Question 1

Based on what the text reports, one way to reduce drivers' use of gasoline by monitoring may be to __________.
A) display the current gas mileage on the dash of the vehicle
B) tell the driver how many miles per gallon the vehicle gets
C) ask drivers to keep track of how often they fuel up
D) allow the government to track how many miles each vehicle on the road drives in a week

Accepted Answer

Displaying the current gas mileage on the dash of the vehicle can help drivers be more aware of their fuel consumption and may lead to reduced use of gasoline.

Question 2

Recycling, although good for all of us, can be an inconvenient and effortful activity for individuals. In this sense, recycling represents a kind of __________.
A) injunctive norm
B) social dilemma
C) normative conflict
D) dissonance-arousing activity

Accepted Answer

Recycling can be an example of a social dilemma, as individuals may prioritize their own convenience over the larger collective benefit of recycling. Each person may be incentivized to not recycle in order to save time and effort, but if everyone chooses this option, then the environment suffers.

Question 3

Aronson and his students (Dickerson et al., 1992) used __________ to convince university students to turn off water while soaping up in a shower room.
A) a social dilemma
B) hypocrisy
C) obtrusive signs
D) monetary incentives

Accepted Answer

Aronson and his students utilized the concept of hypocrisy, where they first made students publicly commit to conserving water, which later made them more likely to follow through with water conservation behaviors such as turning off the water while soaping up in the shower, to avoid appearing hypocritical.

Question 4

Mr. Bernes owns several factories and is concerned with his employees wasting energy. Based on evidence presented in your text about competition and energy consumption, what should Mr. Bernes do?
A) provide weekly feedback to his employees about how much energy their factory consumes
B) train workers on how to conserve energy
C) provide weekly comparative feedback about energy usage from several plants to employees
D) make energy conservation mandatory-"or else"

Accepted Answer

Providing weekly comparative feedback about energy usage from several plants to employees will create competition among the factories and encourage them to conserve energy. This method has been proven effective in reducing energy consumption in multiple studies presented in the text. Providing feedback on how much energy their factory consumes (A) and training workers on how to conserve energy (B) are also helpful, but not as effective as creating competition. Making energy conservation mandatory (D) may create resentment among employees and be less effective than creating a positive incentive through competition.

Question 5

Beth is the new director of the Municipal Water Conservation Board. Because the board has not been very successful in its appeals to encourage residents to stop wasting water, Beth has decided to change how their message is presented, by changing the public service ads sponsored by the Municipal Water Conservation Board. Which of the following television appeals would be most likely to encourage the public to use less water?
A) "If nobody conserves water, the city will have to impose mandatory restrictions."
B) "If you leave the water running when you brush your teeth, in one week, you will have wasted enough water to fill your bathroom."
C) "I know that water conservation devices are expensive, but it is for the good of the community that you install them."
D) "If you do not find a way to reduce your water usage, we will have to take punitive action."

Accepted Answer

Out of the given options, the appeal in option B is most likely to encourage the public to use less water as it provides a specific and relatable example of how much water can be wasted with a common daily habit. The other options either focus on punishment or appeal to the community without providing concrete reasons for why individuals should conserve water.

Question 6

Recall that researchers asked some students on the way to a field house shower to sign a petition advocating water conservation, others to report on their water use, and others to do both. Those who both reported their water use and signed the petition took shorter showers than those students in the other two conditions because __________.
A) the intervention took too long and they had to hurry
B) they were reminded that they were not practicing what they preached
C) they became more aware of how much water they used
D) they made a public commitment to conserve water

Accepted Answer

The students who both reported their water use and signed the petition were reminded of the inconsistency between their actions and their advocacy, leading them to take shorter showers to align their behavior with their stated beliefs.

Question 7

Research by Van Vugt and Samuelson (1999), in which water meters were installed in houses in one community, suggests that one way to resolve social dilemmas is to __________.
A) decrease the availability of the resource
B) increase the cost of the resource
C) make it easier for people to monitor their own resource use
D) make it easier for the city to monitor people's resource use

Accepted Answer

The research showed that installing water meters made it easier for people to monitor their own resource use, which led to a decrease in overall water usage in the community.

Question 8

Imagine you're a property manager and you'd like to get your tenants to cut down on the amount of trash they generate. Based on research by Graham, Koo, and Wilson (2011), what would be the best way to accomplish this?
A) Tell the tenants how much money they are saving in waste disposal fees when they generate less waste.
B) Tell the tenants how much better it is for the environment to generate less waste.
C) Tell the tenants how much better it is for the environment and how much money it saves them when they generate less waste.
D) Tell them that there will be a new fee if they don't cut their waste by 15%.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that using combined messages that highlight both the environmental benefits and cost savings of waste reduction is more effective than only emphasizing one of these factors. Therefore, telling tenants how much better it is for the environment and how much money it saves them when they generate less waste (option C) is the best choice. Option A only emphasizes cost savings, while option B only emphasizes environmental benefits. Option D is likely to be perceived negatively and could lead to tenant dissatisfaction.

