Question 1

Jagannath's best friend Roger really does not like his new girlfriend Malati. One way that Jagannath might change his friend's attitude is to:

Accepted Answer

By having the three of them do several things together that Roger really enjoys, Roger will likely have a better chance of getting to know Malati and possibly even finding things in common with her. This could lead to a change in his attitude towards her. Talking about how great Malati is or telling Roger he needs to like her may not be effective and could potentially damage their friendship.

Question 2

A U.S. presidential candidate's acceptance speech at the party convention greatly influences the way in which many voters see the candidate. Who was most likely to have a more favourable opinion of Senator Obama after his speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention?

Accepted Answer

A

Question 3

Kate comes from a very small town where everyone is white and there is a great deal of prejudice against people of colour. When Kate first meets her university roommate, she is very upset to discover that she is black. Kate quickly discovers that her roommate is smart, funny, and empathetic. Kate starts to like her roommate quite a lot but feels anxious and tense whenever they are together. Kate is experiencing:

Accepted Answer

D

Question 4

Ruomei has never liked biology, but she has a crush on her lab partner and always enjoys going to class because she sees him there. Ruomei's friends are surprised to hear that Ruomei now likes biology and is planning to take another class in the subject. Ruomei's new liking for biology is a(n) ____________ attitude.

Accepted Answer

Ruomei's liking for biology has been conditioned by her crush on her lab partner, which means her positive feelings towards biology have been linked or paired with the presence of her crush, rather than being an inherent interest in the subject. This is an example of a conditioned attitude.

Question 5

When Saqui breaks up with her boyfriend she cannot decide whether to date her best friend Bradan or a fascinating new man, because they have different attractive qualities. After deciding on the new guy, Saqui finds that she no longer likes Bradan. Even though he wants to continue their long friendship, she keeps finding more things to dislike about him. Saqui is experiencing:

Accepted Answer

Saqui is experiencing postdecisional dissonance, which is the discomfort or conflict that arises from making a difficult decision. In this case, Saqui had to choose between two romantic options and after making her choice she is experiencing negative feelings about her decision, which is leading her to perceive Bradan in a negative light. This is a common experience that people often have after making a choice, and it can lead to feelings of regret or doubt about the decision that was made.

Question 6

Kyle was raised in a vegan family. Before he goes to university, his mother tells him that it will probably be impossible for him to maintain a healthy vegan diet in a university dorm and that eating a healthy diet is more important in that situation than eating a vegan diet. Kyle's mom is trying to protect him from experiencing the unpleasant effects of:

Accepted Answer

Kyle's mother is trying to resolve any cognitive dissonance that he may experience when faced with the challenge of maintaining a vegan diet in a university dormitory. Cognitive dissonance refers to the mental discomfort or tension that arises from holding conflicting beliefs, attitudes, or values. In this case, Kyle's deeply ingrained vegan values may come into conflict with the practical challenges of finding suitable vegan food options in his dormitory, which could lead to cognitive dissonance. His mother is trying to protect him from this discomfort by suggesting that he prioritize a healthy diet over a vegan one in this situation.

Question 7

A smaller percentage of Canadians vote in elections than do citizens of other democracies. Work on attitudes and behaviour in psychology would suggest that the best way to increase voting in this country might be to:

Accepted Answer

The answer of A smaller percentage of Canadians vote in...

Question 8

Researchers in a psychology experiment asked people who were standing in line waiting to bet on a horse race about which horse they planned to bet on and why. Another researcher asked those people the same questions after they had placed the bet. Given your knowledge of social psychology, you could predict that after placing the bet people would be ____________ about their chosen horse because of ____________.

Accepted Answer

After placing the bet, people may experience postdecisional dissonance, which is a feeling of discomfort or inner conflict that occurs when a person's belief or attitude conflicts with subsequent behavior. To reduce this discomfort, people may convince themselves that they made the right choice, thereby increasing their positive attitude towards their chosen horse.

Question 9

Since coming to university, Roger has eaten many kinds of foods that he had never even heard of before. He has found that he dislikes oysters but enjoys sushi. What difference could you predict between his attitudes to oysters and sushi?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Since coming to university, Roger has eaten...

Question 10

If you had been consulted when Abu Ghraib was being developed, what advice could you have given about minimizing the probability of mistreatment of prisoners?

Accepted Answer

The answer of If you had been consulted when Abu...

