Question 1

In one study, some people were primed with the name of a significant other prior to working on a task. What were the findings of the study?

Accepted Answer

The study found that people worked longer on a task when primed with a significant other who had high expectations of them, suggesting that the expectations of significant others can influence motivation and effort.

Question 2

Affective forecasting refers to:

Accepted Answer

Affective forecasting refers to people's attempts to predict what their emotional reactions to potential future events will be.

Question 3

What is the central insight of action identification theory?

Accepted Answer

The central insight of action identification theory is that people's descriptions of their actions can range from more concrete to more abstract. This means that individuals can describe their actions in terms of specific, concrete behaviors (e.g. "I walked to the store"), or in more abstract terms (e.g. "I exerted effort towards my goal"). The level of abstraction that people use to describe their actions can influence their motivation and behavior.

Question 4

Which of the following statements is MOST accurate?

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that people are generally poor at predicting the strength of their emotional reactions to future events. This can be due to various factors such as the influence of current emotions, cognitive biases, and lack of information about the event.

Question 5

What does research suggest about the relationship between goals and consciousness?

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that people are often motivated by unconscious goals, which can influence their behavior without them being aware of it. While conscious goals certainly exist, they may not be the only or even the primary driver of behavior.

Question 6

Which of the following theories would best explain the different ways people think about an event that is either going to happen tomorrow or a year from now?

Accepted Answer

The construal-level theory suggests that people think about events differently based on their psychological distance from them. Events that are going to happen in the near future, such as tomorrow, are thought about concretely and in detail, while events further in the future, such as a year from now, are thought about more abstractly and with less detail.

Question 7

More concrete descriptions of an action tend to focus on _____, while more abstract descriptions of an action tend to focus on _____.

Accepted Answer

Concrete descriptions of an action tend to focus on the how, the specific details and actions involved in performing the action. In contrast, abstract descriptions of an action tend to focus on the why, the underlying reasons or motivations for the action.

Question 8

Ang is very worried about his upcoming physics test; he feels that if he performs poorly on the test, his career and life will be over. Ang's friend, Hank, wants to increase the accuracy of Ang's predictions about how this event will affect him emotionally. In order to achieve this goal, Hank can ask Ang to:

Accepted Answer

Asking Ang to write out a list of all the different activities he will be doing in the weeks after the test can help him gain perspective and realize that his life is more than just one test. This can reduce the intensity of his catastrophic thinking by highlighting other sources of fulfillment and engagement beyond the upcoming test.

Question 9

Numani's father always wanted him to succeed in business. One day Numani is debating whether or not he should go to his management class or play ping pong with his friends. Sitting on the couch flipping through his cell phone to call a friend, he scrolls past his father's name in the contact list without noticing it. What does research suggest Numani is likely to do?

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that individuals who have a strong desire to fulfill their parents' expectations are more likely to make decisions that align with their parents' values and preferences, even if they are not consciously thinking about their parents at the time. Since Numani's father wants him to succeed in business, Numani may be more inclined to attend his management class.

Question 10

Research suggests that when people are having difficulty carrying out an action, they tend to reconceptualize that action:

Accepted Answer

When people encounter difficulty in performing an action, research suggests they tend to reconceptualize that action in more concrete terms. This helps them focus on the specific, actionable steps needed to overcome the challenge.

Question 11

The theory that even subtle exposure to goal-related stimuli can automatically activate the goal and guide behavior is called _____.

Accepted Answer

The theory that even subtle exposure to goal-related stimuli can automatically activate the goal and guide behavior is called auto-motive theory.

Question 12

Functional magnetic resonance imaging is:

Accepted Answer

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a scanning technique that detects changes in blood oxygenation levels in response to neural activity, providing information about the activity of brain regions when people perform tasks. A is referring to electroencephalography (EEG), C is referring to computed tomography (CT) scan, and D is not related to any known brain imaging technique.

Question 13

A person's capacity as a child to wait more time to get two cookies instead of one is predictive of:

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that a child's ability to delay gratification and wait for a greater reward is predictive of their academic and socio-economic success up to 30 years later. This is commonly known as the "marshmallow test" and has been replicated in various studies. The other options are not supported by research.

Question 14

Dubula is trying to decide what he is going to write about for his term paper. He is getting an early start on the project; the paper is not due until four months from now. According to construal level theory, what kind of project topic is Dubula likely to pursue?

Accepted Answer

According to construal level theory, when an event is far in the future, people tend to think abstractly about it, focusing on the big picture and the potential outcomes rather than the specific details. As a result, Dubula is likely to be motivated by factors such as interest and learning rather than just grades or ease of completion. Therefore, he is likely to pursue a project topic that is interesting and that will help him learn the most, even if it is somewhat challenging.

Question 15

Reconstructive evidence suggests that Phineas Gage suffered damage to which part of the brain?

Accepted Answer

Reconstructive evidence strongly suggests that Phineas Gage suffered damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which is located in the front part of the brain, behind the forehead.

Question 16

Participants in a study who were asked to eat Cheetos with chopsticks were likely to conceive of their action as:

Accepted Answer

Using chopsticks to eat Cheetos is an unusual method that draws attention to the mechanics of the action, making participants more likely to think of it in simple, physical terms like "putting food in my mouth" rather than in terms of broader concepts like eating or satisfying hunger.

Question 17

According to construal level theory, when people are thinking about temporally distant events, they tend to think _____, while when people are thinking about temporally close events, they tend to think _____.

Accepted Answer

According to construal level theory, when thinking about temporally distant events, people tend to think in more abstract terms, while when thinking about temporally close events, people tend to think in more concrete terms.

Question 18

When people are primed with everyday pieces of information, that information _____; while when people are primed with a goal, that goal _____.

Accepted Answer

When people are primed with everyday pieces of information, that information tends to fade from memory at a constant rate. However, when people are primed with a goal, it induces tension and remains salient until an end-state is achieved. This reflects the difference in cognitive processing and motivational impact between passive information and goal-oriented information.

Question 19

After Phineas Gage suffered a serious brain injury, what was the result of his accident?

Accepted Answer

Phineas Gage's accident damaged his frontal lobes, which resulted in a complete personality change. He went from being an honest, reliable man to being volatile and unpredictable, with a short temper and a lack of impulse control. His language abilities and memory were not significantly affected. So, option D is the correct choice.

Question 20

Tasks which ask a child to wait 20 minutes for two cookies or to ring a bell if they would like to have one cookie sooner are designed to measure:

Accepted Answer

These tasks are classic measures of a child's ability to delay gratification. The child is presented with the option of receiving two cookies after waiting for a period of time or ringing a bell to receive one cookie immediately. The ability to delay gratification has been linked to greater success in school, better emotional regulation, and overall life satisfaction.

Quiz 5: The Nature, Origins, and Functions of the Self