

Question 17

A study by Rosenthal and Jacobson found that children who were labeled as "late bloomers" at the start of the school year showed larger IQ gains than other, non-labeled students, even though these particular children were chosen randomly. The children's teachers were informed about these labels but the students themselves were not. The results from this study are most relevant to which of the following?

A) dissonance theory
B) the mere exposure effect
C) self-fulfilling prophecy
D) self-serving bias

Question 18

Which of the following faces would be rated as most attractive?

A) a face in which the distinctive features of the face have been digitally enhanced
B) a face with an unusually small forehead and unusually large lips
C) a round face with unusually large eyes
D) a composite of multiple faces that have been digitally blended to produce an "average" face

Question 19

Tommy just hit the game winning homerun for his team. He is most likely to attribute his success to

A) the coach.
B) the fans.
C) poor pitching by the other team.
D) himself.

Question 20

You believe that your roommate did not clean up the dirty dishes in the kitchen last night because he was exhausted after an unusually busy day at work. You are making a(n) ________ attribution.

A) fundamental
B) external
C) stable
D) biased

Question 21

According to research on stereotype threat, we should be especially concerned about standardized tests if they

A) ask for race/ethnic information before the test starts.
B) include instructions that are long and complex.
C) are administered by men and women from different racial/ethnic backgrounds.
D) are claiming to be culturally/racially sensitive.

Question 22

Despite evidence to the contrary, Denise thinks she is smarter than most of the people in her class. Denise's unfounded attitude about herself is an example of a

A) positive illusion.
B) altruism.
C) cognitive dissonance.
D) egoism.

Question 23

Lucy has a very high opinion of herself. It is likely that she possesses

A) consensual validation.
B) positive illusions.
C) cognitive dissonance.
D) egoism.

Question 24

"Am I as popular as Cathy?" This question is an example of gaining self-knowledge through the process of

A) peer-review.
B) effort justification.
C) reciprocity.
D) social comparison.

Question 25

Your new roommate leaves dirty laundry all over her room and you assume she must be a slob. You ignore the fact that she is currently taking finals and working 40 hours per week. You are

A) using social comparison.
B) making a fundamental attribution error.
C) using confirmation bias.
D) relying on an availability heuristic.

Question 26

A very attractive female walks by Henry and his friends. His friends begin to whistle at her, but Henry feels that the whistling is demeaning so he does nothing. Based on the false consensus effect, what will Henry's friends think about his attitude toward the female?

A) Henry is not interested in the girl.
B) Henry did not find the girl attractive.
C) Henry was too shy to whistle.
D) Henry feels the same way they do.

Question 27

You see a student stumble and drop her books in the hall. According to the fundamental attribution error, how would you explain this student's behavior?

A) She must have tripped over something.
B) She is a clumsy person.
C) She had too many books to carry.
D) She was trying to get out of someone's way.

Question 28

Cognitive dissonance theory states that individuals

A) change attitudes in order to be more popular.
B) change behavior in order to be more popular.
C) do not perceive a discrepancy between attitudes and behavior.
D) try to make attitudes conform to behavior.

Question 29

In a recent softball game, Cindy misplayed a ground ball for an error. Later in the same game, she made a great catch on a very difficult play. According to the self-serving bias, she would attribute her error to ________ and her good catch to ________.

A) bad fielding skills; luck
B) bad fielding skills; good fielding skills
C) a bad bounce; luck
D) a bad bounce; good fielding skills

Question 30

You are African American and your son, DeShawn, is in high school. DeShawn has been selected to take a national math test that could result in a college scholarship. Knowing Steele's research findings on stereotype threat, you hope that DeShawn is not asked to fill in any information regarding his race before he takes the exam. Why?

A) It could affect how test administrators score the exam.
B) It could trigger stereotype threat in DeShawn.
C) It may affect which version of the test that DeShawn is given.
D) It could lead test administrators to change the testing conditions.

Question 31

The light turns green and Kaylee is about to go. A man driving a red truck goes speeding through the red light. Mentally, Kaylee calls him a jerk and thinks to herself that his license should be revoked. Kaylee may be committing the ________ error.

A) risky shift
B) fundamental attribution
C) false consensus
D) conformity

Question 32

"Drinking may be harmful to my health, but I'll die having a good time." This statement illustrates an attempt to reduce

A) the exposure effect.
B) cognitive dissonance.
C) self-objectification.
D) social contagion.

