Question 1

The actor-observer bias refers to the tendency to assign _____ causes to other people's behavior and _____ causes to our own behavior.

Accepted Answer

The actor-observer bias is the tendency to attribute others' behaviors to internal causes while attributing our own behaviors to external causes.

Question 2

You are walking into a store when a man bumps into you.You think, "What a jerk!" until you realize that he actually bumped into you while catching a sidewalk display that was about to fall on your head.You sheepishly thank him for saving you and realize that by initially thinking that he was a "jerk," you were illustrating

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to attribute others' behavior to internal, dispositional factors rather than situational factors. In this scenario, the initial thought of the man being a jerk was due to a dispositional factor, when in reality, it was a situational factor that caused him to bump into the person. Once the person realized this, they corrected their initial assumption.

Question 3

The tendency we have to view internal causes, such as personality, as the reason for other people's behavior is known as

Accepted Answer

The tendency to attribute other people's behavior to internal causes, such as personality traits, is known as the fundamental attributional error. This error occurs because we have a cognitive bias that favors dispositional explanations over situational explanations for behavior.

Question 4

Attitudes summarize your _____ of objects.

Accepted Answer

Attitudes involve evaluating objects or ideas, often based on personal beliefs or experiences. Reexamination, acceptance, and appreciation are not synonymous with attitudes.

Question 5

The measurement of attitudes is valuable to psychologists because they

Accepted Answer

Measuring attitudes is valuable to psychologists because attitudes can help predict people's future behavior and responses. This can be important in fields such as marketing, where understanding consumer attitudes can help businesses tailor their products and services to better meet the needs and preferences of their target audience. Attitudes can also be useful in predicting behavior in clinical settings, where understanding a patient's attitudes may help predict their adherence to treatment plans.

Question 6

You and your friend have a fight and say very hurtful "things" to each other.In judging your own behavior, you say to yourself, "I was justified in saying those things to her because she betrayed me." In judging how your friend acted during the fight, you say "She had no right to say those things to me.She is a liar and an ungrateful person." In your interpretation of your own behavior, you are the actor assigning an _____ cause.In your interpretation of your friend's conduct, you are the observer assigning an _____ cause.

Accepted Answer

The answer of You and your friend have a fight...

Question 7

An example of _____ can be seen when people assume that the actions of actors in television programs are due to the personalities of the actors rather than the obvious external cause that they are playing a character.

Accepted Answer

The scenario described is an example of the fundamental attribution error, which is the tendency to overemphasize dispositional (internal) explanations for behavior and dismiss situational (external) factors. In this case, people are attributing the actions of actors to their perceived personalities rather than acknowledging that they are simply playing a role.

Question 8

Our tastes, friendships, votes, preferences, goals, and behavior in many other situations are all influenced by a learned tendency to respond known as a(n)

Accepted Answer

The learned tendency to respond is known as an attitude, which influences various aspects of an individual's life such as tastes, friendships, preferences, goals, and behavior. Option A, attribution, refers to the process of explaining the causes of an event or behavior. Option C, cognitive dissonance, refers to the psychological discomfort experienced by an individual when faced with conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes. Option D, situational demand, refers to the influence of the immediate environment or context on an individual's behavior.

Question 9

Regarding attitudes, which of the following statements is/are TRUE?

Accepted Answer

All of the statements are true. Attitudes serve to orient us to the social world, prepare us to act in certain ways, and summarize our evaluation of objects, among other things. Therefore, option D is the correct answer.

Question 10

Perry believes that Georgia lost her job because she was incompetent when, in reality, the company was just downsizing.Perry has committed

Accepted Answer

Perry has made the fundamental attributional error, which occurs when people tend to overemphasize dispositional (internal) factors and underestimate situational (external) factors when explaining someone else's behavior. In this case, Perry assumes that Georgia lost her job because of her own lack of competence, rather than taking into account the external factor of downsizing.

