Question 1

As part of a psychology experiment, Ed and Todd wrote essays saying that seat belts are unnecessary and laws requiring them should be abolished. From a questionnaire given several weeks before, it is known that both Ed and Todd are actually in favor of laws requiring seat belts. In the experiment, Ed is given a very small reward for writing the essay, while Todd is given a large reward for writing the essay. If their attitudes are subsequently measured, what is the most likely result?

Accepted Answer

The answer of As part of a psychology experiment, Ed...

Question 2

According to Mills's study of cheating among sixth-graders, students ________ after having resisted the temptation to cheat on an exam.

Accepted Answer

Mills found that students who resisted the temptation to cheat developed harsher attitudes toward cheating, indicating that they recognized the wrongness of the behavior and were less likely to engage in it in the future.

Question 3

Freedman and Fraser, in their door-to-door study in which housewives were asked to sign a petition or put an ugly sign in their yard, found that subjects who agreed to a ________ request first were ________ likely to comply with another request.

Accepted Answer

Freedman and Fraser's study is a classic example of the "foot-in-the-door" technique, where agreeing to a small initial request increases the likelihood of agreeing to a second, larger request.

Question 4

The foot-in-the-door technique is a method of:

Accepted Answer

The foot-in-the-door technique is a method of encouraging people to do a larger favor after they've agreed to an initially small request. The idea is that by getting someone to commit to a small request, they become more likely to comply with a larger request later on.

Question 5

A local store advertises a great sale on a certain computer. When you get to the store, the salesperson informs you that they are all out of that particular model, but that they have another model that is "even better" than the sale model for "only" $500 more. This sales technique is known as:

Accepted Answer

The answer of A local store advertises a great sale...

Question 6

Dissonance effects are greatest when:

Accepted Answer

Dissonance effects are greatest when people feel personally responsible for their actions and their actions have serious negative consequences. This is because they experience a strong sense of guilt or regret, which creates cognitive dissonance with their previously held attitudes or beliefs. This dissonance is further intensified when the consequences of their actions are severe, as it increases the importance of the decision and amplifies the dissonance between their attitudes and behavior.

Question 7

Bill and Mary are concerned because they feel their 13-year-old son spends too much time playing video games. One day, they came across a magazine article describing the positive and negative effects of video games on child development. After reading the article, Bill and Mary decided to show it to their son. According to dissonance theory, what would be the most likely impact of reading the article?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Bill and Mary are concerned because they...

Question 8

Suppose Bob and Tom are asked to rate the attractiveness of a group of young women about their same age and a group of women about the same age as their mothers. Bob is engaged to be married, whereas Tom is dating many women. Generalizing from an experiment conducted by Simpson and his colleagues, you should expect that, in comparison to Tom, Bob would see the younger women as ________ attractive and the older women as ________ attractive.

Accepted Answer

According to Simpson and his colleagues' experiment, individuals who are in committed relationships (like Bob who is engaged) tend to rate individuals outside of their partner's age range as less attractive, while individuals who are not in committed relationships (like Tom who is dating many women) tend to rate individuals outside of their partner's age range as equally attractive. Therefore, we can expect Bob to see the younger women as less attractive and the older women as equally attractive as Tom.

Question 9

If you recall the experiment conducted by Stanley Milgram, it is clear that cognitive dissonance theory played a large role in subjects' willingness to shock the helpless "learners." Which of the following statements might best predict higher levels of dissonance in the subjects?

Accepted Answer

According to cognitive dissonance theory, people experience discomfort when their behavior or beliefs do not align with each other. In the case of Milgram's experiment, the subjects were asked to administer electric shocks to another person, which was in direct conflict with their belief that harming others is wrong. Therefore, feeling personally responsible for their actions would increase the level of dissonance experienced by the subjects. Choices A and B do not relate to cognitive dissonance theory, and choice D suggests that the subjects may have been motivated by extrinsic rewards, which is not directly linked to dissonance.

Question 10

All other things being equal, cognitive dissonance following a decision is greatest when:

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort experienced by people when they hold two or more conflicting beliefs or values at the same time. It is especially intense when a decision is irrevocable, meaning it cannot be reversed. When people make an irrevocable decision, they are more likely to experience cognitive dissonance because they feel they cannot undo the decision they made. In contrast, if the decision is reversible, people can undo their decision if they feel uncomfortable, reducing the cognitive dissonance they experience.

