Question 1

Linnea and Latrice have just left the movie theatre after watching Thelma and Louise,a film that chronicles the misadventures of two close friends,one a rape survivor and the other the wife of a piggish husband; they kill a man in self-defense and run from the law.At the end of the movie,Thelma and Louise chose to drive off a cliff rather than surrender to the men who have been pursuing them.As Linnea and Latrice walk through the lobby,every man they encounter looks loutish and threatening to them.This example illustrates the power of ________ in shaping our implicit personality theories.

Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates the power of priming in shaping our implicit personality theories. The experience of watching the film Thelma and Louise has primed Linnea and Latrice to perceive every man they encounter as threatening and loutish.

Question 2

In a controlled experiment,Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968)informed grade school teachers that some of their students (called "bloomers")would show great academic improvement in the upcoming year.In reality,the "bloomers" were chosen randomly by the researchers,and were no smarter than any of the other students.Which of the following best describes the results of this study? At the end of the year,

Accepted Answer

The study found that the "bloomers" (who were randomly selected but perceived by teachers as having high academic potential) showed greater improvement on IQ tests compared to non-bloomers. This suggests that teachers' expectations have an impact on student performance.

Question 3

According to the authors,there are two ways that traits about others can become accessible.These are

Accepted Answer

The authors state that two ways traits about others can become accessible are through past experience and priming. This means that our previous encounters with someone or our exposure to certain information about them can make their traits more easily accessible in our minds, as well as being influenced by any present cues or stimuli that prime us to think about those traits.

Question 4

Melissa,a second-grade student,just finished going over her spelling list for the week.The list contained many adjectives that reflected positive emotions ,and if Melissa's construal is a function of priming,what is she most likely to think?

Accepted Answer

Since the spelling list contained adjectives that reflect positive emotions, Melissa is more likely to have a positive construal of the situation. Option D reflects this positive construal by suggesting that Karin has something great to tell us.

Question 5

Some participants in a study by Tory Higgins and his colleagues (1977)memorized "positive" trait adjectives (e.g.,adventurous,neat); others memorized "negative" adjectives (e.g.,reckless,disrespectful).All participants then read an ambiguous description of a person named Donald and formed an impression of him.Some,but not all,negative adjectives led to negative interpretations of Donald's actions,and some,but not all,positive adjectives led to positive interpretations of those same actions.These results suggest that thoughts must be both _______ and _______ before they influence our impressions.

Accepted Answer

The study shows that for thoughts (in this case, the memorized adjectives) to influence our impressions, they must be both accessible (able to be retrieved from memory) and applicable (relevant to the situation or stimulus being evaluated). Therefore, the best choice is E, "accessible; applicable."

Question 6

You have just met Tuong,a math and computer science double-major who is Asian.Your schema of Asians is that they are very smart and hardworking; your schema of math and computer-science majors is that they are "nerdy." According to research in social psychology,which of the following scenarios is most likely?

Accepted Answer

The answer of You have just met Tuong,a math and...

Question 7

Michelle has worked on a psychiatric unit for three years.On the way home from work one day,she encounters a man who gestures wildly and talks to himself while he stands at the bus stop.Michelle thinks to herself,"That poor guy must be psychotic.He should be on medication." This example illustrates that ________ can increase the accessibility of traits.

Accepted Answer

Michelle's past experience working on a psychiatric unit makes her more likely to identify and label behaviors as psychotic, increasing the accessibility of such traits in her perception.

Question 8

The self-fulfilling prophecy occurs because we often

Accepted Answer

The self-fulfilling prophecy refers to when our beliefs and expectations influence our behavior, ultimately leading to the predicted outcome. This process occurs because we act based on our schemas or mental frameworks that guide our understanding of others and the world around us. As a result, we may behave in ways that reinforce our initial expectations, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Question 9

Sometimes traits are chronically accessible due to past experience.Other times,traits are accessible for more arbitrary reasons,such as what we're currently thinking.Social psychologists use the term ________ to describe the latter case.

Accepted Answer

The term used by social psychologists to describe the arbitrary accessibility of traits due to current thoughts is priming. Priming refers to the process by which exposure to one stimulus affects the response to another stimulus, due to the activation of concepts and associations in memory. A person's thoughts and current environment can prime certain traits, making them more accessible and influential in their behavior and judgments.

Question 10

Recall that Harold Kelley (1950)told some students that a guest instructor was warm,and others that a guest instructor was cold.When the instructor behaved in an arrogant way,he was rated as immodest,no matter what students were told about him at the outset.These findings suggest that

Accepted Answer

The findings suggest that when behaviours are decidedly unambiguous (in this case, the instructor acting arrogantly), participants rely less on their initial schemas, and more on the actual behaviour they observe.

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a step in the self-fulfilling prophecy?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is NOT a...

Question 12

Priming and accessibility have greater impact when we interpret a(n)_______ event.

Accepted Answer

Priming and accessibility have a greater impact when we interpret an ambiguous event because there is no clear or obvious interpretation, and therefore, the influence of external factors like priming and accessibility can have a stronger effect on the interpretation.