Question 11

_____ refers to the tendency to assign internal causes to other people's behavior and external causes to our own behavior.

Accepted Answer

The actor-observer bias refers to the tendency for individuals to attribute their own behavior to external causes (e.g., situational factors), while attributing other people's behavior to internal causes (e.g., personality traits). This bias can be seen in a variety of contexts, including interpersonal relationships and social judgments.

Question 12

When making the "fundamental attributional error," we tend to overestimate the importance of _____ in judging the behavior of others.

Accepted Answer

When making the fundamental attributional error, we tend to overestimate the importance of internal or dispositional causes, such as personality, attitudes, or abilities, in judging the behavior of others. We attribute their behavior to their personal traits rather than considering situational or external factors that may have influenced their behavior. This cognitive bias can lead to misunderstanding, prejudice, and stereotyping of other people.

Question 13

You are having dinner at a restaurant and notice that the person at the next table does not leave a tip for the waitress.According to the actor-observer bias, you are likely to conclude the person

Accepted Answer

The actor-observer bias suggests that people attribute their own actions to external situations while attributing others' actions to their personal characteristics. Therefore, observing someone not leaving a tip, one might conclude they did so not because of the service or an external reason, but because they are inherently cheap.

Question 14

You tell yourself that you were late starting your psychology project because of the demands of your other courses and your job; but your roommate was late because he is a procrastinator.You are displaying

Accepted Answer

The actor-observer bias is a tendency to attribute one's own behavior to situational factors, while attributing others' behavior to dispositional factors. In this scenario, the person is attributing their own lateness to external factors, while attributing their roommate's lateness to an internal factor (procrastination).

Question 15

Regarding self-handicapping, which of the following statements is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

Women are not necessarily more likely to self-handicap than men are. In fact, research on self-handicapping has not consistently found gender differences.

Question 16

Regarding self-handicapping, which of the following statements is/are TRUE?

Accepted Answer

All three statements are true. Research has shown that using self-handicapping strategies such as drinking alcohol to cope with anxiety can lead to serious alcohol abuse. Most individuals have used self-handicapping at some point in their lives to avoid taking full responsibility for success or failure. However, using self-handicapping as a habitual strategy can lead to lower self-esteem, poor adjustment, and negative health outcomes.

Question 17

A(n) _____ is a mixture of belief and emotion that predisposes a person to respond to other people, objects, or institutions in a positive or negative way.

Accepted Answer

An attitude is a mixture of belief (cognition) and emotion that influences how a person responds to the world around them. Reaction disposition and self-assertion are not common terms used in the study of attitudes, and are not appropriate choices.

Question 18

_____ is a learned disposition to respond to people, objects, or institutions in a positive or negative way.

Accepted Answer

Attitude refers to a person's overall evaluation or feeling about a particular object, person, or idea. It is a learned disposition, which means that it can be shaped by personal experiences, socialization, and other environmental factors. Attitudes can be positive or negative and can influence a person's behavior and decision-making processes.

Question 19

Self-handicapping becomes a problem

Accepted Answer

Self-handicapping becomes a problem when it is used habitually, as this can lead to a pattern of avoiding responsibility and not putting in effort to succeed. It can have negative consequences on individuals' personal and professional lives, and can hinder their ability to reach their goals. The other options mentioned (A, B, and D) do not fully capture when self-handicapping becomes a problem.

Question 20

You are walking into a store when a man rudely cuts in front of you, almost shoving you, so that he may enter the store first."What a jerk!" you think to yourself.As you enter the store, you see the same man performing an emergency tracheotomy on a women with a collapsed windpipe.You have just

Accepted Answer

You initially judged the man's behavior as rude without considering the situational factors, which is an example of the fundamental attribution error.

Quiz 16: Extension A: Social Thinking and Social Influence

The actor-observer bias refers to the tendency to assign _ causes to other people's behavior and _ causes to our own behavior.