Question 1

Kristyn is a graduate student in psychology and proposes to replicate Milgram's exact procedure to study whether men or women are more likely to exhibit obedience.What will her faculty advisor most likely tell her about her proposal

Accepted Answer

Milgram's study is controversial due to ethical concerns regarding deception and participant distress. Modern ethical guidelines would not likely permit an exact replication of Milgram’s study.

Question 2

Solomon Asch studied social behaviour using a series of experiments that asked participants to indicate the length of lines.What topic was being studied in these experiments

Accepted Answer

Solomon Asch's experiments were designed to study conformity, specifically how individuals conform to social norms and the influence of group pressure on individual decision-making.

Question 3

In which studies were subjects instructed to indicate which of three lines matched a "standard line" in length

Accepted Answer

Solomon Asch's conformity studies involved subjects being presented with a line and then having to select which of three lines matched the length of the original line. This was done to test conformity to group norms.

Question 4

When the behaviour of all subjects was combined,in what percentage of trials did subjects in Solomon Asch's study exhibit conformity

Accepted Answer

In Solomon Asch's conformity experiments, when combining the behavior of all subjects across all trials, subjects conformed to the incorrect group consensus in about 35-40 percent of the trials. This illustrates the strong influence of social pressure on individual judgment.

Question 5

Milgram's research was criticized as being flawed because subjects in a psychology experiment generally expect to obey the requests of the researcher.Thus,critics said the results could not be generalized to the real world.How did Milgram respond to this criticism

Accepted Answer

Milgram argued that his research could be generalized to the real world because his experiment reflected the reality that people generally expect to obey requests from those who hold positions of authority, just as they would in real-world situations. He did not completely admit that his procedure was flawed or irrelevant to the real world.

Question 6

Which variation of Milgram's experimental procedure resulted in a dramatic decrease in obedience

Accepted Answer

In the variation where one of two "accomplice" teachers defied the experimenter, resulting in a dramatic decrease in obedience as participants were more likely to follow the disobedient teacher's example rather than the experimenter's instructions. This demonstrated the important role of social influence and the power of modeling in shaping behavior.

Question 7

Which of the following could be defined as a "group"

Accepted Answer

A group is typically defined as a collection of individuals who share a common characteristic or purpose, such as being members of a team. Option A refers to a collection of individuals who happen to be on the same bus, but may not necessarily share any other commonalities or purpose. Option C refers to a broad category of individuals based solely on their nationality and gender, which is not specific enough to define a group. Option D refers to individuals who are members of a political party, which may have different values and goals, and therefore may not be considered a cohesive group.

Question 8

What was the topic of Stanley Milgram's famous "shock" studies

Accepted Answer

Stanley Milgram's famous "shock" studies focused on obedience, specifically how far individuals would go in obeying an authority figure even when their actions caused harm to others. The study involved participants administering electric shocks to another person, with the shocks increasing in intensity for each wrong answer given by the other person. Milgram's study demonstrated the powerful influence that obedience to authority can have on human behavior.

Question 9

When does conformity occur

Accepted Answer

Conformity occurs when people yield to real or imagined social pressure. This can take the form of conforming to the behaviors or beliefs of a group in order to fit in or avoid social rejection.

Question 10

You are conducting studies on conformity in two countries that have very different levels of collectivism.What pattern do you expect in your results

Accepted Answer

Research has consistently shown that conformity is greater in collectivistic cultures compared to individualistic cultures, where conformity is generally lower. This is because collectivistic cultures emphasize social harmony and group cohesion, while individualistic cultures place greater value on personal independence and autonomy. Therefore, it is expected that greater conformity will be demonstrated in the collectivist sample.

Question 11

Which of the following were two key factors that Solomon Asch found influenced conformity

Accepted Answer

Solomon Asch found that group size and group unanimity were the two key factors that influenced conformity. Larger groups and groups with greater unanimity were more likely to lead to conformity among individuals. Task difficulty and the sex of group members were not found to be significant factors in this study.

Question 12

Because of informational influence,Sandy placed her napkin on her lap before she began to eat dinner.Which event likely preceded Sandy's action

Accepted Answer

Informational influence refers to the influence that others have on our behavior when we are in ambiguous or unfamiliar situations. Sandy likely observed others at the dinner table placing their napkins on their laps, which led her to do the same. Option A is not relevant to the situation at hand, option B implies direct instruction rather than influence, and option D is not related to napkin placement.

Question 13

In Solomon Asch's "line study," what were participants likely to do when confronted with a group opinion that differed from their own

Accepted Answer

Participants were likely to conform to the group opinion, even if it contradicted their own perception. Asch found that about 75% of participants conformed at least once during his study.

Question 14

Which of the following helps explain differences between American society and many other societies with regard to conformity and obedience

Accepted Answer

The degree of individualism and collectivism seen in various societies is likely to contribute to differences in conformity and obedience. American society tends to value individualism and independence, which may lead to less conformity and obedience than societies that value collectivism and group harmony.

Question 15

Which of the following was experienced by the "typical" subject in Milgram's shock study

Accepted Answer

Milgram's shock study subjects experienced considerable psychological distress as they were conflicted between obeying authority and harming another person.

Question 16

Why might Milgram's estimates of obedience in American samples actually underestimate the occurrence of obedience

Accepted Answer

Conformity is often viewed negatively in American culture, which values individualism and independence. This cultural bias might lead people to underreport or underact in ways that would be seen as conforming, thus potentially leading Milgram's experiments to underestimate the true levels of obedience.

Question 17

When does obedience occur

Accepted Answer

Obedience occurs when people follow direct commands, usually from someone in a position of authority. Persuasion (A), yielding to social pressure (B), and observational learning (D) may lead to changes in behavior but do not necessarily involve obedience to authority.

Question 18

When would a typical subject in Solomon Asch's conformity study be least likely to exhibit conformity

Accepted Answer

When all but one of the other group members selected the incorrect choice, the subject may feel confident in their own answer and not conform to the majority. In contrast, when other group members selected the same correct choice or the same incorrect choice, the subject may experience pressure to conform due to the presence of a majority opinion. The size of the group may also influence conformity, but this is not specified in the options given.

Question 19

In which studies were subjects instructed to administer increasingly strong electric shocks to another subject when the other subject made a mistake

Accepted Answer

Stanley Milgram's obedience studies involved subjects being instructed to administer electric shocks of increasing strength to another person when they made a mistake on a learning task. The study was designed to investigate how far individuals would go in obeying an authority figure, even if it meant harming another person.

Question 20

Imagine your psychology professor described the procedure of Milgram's study without discussing the term "obedience" or Milgram's interpretation of his results.What would most students predict that they would have done if they were subjects in the study

Accepted Answer

Without discussing the term "obedience" or Milgram's interpretation, students would not be aware of the pressure to obey the experimenter's authority. They may simply view the study as a task to complete and may not feel compelled to administer maximum shocks to the learner. Therefore, they would be more likely to choose to administer fewer shocks than the typical subject.

Quiz 13: B: Social Behaviour