Question 1

Tom finds solving math problems easy.According to the research reviewed in the textbook, when Tom solves math problems in the presence of others (as opposed to alone),

Accepted Answer

According to the research reviewed in the textbook, social facilitation states that the presence of others can improve performance on simple or well-rehearsed tasks, such as solving math problems for individuals who find it easy. Therefore, Tom's performance would improve when solving math problems in the presence of others.

Question 2

Michael is exceptionally good at Ping-Pong.According to research, good players such as Michael, who know they are being watched while they play, perform

Accepted Answer

According to the concept of social facilitation, being watched or observed can improve the performance of individuals who are already skilled at the task. Therefore, good players who know they are being watched are likely to perform better than good players who are not being watched.

Question 3

As discussed in the textbook, social psychological research on culture and valuing risk shows that

Accepted Answer

A

Question 4

Research on social facilitation warrants some practical advice.All of the following recommendations are supported by this research except for one.Which one?

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation research suggests that the presence of others can enhance performance on well-learned or simple tasks, but can hinder performance on complex or new tasks. Therefore, reviewing already learned material in a group could be beneficial, contrary to option B.

Question 5

According to research on group polarization, people who make decisions in groups tend to make ____________ decisions than people who make decisions on their own.

Accepted Answer

Group polarization refers to the phenomenon where group decisions tend to be more extreme and more polarized than individual decisions. This occurs because, in a group setting, people are exposed to the opinions and attitudes of others, which can reinforce their existing views and push them to become even more extreme. Therefore, people are more likely to make more extreme decisions in a group setting than they would on their own.

Question 6

Imagine you are playing a video game when five strangers arrive to watch you.According to Zajonc's work on social facilitation, the ____________ created by the presence of these strangers would impair your performance if you ____________ this particular video game.

Accepted Answer

According to Zajonc's work on social facilitation, the presence of others can create arousal and boost performance on tasks that are well-learned or simple. However, on unfamiliar or complex tasks, the arousal created by the presence of others can impair performance. Therefore, the best choice is D, as the strangers' presence would impair performance if the individual is unfamiliar with the particular video game being played.

Question 7

Evaluation apprehension can ____________, and thereby leads to more pronounced social facilitation effects.

Accepted Answer

Evaluation apprehension increases arousal, which enhances performance on simple tasks due to social facilitation effects.

Question 8

Which of the following statements captures the persuasive arguments account of why group polarization occurs?

Accepted Answer

The persuasive arguments account suggests that group members are exposed to more arguments in favor of the position they already hold, leading them to become more extreme in that position. Option A captures this idea accurately. Option B suggests exposure to contradictory arguments, which is not a component of the persuasive arguments account. Option C focuses on the impact of voicing opinions rather than exposure to arguments, and Option D focuses on motivation to reach consensus rather than the process of polarization.

Question 9

Kari is trying to memorize lines for a school play.According to the research reviewed in the text, under what conditions will the presence of others detract from her ability to learn the lines?

Accepted Answer

The research suggests that the presence of others can detract from learning only if the task is difficult or challenging. Therefore, if Kari finds the task of memorizing lines difficult, the presence of others could potentially detract from her ability to learn them. Choices A, B, and C do not have any research-backed evidence indicating that they would detract from learning.

Question 10

According to ____________, being aware of another person's presence divides our attention between this person and the task at hand.This division of attention is arousing, which explains why people perform better on well-learned tasks in the presence of others.

Accepted Answer

Distraction-conflict theory suggests that the presence of others creates a conflict between attending to the person and the task, which is arousing and can enhance performance on well-learned tasks.

Question 11

Rachel knows that sometimes the presence of others improves performance and other times it hinders performance.Which of the following is NOT advice she should give people regarding the impact of others on performance?

Accepted Answer

Rachel should not advise people that a dominant response is always correct, as this is not necessarily true. A dominant response is the most likely or habitual response in a given situation, but it can still be incorrect depending on the specific circumstances. Rachel should instead emphasize that a dominant response may or may not be correct, depending on the situation.