Question 11

Naomi was raised as a vegetarian. When she gets to university she decides that she will eat meat so that she will be more like everyone else. Even though she really wants to stop being a vegetarian, Naomi finds that she can't bring herself to eat meat. Naomi's situation demonstrates the effect of ____________ on attitudes.

Accepted Answer

Naomi's situation demonstrates the influence of socialization practices. She was raised as a vegetarian, which shaped her attitudes and beliefs about food. When she goes to university, she feels pressure to conform to the norms of her peers and eat meat. However, her previous socialization as a vegetarian is still deeply ingrained, and she finds that she cannot bring herself to eat meat.

Question 12

When Van goes to university he resolves to be a good student even though being on the varsity football team will absorb a lot of his time. When he thinks about what has happened at the end of his day, he usually winds up thinking about football. He has to make an effort to shift his thoughts to what happened in his classes. You could predict that Van will find it much easier to fulfill his football obligations than his academic obligations because of:

Accepted Answer

Attitude accessibility refers to the ease with which an attitude comes to mind. In this scenario, Van's thoughts naturally gravitate towards football at the end of the day, indicating that his attitude towards football is more accessible (and therefore stronger) than his attitude towards academics. This suggests it may be easier for him to prioritize football over academics.

Question 13

Among the factors contributing to the mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib was that the guards:

Accepted Answer

The mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib was largely attributed to the guards viewing the prisoners as an outgroup rather than a related ingroup. This dehumanization and lack of empathy towards the prisoners contributed to their mistreatment and abuse. The other factors listed may have played a role, but the ingroup/outgroup dynamic was a key factor.

Question 14

Even though Jacqueline attended a very expensive boarding school, she passionately believes that money and social class are irrelevant to how interesting or valuable a person is. At the first party in her university dorm Jacqueline, without even realizing it, only spends time with the women who are very well dressed. Jacqueline's belief in social equality is a(n) ____________ and her choice of people with whom to talk reflects a(n) ____________.

Accepted Answer

Jacqueline's belief in social equality is an explicit attitude because it is a belief that she consciously holds and can readily state. Her choice of people to talk with reflects an implicit attitude because it is a behavior that is not in line with her stated belief and may be influenced by unconscious biases and judgments.

Question 15

The discussion of the United States' policies needed to handle illegal immigration has been controversial. The claim has been made that many people who say they have no objection to immigration from Mexico so long as it is legal are really showing a bias against Mexican Americans. The best way to test this claim would be to have people who hold the belief that they object to illegal immigration but are not prejudiced against Mexican Americans:

Accepted Answer

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) would be the best choice because it measures implicit bias or attitudes that people may not be aware of or may be unwilling to admit on a conscious level. This test would give a better indication of any subconscious bias towards Mexican Americans. The other options, such as a lie detector test or a long attitude questionnaire, may not accurately measure bias towards Mexican Americans. The Thematic Apperception Test is a projective test used to uncover attitudes or beliefs that may be relevant to someone's personality, but it is not specifically designed to measure bias towards a particular group.

Question 16

The Stanford prison study demonstrates that people:

Accepted Answer

The Stanford prison study demonstrated that people behave in accord with their roles in a situation. The participants in the study took on their assigned roles as "guards" or "prisoners" to such an extent that it caused the study to end early due to the extreme behavior exhibited by the guards towards the prisoners. This shows how powerful situational forces can be in influencing human behavior. The other options (A, C, D) are not supported by the findings of the Stanford prison study.

Question 17

Catalina has gotten an entirely new haircut that she can't wait to show her boyfriend. A social psychologist might advise her that her boyfriend may:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Catalina has gotten an entirely new haircut...

Question 18

Tyronne really disliked the latest hit song when he first heard it. He would grimace every time it was played on the radio. After hearing the song many times, he is surprised to realize that he has come to like it. Tyronne is experiencing:

Accepted Answer

Tyronne's change in attitude towards the song is likely due to the mere exposure effect, which states that people tend to develop a more favorable attitude towards things they are repeatedly exposed to. This is a common phenomenon in the realm of marketing and advertising.

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a question that would be investigated in social psychology?

Accepted Answer

Social psychology primarily focuses on how individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. While options A, B, and D involve social influences and group dynamics, option C is more related to health psychology and personal behavior change rather than social interaction.

Question 20

Which of the following does NOT increase the stability of an attitude?

Accepted Answer

Values expressed by the attitude do not necessarily increase its stability; rather, they reflect the underlying principles or beliefs associated with the attitude. Stability is more directly influenced by personal relevance, accessibility, and specificity.

Quiz 12: Social Psychology