Question 33

When you do poorly on a test, you remind yourself of all the distractions you had at school that week. You are displaying

A) the self-objectification effect.
B) self-serving bias.
C) confirmation bias.
D) the availability error.

Question 34

Mary and her roommate are at the mall shopping for bathing suits for their upcoming spring break trip to the beach. Mary has an afternoon math test but feels she has plenty of time to find a bathing suit. By the time she leaves the mall for her exam, Mary has tried on a dozen different swim suits. Based on principles of social psychology, what can you predict about Mary's math test performance?

A) Mary's math test performance will be a function of how well she has studied.
B) Mary's math test performance will suffer because she spent too much time at the mall.
C) Mary's math test performance will suffer because of self-objectification.
D) Mary's math test performance will be enhanced because she was distracted for several hours.

Question 35

Enrique earned a C on his science quiz, but says to his mom, "At least I didn't make an F like Scotty did." Enrique is making a(n) ________ social comparison.

A) upward
B) positive
C) downward
D) negative

Question 36

If Cathy blames her poor performance on her history teacher because he made the test too hard, she is engaging in

A) self-serving bias.
B) self-objectification.
C) positive illusions.
D) false consensus.

Question 37

When Joey says something that is rude about another classmate and no one else around him says anything, Joey believes that they all feel the same way. This would be an example of the ________ effect.

A) false consensus
B) bystander
C) group polarization
D) mere exposure

Question 38

Which of the following practices best reduces the effects of self-objectification?

A) not allowing students to wear certain name brand clothing
B) requiring students to wear school uniforms
C) allowing students to wear any clothing they like
D) not allowing students to wear make-up at school

Question 39

Cecil has a positive attitude towards the Salvation Army. What will he do at holiday time when he walks by one of their donation collectors?

A) He will hand the person all the change in his pocket.
B) He will walk past without donating.
C) He will tell the person that he already gave at another location.
D) It is not possible to predict his behavior based on his attitude alone.

Question 40

Sally is very intelligent and has a great personality. However, she sees herself as unattractive and as a result she is often depressed. Sally engages in

A) self-serving bias.
B) positive illusions.
C) self-defeating bias.
D) self-objectification.

Question 41

The idea of "do onto others as you would have them do onto you" best describes

A) attribution.
B) reciprocity.
C) ethnocentrism.
D) conformity.

Question 42

If you were to send Christmas cards to everyone in your address book and you received Christmas cards back from most of the recipients, your results would be consistent with the theory of

A) reciprocity.
B) egoism.
C) altruism.
D) ethnocentrism.

Question 43

A person on campus walks up to you and asks if you would be willing to wear a ribbon to show support for her cause. Though the ribbon is a bit unattractive, it is small so you agree to wear it. After agreeing to this request, the solicitor then asks you if you would be willing to make a donation of $15. This example best demonstrates the persuasion technique called

A) targeting.
B) positive illusion.
C) social facilitation.
D) the foot-in-the-door.

Question 44

Juanita has returned home after being away for several years. When she sees her father, whom she thought she disliked, she hugs him and cries. Based on her reaction, she determines that she must like him more than she thought. This is most consistent with the ________ theory of attitudes.

A) normal social influence
B) social learning
C) self-perception
D) social facilitation

Question 45

Allison is at a workshop where a presenter is attempting to persuade people to make a rather risky but potentially profitable financial investment. Alison finds this person's idea compelling and decides to invest. This example best demonstrates the

A) peripheral route to persuasion.
B) cognitive dissonance theory.
C) central route to persuasion.
D) foot-in-the-door technique.

Question 46

According to the self-perception theory, if you are not sure how you feel about something, what should you do?

A) compare yourself to others
B) look to your emotions
C) ask a friend
D) consider your behavior

Question 47

Hugh bought a new calculator at Staples for $125. One week later, he saw an ad from Wal-Mart showing the same calculator on sale for $65. Hugh said to himself, "I'm glad I got my calculator at Staples; the ones at Wal-Mart are probably defective. I don't mind having paid more for mine." Hugh's statement reflects

A) cognitive dissonance reduction.
B) self-perception bias.
C) informational influence.
D) peripheral-route processing.

