Question 1

Dave wants help painting his entire house. This seems overwhelming, so he asks his friend Chris for help to paint one room first, hoping that Chris will help with the rest of the house when he is asked later. This is an example of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

This scenario represents the foot-in-the-door phenomenon, where a small request (painting one room) is made in hopes of gaining compliance for a larger request (painting the entire house).

Question 2

In dissonance experiments, the attitudes-follow-behaviour effect ____________ when participants ___________.

Accepted Answer

The attitude-follows-behaviour effect disappears when participants drink alcohol. This is because alcohol consumption impairs the cognitive dissonance that may arise after behaving in a way that contradicts one's attitude. As a result, the individual is less likely to change their attitude to align with their behaviour.

Question 3

The over 5 million Implicit Association Tests (IAT) that have been completed since 1998 have shown which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The question states that the IAT tests completed since 1998 have shown which of the following, and all of the choices listed in the question are correct according to research using the IAT. Hence, the answer is D.

Question 4

Intrinsic motivation is when

Accepted Answer

Intrinsic motivation is when you engage in an activity because you really like it. It is driven by an internal desire to participate in the activity, and not by external rewards or recognition. Choice A is the only option that aligns with this definition.

Question 5

Extrinsic motivation is when

Accepted Answer

Extrinsic motivation is when you engage in a task because of the reward or outcome, which is external to the activity itself. Choice A describes intrinsic motivation, where the activity itself is rewarding. Choice C describes amotivation, where there is no motivation to engage in any task. Choice D describes compliance, where the task is done because of external pressure or authority.

Question 6

Although dissonance theory successfully explains what happens when we act contrary to clearly defined attitudes, it does not explain

Accepted Answer

Dissonance theory, primarily associated with Leon Festinger, explains how individuals strive for internal consistency and how they may change their attitudes or beliefs to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) caused by inconsistencies between their attitudes and their behavior. However, it does not directly explain the overjustification effect, which occurs when an external incentive like a reward decreases a person's intrinsic motivation to perform a task because the person comes to attribute their behavior to the reward rather than to their own interest in the task. This effect is more related to theories of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation rather than to dissonance theory.

Question 7

Jeremy loses his former interest in doing arithmetic after his teacher promises him $1 for each problem he solves correctly. Which theory best explains Jeremy's loss of interest in arithmetic?

Accepted Answer

Self-perception theory suggests that individuals infer their own attitudes and motivations based on their behavior. In this case, Jeremy's behavior of being motivated by external rewards (the promise of money) led him to infer that he must not actually be interested in arithmetic for its own sake.

Question 8

If we provide students with just enough justification to perform a learning task and use rewards and labels to help them feel competent, we may _________ their enjoyment and their eagerness to pursue the subject on their own.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If we provide students with just enough...

Question 9

Festinger believed that people minimize dissonance through which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Festinger believed that people minimize dissonance through selective exposure, which means they seek out and pay attention to information that is consistent with their beliefs and attitudes while ignoring or avoiding information that is inconsistent.

Question 10

According to the overjustification effect, promising children a reward for doing what they intrinsically enjoy will

Accepted Answer

According to the overjustification effect, extrinsic rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation, leading to less enjoyment in the activity. When children are no longer doing the activity for its own sake, but rather for the extrinsic reward, their intrinsic motivation can be undermined, leading to a decrease in enjoyment.

Question 11

One of the things demonstrated by the study by Zanna and Cooper was

Accepted Answer

The study by Zanna and Cooper demonstrated that people must properly attribute the arousal caused by cognitive dissonance before their attitudes will change. This means that people must understand that their change in attitudes is due to the dissonance they are experiencing, rather than something external, in order for their attitudes to actually change.

Question 12

As self-perception theory implies, the overjustification effect can be avoided because ________ reward does not diminish intrinsic interest in an action, since people can still attribute the action to their own motivation.

Accepted Answer

An unanticipated reward is unexpected and not contingent on the performance of the action, therefore it is less likely to be perceived as an attempt to control behavior and more likely to be seen as a positive outcome of one's inherent motivation. This means that the reward does not diminish intrinsic interest in the action, avoiding the overjustification effect.

Question 13

In the study by Zanna and Cooper, students who believed that they had chosen to write an essay that contradicted their beliefs showed _______ if they believed that their arousal was due to a pill they had taken.

Accepted Answer

The study by Zanna and Cooper found that when students believed that their arousal (in this case, increased heart rate) was due to a pill they had taken rather than their own choice, they showed less attitude change when writing an essay that contradicted their beliefs. This is thought to be due to the students attributing their arousal to the pill rather than their own attitudes or behaviors, which in turn leads to less self-perception and less attitude change.

Question 14

For attitudes formed early in life, explicit attitudes are often the better predictor of behaviour.

Accepted Answer

For attitudes formed early in life, implicit attitudes are often the better predictor of behavior. This is because these attitudes are more automatic and deeply ingrained, making them more likely to guide behavior without conscious awareness. Explicit attitudes, which are consciously held and expressed, may not always accurately reflect or predict behavior.

Question 15

Harry has always strongly believed that it is wrong to shoplift. But after he himself shoplifts some inexpensive jewellery, his attitude toward shoplifting becomes less harsh. Which theory best accounts for this attitude shift?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory explains that when there is a conflict between beliefs and actions, individuals experience discomfort and may change their attitudes to reduce this dissonance. Harry's attitude shift after shoplifting aligns with this theory.

Question 16

Myra's neighbour, a little boy, practices his saxophone loudly and annoyingly. According to the overjustification effect, if Myra wants to get him to quit playing, she should

Accepted Answer

The overjustification effect suggests that paying the little boy to quit playing may actually make him more motivated to continue playing, as he may come to associate playing with financial gain. Therefore, paying him to play and then gradually decreasing the amount offered may be more effective in getting him to eventually stop playing altogether.

Question 17

Research has shown that implicit attitudes and explicit attitudes help predict people's behaviours and judgments.

Accepted Answer

Research has consistently shown that both implicit and explicit attitudes are strong predictors of people's behaviors and judgments. Implicit attitudes are unconscious automatic associations between concepts in memory, while explicit attitudes are consciously held beliefs and evaluations. Both types of attitudes can influence behavior, even when individuals are not aware of it.

Question 18

According to Steele's self-affirmation theory, the need to justify dissonant acts is

Accepted Answer

Steele's self-affirmation theory suggests that individuals can reduce the discomfort associated with dissonant acts by affirming their self-worth in other domains. Therefore, if one's self-worth has been recently affirmed, the need to justify dissonant acts is decreased because they do not experience as much discomfort or cognitive dissonance.

Question 19

A comparison of theories explaining attitude-behaviour relationships concludes that dissonance conditions do indeed arouse tension, especially when those conditions threaten

Accepted Answer

The theory of cognitive dissonance predicts that when individuals experience dissonance conditions (i.e. holding two or more conflicting beliefs or attitudes), they will experience psychological discomfort or tension. This discomfort is often a result of feeling that one's self-worth is threatened. Therefore, choice A is the best answer.

Question 20

Nicole loses her interest in playing the piano after her father promises to pay her $2 for each hour of practice. This illustrates the _____________ effect.

Accepted Answer

The overjustification effect refers to the phenomenon where an initially intrinsically motivated behavior (e.g. playing the piano out of enjoyment or interest) decreases once external rewards or incentives are introduced (e.g. being paid $2 per hour of practice). In this case, Nicole's loss of interest in playing the piano is due to the external reward overshadowing her initial enjoyment of the activity, leading to a decrease in intrinsic motivation.

Quiz 4: Behaviour and Attitudes