Question 1

Researchers have found that physical beauty in a culture could be defined as

Accepted Answer

Physical beauty in a culture can be defined as the mathematical average of facial features in the culture. This is called the "golden ratio" or "phi" which has been found to be consistent across different cultures.

Question 2

Angela is very attractive, which leads others to believe she is also kinder, more responsible, and more intelligent than she really is. What is the name for this effect?

Accepted Answer

The halo effect is the tendency to believe that someone who has one positive trait (in this case, physical attractiveness) also possesses other positive traits (such as kindness, responsibility, and intelligence), even if there is no evidence to support that belief.

Question 3

Physical attractiveness has the greatest impact on judgments of

Accepted Answer

Physical attractiveness has been shown to have a significant impact on perceptions of sociability. This phenomenon, often referred to as the "halo effect," suggests that individuals who are deemed more physically attractive are also often perceived as more sociable, likable, and friendly compared to those who are considered less attractive.

Question 4

Mandy just found out she did not win this year's Management Award for Excellence. She immediately blames the poor conditions she has to work in and the fact that the rest of her team is incompetent. Mandy has probably just engaged in

Accepted Answer

Mandy's immediate reaction of blaming external factors and others instead of examining her own actions or abilities is indicative of a self-serving bias. This bias is a common tendency to attribute successes to internal factors (such as personal traits or actions) and failures to external factors (such as luck or others' actions).

Question 5

Taking personal credit for our successes and blaming our failures on external or situational causes describes the

Accepted Answer

The self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute our successes to internal factors such as abilities and efforts, while blaming external or situational factors for our failures. This bias enables us to protect our self-esteem and maintain a positive self-image. Unlike the fundamental attribution error, which involves making attributional errors about other people's behavior, the self-serving bias pertains to our own behavior. The false consensus effect refers to the tendency to overestimate the extent to which other people share our beliefs and behaviors, while the availability heuristic involves judging the likelihood of events based on how easily they come to mind.

Question 6

Which of the following statements has received greatest support from research on interpersonal attraction?

Accepted Answer

Research on interpersonal attraction consistently supports the idea that people tend to be attracted to others who are similar to themselves, with similarities in attitudes, values, personality traits, and interests. This is captured by the proverb "birds of a feather flock together."

Question 7

A theorist's suggestion that Shefali and Samir will more than likely marry each other because they live within a 10-kilometre distance from each other, even though they do not know each other at this time, employs which of the following theories of attraction?

Accepted Answer

The theorist is suggesting that Shefali and Samir are more likely to form a relationship because they live close to each other (proximity). The other options, similarity, primacy effect, and attractiveness, do not directly relate to this suggestion.

Question 8

Why is it that proximity is related to friendship formation?

Accepted Answer

Proximity makes it easier for us to interact with people and familiarize ourselves with them, which increases the chances of forming friendships.

Question 9

Bridget rates a new song as only fair the first time she hears it. According to the mere-exposure effect, as the song is played more and more on the radio, she will begin to rate the song as

Accepted Answer

The mere-exposure effect suggests that the more we are exposed to something, the more familiar and therefore more likable it becomes. As Bridget hears the song more and more, she will become more familiar with it, and therefore more likely to rate it as better than she originally did.

Question 10

Which of the following is best supported by research on interpersonal attraction?

Accepted Answer

Research on interpersonal attraction consistently shows that similarities between people, in terms of interests, attitudes, values, and background, are a significant factor in relationship formation. This is because similarity facilitates smoother interactions and increases the likelihood of shared experiences and understanding.

Question 11

Which of the following biases seems to stem from a desire to protect our self-esteem and look good in the eyes of others?

Accepted Answer

The self-serving bias is a tendency to attribute our successes to internal factors (our own abilities or efforts) and our failures to external factors (situational factors beyond our control). This bias helps to protect our self-esteem and maintain a positive self-image in the eyes of others.

Question 12

"Halo effect" refers to

Accepted Answer

The Halo effect refers to the tendency of people to assume that someone with a positive trait also possesses other positive traits. For example, if we find someone physically attractive, we may also assume that they are intelligent and kind. This can lead to biases in our judgments and evaluations of others.

Question 13

Being attractive probably has the greatest advantage for

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that women who are considered attractive tend to have higher salaries and more success in their careers than their less attractive counterparts. This is not to say that attractiveness does not affect men, but the advantage seems to be more significant for women. In infants and young children, cuteness may have some advantages (such as eliciting caretaking behaviors from adults), but this is different from attractiveness as it is often based on physical features that are not necessarily related to traditional standards of beauty.

Question 14

Research has shown that liking of others tends to increase as they become more familiar. This is the reason why ________ is an important variable in interpersonal attraction.

Accepted Answer

Proximity refers to the physical or geographical closeness between individuals. The more often people encounter one another, the more familiar they become, and the more likely they are to develop liking and attraction towards each other. Therefore, proximity is an important variable in interpersonal attraction.

Question 15

Generally, the more often we are exposed to a stimulus, the more we

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as the mere-exposure effect or the familiarity principle. As we become more familiar with a stimuli, we tend to develop a greater liking for it. This effect has been demonstrated in various studies, including studies involving music, artwork, and even people's faces.

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of the mere-exposure effect?

Accepted Answer

The mere-exposure effect refers to the phenomenon where people tend to develop a preference for things or people that they are more familiar with or have been exposed to repeatedly. Brian seeing Suzanne often at the library and liking her is an example of the mere-exposure effect.

Question 17

When people have one trait or quality that we either admire or dislike very much, we often assume that they also have other admirable or negative traits. This describes a phenomenon known as

Accepted Answer

The halo effect describes the tendency to assume that people who have one positive or negative trait also possess other positive or negative traits, respectively. This can lead to stereotyping and oversimplification of individuals. The proximity effect refers to the tendency to form relationships or feel attraction to those who are physically close to us. The mere-exposure effect refers to the increased liking of something or someone due to repeated exposure. The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency to overemphasize dispositional (personality) factors and underestimate situational factors when making judgments about others' behavior.

Question 18

In which of the following situations was proximity likely to have been an important factor?

Accepted Answer

Proximity, or the physical proximity between individuals, was likely a factor in Marisa marrying the young man who lived next door.

Question 19

The impact of physical attractiveness

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that physical attractiveness has a greater impact on initial impressions formed by strangers, but as familiarity increases, other factors such as personality and behavior become more important in shaping ongoing relationships.

Question 20

When others ________ us, we are more likely to ________ them.

Accepted Answer

When others like us, we tend to like them back. This is known as the liking principle, which is a psychological phenomenon where people tend to develop positive feelings towards those that they perceive as liking them.

Quiz 10: Social Psychology