Question 13

Sometimes when forming impressions of others,we are influenced by the schemas that are in the forefront of our mind.When this happens,social psychologists talk about the role of ________ in colouring our impressions of others.

Accepted Answer

Accessibility refers to the ease with which our schemas come to mind and influence our interpretations of others. When specific schemas are more accessible due to recent experiences or cues in the environment, they can bias our impressions and judgments of others. This concept is also known as priming, which refers to the activation of certain schemas in our mind that can influence our subsequent perceptions and behaviors.

Question 14

Based on the 2010 study by Callan and colleagues,which of the following responses would be expected if you had been subliminally primed with a legal term (such as "judge" or "lawyer")?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Based on the 2010 study by Callan...

Question 15

Recall that Harold Kelley (1950)told some college students that their guest lecturer was a warm person,and others that he was a cold person.The visitor then lectured for 20 minutes,and the students later evaluated him.Assume for the moment that students' evaluations and behaviours didn't differ in the two conditions.These findings would suggest that

Accepted Answer

The answer of Recall that Harold Kelley (1950)told some college...

Question 16

During the last Canadian election,there was a televised debate among the candidates for Prime Minister.After the debate supporters of each side claimed that their candidate had handily won the debate.The supporters' judgments were probably affected by

Accepted Answer

Supporters' judgments were likely influenced by their schemas, which are cognitive frameworks or concepts that help individuals organize and interpret information based on their existing beliefs and experiences. This can lead to biased interpretations of events, such as a debate, in favor of their preferred candidate.

Question 17

The first day of class Maria absolutely loved her new social psychology professor,but Daniel couldn't stand the professor.If their interpretations were influenced by schemas,in all likelihood,Maria had heard ________,whereas Daniel had heard ________.

Accepted Answer

Schemas are cognitive structures that help us interpret information based on our pre-existing beliefs and experiences. If Maria loved the professor and Daniel couldn't stand them, it's likely because their schemas were influenced by prior information: Maria had heard positive things (that the professor was great), and Daniel had heard negative things (that the professor was horrible). This pre-existing information shaped their interpretations of the professor's behavior.

Question 18

When recent experiences are ________,personality traits become ________,increasing the likelihood that those traits will be used to interpret social stimuli.

Accepted Answer

When recent experiences are primed, they become more accessible in our minds, which means they are more likely to be used to interpret social stimuli. Additionally, when personality traits are primed, they also become more accessible and more likely to influence our interpretations of social stimuli.

Question 19

Recall that Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson (1968)informed grade school teachers that some of their students (called "bloomers")would show great academic improvement in the upcoming year.Also recall that students labeled "bloomers" actually showed greater increases on IQ tests,compared to students who were not labeled "bloomers." These differences occurred because teachers

Accepted Answer

The increase in IQ scores for the "bloomers" was likely due to the fact that teachers, who believed these students had special potential, challenged them more and provided them with better feedback. This suggests that the teachers treated the "bloomers" differently than the other students, possibly because of their expectations or biases towards these students.

Question 20

You do not know many people with disabilities,but view a telethon in which people with disabilities are shown needing and appreciating help.The next day,you see a blind person walking down the street,judge her to be in need of help,and ask her if you can help her find her destination.The notion of helping people with disabilities was ________ by the telethon,and became accessible in this situation.

Accepted Answer

The telethon functioned as a prime for the individual to take action and offer assistance to the blind person. The telethon provided a mental shortcut for the individual to associate people with disabilities with needing help and appreciation, leading them to offer assistance to the blind person.

Quiz 3: Social Cognition

According to the authors,there are two ways that traits about others can become accessible.These are

Melissa,a second-grade student,just finished going over her spelling list for the week.The list contained many adjectives that reflected positive emotions ,and if Melissa's construal is a function of priming,what is she most likely to think?

The self-fulfilling prophecy occurs because we often

Sometimes traits are chronically accessible due to past experience.Other times,traits are accessible for more arbitrary reasons,such as what we're currently thinking.Social psychologists use the term ________ to describe the latter case.

Recall that Harold Kelley (1950) told some students that a guest instructor was warm,and others that a guest instructor was cold.When the instructor behaved in an arrogant way,he was rated as immodest,no matter what students were told about him at the outset.These findings suggest that

Which of the following is NOT a step in the self-fulfilling prophecy?

Priming and accessibility have greater impact when we interpret a(n) _______ event.

Sometimes when forming impressions of others,we are influenced by the schemas that are in the forefront of our mind.When this happens,social psychologists talk about the role of ________ in colouring our impressions of others.

Based on the 2010 study by Callan and colleagues,which of the following responses would be expected if you had been subliminally primed with a legal term (such as "judge" or "lawyer") ?

During the last Canadian election,there was a televised debate among the candidates for Prime Minister.After the debate supporters of each side claimed that their candidate had handily won the debate.The supporters' judgments were probably affected by

The first day of class Maria absolutely loved her new social psychology professor,but Daniel couldn't stand the professor.If their interpretations were influenced by schemas,in all likelihood,Maria had heard ,whereas Daniel had heard .

When recent experiences are ,personality traits become ,increasing the likelihood that those traits will be used to interpret social stimuli.