Question 1

Although stereotyping people can ____ our social judgments,these cognitive shortcuts also can ____ our thinking.

Accepted Answer

Stereotyping can speed up our social judgments by providing quick, albeit often inaccurate, assessments of people. However, this reliance on stereotypes can inhibit our thinking by preventing us from seeing individuals as they truly are, limiting our understanding and appreciation of their unique qualities.

Question 2

The physical attractiveness stereotype occurs in ____ cultures.

Accepted Answer

The physical attractiveness stereotype, which is the tendency to attribute positive qualities to physically attractive people, occurs in both collectivist and individualist cultures. This suggests that the stereotype is a universal phenomenon, not limited by cultural differences in social organization or values.

Question 3

Mark is walking down a dark,deserted city street at night when he suddenly notices a person walking toward him,three blocks ahead.At a distance of one block,he can tell that this person is a man.In less than a minute,their paths will cross.Mark is trying to gather information about the other person for his health and safety.What is the term used to describe this process?

Accepted Answer

Impression formation is the process by which an individual gathers information about another person and forms a mental image of that person. In this scenario, Mark is trying to gather information about the man approaching him to assess any potential threat, which is a part of forming an impression of the man based on available cues.

Question 4

____ are "shortcuts to thinking" that provide us with information about individuals we do not personally know.

Accepted Answer

Stereotypes are overgeneralized beliefs about a particular category of people. They act as "shortcuts to thinking" by allowing individuals to quickly infer information about others based on their membership in certain groups, without knowing them personally.

Question 5

David perceives Joann as being very bright,outgoing,and happy.He's been wanting to ask her out because he appreciates these qualities.However,he would also like to ask Marcia out,but she is not as pretty as Joann.David believes Joann leads a more fulfilling,interesting life than Marcia.This hypothetical example illustrates the influence of ____.

Accepted Answer

David's perception of Joann and Marcia, influenced by their physical attractiveness, exemplifies the physical attractiveness stereotype, which suggests that people often assume more attractive individuals have more desirable personal qualities.

Question 6

The way we seek to know and understand other people and events is known as ____.

Accepted Answer

Social perception is the process by which people come to understand and categorize the behaviors of others, which fits the description given.

Question 7

Veronica is a high school freshman living in Wisconsin.A new student joins her class,and Veronica learns that she is from California."Ah...A California girl!" exclaims Veronica."She must be a vegetarian who likes to surf and has liberal political beliefs!" What term explains Veronica's statements?

Accepted Answer

Veronica's statements are an example of stereotyping, as she is making generalized assumptions about the new student based on her being from California, without any specific information about the individual.

Question 8

What is the term used to indicate a fixed way of thinking about people that puts them into categories and does not allow for individual variation?

Accepted Answer

Stereotyping refers to the oversimplified and generalized beliefs about a group of people that ignore individual differences within the group.

Question 9

What are the two beauty standards identified by researchers that are related to reproductive fitness?

Accepted Answer

Weight and facial features are often associated with health and fertility, which are key components of reproductive fitness.

Question 10

What are the two areas of social perception?

Accepted Answer

Social perception primarily involves impression formation, where we gather information and form impressions about others, and attribution, where we infer the causes behind others' behavior.

Question 11

Regarding weight,cross-cultural studies indicate that men worldwide are generally attracted to women who ____.

Accepted Answer

Cross-cultural studies have consistently shown that men across different cultures tend to be attracted to women with a lower waist-to-hip ratio. This preference is often interpreted as a signal of fertility and health.

Question 12

Ellen is seeing Max for the first time.She evaluates him on the basis of his race,age,and attractiveness.What kind of categorization is Ellen actually engaging in?

Accepted Answer

Ellen is engaging in social categorization, which involves classifying people into groups based on social characteristics such as race, age, and attractiveness. This process helps individuals quickly make sense of social information and guide their interactions with others.

Question 13

People tend to believe that physically attractive individuals possess socially desirable personality traits.This belief is called the ____.

Accepted Answer

This belief is known as the physical attractiveness stereotype, which suggests that people often assume attractive individuals have more desirable social traits.

Question 14

Because we so often categorize people based on superficial physical features,our labeling has become ____,often occurring without conscious thought or effort.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is "automatic" because the sentence describes the process of categorizing people based on physical features as something that happens without conscious thought or effort, which aligns with the definition of "automatic."

Question 15

What does the discipline of social psychology attempt to do?

Accepted Answer

Social psychology focuses on understanding how an individual's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. This includes studying the impact of social interactions, social perceptions, social influence, and social relationships on human behavior.

Question 16

Human beings are ____ because we identify objects-including other people-according to features that distinguish them from other objects.

Accepted Answer

Human beings categorize objects, including other people, based on distinguishing features, which is why they are referred to as categorizing creatures.

Question 17

In ____ categorization,physical features such as race,sex,age,and attractiveness are the most common ways to classify people,especially during first encounters.

Accepted Answer

Social categorization often involves classifying people based on visible physical features, especially during initial meetings. This process helps individuals quickly make sense of social environments by grouping people into categories.

Question 18

What is the process of integrating various sources of information about a person into an overall judgment known as?

Accepted Answer

Impression formation is the process of integrating various sources of information about a person into an overall judgment.

Question 19

An experiment was conducted by Galen Bodenhausen where he asked mostly White college students to act as mock jurors in a court case.Some students were told that the defendant was named Carlos Ramirez,and others were told that his name was Robert Johnson.The imaginary Carlos Ramirez (with a the Hispanic-sounding name)was found guilty more often than the imaginary Robert Johnson only when students learned the name before receiving the evidence.What did Bodenhausen conclude from this experiment?

Accepted Answer

Bodenhausen concluded that the Hispanic-sounding name activated students' stereotypes, which then biased their processing of the information presented in the case.

Question 20

Which of the following is the scientific study of how people's thoughts,feelings,and behavior are influenced by others?

Accepted Answer

Social psychology specifically focuses on how individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others.

Quiz 13: Social Behavior

Although stereotyping people can our social judgments,these cognitive shortcuts also can our thinking.