Question 12

Jason Hill is getting ready to give the first lecture of his teaching career.He studies his notes for hours.Before class, he combs his hair for fifteen minutes and brushes his teeth three times.Jason is experiencing

Accepted Answer

Jason is experiencing evaluation apprehension, which is the fear of being judged or evaluated negatively by others. He is anxious about his first lecture and wants to make a good impression, hence why he spends so much time preparing and grooming himself.

Question 13

Which of the following will likely perform better on an upcoming test?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following will likely perform...

Question 14

As discussed in the textbook, early studies showed that decisions made in groups were riskier than decisions made on one's own.Additional studies were conducted to learn whether this finding would generalize across many different situations.This later research showed that group decisions are not always riskier than individual decisions.Rather, group decisions tend to be more extreme than individual decisions.This phenomenon is captured by the concept of

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon of group decisions being more extreme than individual decisions is captured by the concept of group polarization. Risky shift and groupthink are different phenomena related to group decision making, while social inoculation is unrelated to this specific phenomenon.

Question 15

Imagine you are just learning how to play the piano, so you are not very good.You are practicing by yourself when suddenly your mother and her friends walk into the room to listen.You notice that your performance has changed.Research on ____________ is most relevant to predicting how your performance will change in this situation.Specifically, this research suggests that your performance will ____________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Imagine you are just learning how to...

Question 16

Normal Triplett conducted what is widely regarded as social psychology's first experiment.He found that children tended to perform a relatively easy task better while in the presence of another child doing the same task.This finding set the stage for research on

Accepted Answer

Normal Triplett's experiment set the stage for research on social facilitation, which is the tendency for people to perform better on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others. It was found that the presence of others can improve performance, but can also impair performance on complex or novel tasks, known as social inhibition. Social loafing refers to the tendency for people to exert less effort when working in a group compared to working alone, and nondominant performance refers to the negative effects of situational factors on performance. Dissonance refers to the discomfort or psychological stress that arises from conflicting beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors.

Question 17

Zajonc argued that the mere presence of others tends to ____________ performance ____________, but to ____________ performance ____________.

Accepted Answer

Zajonc's theory of social facilitation suggests that the mere presence of others can enhance performance on well-learned tasks, but hinder performance on novel tasks. Therefore, option B is the correct answer. Options C and D are incorrect because there is no evidence to support the claim that social facilitation or inhibition is gender-specific. Option A is incorrect because it is the opposite of Zajonc's theory.

Question 18

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the phenomenon of social loafing?

Accepted Answer

Social loafing refers to the tendency of individuals to exert less effort on a group task compared to when working alone. It is characterized by a reduced motivation to contribute to the group effort, which may occur due to the belief that individual effort will not be detected or rewarded. Choice A, exerting minimal effort on a group task, best illustrates this phenomenon. Choices B, C, and D are not related to social loafing.

Question 19

Which of the following scenarios captures the meaning of Cartwright and Zander's definition of a group?

Accepted Answer

According to Cartwright and Zander's definition, a group is "a collection of individuals who have relations to one another that make them interdependent to some significant degree." In scenario C, the individuals are making a decision together and are interdependent on each other to help the stranded motorist. The other scenarios do not involve interdependence or a shared goal or task, and therefore do not meet the definition of a group.

Question 20

Recall that Zajonc placed cockroaches in either a complex maze or a simple maze.He created three other conditions as well.Any given cockroach was induced to navigate the maze (a)entirely alone; (b)in the presence of an "audience" of cockroaches; or (c)simultaneously with another cockroach (but without an audience).The audience condition (b)permitted Zajonc to demonstrate whether

Accepted Answer

The audience condition allowed Zajonc to test whether the mere presence of others can facilitate or hinder performance.

Quiz 12: Groups

Tom finds solving math problems easy.According to the research reviewed in the textbook, when Tom solves math problems in the presence of others (as opposed to alone) ,