Question 1

When it is important to provide a correct answer and the stakes are high, people are more likely to

Accepted Answer

When the stakes are high and it's important to provide a correct answer, people are more likely to rely on informational social influence. This is because they seek the correct information or behavior in a situation by observing and conforming to the behavior of others, assuming those others have more knowledge about the situation.

Question 2

Elise is participating in research and is placed in a dark room and asked to estimate the movement of a dot of light projected on a screen.This is similar to research by Sherif that demonstrated the power of

Accepted Answer

Sherif's research demonstrated the power of informational social influence, in which individuals conform to the opinions or actions of others because they believe those others have more accurate information or knowledge. This is similar to Elise being asked to estimate the movement of a dot of light based on visual information presented to her in a controlled setting.

Question 3

Which of the following phenomena is most likely to result in private acceptance of an idea or behavior?

Accepted Answer

Private acceptance refers to the internalization of an idea or behavior, meaning that the person genuinely believes and accepts it. This is most likely to occur through informational social influence, where individuals conform to the views or behaviors of others because they believe those others are more knowledgeable or have more expertise. This differs from normative social influence, which can result in public conformity to a behavior without necessarily internalizing it, and from contagion and propaganda, which can also result in outward conformity without a true change in beliefs or attitudes.

Question 4

It could be argued that participants in Muzafer Sherif's (1936) study converged in their estimates of the amount of movement of a point of light because they were avoiding public embarrassment or social censure from other participants.Sherif demonstrated that this was unlikely when he found similar results

Accepted Answer

Sherif found similar results even when participants completed the task alone, indicating that social pressure was not the only explanation for the convergence of estimates.

Question 5

Even though Gerald isn't religious, when he attends church on Christmas with his family, he donates money when ushers pass around a collection basket because everyone else puts something in.It is likely that Gerald is

Accepted Answer

Gerald is publicly complying with the societal norm of donating money during a church service, despite not being religious himself.

Question 6

When participants were first placed in a dark room alone and asked to estimate the apparent movement of a point of light, individuals were consistent in their own estimates, and these estimates differed greatly from participant to participant.When participants made the same estimates in a group setting, their estimates converged.According to Muzafer Sherif (1936), why did this happen? Conformity occurs when people

Accepted Answer

Sherif's experiment demonstrated informational influence, which occurs when individuals use others' behaviors and opinions as cues for what is correct or appropriate. In this case, participants used the estimates of others as a reference point to adjust their own estimates, leading to convergence in the group. A and B refer to factors that may contribute to conformity, but they do not explain the phenomenon observed in Sherif's experiment. D refers to the concept of deindividuation, which is a separate topic from conformity.

Question 7

Believing that others are right is to ________ as conforming without believing is to ________.

Accepted Answer

Believing that others are right is private acceptance, as it involves internalizing the group's norms or views as one's own. Conforming without believing, on the other hand, is public compliance, where one goes along with the group publicly but does not change personal views or beliefs.

Question 8

Taking into account research on factors that increase informational social influence, which game contestant is most likely to yield to the informational social influence provided by teammates or the audience?

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that individuals are more likely to yield to informational social influence when they are uncertain of the correct answer themselves. In this scenario, Joaquin expresses uncertainty about the answer, making him more likely to be influenced by his teammates or the audience.

Question 9

Why would Muzafer Sherif, a social psychologist, choose the autokinetic effect (a perceptual illusion) to study social conformity? He wanted

Accepted Answer

Muzafer Sherif chose the autokinetic effect because it was an ambiguous situation that allowed for different interpretations of the stimuli, which would influence social conformity.

Question 10

Based on research by Goldstein and colleagues (2008), which of the following techniques would be most effective in getting hotel guests to reuse their bath towels?

Accepted Answer

Based on the research by Goldstein and colleagues (2008), the most effective technique would be to use social proof by putting a sign in the room stating that the majority of guests in that room reuse towels. This creates a social norm that encourages guests to conform to the behavior of others. The other options may have some impact, but they are less effective than using social proof.

Question 11

Noor is in a study similar to Baron et al.(1996).She has been asked to select the person she saw in a series of photos.If she's told that her decision is not very important, she will

Accepted Answer

According to the research conducted by Baron et al. (1996), when the decision is not very important, individuals tend to conform less. Therefore, if Noor is told that her decision is not very important, she would be less likely to conform than if the decision was important.

Question 12

In the nineteenth century, audience members who knew the opera intimately served as "claques," or experts who signaled others in the audience when to applaud, or as "bisseurs," who signaled when to call for encores.These experts served as a source of ________ for less sophisticated audience members.

Accepted Answer

The "claques" and "bisseurs" served as experts who provided informational social influence by signaling to other audience members when to applaud and call for encores. This helped less sophisticated audience members know when it was appropriate to do so.

Question 13

Informational social influence is most likely to play a significant role in which of the following situations?

Accepted Answer

Informational social influence occurs when people conform to others' opinions or behaviors because they believe those others have more accurate information. In a jury setting, members may rely on others' knowledge and perspectives to reach a verdict, especially in complex cases like a murder trial.

Question 14

You have been hired to help design a campaign to get people to conserve energy.Based on the research by Nolan and colleagues (2008), what is the most effective way to convince people to conserve?