Question 48

Ryan's dad is washing his car. Ryan wants to persuade his dad to let him go to the movies. Which route of persuasion should Ryan attempt?

A) central
B) peripheral
C) adjacent
D) tangent

Question 49

Professor Green has to make a big presentation to the board members. He is struggling between choosing a power point presentation or making a short video to get his point across. Which element of persuasion is the professor struggling with?

A) communicator
B) audience
C) medium
D) message

Question 50

Which of the following statements best reflects Dale Miller's position on altruism?

A) People may be socialized to be altruistic but do not always follow through.
B) People are socialized to be altruistic and usually do help others.
C) People may be socialized to believe humans are selfish, but they really may not be.
D) People are socialized to believe humans are selfish, and they are.

Question 51

________ is an important element of altruism.

A) Sympathy
B) Empathy
C) Selfishness
D) All of these.

Question 52

The bystander effect occurs because

A) we tend to look to the behavior of others for cues about what to do.
B) if no one else is helping, we assume help is not needed.
C) responsibility is diffused among witnesses.
D) All of these.

Question 53

The advertising committee for a politician is going door to door and asking people to put a big ugly election sign on their lawn. If people refuse, they ask them if they would consider putting a smaller sign on the lawn. The committee is using

A) the foot-in-the-door strategy.
B) the door-in-the-face strategy.
C) the elaboration likelihood model.
D) the negative appeal approach.

Question 54

________ helps individuals to resist persuasion.

A) Conformity
B) Inoculation
C) Proximity
D) Groupthink

Question 55

Which of the following is an accurate description of egoism?

A) Egoism involves helping others so that they may help us one day.
B) Egoism involves helping another with no interest of gain.
C) Egoism involves helping another in order to appear powerful.
D) Both A and C are accurate.

Question 56

Caroline has volunteered to work with the underprivileged children who are participants in her professor's literacy project. She is hoping that her professor will take this into consideration when calculating her grade. Caroline is expecting

A) altruism.
B) reciprocity.
C) a social exchange.
D) inoculation.

Question 57

Which of the following behaviors is an example of aggression?

A) Billy kicks Shana in the shin.
B) Sally accidently hits Franco when she raises her hand.
C) Hillary calls Minnie a bad name.
D) Both A and C are examples of aggression.

Question 58

Paula has just stumbled down the steps and twisted her ankle. Who is most likely to empathize with her?

A) Pete who is walking by and saw the whole event unfold
B) Leslie who once tripped on the same steps
C) Bailey who heard about the event from a friend
D) Erik who is a personal injury lawyer

Question 59

Altruism is to ________ as egoism is to ________.

A) pro-social; social
B) reciprocity; antisocial
C) pro-social; reciprocity
D) antisocial; reciprocity

Question 60

If you were to donate one of your kidneys to whoever might need it, you would be demonstrating a(n) ________ view of human nature.

A) economic
B) empathetic
C) altruistic
D) egoistic

Question 61

If someone is very aggressive, their ________ levels may be low.

A) dopamine
B) serotonin
C) norepinephrine
D) testosterone

Question 62

Several members of the women's softball team have developed bulimia. This may be the result of

A) groupthink.
B) social contagion.
C) deindividuation.
D) social loafing.

Question 63

The term "risky shift" is used to describe the tendency to

A) make big decisions quickly.
B) make riskier decisions when you are younger.
C) endorse more conservative decisions when they are related to your work environment.
D) endorse riskier decisions when it is a group rather than a personal decision.

Question 64

Which of the following theories explains why we like to think of our group as the in-group?

A) cognitive dissonance theory
B) social identity theory
C) social exchange theory
D) self-perception theory

Question 65

Dr. McCall found that class projects were of poorer quality when students worked in groups compared to when each student did an individual project. This difference can be explained by the phenomenon of

A) inoculation.
B) social loafing.
C) mere exposure effect.
D) polarization.

Question 66

In Solomon Asch's study on conformity, approximately what percentage of participants conformed to the group's pressure?

A) all of the participants
B) none of the participants
C) about 35% of the participants
D) about 90% of the participants

Question 67

Conformity is to obedience as

A) Milgram is to Sherif.
B) Asch is to Milgram.
C) Zajonc is to Milgram.
D) Milgram is Zajonc.

Question 68

When compared with adolescents who do not play violent video games, adolescents who do play these games are

A) more likely to engage in delinquent acts.
B) more sensitive to real-life violence.
C) less likely to engage in aggressive behaviors.
D) more likely to be sensitive to the feelings of others.

Question 69

While they are sitting eating their lunch, several of Sheldon's friends suggest that the new girl in class is very pretty. Sheldon does not think that she is pretty. He will probably

A) tell his friends that he did not get a good look at her.
B) disagree with his friends and say she is not very attractive.
C) agree with his friends and say she is very attractive.
D) ignore his friends' comments.

Question 70

After a rather lengthy trial, jurors deliberate about the defendant's guilt or innocence. The first several people talk vehemently about his guilt. Although several people have doubts, they do not express them because they do not want to get in the way of the group process. The defendant is quickly found guilty. What has just happened?

A) social facilitation
B) groupthink
C) obedience
D) risky shift

Question 71

Research findings indicate that frustration

A) always leads to some form of aggression.
B) can lead to aggression or passivity.
C) usually leads to obedience.
D) usually leads to egoism.

Question 72

A group of public officials is meeting to decide what to do about a budget shortage. According to the principle of group polarization, this group is most likely to reach a highly conservative decision because the group

A) is composed of no more than five individuals.
B) believes that their individual performance is being monitored.
C) members are generally conservative to begin with.
D) has a conservative authority figure who is perceived to be legitimate.

Question 73

Norman Triplett accurately predicted that bicycle-racing times would be faster when individuals raced in groups. This effect is currently explained by the modern construct of

A) the primacy effect.
B) cognitive dissonance.
C) group polarization.
D) social facilitation.

Question 74

Pierre is an expert marksman while Juri is a novice marksman. How will having to perform in front of hundreds of spectators affect their shooting accuracy?

A) Pierre's performance will be enhanced while Juri's performance will suffer.
B) Juri's performance will be enhanced because he has nothing to lose.
C) The performance of both men will probably suffer.
D) The performance of both men will likely be unaffected by the spectators.

Question 75

June is usually a very quiet individual, but she recently discovered a different side of herself. She was at the Mardi Gras and found herself swept up in the festivities, doing the things that the other party revelers were doing. These were not behaviors that she would have ever considered doing on her own. Social psychologists would most likely attribute June's behavior to

A) group polarization.
B) social loafing.
C) deindividuation.
D) bystander effect.

Question 76

Michael is the new department head. He expects everyone to "get on board" with his restructuring of the department, and he publicly reprimands anyone who disagrees with his new policies. On the other hand, Michael praises department members for unanimity, cohesiveness, and harmony. Michael is creating an atmosphere most conducive to

A) collectivism.
B) groupthink.
C) social altruism.
D) stereotype threat.

Question 77

Joyce has the potential to be an honor student. However, she frustrates her teachers because of her actions. Rather than work to succeed, she tends to "dummy down" to act more like the students that she hangs out with. She sometimes answers questions incorrectly just to be more like her friends. Which of the following perspectives would explain this?

A) informational social influence
B) cognitive social influence
C) defense mechanisms
D) normative social influence

Question 78

Six people are competing in a tug-of-war competition. First they compete as individuals and then they compete as a team. When competing as a team, their combined effort level is likely to be

A) significantly more than the sum of their individual efforts.
B) slightly more than the sum of their individual efforts.
C) equal to the sum of their individual efforts.
D) less than the sum of their individual efforts.

Question 79

Studies of group interactions and decision making support which of the following statements?

A) Pressuring groups to reach unanimous decisions is simply a waste of time and causes animosity among the group members.
B) Pressuring groups to reach unanimous decisions does not usually produce changes in opinion.
C) Groups would more carefully consider the evidence if they did not need to come to a unanimous decision.
D) Minority opinions cannot exert normative pressure, but often can change people's minds via informational pressure.

Question 80

Katie, who is moderately liberal, attends a very liberal college. After four years at this college, Katie is likely to

A) become more politically conservative as a result of the boomerang effect.
B) hold moderately liberal values as a result of social learning.
C) become more liberal as a result of group polarization.
D) become indifferent to social causes as a result of diffusion of responsibility.