Question 1

One of the major determinants of whether an attitude will guide behavior is:

Accepted Answer

The answer of One of the major determinants of whether...

Question 2

In Storms' research on the actor-observer bias, participants observed two people interact. They found the actor made ___________ attributions while the observer made __________ attributions. However, when they watched a video of the same interaction from a different angle that reversed the perspectives so that the actor was now the observer, the ________.

Accepted Answer

The actor-observer bias suggests that actors tend to make situational attributions for their own behavior, while observers make dispositional attributions for the same behavior. When perspectives are reversed, the attributions also switch, supporting the idea that perspective influences attribution.

Question 3

The actor-observer bias involves the tendency for actors to attribute their own actions to ________ and to attribute the actions of other people to those peoples' ________.

Accepted Answer

The actor-observer bias refers to the tendency for individuals to attribute their own actions to situational factors (such as the environment, context, or external circumstances) while attributing the actions of others to personal dispositions (such as their personality, character, or intentions). Option B is the opposite of the correct answer. Options C and D refer to heuristic biases, which are different from the actor-observer bias.

Question 4

Some theorists have proposed that people are rational thinkers and decision-makers, while others believe social cognition is often subject to biases and other distorting influences. Compare and contrast some of the central ideas that characterize these two perspectives, indicating which you find more convincing. What conditions are necessary for human cognition to operate on a thoroughly rational basis? How common are these conditions in everyday life?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Some theorists have proposed that people are...

Question 5

When Fazio and Williams manipulated the frequency with which participants accessed an attitude by having them repeat it again and again, they found that:

Accepted Answer

Repeating an attitude increases its accessibility, making it more predictive of later behavior.

Question 6

The general human tendency to overestimate the importance of personality or dispositional factors when explaining the causes of social behavior is called:

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to overemphasize dispositional or personality factors and underestimate situational factors when explaining social behavior. This bias can lead to judgments and stereotypes about others that are inaccurate and unfair.

Question 7

In the "Barry Manilow" shirt study, Gilovich asked students to go to a party wearing embarrassing T-shirts. The participants estimated that ________ of the people would notice, but only ________ actually noticed.

Accepted Answer

The study found that participants estimated that 50% of the people at the party would notice their embarrassing T-shirt, but only 20% actually noticed.

Question 8

Rifka takes two tests for which she studies equally hard. She gets an A on one and a D on the other. She explains that she got the A because she is "smart" in that subject and got the D because the test was unfair and too difficult. Rifka's explanation is best thought of as an example of:

Accepted Answer

Rifka's explanation is an example of the self-serving bias, as she is taking credit for her success (getting an A because she is "smart"), but blaming external factors for her failure (getting a D because the test was unfair and too difficult).

Question 9

In the "Barry Manilow" shirt study, Gilovich asked students to go to a party wearing embarrassing T-shirts. The participants estimated that 50% of the people would notice, but only 20% actually noticed. The results of this study support the idea that:

Accepted Answer

The study's results suggest that people overestimate the amount of attention they receive from others, supporting the concept that we believe others are watching us more than they actually are.

Question 10

Which of the following is not a research result presented in The Social Animal as support for the idea that people are prone to make self-serving explanations of their own behavior?

Accepted Answer

The other three options (A, B, and C) are all examples of people making self-serving explanations for their own behavior or outcomes, while option D is not necessarily related to self-serving explanations. It is simply describing how people on a team might assign responsibility for success or failure.

Question 11

What did Paul Herr discover in his research on accessibility of hostility?

Accepted Answer

Paul Herr discovered that when subjects worked a seek and search puzzle with hostile names, they later played very competitively in a game. This suggests that exposure to hostile content can increase aggressive behavior.

Question 12

Julie sees a stranger do poorly on a test. She automatically assumes that the stranger is stupid. She has committed an error best thought of as:

Accepted Answer

Julie has committed the fundamental attribution error, which is the tendency to attribute others' behaviors to their character rather than to situational factors.

Question 13

Although Susan was only peripherally involved in getting her friend elected as the president of the senior class, she felt her friend could never have won without Susan's support. Susan's feeling is best thought of as an example of:

Accepted Answer

Egocentric thought refers to the tendency to perceive oneself as more central to events than is actually the case, which aligns with Susan's belief that her support was crucial to her friend's election victory.

Question 14

Fazio and Williams found that voters who were asked to evaluate two presidential candidates within a very short amount of time were:

Accepted Answer

Fazio and Williams' study suggested that quick evaluations led to stronger attitudes, making voters more likely to vote for the candidate they initially favored.

Question 15

Jim is concerned about his future, so he visits a psychic who tells him: "You are a person who can succeed in life. You have many talents that could be developed-ones that could bring you great prosperity. Sometimes you're afraid of taking risks, but you can spot a good opportunity when you see one." Jim leaves the psychic's office convinced that he has what it takes to be a success in life. The psychic's message:

Accepted Answer

The psychic's message is an example of a "Barnum statement" which is a general statement that could apply to many people and is often used by psychics to give an impression of precision or specificity. The statement is vague enough to be interpreted in various ways by different people, making it seem accurate to everyone.

Question 16

The strength of the association between an object and its evaluation is called:

Accepted Answer

Attitude accessibility refers to the ease and strength of the association between an object and its evaluation. It reflects how readily an attitude comes to mind and how likely it is to influence behavior.

Question 17

According to research by Carol Dweck, people who believe that intelligence is fixed will often:

Accepted Answer

According to Carol Dweck's research, individuals who believe that intelligence is fixed are likely to choose easier task options, give up when a task is too hard, and choke on hard tests. Additionally, they may also be more likely to overestimate their performance by reporting a higher score than they actually earned. Therefore, all of these answers are true.

Question 18

Which type of thinking is illustrated when Mark described his friend's choice of girlfriend and major in terms of his friend's personal qualities and interests but explained his own choices based upon the qualities of the major and girlfriend?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of the actor-observer bias, where Mark is interpreting his friend's choices based on his friend's personal qualities and interests (as an observer), but his own choices are explained based on external factors such as the qualities of the major and girlfriend (as an actor).

Question 19

In the "quiz show" study conducted by Ross, Amabile, and Steinmetz, subjects were randomly assigned to serve as "questioners" or "contestants." Observers who watched the simulated quiz show tended to perceive the "questioners" as more knowledgeable than the "contestants." The observers committed the error of:

Accepted Answer

The observers underestimated the impact of social roles (questioner vs. contestant) in explaining behavior, attributing the questioners' ability to ask questions to their knowledge rather than their assigned role.

Question 20

In the "Lottery ticket" study (Langer), half of participants were given lottery tickets with randomly selected numbers and half were allowed to choose their numbers. Before they found out whether they had a winning ticket, the participants were given a chance to resell their tickets. The people who selected their numbers:

Accepted Answer

Participants who chose their own numbers valued their tickets more and were willing to sell them at a higher price, reflecting a sense of ownership and control.

Quiz 4: Mass Communication, Propaganda, and Persuasion