Question 1

Which of the following situations best portrays learned helplessness?

Accepted Answer

Learned helplessness occurs when an individual believes they have no control over their situation and stops trying to improve it. In this situation, the individual is not trying to make friends because they believe they are incapable of doing so based on their past experiences.

Question 2

In a musical performance, Ayube makes a small mistake. Research on the self-reference effect suggests Ayube will

Accepted Answer

The self-reference effect suggests that individuals tend to overestimate the extent to which their own behavior is noticed by others. Therefore, Ayube would likely overestimate how much the audience noticed his small mistake.

Question 3

The top-down view of self-esteem holds that

Accepted Answer

The top-down view of self-esteem suggests that people with generally high self-esteem have a positive overall self-concept, which then leads them to view their specific attributes in a positive light. Therefore, they are more likely to accept their specific attributes.

Question 4

According to the "top-down" theory of global self-esteem, if Jerzy feels _______ about himself in general, he is likely to feel _________ about his ability to pass an exam.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the "top-down" theory of global...

Question 5

Our perceiving ourselves as musical, intellectual, artistic, or assertive constitutes our

Accepted Answer

These perceptions of ourselves reflect our self-schemas, or cognitive frameworks that organize our knowledge, beliefs, and feelings about ourselves. These self-schemas guide our attention, interpretation, and recall of self-relevant information and influence our self-esteem, motivation, and behavior.

Question 6

The images of what we dream of or dread becoming in the future constitute our ___________ selves.

Accepted Answer

The sentence is describing the concept of self-image based on our hopes and fears of the future, implying that these potential selves are possible outcomes. Therefore, "possible" is the best choice.

Question 7

After moving into a nursing home and experiencing little control over his daily schedule, Mr. Roark became apathetic, stopped eating, and even seemed to lose the will to live. Mr. Roark's reaction most clearly illustrates

Accepted Answer

Mr. Roark's behavior is consistent with the concept of learned helplessness, which occurs when an individual experiences repeated failure or lack of control over a situation, leading them to believe that their actions have no effect on outcomes. In this case, Mr. Roark's loss of control over his daily schedule in the nursing home likely contributed to his apathy and loss of will to live.

Question 8

When information is relevant to our self-concepts, we process it quickly and remember it well. This is concept is referred to as

Accepted Answer

Self-reference is the concept that when information is personally relevant to our self-concepts, we process it more deeply and remember it better. This is because we tend to relate new information to our existing knowledge and beliefs about ourselves, which facilitates memory encoding and retrieval.

Question 9

Martin Seligman notes a basic similarity between learned helplessness in dogs and _____________ in people.

Accepted Answer

Martin Seligman's research on learned helplessness in dogs led him to develop the theory of learned helplessness in humans, which is linked to depression.

Question 10

People who learn a sense of helplessness by suppressing forbidden thoughts

Accepted Answer

People who learn a sense of helplessness often give up more quickly when faced with unsolvable tasks, as they have been conditioned to believe that their efforts will not lead to success.

Question 11

John works out everyday. He also tends to notice others' bodies and athletic skills. Compared to Tim, who never works out and doesn't pay any attention to others' physiques, John probably has

Accepted Answer

John's behavior suggests that he places importance on athleticism and physical fitness, which means that "athletic" is likely part of his self-schema. A self-schema is a cognitive structure that represents a person's beliefs and experiences about themselves, so John's self-schema would likely include elements related to physical activity and fitness.

Question 12

The bottom-up view of self-esteem means

Accepted Answer

The bottom-up view of self-esteem means that people have high self-esteem when they feel good in particular domains important to their self-esteem, such as relationships or work. This differs from the top-down view of self-esteem, which suggests that self-esteem is a general evaluation of oneself.

Question 13

Baumeister and Exline (2000) suggest that self-control

Accepted Answer

Baumeister and Exline (2000) suggest that self-control operates like muscular strength. It can be depleted with use but can also be strengthened with exercise and practice. This analogy suggests that self-control can be improved with training and practice, just like strengthening muscles through exercise.

Question 14

Prisoners given some control over their environments (e.g., being able to move chairs, control TV sets, and switch the lights)

Accepted Answer

Giving prisoners some control over their environment has been shown to decrease their sense of helplessness and increase their positive social behaviors, ultimately leading to less vandalism. It does not necessarily lead to increased manipulation of prison officials, greater stress, or stronger guilt feelings.

Question 15

Langer and Rodin found that nursing home residents improved in alertness, activity, and happiness if they were

Accepted Answer

Langer and Rodin found that nursing home residents improved in alertness, activity, and happiness when they were given responsibilities and asked to make personal choices. This approach of giving residents control over their lives and empowering them to make decisions was called the "counterclockwise" approach. It emphasized the importance of treating older adults as capable individuals and promoting independence and autonomy. The other options (A, B, and C) do not address the importance of personal choice and responsibility in improving the well-being of nursing home residents.

Question 16

The experience of repeated uncontrollable bad events contributes to

Accepted Answer

The experience of repeated uncontrollable bad events contributes to learned helplessness, in which an individual feels powerless to change their circumstances or outcomes. This can lead to feelings of depression and a belief that one's actions do not make a difference, indicating a lack of control or self-efficacy. It is not related to an internal locus of control or interdependent self.

Question 17

The self-reference effect illustrates that

Accepted Answer

The self-reference effect refers to the fact that we have better recall for information that is related to ourselves. This suggests that our sense of self is at the centre of our world, and that we prioritize information relevant to ourselves.

Question 18

Although you heard your teacher give everyone in your group feedback about your group presentation, you can really only recall her comments about your own particular role. Why might this be?

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as the "spotlight effect," in which individuals tend to overestimate the degree to which others are attending to them. This behavior of recalling only feedback related to our own role is an example of self-referencing behavior, which can be attributed to the spotlight effect.

Question 19

Given that every time he falls in love with a woman he gets dumped no matter how hard he tries to please her, John has decided not to get involved in any love relationships with women. John's behaviour most clearly demonstrates

Accepted Answer

John's behavior shows learned helplessness, as he has learned that he cannot change the outcome of his relationships and has given up trying.

Question 20

Psychologists would consider your dream of becoming a famous politician and your recurrent fear of being unemployed to be part of your

Accepted Answer

The term "possible self" refers to the various versions of ourselves that we imagine or envision for the future. This includes our aspirations, goals, and fears. The dream of becoming a famous politician and the fear of being unemployed are both examples of possible selves.

Quiz 2: The Self in a Social World