Question 11

In a study done in which males watched erotic videos of heterosexual and homosexual sexual activity, which group showed the greatest amount of arousal to the male homosexual video?

Accepted Answer

Males who stated negative attitudes toward homosexuality often show greater physiological arousal to male homosexual videos, possibly due to repressed or conflicted feelings.

Question 12

If a religion teaches that the prophet was tempted but did not succumb to the temptation, dissonance theory would predict that the religion would also teach that the prophet would:

Accepted Answer

Dissonance theory suggests that overcoming temptation without succumbing can lead to increased self-righteousness and a punitive attitude toward those who do succumb, as a way to justify one's own actions and maintain self-esteem.

Question 13

Aronson argues that the key to understanding whether dissonance will be aroused is whether the subject:

Accepted Answer

Aronson explains that behavior that violates one's self-concept is most likely to arouse dissonance. The other factors listed may also contribute to dissonance, but self-concept violation is the most important predictor.

Question 14

Festinger and Carlsmith (1959) performed an experiment in which subjects were asked to lie to a "fellow student" for either $1 or $20. For subjects in the $1 condition, dissonance was created by the cognitions "I am an ethical person" and "I have told a lie." Based on the results of this study, which of the following statements best expresses how subjects probably reduced this dissonance?

Accepted Answer

The subjects likely reduced their dissonance by changing their attitude about the behavior (telling a lie) to be more in line with their self-concept as an ethical person. By convincing themselves that what they said was actually true, they could justify their behavior and reduce the dissonance between their behavior and their self-concept.

Question 15

Carole has two boyfriends, Tim and Craig, whom she likes very much. Both of them really like her, too. She has decided, however, that dating both of them is making her life too complicated. After careful consideration, she decides to stop seeing Tim and to continue dating Craig. According to dissonance theory, which of the following is most likely to happen as a result of her decision?

Accepted Answer

According to dissonance theory, when we make a decision that creates dissonance (conflict) within us, we often change our attitudes or beliefs to reduce that feeling of dissonance. In this case, Carole may experience dissonance because she likes Tim but has chosen to stop seeing him. To reduce this dissonance, she may begin to see Craig as more attractive than before, to justify her decision to continue dating him. This phenomenon is known as cognitive dissonance reduction. Therefore, the most likely outcome is that Carole will see Craig as more attractive than before.

Question 16

Bettors at a race track who were asked how confident they were about their chances of winning:

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as the "illusion of control," where individuals feel more confident after taking an action (such as placing a bet). Therefore, bettors are more confident right after having placed their bets.

Question 17

In a study discussed in the text, students were paid either $20 or $1 for telling collaborative subjects that a dull task was actually interesting. Which group showed greater attitude change in actually rating the task as interesting?

Accepted Answer

The group that told the lie for $1 showed greater attitude change due to cognitive dissonance; they had insufficient external justification for lying, so they changed their attitude to align with their behavior.

Question 18

The amount of dissonance produced when a person engages in an attitude-discrepant act is greatest when the rewards are:

Accepted Answer

The amount of dissonance produced is greatest when the rewards are just sufficient to induce the act because the individual cannot attribute their action to external rewards, leading to greater cognitive dissonance.

Question 19

Suppose you wanted to convince someone who is opposed to marijuana that it should be legalized. According to cognitive dissonance theory, what would be the best way to change that person's attitude?

Accepted Answer

According to cognitive dissonance theory, providing a small reward to a person to endorse something that they previously opposed can create a dissonance between their attitude and behavior. To reduce this dissonance, their attitude may shift towards favoring legalization. However, the reward should not be substantial enough to create the perception that the person is only endorsing legalization for the reward.

Question 20

According to dissonance theory, as the external justifications for performing an act decrease, the need to find internal justifications for performing the act tends to:

Accepted Answer

Dissonance theory proposes that when people's behavior is not in line with their beliefs, they experience cognitive dissonance (an uncomfortable, mental conflict). To reduce this dissonance, they will seek out justifications or reasons for their behavior. When external justifications (e.g., rewards or punishments) for performing an act decrease, there is less reason to justify the behavior in external terms. Therefore, people are more likely to seek out internal justifications (e.g., personal beliefs or attitudes) for their behavior, leading to an increase in the need for internal justifications.

Quiz 5: Self-Justification