Question 1

The tendency of people to work less hard when part of a group than when they are solely responsible for their work is known as

Accepted Answer

Social loafing is the phenomenon where individuals exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone.

Question 2

Although coercion is the strongest form of social influence, which of the following would be the strongest of the remaining four listed?

Accepted Answer

Obedience is considered the strongest form of social influence after coercion because it involves following direct orders or commands from an authority figure, whereas the other options involve less direct forms of social influence.

Question 3

According to Norman Triplett's experiment, if you are riding a bicycle and another rider pulls up beside you, you will be more likely to speed up due to

Accepted Answer

Norman Triplett's experiment is often cited as one of the earliest studies of social psychology, specifically focusing on the phenomenon of social facilitation. It found that individuals perform tasks better or faster in the presence of others than when alone, which in the context of the question, means a cyclist is likely to speed up when another rider pulls up beside them.

Question 4

If you were sitting alone in your dorm room, picking your nose, and a stranger entered the room, you would probably stop picking your nose due to which form of social influence?

Accepted Answer

The mere presence of another person can influence one's behavior, even without any direct interaction or communication, leading to a change in behavior such as stopping an action that might be considered socially unacceptable.

Question 5

The tendency for people to change their behavior just because other people are nearby is known as

Accepted Answer

The mere presence effect refers to the phenomenon where individuals alter their behavior simply because other people are present, even if those people are not interacting with or exerting any direct pressure on the individual.

Question 6

In 1898, the first published social psychology experiment was on the topic of

Accepted Answer

The first published social psychology experiment, conducted by Norman Triplett in 1898, was on the topic of social facilitation. This study investigated how the presence of others affects performance, finding that cyclists rode faster when racing against others than when racing alone.

Question 7

In a classic study that involved college students shooting pool at a student union, it was found that when being watched by others, good players who were confident in their pool playing improved their accuracy, while the less confident players decreased their accuracy. This experiment illustrates the principle known as

Accepted Answer

This experiment illustrates the principle of social facilitation, which suggests that the presence of others can enhance the performance of well-practiced tasks or skills in individuals who are confident, while it can impair the performance of less confident individuals or those performing less familiar tasks.

Question 8

The tendency to perform better when in the presence of others is known as

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation is the phenomenon where individuals perform better on tasks when they are in the presence of others. This effect is particularly noted when the task is simple or well-rehearsed.

Question 9

The process of changing your behavior in direct response to the demands of an authority is known as

Accepted Answer

Obedience involves changing one's behavior in response to a direct order or command from an authority figure, differentiating it from compliance (responding to a request) and conformity (adjusting behavior to match the group).

Question 10

In a classic study on social facilitation that involved college students shooting pool at a student union, it was found that when being watched by others, the less confident, average pool players

Accepted Answer

The classic study on social facilitation found that less confident, average pool players decreased their accuracy when being watched by others. This is because the presence of others increases arousal, which tends to enhance the performance on simple tasks but can impair performance on complex or less familiar tasks. For less confident, average players, playing pool under observation likely increased their nervousness or self-consciousness, impairing their performance.

Question 11

The process of spontaneously changing your behavior to match that of others in a group is called

Accepted Answer

Conformity refers to the process of adjusting one's behavior or thinking to match those of other people or a group standard.

Question 12

According to Norman Triplett's experiment on social facilitation, if you are riding a bicycle and another rider pulls up beside you, you will be more likely to

Accepted Answer

Norman Triplett's experiment on social facilitation found that the presence of another person performing the same task can increase an individual's performance, suggesting that a person is likely to speed up when another rider pulls up beside them.

Question 13

The strongest of the five forms of social influence is

Accepted Answer

Coercion is the strongest form of social influence as it involves force or threats to make someone comply, leaving little room for personal choice.

Question 14

The process of changing your behavior in response to another person who has little or no social power or authority is known as

Accepted Answer

Compliance refers to changing one's behavior in response to a request from another person who has little or no authority.

Question 15

You are practicing your guitar alone in your dorm room when your roommate and another student from down the hall walk in and motion for you to keep going. If you are confident in your musical skill, you are more likely to perform better with these two people present, according to the principle of

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation is the principle that explains how an individual's performance can improve when they are in the presence of others, especially if the individual is confident in their abilities. This is because the presence of others can increase arousal, which enhances the execution of well-learned or simple tasks.

Question 16

In a study in which people played tug-of-war while blindfolded, it was found that people tended to pull harder if they thought they were competing alone and pulled less hard when they thought others were on their team. This study illustrates

Accepted Answer

This study illustrates "social loafing," a phenomenon where individuals exert less effort to achieve a goal when they work in a group than when they work alone. The finding that people pulled harder when they believed they were competing alone versus when they thought others were on their team directly demonstrates this concept.

Question 17

If you change your behavior because you are forced to by another person, you are experiencing the strongest form of social influence, which is called

Accepted Answer

Coercion is the act of compelling or forcing someone to act in a certain way by use of pressure, threats, or intimidation, making it the strongest form of social influence among the options provided.

Question 18

In a study on social loafing, people played tug-of-war while blindfolded. Compared to when they thought they were pulling in a group, people showed which of the following behaviors when they thought they were pulling alone?

Accepted Answer

When individuals believed they were pulling alone, they pulled harder, demonstrating a reduction in social loafing, which occurs when individuals exert less effort to achieve a goal when they work in a group than when they work alone.

Question 19

In a classic study on social facilitation that involved college students shooting pool at a student union, it was found that when being watched by others, good pool players who were confident in their pool playing

Accepted Answer

Good pool players who were confident in their abilities improved their accuracy when being watched by others, according to the study on social facilitation. This phenomenon demonstrates how the presence of an audience can enhance the performance of individuals who are already skilled at a task.

Question 20

You are a very good school teacher, who is confident in your teaching ability. One day, you are instructing your class when you spy the principal standing outside the door watching you. According to social facilitation theory, the principal being present is likely to

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation theory suggests that the presence of others (especially those in authority or those who are observers) can enhance performance on tasks at which one is skilled or for which one is well-prepared. Since the scenario describes you as a very good teacher who is confident in your teaching ability, the presence of the principal is likely to improve your teaching performance due to increased arousal and motivation to perform well.

Quiz 16: Social Thinking and Social Influence