Question 1

In a crowded mall parking lot, dozens of people hear a female voice yell, "He's killing me!" Yet no one calls the police. What is the reason for the lack of action, according to Darley and Latané?

Accepted Answer

According to Darley and Latané's theory of the bystander effect, people are less likely to intervene in emergency situations when they are in a group because of diffusion of responsibility. Basically, individuals assume that someone else will take action, so they feel less personally responsible to intervene. This can lead to a lack of action even when someone is clearly in danger and needs help.

Question 2

Social cognition considers the way we think about others.

Accepted Answer

Social cognition is the psychological process by which we perceive, interpret, and understand information about others, including their thoughts, feelings, and behavior. It is one of the key areas of social psychology.

Question 3

In Darley and Latané's (1968) study involving an apparent emergency, ________ percent of participants decided to help a stranger who claimed to be choking within one minute when there were four other bystanders present.

Accepted Answer

In Darley and Latané's study, the presence of other bystanders significantly reduced the likelihood that any one individual would help, demonstrating the bystander effect. With four other bystanders present, only 25 percent of participants decided to help within one minute.

Question 4

In Darley and Latané's (1970) five step model of bystander intervention, help will be offered if the answer is "yes" to ________ of the five steps.

Accepted Answer

In Darley and Latané's model, help will be offered if the answer is "yes" to all five steps. These steps include noticing the event, interpreting the event as an emergency, assuming responsibility, knowing how to help, and deciding to implement the help.

Question 5

Cognitive dissonance is accompanied by decreased arousal.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance is actually accompanied by increased arousal, as individuals experience discomfort or tension when their beliefs or behaviors are in conflict. This discomfort motivates them to make changes to reduce the dissonance.

Question 6

In March of 1964, Kitty Genovese was the victim of a brutal assault that led to her death in the entryway of an apartment complex. Police reports indicate that out of the 38 people who observed the attack happening, ________ called 911 to request assistance.

Accepted Answer

According to the statement, only one person called 911 out of 38 people who observed the attack happening.

Question 7

Judy, alone, sees a person who appears to be drowning in the ocean. She wants to help but questions whether her swimming ability will allow her to rescue the individual. It appears that Judy is stuck at the ________ step of Darley and Latané's (1970) model of bystander intervention.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Judy, alone, sees a person who appears...

Question 8

Because of the way that they lead to discrimination, stereotypes are always negative.

Accepted Answer

Stereotypes can be either positive or negative, however, they lead to discrimination regardless of their positivity or negativity.

Question 9

One factor at the level of the group that explains why individuals may remain in a cult is ________.

Accepted Answer

Love-bombing refers to the practice of overwhelming potential recruits with attention and affection in order to create a sense of belonging and attachment to the group. This can be a powerful factor in keeping individuals in a cult, as they may feel that they have found a community where they are accepted and valued.

Question 10

A car crash woke John from his afternoon nap. When he looked out his apartment window, he saw several people milling around two smashed cars. He decided not to dial 911 because he assumed someone had already called. John's reaction is an example of ______.

Accepted Answer

John's reaction is an example of the bystander effect, which refers to the phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help in an emergency situation when there are other people around. This is because people tend to assume that someone else will take action, leading to a diffusion of responsibility.

Question 11

The Kitty Genovese case depicts ________.

Accepted Answer

The Kitty Genovese case is a classic example of the bystander effect, where individuals are less likely to intervene in an emergency situation when others are present. The case highlighted the notion of diffusion of responsibility, where individuals assume that someone else will take action, leading to inaction in the group. Social loafing refers to the tendency for individuals to put in less effort when working in a group, while group polarization refers to the tendency for a group to make more extreme decisions than the individuals would make alone. Obedience to authority involves following the instructions of someone in a position of authority, even if it goes against one's personal values or beliefs.

Question 12

Steve notices a crowd forming after an old man has collapsed on the sidewalk. Since so many people are present, Steve decides to simply walk away from the scene. Steve's thinking is most consistent with ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Steve notices a crowd forming after an...

Question 13

Because Carrie is pressed for time, she's likely to rely on the peripheral route to process incoming information.

Accepted Answer

The peripheral route involves making quick judgments based on surface-level characteristics such as appearance or source credibility, which is more likely to happen when someone is pressed for time or not motivated to engage in deep processing. Therefore, if Carrie is pressed for time, it is more likely that she will rely on the peripheral route to process information.

Question 14

One technique that a person may use to reduce cognitive dissonance is changing their conflicting behaviors to match their attitudes.

Accepted Answer

This technique is known as behavior change. It involves changing one's behavior to align with their attitudes in order to reduce the discomfort caused by cognitive dissonance.

Question 15

Stereotypes assume that members of the same group must have distinct differences between them.

Accepted Answer

Stereotypes generalize and assume that all members of a group have the same characteristics, rather than distinct differences between them.

Question 16

Attitudes always predict behavior.

Accepted Answer

Attitudes can influence behavior, but they do not always predict it. Other factors such as situational constraints, social norms, and individual characteristics can also impact behavior.

Question 17

In Festinger and Carlsmith's (1959) famous study on cognitive dissonance, participants who received $20 (versus $1) enjoyed the study more.

Accepted Answer

Participants who received $1 for lying about the study being enjoyable reported more enjoyment than those who received $20, because the lower amount was insufficient to justify their lie, leading to cognitive dissonance and a subsequent change in their attitudes to align with their behavior.

Question 18

What term do psychologists use for the phenomenon that occurs when people are less likely to aid a person in trouble if there are other people around who are also potential helpers?

Accepted Answer

Psychologists use the term "bystander effect" to describe the phenomenon of people being less likely to help someone in trouble when there are other people around who could also potentially help.

Question 19

An attitude has four main components.

Accepted Answer

An attitude typically has three main components: cognitive, affective, and behavioral.

Question 20

According to the research of Latané and Darley, which of the following situations would be the most likely in which someone would offer to help?

Accepted Answer

According to Latané and Darley's research, the likelihood of someone offering to help decreases as the number of bystanders increases. In the situation of a person falling down coming out of an elevator with only one other person in it, there is no diffusion of responsibility and the bystander is more likely to offer help. In the other situations presented, there are either more bystanders or the situation is less urgent or immediate (such as the person with a flat tire during rush hour).

Quiz 13: Social Psychology: Meeting of the Minds