Question 1

Which of the following concepts is most consistent with the finding that people's initial impressions of someone affect their interpretation of subsequent information about that person?

Accepted Answer

The change-of-meaning hypothesis suggests that initial impressions influence how people interpret and integrate new information about someone, leading them to reinterpret ambiguous information in a way that is consistent with their initial impressions.

Question 2

What does the trait negativity bias refer to?

Accepted Answer

The trait negativity bias refers to the tendency for negative trait information to have a greater impact on impressions. This means that negative information about a person's traits can overshadow positive traits and have a stronger influence on overall impressions.

Question 3

During her introductory psychology course this morning,Letitia learned that unconscious desires are often revealed in the jokes people tell.As she is eating lunch with her friends after class,she cannot help but think about the unconscious desires their jokes might signify.Which of the following does Letitia's behaviour most exemplify?

Accepted Answer

Letitia's behaviour exemplifies priming, which is the phenomenon where exposure to a certain concept or idea can affect subsequent behaviour or thought. In this case, Letitia's exposure to the concept of unconscious desires through her psychology class has primed her to think about it during her lunch conversation.

Question 4

According to implicit personality theories,which of the following would be most likely if we know Yael is an extrovert?

Accepted Answer

Implicit personality theories suggest that knowing someone has one trait (like extroversion) leads us to assume they have other related traits.

Question 5

What is the confirmation bias?

Accepted Answer

Confirmation bias is the tendency to interpret, seek, and create information in ways that support existing beliefs. It is a cognitive bias that can affect people's decision-making processes and lead to inaccurate judgments.

Question 6

Reena meets Rachael for the first time.Rachael is perceived as smart,funny,and sociable,but rude.Although Reena perceived Rachael to have many good qualities,her rudeness outweighed them,and Reena forms an unfavourable impression of Rachael.Which of the following does this scenario illustrate?

Accepted Answer

The scenario illustrates the trait negativity bias, which refers to the tendency for negative information about an individual to have a greater impact on our impression formation than positive information. Despite Rachael having many good qualities, Reena's negative impression of her rudeness was enough to outweigh the positive qualities and form an unfavorable overall impression.

Question 7

Research by Kenny et al.(1994)suggests that perceivers are most likely to agree in their judgments of which of the following personality factors?

Accepted Answer

Research by Kenny et al. (1994) suggests that perceivers are most likely to agree in their judgments of extroversion, as it is a more visible and obvious personality trait that can be easily observed in social situations. Other personality traits such as conscientiousness or locus of control may be less obvious and harder to judge consistently across different perceivers. Emotional stability may also be more subjective and dependent on specific situations, making it harder to judge and agree upon.

Question 8

What is priming?

Accepted Answer

Priming is the psychological phenomenon where exposure to a stimulus influences a person's response to a subsequent stimulus. In this case, it refers to the tendency for recently used concepts (or stimuli) to come to mind easily and influence the interpretation of new information.

Question 9

Which of the following traits would produce the most extreme impression of a target?

Accepted Answer

Cruelty is a highly negative trait that can create an extreme and lasting impression on others. It is often associated with violence, malice, and immorality, which make it hard for people to forget or ignore. In contrast, traits like honesty, intelligence, and impulsivity may not create as strong an impression unless they are displayed in an unusual or remarkable way.

Question 10

What do psychologists call traits that suggest the presence of other traits and that exert a powerful influence on final impressions?

Accepted Answer

Psychologists call these traits central traits. These are characteristics that have a strong influence on our overall impression of a person and can suggest the presence of other traits.

Question 11

When is priming more likely to occur?

Accepted Answer

Priming is more likely to occur in our immediate responses, as it involves a subconscious activation of concepts or associations that can influence our behavior or thoughts without explicit awareness.

Question 12

The impressions we form of others depend upon many factors,including perceiver characteristics,target characteristics,and situational factors.Which of the following situational factors is most likely to impact impression formation?

Accepted Answer

Priming effects refer to the influence that a prior experience or exposure to a stimulus has on our perception and attitudes towards a subsequent stimulus. This can include subtle cues in the environment that affect our impression formation, such as the mood or behavior of others present, or the context in which we encounter the target individual. Therefore, situational factors such as priming effects are most likely to impact impression formation.

Question 13

What did Forgas and Bower's (1987)research on mood demonstrate?

Accepted Answer

Forgas and Bower's research demonstrated that good moods can lead to more positive perceptions of others, especially when evaluating individuals who require more cognitive effort to understand.

Question 14

Which of the following types of people usually form the strongest first impressions?

Accepted Answer

Individuals who are high in need for closure tend to form strong first impressions because they have a strong desire to quickly come to conclusions and make sense of their environment. They may rely on initial cues and stereotypes to form their impressions.

Question 15

Asch proposed that the difference of a single trait could cause formation of an entirely different impression.What is this hypothesis called?

Accepted Answer

The change of meaning hypothesis is proposed by Asch, suggesting that the difference of a single trait can cause the formation of an entirely different impression. This hypothesis emphasizes how a single piece of information can significantly alter our perception of someone or something.

Question 16

Which of the following is one explanation for the primacy effect?

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect suggests that information presented first has a greater impact on perception because subsequent information is often interpreted in a way that is consistent with the initial impression.

Question 17

What is the primacy effect?

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect refers to the tendency for people's impressions of others to be more affected by information that is learned early rather than late in a sequence. This can occur in situations such as job interviews or first dates, where the information presented at the beginning of the interaction has a greater impact on the overall impression formed.

Question 18

Susan is a new reporter who has been asked to conduct an interview with an up-and-coming Hollywood celebrity.In which of the following situations is Susan most likely to produce an unbiased interview?

Accepted Answer

If Susan has not yet formed an impression of the person and is allowed to develop her own interview questions, she is more likely to produce an unbiased interview because she can approach the interview with an open mind and ask questions that are not based on any preconceived notions. If she has already formed an impression of the person, her questions may be influenced by her biases and may not accurately represent the celebrity's opinions and characteristics. If she is given the questions to ask in the interview, she may not have the opportunity to ask follow-up questions or to ask questions that deviate from the script, which could also impact the quality and impartiality of the interview.

Question 19

Consider a baseball manager who clings to old strategies that are ineffective,a lawyer who selects juries according to false stereotypes,and a political leader who does not withdraw support for a failing program.What are all three exhibiting?

Accepted Answer

All three scenarios are examples of individuals clinging to old beliefs and strategies despite evidence that they are ineffective. This is known as belief perseverance, or the tendency to maintain beliefs even in the face of contradictory evidence. Option B, confirmatory hypothesis testing, would refer to individuals seeking out information that confirms their existing beliefs, rather than considering contradictory evidence. Option C, the fundamental attribution error, would pertain to individuals overemphasizing dispositional explanations for behavior, rather than considering situational factors. Option D, need for closure, would refer to individuals seeking out quick and definitive answers to complex problems, which may lead them to cling to ineffective strategies rather than pursuing alternative solutions.

Question 20

Imagine that you are grading the exams of two students,Ralph and Nathan.They both get only half the questions correct.Nathan gets the first 25 questions wrong and the last 25 questions correct,whereas Ralph gets the first 25 questions correct and then misses the remaining 25.According to Asch's work on primacy effects in impression formation,how would you most likely judge Nathan and Ralph?

Accepted Answer

Asch's work on primacy effects suggests that first impressions are more influential than later information. Therefore, since Ralph starts strong, you're more likely to judge him as smarter due to the initial positive impression he creates.

Quiz 4: Perceiving Persons