Question 1

_____ is the process of forming impressions of others.

Accepted Answer

Person perception is the process of forming impressions of others based on a variety of cues, including physical appearance, behavior, and social context. It involves interpreting and evaluating these cues to make judgments about a person's personality, motives, and intentions.

Question 2

Attributions are

Accepted Answer

Attributions refer to the inferences people draw about the causes of behavior and events. They involve making judgments about why something happened, and can be influenced by a variety of factors such as one's own beliefs, biases, and the situational context.

Question 3

Mary noticed that Joseph was pushing someone in the hallway.She concluded that Joseph was aggressive.Mary did not notice that Joseph and the other person were laughing,thus she

Accepted Answer

D

Question 4

The tendency to blame victims for their misfortune,so that one feels less likely to be victimized in a similar way is called

Accepted Answer

Defensive attribution refers to the tendency to blame victims for their misfortunes as a way of protecting oneself from similar misfortunes. It allows individuals to distance themselves from the victim's situation by attributed the cause to some flaw or mistake made by the victim. This attribution can help individuals feel less vulnerable to the same misfortune.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a key source of information in forming impressions of others?

Accepted Answer

Personality inventories do provide information about individuals, but they are not a key source of information when forming immediate impressions of others. Appearances, situations, and actions are more influential in forming these initial impressions.

Question 6

Because people often take the easy path to avoid cognitive effort with an accurate impression,people quite often categorize others on the basis of

Accepted Answer

People often categorize others based on a variety of characteristics, which may include nationality, religion, sexual orientation, and other factors. This tendency to rely on easy categorizations is a common cognitive shortcut that allows people to make quick judgments without expending significant mental effort. However, it can also lead to stereotyping and prejudice if people rely too heavily on these categories and fail to consider individual differences and complexities. Therefore, while it is understandable that people may categorize others in this way, it is important to recognize the limitations and potential biases of this approach.

Question 7

Professor Wade believes Marjorie is an exceptional student.Professor Wade often engages in clarification of answers and additional discussion with Marjorie.Because of the self-fulfilling prophecy and the results of 400 studies over 30 years,

Accepted Answer

The self-fulfilling prophecy suggests that when a teacher believes a student is exceptional, they may provide extra attention, time, and resources to that student, which could lead to improved academic performance. This is supported by the 400 studies over 30 years cited in the question. As a result, it is likely that Marjorie will experience higher academic performance due to Professor Wade's belief in her exceptional abilities. There is no evidence to suggest that Professor Wade will automatically grade Marjorie's papers higher or that she has an increased chance of dropping out due to the extra pressure.

Question 8

The best-known experiments on the self-fulfilling prophecy have been conducted regarding which of the following settings?

Accepted Answer

The best-known experiments on the self-fulfilling prophecy have been conducted regarding teacher expectations of students. These experiments have shown that when teachers have high expectations for their students, those students tend to perform better academically than when teachers have low expectations for them.

Question 9

Which of the following is a key source of information in forming impressions of others?

Accepted Answer

Nonverbal messages such as facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice are crucial in forming impressions of others, as they often reveal the person's emotions, intentions, and personality traits. Mind reading, snap decisions, and worrying about others' beliefs are not reliable sources of information and can often lead to misunderstandings and stereotypes.

Question 10

Paula's new boss has called her in to discuss her future at the company.Paula is most likely to form her perception of her boss using

Accepted Answer

Nonverbal messages play a significant role in forming first impressions, especially in initial meetings where verbal information might be limited or overshadowed by nonverbal cues.

Question 11

The way someone speaks about others influences our impression of that person.This is due to the key source of information of

Accepted Answer

The question specifically asks about speech, which falls under verbal behavior. While appearance, actions, and situations can also contribute to our impression of a person, they are not specifically mentioned in the question.

Question 12

Using physical features to form impressions of others is

Accepted Answer

Using physical features to form impressions of others is typical even when they may be inaccurate. This is because humans tend to make quick judgments based on limited information, such as physical appearance, in order to make decisions and navigate social interactions. However, it is important to recognize that such impressions can be biased and inaccurate, and should not be the sole basis for making important decisions or forming long-term judgments about others.

Question 13

People classify those who are similar to them as members of their

Accepted Answer

The concept of an ingroup refers to a social group with which an individual identifies and feels a sense of belonging. People tend to classify those who are similar to them as members of their ingroup. Stereotypes refer to overgeneralized beliefs about a particular group, and culture refers to the shared beliefs, values, and practices of a particular group or society. Outgroup refers to a social group with which an individual does not identify or feel a sense of belonging.

Question 14

Impression formation based on someone's eye contact and facial expressions is due to

Accepted Answer

Impression formation based on someone's eye contact and facial expressions is a result of nonverbal messages. Verbal behavior, actions, and appearance can also contribute to impression formation, but in this specific scenario, the nonverbal messages conveyed through eye contact and facial expressions are the primary factors.

Question 15

Peggy thought Earl must be a good student and like reading.Earl wears glasses.Peggy may be judging Earl by

Accepted Answer

Peggy is making assumptions based on Earl's physical appearance of wearing glasses, which may not necessarily be a reliable indicator of his intelligence or reading habits.

Question 16

When it is important to make accurate assessments of someone,people

Accepted Answer

When it is important to make accurate assessments of someone, people should use systematic judgments, including attributions. This involves gathering information, processing it thoughtfully, and making reasoned judgments based on that information. Snap judgments or relying on nonverbal messages alone may not provide accurate assessments.

Question 17

A self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when

Accepted Answer

A self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when expectations about a person cause him or her to behave in ways that confirm the expectations. This means that the person's beliefs or expectations about something influence their behavior, which in turn validates their original beliefs.

Question 18

Evan's laptop was stolen from in his car trunk.His friend George said that it was really Evan's fault for leaving the laptop in the trunk.After all,someone may have seen him put it into the trunk.George is exhibiting

Accepted Answer

George is exhibiting defensive attribution, which occurs when people attribute causes of events in a way that defends or protects themselves from feeling vulnerable to similar risks. By blaming Evan for the theft due to his action of leaving the laptop in the trunk, George is psychologically defending himself against the fear that this could happen to him as well.

Question 19

Janet noticed that Craig was forgetting to clean up his papers in the living room.Janet failed to notice the many times that Craig had cleaned up.What is occurring?

Accepted Answer

Janet is only noticing instances that confirm her belief that Craig is forgetful and not noticing or remembering instances where he did clean up, which is an example of confirmation bias. The other options do not fit the situation described.

Question 20

_____ is the tendency to explain other people's behavior as the result of personal,rather than situation,factors.

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to explain other people's behavior as the result of personal, rather than situation, factors. This means that people often overemphasize the role of individual character traits or abilities in explaining behavior, rather than considering external factors that may have influenced the behavior.

Quiz 7: Social Thinking and Social Influence