Question 1

Attitudes typically have a greater influence on behaviour when we are aware of them and when they are strongly held.

Accepted Answer

When attitudes are conscious and strongly held, they are more likely to guide our behaviour because we are aware of them and they have a greater impact on our thoughts and decisions. However, if our attitudes are unconscious or weakly held, they may not have as much influence on our behaviour.

Question 2

One of the following findings is FALSE regarding the response of White males presented with light-toned and dark-toned versions of Black faces and dark-toned and light-toned White faces. Their amygdala became:

Accepted Answer

The amygdala typically shows more activity in response to Black faces compared to White faces, regardless of tone, due to implicit racial biases. It does not become more active for both dark-toned and light-toned White faces.

Question 3

If an individual sees a member of an out-group as threatening, it is expected that the ________ will show more activation.

Accepted Answer

The amygdala is involved in processing emotions such as fear and threat detection, so it is expected to show more activation when an individual perceives a member of an out-group as threatening.

Question 4

Cognitive dissonance theory best explains the relationship between attitudes and behaviour when counterattitudinal behaviours do not threaten one's self-worth or when the attitudes that are initially held are weak or unclear.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory is most relevant and powerful in explaining the relationship between attitudes and behavior when counterattitudinal behaviors do threaten one's self-worth or when the attitudes that are initially held are strong and clear, leading to a psychological discomfort that motivates individuals to change either their attitudes or behaviors to reduce dissonance.

Question 5

If a task is complex but still well learned, the mere presence of others typically serves to enhance performance.

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as social facilitation, where the presence of others enhances an individual's performance on a well-learned task. However, if the task is complex and not well learned, the presence of others can actually harm performance, known as social inhibition.

Question 6

Having a victim who is located remotely (i.e., farther away) is one of the factors that decreases obedience.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Having a victim who is located remotely...

Question 7

The fundamental attribution error occurs when people's incorrect attributions cause others to actually behave in ways that confirm these attributions.

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency to overemphasize dispositional (internal) explanations for other people's behavior and underestimate situational (external) factors. It does not necessarily cause others to behave in ways that confirm these attributions.

Question 8

When a group of like-minded people gathers and discusses an issue, the group's opinion, attitude, or decision may become more extreme through the processes of normative social influence and informational social influence.

Accepted Answer

Normative social influence refers to the pressure to conform to the group's social norms and values in order to be accepted and avoid rejection, while informational social influence refers to the influence of the group's opinions and knowledge on an individual's own beliefs and attitudes. Both of these processes can lead to a more extreme version of the group's opinion or decision.

Question 9

The central route to persuasion is likely to be most effective with people who have a high need for cognition.

Accepted Answer

The central route to persuasion relies on cognitive processing and systematic evaluation of arguments, which requires higher levels of cognitive resources, including attention, motivation, and cognitive ability. Therefore, people with a high need for cognition are more likely to respond to the central route more effectively than those who have a low need for cognition.

Question 10

The primacy effect refers to people's tendency to attach more importance to the initial information that they learn about someone.

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect is a well-established psychological phenomenon. It can affect how we perceive and remember someone based on the initial information we learn about them, even if later information contradicts those initial impressions.

Question 11

Which of the following statements regarding the results of the Irwin and Gross study examining the impact of video games on child aggression is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

The study found that children who played violent video games displayed more aggression than those who played nonviolent games, and this increase in aggression was not attributed to the excitement level of the games.

Question 12

The influence of the minority is more powerful if they maintain a highly consistent position over time.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that consistency in the minority's position strengthens their influence and makes it more powerful. This is known as the "rigidity effect." When a minority group maintains a consistent position over time, it gives the impression that their opinion is deeply held and based on strong convictions, which in turn can sway the opinions of the majority.

Question 13

If Kelly takes the advice of another person because that person is perceived as having accurate knowledge, Kelly is being impacted by normative social influence.

Accepted Answer

Kelly is being impacted by informational social influence, which occurs when someone takes the advice of another person because they believe the person has accurate knowledge or information. Normative social influence, on the other hand, involves conforming to the expectations of others to be liked or accepted.

Question 14

Social loafing occurs when people exert less individual effort when working on a group task than when working by themselves.

Accepted Answer

Social loafing is a well-documented phenomenon in which individuals may exert less effort when working on a group task compared to working alone, due to reduced feelings of personal responsibility or motivation.

Question 15

Results from the Irwin and Gross study examining the impact of two different video games on aggressive behaviour obtained all of the following results for boys who played the violent video games EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Results from the Irwin and Gross study...

Question 16

When consensus is high, and consistency and distinctiveness are low, people tend to make situational attributions.

Accepted Answer

When consensus is high, and consistency and distinctiveness are low, people tend to make dispositional attributions, not situational. This is because the behavior is seen as unique to the person rather than being influenced by the situation.

Question 17

Wood and colleagues found that minority influence is strongest when it remains independent of majority pressure.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Wood and colleagues found that minority influence...

Question 18

Self-perception theory asserts that counterattitudinal behaviour often serves to change attitudes because of the uncomfortable state of emotional tension evoked by these behaviours.

Accepted Answer

Self-perception theory suggests that individuals infer their attitudes from their behavior when their attitudes are initially unclear, rather than experiencing emotional tension or discomfort (as suggested by cognitive dissonance theory).

Question 19

Which of the following was mentioned as one of the ways that media violence can increase the likelihood of aggressive behaviour?

Accepted Answer

Media violence can lead to aggressive behavior by teaching viewers new aggressive behaviors through modeling, where they imitate what they see.

Question 20

Which of the following statements regarding the impact of media violence is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

Research has consistently shown that exposure to media violence can lead to increased aggression in viewers, supporting the social learning theory, which suggests that people can learn aggressive behaviors through observation.

Quiz 13: Behaviour in a Social Context