Accepted Answer

Nolan and colleagues (2008) found that social norms, such as telling people that their neighbors are conserving energy, are the most effective way to encourage energy conservation.

Question 15

Based on the studies conducted by Nolan and colleagues (2008) and Goldstein and colleagues (2008), which approach seems to be most effective at motivating people to behave in ways that are more environmentally friendly?

Accepted Answer

The studies conducted by Nolan and colleagues (2008) and Goldstein and colleagues (2008) both suggest that the use of informational social influence, such as normative feedback and providing information about others' behavior, can be effective at motivating people to behave in more environmentally friendly ways. Other approaches, such as operant conditioning, cognitive dissonance, and guilt and fear appeals, were not found to be as effective in these studies.

Question 16

In a recent study about how to promote energy conservation, Nolan and colleagues (2008) found that simply telling people that their neighbors conserve energy was a more effective means of reducing energy consumption than telling them other reasons why they should conserve.Why did this message work the best?

Accepted Answer

Participants were influenced by informational social influence because they were presented with the behavior of their neighbors, who were viewed as social referents, and were more likely to conform to their behavior in order to be seen as similar and acceptable. This type of social influence is rooted in our need to belong and fit in with the social norms of our environment.

Question 17

People are especially likely to conform due to informational social influence

Accepted Answer

Informational social influence occurs more strongly in situations where people are unsure of the correct way to behave or what the truth is, often in crisis situations where quick decisions are necessary. People look to the behavior of others as a guide in these situations.

Question 18

In the past ten years, the popular American holiday, Halloween, was "imported" to France by retailers hoping to increase revenues.Essentially, the French learned the traditions such as trick-or-treating and wearing costumes from Americans.This is an example of ________ on an international scale.

Accepted Answer

The importation of Halloween traditions from America to France is an example of informational social influence. This is because the French learned about the customs and practices of Halloween from Americans, and were influenced by the information they received about these practices. Normative social influence refers to the influence of social norms on behavior, the autokinetic effect refers to an optical illusion, and injunctive norms are standards of behavior that are perceived as acceptable by others. None of these concepts adequately describe the international transfer of Halloween traditions.

Question 19

All of the following are examples of informational social influence EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

D is an example of normative social influence, where a person conforms to the group to fit in or gain acceptance, rather than seeking information or knowledge. The other options involve seeking information or guidance from others, which is a form of informational social influence.

Question 20

According to research presented in the text (Baron et al., 1996), participants were asked to select perpetrators after a lineup in conditions of high ambiguity; the perpetrator wore different clothing in the lineup than in the original photo, and the slides were shown very quickly.Recall also that some participants were told that the task was one that was being designed for use by the police department and were offered $20 if they were the most accurate, while others were told that it was just a laboratory task under development.This study demonstrated that

Accepted Answer

The study by Baron et al. (1996) found that when participants believed the task had real-world importance (e.g., being told it was for police department use and being offered a monetary reward for accuracy), they were more likely to conform to the answers of others in the group, especially under conditions of high ambiguity. This suggests that the desire to be accurate in what was perceived as an important task led to increased conformity.

Quiz 8: Conformity: Influencing Behavior

When it is important to provide a correct answer and the stakes are high, people are more likely to

Elise is participating in research and is placed in a dark room and asked to estimate the movement of a dot of light projected on a screen.This is similar to research by Sherif that demonstrated the power of

Which of the following phenomena is most likely to result in private acceptance of an idea or behavior?

Even though Gerald isn't religious, when he attends church on Christmas with his family, he donates money when ushers pass around a collection basket because everyone else puts something in.It is likely that Gerald is

Believing that others are right is to as conforming without believing is to .

Taking into account research on factors that increase informational social influence, which game contestant is most likely to yield to the informational social influence provided by teammates or the audience?

Why would Muzafer Sherif, a social psychologist, choose the autokinetic effect (a perceptual illusion) to study social conformity? He wanted

Based on research by Goldstein and colleagues (2008) , which of the following techniques would be most effective in getting hotel guests to reuse their bath towels?

Noor is in a study similar to Baron et al.(1996) .She has been asked to select the person she saw in a series of photos.If she's told that her decision is not very important, she will

In the nineteenth century, audience members who knew the opera intimately served as "claques," or experts who signaled others in the audience when to applaud, or as "bisseurs," who signaled when to call for encores.These experts served as a source of ________ for less sophisticated audience members.

Informational social influence is most likely to play a significant role in which of the following situations?

You have been hired to help design a campaign to get people to conserve energy.Based on the research by Nolan and colleagues (2008) , what is the most effective way to convince people to conserve?

Based on the studies conducted by Nolan and colleagues (2008) and Goldstein and colleagues (2008) , which approach seems to be most effective at motivating people to behave in ways that are more environmentally friendly?

People are especially likely to conform due to informational social influence

In the past ten years, the popular American holiday, Halloween, was "imported" to France by retailers hoping to increase revenues.Essentially, the French learned the traditions such as trick-or-treating and wearing costumes from Americans.This is an example of ________ on an international scale.

All of the following are examples of informational social influence EXCEPT: