Question 1

Melissa is doing a project for her lab class in a group with three other people. Melissa knows that two of the other girls are straight A students and that they will do an excellent job on the project. Melissa also knows that the teacher will not know who has done what work on the project so she does not put much work into it. Melissa is falling sway to:

Accepted Answer

Social loafing occurs when individuals put in less effort when working in a group compared to when they work alone, often because they believe others will pick up the slack.

Question 2

The notion of how the average opinion of groups of like-minded individuals tends to become more extreme when they discuss an issue is the principle of _.

Accepted Answer

Group polarization is the phenomenon where the average opinion of a group of like-minded individuals becomes more extreme after discussing an issue.

Question 3

The phenomenon of social facilitation refers to how people perform better on individual tasks when they perform in front of an audience or have co-actors. However, when people involved in a group task exert less effort than they would if they were performing individually, then has occurred.

Accepted Answer

Social loafing occurs when individuals exert less effort on a task when they are part of a group compared to when they work alone.

Question 4

During jury duty, Brian realizes that he does not know very much about the background of the case. He really could not care less whether the defendant is found guilty or not and often during deliberations, other jurors voice the very thoughts he himself has. When the time comes to reach a verdict, Brian does not put as much effort and thoughtfulness into his vote as he should because he really doesn't think it makes that big of a difference. Brian's behaviour reflects the principle of:

Accepted Answer

Brian's behavior reflects social loafing, where individuals exert less effort when working in a group compared to when working alone, often due to a perceived diffusion of responsibility.

Question 5

Under which of the following conditions would you expect the least likelihood of social loafing?

Accepted Answer

Social loafing is less likely to occur when individual performance is being monitored because individuals feel accountable and are more motivated to contribute to the group's efforts.

Question 6

The average attitude of generally like-minded people in a group becomes even more liberal over time in large part because several members of a group want to avoid the disapproval of other key group members. This tendency for attitudes to become more extreme is called group polarization, and in this case, it appears to have been produced by _.

Accepted Answer

Normative social influence occurs when individuals conform to the expectations of a group to gain social approval or avoid disapproval, leading to more extreme attitudes in group polarization.

Question 7

Research indicates that the primary aspect of deindividuation that disinhibits behaviour is:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Research indicates that the primary aspect of...

Question 8

A meta-analysis of 60 different studies examining the possible causal mechanisms of deindividuation revealed that the primary factor that disinhibited behaviour was ________.

Accepted Answer

Anonymity to outsiders is often cited as a primary factor in deindividuation, as it reduces personal accountability and increases the likelihood of disinhibited behavior.

Question 9

The fact that guards in the Stanford Prison Study did not use their actual names, did not know that they were being observed, and wore reflective sunglasses that prevented direct eye contact all suggest that a key role in producing the results obtained in this experiment was _.

Accepted Answer

The use of anonymity, lack of direct observation, and reflective sunglasses suggests deindividuation, where individuals lose their sense of self-awareness and personal responsibility, leading to behavior that is uncharacteristic of their usual selves.

Question 10

A friend of yours asks for your help in studying for next Wednesday's biology exam. After helping your friend study, your friend then asks for a copy of your essay answers to the history take-home exam. The persuasion tactic that your friend attempted to employ is best representative of:

Accepted Answer

The answer of A friend of yours asks for your...

Question 11

Theodore answers his door one day to find a young man asking for donations for a local animal shelter. The man asks Theodore if he can put him down for a $10 donation. Theodore is happy to donate $10 to such a worthy cause and gives him the $10. The next day, Theodore receives a "thank you" call from the animal shelter and a request that he donate 10 hours a week of his time volunteering at the shelter. The animal shelter has used which of the following persuasion techniques on Theodore?

Accepted Answer

The foot-in-the-door technique involves getting a person to agree to a small request first, which increases the likelihood they will agree to a larger request later. Theodore first agreed to a small donation, then was asked for a larger commitment of time.

Question 12

The belief that one's individual performance within a group is not being monitored and having a task goal that is not very meaningful or valuable to a person are two factors that are most likely to increase the chance of:

Accepted Answer

Social loafing occurs when individuals exert less effort in a group task because they feel their individual performance is not being monitored and the task lacks personal significance.

Question 13

The principle of group polarization refers to how:

Accepted Answer

Group polarization refers to the tendency for a group to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclination of its members, often resulting in a shift towards a more extreme position after group discussion.

Question 14

The phenomenon in which people lose their sense of personal identity and self-awareness as a result of the anonymity provided by being in a large group of people is called:

Accepted Answer

Deindividuation is the term used to describe the loss of self-awareness and personal identity in group settings, often leading to behavior that is uncharacteristic of the individual.

Question 15

Josephine is sitting on a jury whose task is to decide whether or not to give the defendant a life sentence in prison. Most of the members of the jury feel the defendant can be rehabilitated and feel a twenty-year sentence would be appropriate. However, after listening to some of the members express their opinions about how detrimental prison life can be, the jury finally recommends a sentence of only ten years. In this case, which psychological principle may have shaped the opinion?

Accepted Answer

Group polarization refers to the tendency for a group to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclination of its members. In this case, the jury's decision shifted towards a more lenient sentence after group discussion.

Question 16

A group of public officials is meeting to decide what to do about a budget shortage. The principle of group polarization would predict that this group of people would be most likely to reach a highly conservative decision if:

Accepted Answer

When group members are generally conservative to begin with, group polarization predicts that their collective decision will become even more conservative.

Question 17

A person on campus walks up to you and asks if you would be willing to wear a ribbon to show support for her cause. Though the ribbon is a bit unattractive, it is small so you agree to wear it. After agreeing to this request, the solicitor then asks you if you would be willing to make a donation of $15. This example best demonstrates the persuasion technique called:

Accepted Answer

The foot-in-the-door technique involves getting a person to agree to a small request first, which increases the likelihood they will agree to a larger request later. In this scenario, agreeing to wear the ribbon is the small request, followed by the larger request of making a donation.

Question 18

Which of the following were both mentioned as possible causes for group polarization?

Accepted Answer

Normative social influence and informational social influence are both psychological concepts that can contribute to group polarization, where group members' opinions become more extreme after group discussions. Normative influence involves conforming to be liked or accepted, while informational influence involves conforming because the group is perceived to have accurate information.

Question 19

A researcher contacts you and asks if you would be willing to complete a brief survey for him as part of a study. After you agree to participate, the researcher then informs you that you will need to come into the lab at 10:30 p.m. on Friday night to complete the survey. This example best illustrates the persuasion technique called:

Accepted Answer

Lowballing involves getting someone to agree to a request and then revealing additional, less favorable conditions. Here, the researcher first gets agreement to participate and then reveals the inconvenient timing.

Question 20

The tendency for people to work less hard when they are working in a group than when they are working alone is known as:

Accepted Answer

Social loafing is the phenomenon where individuals exert less effort when working in a group compared to when they work alone.

Quiz 13: Behaviour in a Social Context