Question 9

A social dilemma is defined as a conflict in which the __________.
A) easiest action helps save resources.
B) most difficult actions are for the collective good
C) competitive nature of humans results in lower resource use.
D) easiest action for an individual will have harmful effects if chosen by most

Accepted Answer

The definition of a social dilemma includes the idea that choosing the easiest action for an individual can have harmful effects if chosen by most people. Thus, the best choice is D.

Question 10

Gonzales, Aronson, and Costanzo (1988) trained home energy auditors to describe uninsulated attics as "naked," and to point out that small cracks lose as much heat as a hole the size of a football in the living room wall. Compared to homeowners exposed to the typical appeal, those exposed to the new appeals were more likely to follow the auditors' recommendations because the new appeals __________.
A) made the problem of energy loss more vivid and noticeable to homeowners
B) showed homeowners how to change their energy use habits
C) addressed the self-interest of the homeowners
D) elicited a public commitment from homeowners to conserve energy

Accepted Answer

The new appeals made the problem of energy loss more vivid and noticeable to homeowners by using descriptive language such as "naked" and comparing small cracks to a large hole in the living room wall. This made the issue more salient and tangible to the homeowners, increasing their likelihood of following the auditors' recommendations.

Question 11

You want to get your roommates' friends to quit throwing their empty cans and cigarette butts onto the ground outside your apartment. Based on what Cialdini and his colleagues (1990) found in their research, you should invoke __________ norms because they are more effective than __________ norms in reducing litter.
A) descriptive; injunctive
B) salient; subtle
C) injunctive; descriptive
D) subtle; salient

Accepted Answer

Cialdini and his colleagues found that invoking descriptive norms (what most people actually do) is more effective in reducing litter than injunctive norms (what people should do). The use of descriptive norms is also known as the "social proof" principle, where people are more likely to conform to behavior they perceive as normal among their peers.

Question 12

Graham, Koo, and Wilson (2011) asked students to track the number of miles they avoided driving on a Web site. Those who were keeping track drove __________.
A) more than those in a control group
B) less only if they were also told how much money they had saved on gas
C) less only if they were told about the savings in air pollution
D) less, especially when given feedback about financial savings and reduction in air pollution

Accepted Answer

According to the study by Graham, Koo, and Wilson (2011), students who were keeping track of the number of miles they avoided driving on a website drove less, especially when given feedback about financial savings and reduction in air pollution. Therefore, option D is the correct answer.

Question 13

Recall that when researchers provided workers in a unit of a factory in the Netherlands with feedback on energy consumption in other units, energy-saving behaviors drastically increased. These results point to __________ as a useful process in encouraging energy-saving behaviors.
A) cognitive dissonance
B) self-perception
C) social comparison
D) a commons dilemma

Accepted Answer

Social comparison involves comparing oneself to others in order to evaluate one's own abilities or opinions. In the case of the factory workers, providing feedback on energy consumption in other units allowed them to compare their own energy usage to those in other units, which likely motivated them to engage in more energy-saving behaviors.

Question 14

Recall that Guagnano, Stern, & Dietz, 1995 conducted a field experiment in Fairfax County, Virginia, where recycling efforts were instituted. These researchers found that positive attitudes best predicted recycling when residents __________.
A) had to find their own containers for recycling
B) had first agreed to recycle newspapers
C) were provided with free recycling containers.
D) were provided with financial incentives for recycling

Accepted Answer

The answer of Recall that Guagnano, Stern, & Dietz, 1995...

Question 15

Professor Martinez always throws paper and soft drink cans into the garbage. Based on research related to water conservation , how might he be encouraged to recycle?
A) give him information about what can and cannot be recycled
B) have him lecture to his students about recycling, and then make him aware of his own behavior
C) point out that it is in his own self-interest to recycle
D) put signs on recycling bins to make them stand out

Accepted Answer

Having Professor Martinez lecture to his students about recycling and then making him aware of his own behavior can create a cognitive dissonance that encourages him to align his actions with his teachings, thus promoting recycling behavior.

Question 16

Under which of the following circumstances would descriptive norms work the best to reduce littering?
A) A sign points to the nearest trash can.
B) Most people in the area are picking up their trash.
C) Everyone is cooperating to clean up after a party.
D) A billboard with a celebrity on it reminds people not to litter.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Under which of the following circumstances would...

Question 17

Researchers introduced an intervention to reduce energy consumption in a factory in the Netherlands. Which of the following aspects of their intervention had the greatest (positive) impact on energy use?
A) placing announcements in company magazines
B) providing weekly feedback on a unit's consumption
C) offering cash incentives for energy-saving measures
D) providing comparative feedback on other units' consumption

Accepted Answer

Providing comparative feedback on other units' consumption had the greatest positive impact on energy use. This method created a sense of competition among the units, which motivated them to reduce their energy consumption. The other methods (announcements in company magazines, weekly feedback, and cash incentives) were also used in the intervention but did not have as significant of an impact as providing comparative feedback.

Question 18

Descriptive norms work the best to reduce litter when __________.
A) everyone cooperates
B) everyone is able to pick up after themselves
C) everyone has strong pro-environment attitudes
D) everyone is motivated to pick up after themselves

Accepted Answer

Descriptive norms work based on the perception of what others around us are doing. If everyone is seen cooperating by not littering, then it creates a social pressure on individuals to follow the same behavior. Therefore, when everyone cooperates, descriptive norms are most effective in reducing litter.

Question 19

In an effort to encourage students to reduce the amount of water being used at the university gym, administrators put up a sign asking students to take shorter showers. However, water consumption did not decrease sufficiently, and some students even retaliated by taking long showers. Why did the sign fail to reduce water usage?
A) Students did not see the sign.
B) Students did not read the sign.
C) The sign did not involve psychological processes that successfully change behavior.
D) The sign did not create the feeling of a social dilemma.

Accepted Answer

The sign merely provided a rational reason for the behavior change, but failed to address the underlying psychological factors that are necessary for behavior change to occur. Students need to feel a personal motivation or social pressure that makes them want to change their behavior. Simply telling them to conserve water is unlikely to create this motivation.

Question 20

One way to encourage more people to recycle would be to institute curbside recycling. This includes providing free containers for sorting glass, paper, and aluminum, and increasing the number of recycling bins throughout a community. These strategies are likely to work, given Kurt Lewin's (1947) early assertion that __________.
A) subjective perceptions are more important than objective reality
B) big social changes can occur with the removal of small barriers.
C) attitudes are powerful predictors of simple behaviors (like recycling).
D) human beings dislike cognitive inconsistency

Accepted Answer

Kurt Lewin's early assertion that "big social changes can occur with the removal of small barriers" aligns with the idea that providing curbside recycling and free containers for sorting materials would make recycling more convenient and accessible, thus encouraging more people to recycle.

Quiz 14: Using Social Psychology to Achieve a Sustainable and Happy Future

Based on what the text reports, one way to reduce drivers' use of gasoline by monitoring may be to __________.

Recycling, although good for all of us, can be an inconvenient and effortful activity for individuals. In this sense, recycling represents a kind of __________.

Aronson and his students (Dickerson et al., 1992) used __________ to convince university students to turn off water while soaping up in a shower room.

Mr. Bernes owns several factories and is concerned with his employees wasting energy. Based on evidence presented in your text about competition and energy consumption, what should Mr. Bernes do?

Research by Van Vugt and Samuelson (1999) , in which water meters were installed in houses in one community, suggests that one way to resolve social dilemmas is to __________.

Imagine you're a property manager and you'd like to get your tenants to cut down on the amount of trash they generate. Based on research by Graham, Koo, and Wilson (2011) , what would be the best way to accomplish this?

A social dilemma is defined as a conflict in which the __________.

You want to get your roommates' friends to quit throwing their empty cans and cigarette butts onto the ground outside your apartment. Based on what Cialdini and his colleagues (1990) found in their research, you should invoke norms because they are more effective than norms in reducing litter.

Graham, Koo, and Wilson (2011) asked students to track the number of miles they avoided driving on a Web site. Those who were keeping track drove __________.

Recall that when researchers provided workers in a unit of a factory in the Netherlands with feedback on energy consumption in other units, energy-saving behaviors drastically increased. These results point to __________ as a useful process in encouraging energy-saving behaviors.

Recall that Guagnano, Stern, & Dietz, 1995 conducted a field experiment in Fairfax County, Virginia, where recycling efforts were instituted. These researchers found that positive attitudes best predicted recycling when residents __________.

Professor Martinez always throws paper and soft drink cans into the garbage. Based on research related to water conservation , how might he be encouraged to recycle?

Under which of the following circumstances would descriptive norms work the best to reduce littering?

Researchers introduced an intervention to reduce energy consumption in a factory in the Netherlands. Which of the following aspects of their intervention had the greatest (positive) impact on energy use?

Descriptive norms work the best to reduce litter when __________.