Question 1

While watching Jeopardy, your roommate says, "Alex Trebek knows all the answers. He must be a genius." You tell your roommate she probably would not have said that if she had attended class the day the instructor discussed the topic of

Accepted Answer

The topic of fundamental attribution errors relates to the tendency for people to overemphasize dispositional (personal) explanations for others' behavior while underemphasizing situational factors. Trebek's impressive knowledge on a variety of topics may lead people to attribute his intelligence solely to his personal abilities, rather than considering the situational factors such as his job as a game show host and access to resources.

Question 2

Which type of love is defined as passion only?

Accepted Answer

Passion-only love refers to infatuation, which is an intense, often fleeting feeling of attraction and desire. Infatuation is usually based on physical attraction and doesn't necessarily involve deeper emotional connections or long-term commitment.

Question 3

Couples that have been in lasting relationships tend to

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that happy and lasting couples have at least five times more positive interactions than negative ones. This means that they have a healthy balance of good moments and disagreements, but the positive moments far outweigh the negative ones. This helps to build and maintain a strong emotional connection between partners.

Question 4

Your best friend has been acting rather cool toward you lately. As you try to figure out why, you are engaging in the process called

Accepted Answer

The process being described in the scenario is attribution, which involves trying to determine the cause of someone's behavior. In this case, the individual is trying to figure out why their best friend is acting cool toward them. This involves trying to ascribe a reason or motive to their friend's behavior.

Question 5

You observe a person at the grocery store get angry and yell at the cashier. Which of these attributions illustrates the fundamental attribution error?

Accepted Answer

This choice involves making an internal attribution about the yeller's personality, without considering any external factors that may have contributed to their behavior. This is an example of the fundamental attribution error, which involves attributing people's behavior to dispositional factors rather than situational factors.

Question 6

Which type of love is defined as having only intimacy and commitment?

Accepted Answer

The type of love that is defined as having only intimacy and commitment is companionate love. Seduction and infatuation both involve a strong physical attraction without necessarily involving commitment or intimacy, while empty love lacks both intimacy and passion. Romantic love involves intimacy and passion but may not necessarily involve commitment.

Question 7

Sally labels the driver who cuts her off in rush hour traffic an "idiot." This is an example of

Accepted Answer

Sally labeling the driver as an "idiot" without considering that he may have been in a rush or distracted is an example of the fundamental attribution error, which is the tendency for people to overemphasize dispositional (internal) explanations for other people's behavior rather than situational (external) factors.

Question 8

Attributions are

Accepted Answer

Attributions refer to explanations that account for one's own behaviors and/or the behaviors of others.

Question 9

Which statement is correct concerning cross-cultural research on the fundamental attribution error?

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that there are cultural differences in the extent to which people make dispositional versus situational attributions. Eastern cultures like Japan tend to make more situational attributions than Western cultures such as the United States. Therefore, option C is the correct answer. Option A is not entirely accurate as some cross-cultural research has found some variability in the extent to which different cultures make the fundamental attribution error. Option B is incorrect as dispositional attributions are more common in individualist cultures. Option D is incorrect as Western cultures tend to make more dispositional attributions. Option E is also incorrect as collectivist cultures tend to make more dispositional attributions.

Question 10

According to Sternberg, the category of love known as ________ has much passion and intimacy, but little commitment.

Accepted Answer

According to Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love, romantic love is characterized by high levels of passion and intimacy but lacks commitment.

Question 11

A person from ________ is least likely to change their attitude as a function of cognitive dissonance.

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that individuals from cultures that highly value consistency and harmony, such as Japan, may be less likely to experience cognitive dissonance and thus less likely to change their attitudes.

Question 12

Herbie and Irene have been married for almost 55 years. Through it all they have remained committed to each other and have been as close as two people can be. Over the years the passion has waned but they still stayed together. Sternberg would call this type of love

Accepted Answer

Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love proposes that love involves three components: intimacy, passion, and commitment. Consummate love is the ideal type of love that involves all three components in equal measure. Romantic love involves high levels of passion but lower levels of commitment and intimacy. Intimate love involves high levels of intimacy but lower levels of passion and commitment. Empty love involves commitment without intimacy or passion. Companionate love involves high levels of intimacy and commitment but lower levels of passion, which seems to fit Herbie and Irene's situation.

Question 13

The key components of love, according to Robert Sternberg, are

Accepted Answer

According to Robert Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love, love is composed of three key components: passion, intimacy, and commitment. Passion refers to the physical and sexual attraction between partners, while intimacy involves emotional connection, communication, and sharing of thoughts and feelings. Commitment involves a decision to stay in the relationship and work through difficulties. These three components work together to form different types of love, such as infatuation (passion only), romantic love (passion and intimacy), and companionate love (intimacy and commitment). Therefore, the best answer is E.

Question 14

What do social psychologists call the tendency to rely on internal characteristics for explanations of the behavior of others and to ignore the influence of the situation?

Accepted Answer

Social psychologists call the tendency to rely on internal characteristics for explanations of the behavior of others and to ignore the influence of the situation the fundamental attribution error. This occurs when people overestimate the importance of dispositional (internal) factors and underestimate the impact of situational (external) factors in explaining other people's behavior.

Question 15

Which statement is the best explanation of the fundamental attribution error?

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to attribute a person's behavior to internal or dispositional factors, rather than to situational factors. This means that we are more likely to assume that someone's behavior is caused by their personality traits or inherent characteristics, rather than considering the external factors that may be influencing their behavior.

Question 16

The fundamental attribution error basically involves

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error involves the tendency to overemphasize personal traits or dispositions as primary causes of behavior, while underemphasizing situational factors. This means that people are more likely to attribute someone's behavior to their character or personality, rather than to external factors such as the situation they are in.

Question 17

All of the following are Sternberg's components of love EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Sternberg's components of love are passion, intimacy, and commitment. Loyalty is not one of the components he identified. Additionally, while sexual behavior can be a part of passion, it is not a separate component in Sternberg's theory.

Question 18

Which statement is more likely to be true concerning attributions made by Americans versus Chinese people?

Accepted Answer

Research has found that Americans are more likely to make the fundamental attribution error, which involves overemphasizing dispositional factors and underemphasizing situational factors when making attributions about others' behavior. In contrast, Chinese people tend to consider both dispositional and situational factors when making attributions.

Question 19

Tad gets an A in his psychology finals. When he tells his mother, she praises him for his brilliance. Tad's mother has committed which error?

Accepted Answer

Tad's mother attributes his success to an internal characteristic (his brilliance) rather than considering external factors (such as effort or the difficulty of the exam), which is an example of the fundamental attribution error. This error involves overemphasizing personal traits and underemphasizing situational factors when explaining others' behavior.

Question 20

We tend to believe that other people's actions are due to

Accepted Answer

This belief is known as the fundamental attribution error, where people tend to attribute others' actions more to their personal traits and characteristics than to situational factors.

Quiz 11: Social Psychology