Question 1

Which of the following is a consequence of underestimating the power of social influence?

Accepted Answer

Underestimating the power of social influence can lead to oversimplifying complex situations because we might not fully appreciate the various social factors and pressures that influence behavior, leading to a simplistic understanding of people's actions.

Question 2

Sheila shows up for a blind date with her hair disheveled and her clothes a mess. Her date, Jamal, thinks, "She must be a total slob!" Jamal's thought about Sheila is an example of __________.

Accepted Answer

Jamal's assumption about Sheila's sloppiness based solely on her appearance is an example of the fundamental attribution error, which is the tendency to overemphasize dispositional factors (such as personality or character) and underestimate situational factors when explaining someone's behavior.

Question 3

Which of the following people have fallen prey to the fundamental attribution error?

Accepted Answer

Tim is exhibiting the fundamental attribution error by attributing the person's fall to their clumsiness, rather than considering external factors that may have caused the fall.

Question 4

Which of the following is the best definition of the fundamental attribution error?

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency to underestimate the impact of situational factors on people's behavior and overemphasize dispositional or personality factors as the cause of that behavior. Option A refers to self-serving bias, Option B refers to subjective perception, and Option C refers to social influence.

Question 5

Which of the following relatively "famous" psychologists is a behaviorist?

Accepted Answer

B.F. Skinner is one of the most well-known behaviorists in psychology. He is known for his theory of operant conditioning, which involves manipulating the consequences of a behavior to influence its occurrence in the future. The other options listed are not behaviorists. Wolfgang Kohler is associated with gestalt psychology, Lee Ross is associated with social psychology, and Kurt Lewin is associated with the field of group dynamics.

Question 6

When we commit the fundamental attribution error, we __________ the power of __________.

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error involves overestimating the influence of personal characteristics and underestimating the influence of situational factors when evaluating the behavior of others.

Question 7

The tendency most people have to discount situational explanations of behavior in favor of personality characteristics or traits is called the __________.

Accepted Answer

The tendency described in the question is known as the fundamental attribution error. This refers to the common tendency for individuals to overemphasize the role of personality, character, or internal factors when explaining the behavior of others, while underemphasizing the role of situational factors.

Question 8

What is a limitation of applying evolutionary theory to social psychology?

Accepted Answer

One limitation of applying evolutionary theory to social psychology is that there are debates about whether or not it is actually testable in the experimental method. While some research has attempted to test evolutionary hypotheses in social behavior, there are concerns about the ability to manipulate and control for all the relevant variables in experimental settings.

Question 9

Ross and colleagues (2004) found that people playing the Wall Street Game were __________ competitive than people playing the Community Game, __________ of individual differences in competitiveness and cooperativeness.

Accepted Answer

The sentence suggests that regardless of individual differences in competitiveness and cooperativeness, people playing the Wall Street Game were more competitive than people playing the Community Game. This means that the difference in competitiveness was consistent across all participants, regardless of their individual characteristics. Therefore, the best choice is option B, "more; regardless."

Question 10

Dr. Hazan believes that, over time, men have developed an attraction to women with a body type that will successfully support pregnancy or reproduction. Dr. Hazan is most likely taking a(n) __________ perspective on social psychology.

Accepted Answer

Dr. Hazan's perspective on the evolution of attraction towards women's body type suggests that he is taking an evolutionary perspective in social psychology, which emphasizes the role of natural selection and biological factors in shaping human behavior and social interactions.

Question 11

When Monique plays checkers with her younger sister, she lets her sister win. When she plays with her older brother, she does everything she can to beat him. A social psychologist would suggest that __________.

Accepted Answer

Monique's behavior is not simply a reflection of her personality or blind obedience. Instead, she is likely adapting to different social situations and adjusting her behavior accordingly. With her younger sister, she may prioritize the relationship over winning the game, while with her older brother, she may value competition and assertiveness. Social psychologists study how individuals behave in different social contexts and how social situations shape behavior.

Question 12

What is the best way to apply evolutionary theory to social psychology today?

Accepted Answer

Creating novel hypotheses that can be tested experimentally is the best way to apply evolutionary theory to social psychology today because it allows us to test and refine our understanding of how evolutionary processes have shaped human behavior in social contexts. This approach encourages the development of empirical evidence that can support or refute evolutionary theories in social psychology.

Question 13

Jake had a hypothesis about the outcome of the Ross and colleagues (2004) study about the Wall Street Game and the Community Game. Jake hypothesized that the players would respond based on their personalities, not just the name of the game they played. His hypothesis is most likely based on which tendency?

Accepted Answer

Jake's hypothesis is based on the fundamental attribution error, which is the tendency to attribute people's behavior to their personality traits rather than situational factors, such as the name of the game.

Question 14

Behaviorists believe that all learning is a result of __________.

Accepted Answer

Behaviorism is a school of psychology that emphasizes the role of environmental factors in shaping behavior, and it considers all learning as a result of reinforcement and punishment. In other words, behaviorists believe that behavior is a response to stimuli and that behaviors can be shaped through reinforcement or punishment.

Question 15

When Professor McDonald starts class, a student rushes in late, making a lot of noise and disrupting the entire classroom. Professor McDonald immediately labels the student as irresponsible. This is an example of __________.

Accepted Answer

Professor McDonald is making a fundamental attribution error by assuming that the student's tardiness is due to their character rather than considering external factors such as traffic or an emergency.

Question 16

Liberman, Samuels, and Ross (2004) randomly assigned participants previously identified as cooperative or competitive to play a game that was labeled either the Wall Street Game or the Community Game. If their results had indicated that, no matter what the game, participants who were identified as competitive behaved more competitively in both groups than did participants who were identified as cooperative, these findings would have suggested that __________.

Accepted Answer

The findings would have suggested that cooperation and competition are based on personality characteristics that are consistent across social situations, as the behavior of the participants remained consistent with their identified personality trait (competitive or cooperative) regardless of the game's label.

Question 17

Ross and colleagues (2004) randomly assigned participants previously identified as either competitive or cooperative to one of two games: the Wall Street Game or the Community Game. They found that two-thirds of the players in the Wall Street Game behaved competitively, compared with one-third of the people who played the Community Game. What do these findings suggest?

Accepted Answer

The findings suggest that seemingly minor aspects of a social situation, such as the type of game being played, can override personality differences in determining behavior.

Question 18

Nanami and April were playing in the den when April's mother entered the room and scolded them for making a mess. Nanami decided then and there that April's mother was a grouch. Nanami's inference is an example of __________.

Accepted Answer

Nanami's inference of April's mother being a grouch based on one instance of scolding is an example of the fundamental attribution error, where a person makes a snap judgment of someone's behavior without taking into account situational factors.

Question 19

In the Wall Street Game and Community Game research, the personality traits of the student participants __________.

Accepted Answer

The research found that the name of the game (Wall Street Game vs. Community Game) had a significant impact on how participants played, rather than their personality traits.

Question 20

In discussing the issue of parental discipline, which of the following professionals would be LEAST likely to remind parents that it is important to consider how the child views being punished?

Accepted Answer

Behaviorists focus on observable behaviors and the ways in which they're learned, rather than on internal states or perceptions, making them less likely to emphasize the child's viewpoint on punishment compared to professionals who delve into mental states, societal norms, ethics, or report on human interest stories.

Quiz 1: Introducing Social Psychology