Question 1

According to the text, which type of person is likely to increase social loafing?

Accepted Answer

People who are diligent isolates, meaning they prefer to work alone and do not value group collaboration, are more likely to engage in social loafing.

Question 2

Barbara is working on a group project for her history class and is not happy. She thinks the rest of her group members are total flakes and slackers. As a matter of fact, rather than being a fool and getting taken advantage of, Barbara decides to slack off herself rather than do any work. Which explanation for why social loafing occurs best fits this example?

Accepted Answer

The sucker effect explains Barbara's behavior, as she decides to reduce her effort to avoid feeling exploited or like a "sucker" for working hard when others are not.

Question 3

Which theory states that is it the second or third member who is added to a group who exerts the greatest influence on group conformity?

Accepted Answer

The Social Influence Model posits that it is not the first member added to a group, but rather the second or third, who has the most significant impact on group conformity. This model emphasizes the dynamics of how influence is distributed and shifts within a group as new members join.

Question 4

An example of a symbol is

Accepted Answer

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. The word "chicken" is a symbol because it represents the concept or idea of a chicken, rather than being the chicken itself.

Question 5

Deindividuation best explains why

Accepted Answer

Deindividuation is the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint that can occur in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity. This can lead to a sense of anonymity and a loss of accountability, which can result in mob psychology taking over.

Question 6

Reference groups are all of the following except

Accepted Answer

Reference groups are typically groups that we identify with or aspire towards in terms of behaviors, attitudes, or lifestyles. They can also be groups that we reference for information on trends or opinions, but they are not typically groups that are unlike us or who tell us what to think or do.

Question 7

The _________ meaning of a word is the dictionary definition of that word, whereas the _______ meaning of a word refers to the thoughts and emotions the word conjures up.

Accepted Answer

The denotative meaning is the dictionary definition of a word, while the connotative meaning refers to the emotions and associations that word evokes. The other answer choices are not accurate descriptions of the meanings of a word.

Question 8

Which of the following has not been used to explain why group polarization occurs?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following has not been...

Question 9

The fact that people working in a group do not expend as much effort as they do when working alone is known as

Accepted Answer

Social loafing refers to the phenomenon where individuals exert less effort in a group setting than when working alone. This occurs because individuals feel less accountable and responsible for the outcome of the task when there are others to share the responsibility with. Conformity refers to the tendency of individuals to adjust their beliefs and behaviors to align with the group norms. Deindividuation refers to the loss of self-awareness and individual identity that can occur in group settings, leading to a reduction in inhibitions and an increase in impulsive behaviors. Group polarization refers to the tendency of group discussion to intensify the initial attitudes and opinions of group members.

Question 10

A girl tells her mom, "But all the other kids are doing it." This phrase illustrates:

Accepted Answer

The phrase "But all the other kids are doing it" is an example of social proof, which is the tendency to conform to the behavior of others in a given situation. This is often seen in children and adolescents who may feel pressure to conform to their peers in order to fit in or be accepted.

Question 11

One study found that females in a cafeteria line were more likely to select a dessert if:

Accepted Answer

The study suggests that individuals are influenced by the choices of those directly in front of them, indicating a social or behavioral influence in decision-making.

Question 12

Mai was not accepted into the chess club. Although she knew that they often stole food from the cafeteria for snacks, she still wanted them to notice her and ask her to join. This is an example of the effects of

Accepted Answer

Mai's desire to be accepted by the chess club despite their negative behavior towards stealing food from the cafeteria suggests that she is experiencing a negative consequence of ostracism, or being excluded from a social group.

Question 13

The stage at which cult members demonstrate their allegiance by abandoning their careers or their academic goals, donate their possessions to the cult, and begin to recruit members, is termed the

Accepted Answer

The stage described in the question is the consolidation stage, as it involves members fully committing to the cult and beginning to actively recruit others while severing ties with previous commitments and possessions. The other options (internalization, softening-up, and compliance) do not fully capture the specific actions and behaviors described in the question.

Question 14

People often go along with the group, even if they think the group is wrong, because they want to be liked and accepted. This is known as:

Accepted Answer

Normative influence is the social pressure that arises from the desire to be accepted and liked by a group. It involves conforming to the norms and values of the group, even if one disagrees with them. Informational influence, on the other hand, is the influence that the group's opinions or beliefs have on an individual's perception or judgment. Epistemological weighting refers to how individuals assign credibility or truthfulness to different sources of information. Autokinetic effect is an optical illusion where a stationary object appears to move.

Question 15

Groups sometimes make bad decisions because members engage in consensus seeking and simply reinforce one another's opinions, rather than questioning or disagreeing. This is known as:

Accepted Answer

Groupthink is the phenomenon where group members tend to conform to the group's norms and values, resulting in flawed decision-making. The group members may suppress dissenting opinions to maintain harmony and consensus within the group. This often leads to the adoption of overly optimistic or risky decisions. The other options - Communication Accommodation Theory, Group Locomotion Hypothesis, and Social Impact Theory - are not related to this phenomenon.

Question 16

Which of the following is true of social facilitation?

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation is the phenomenon where the presence of others improves our performance on simple or well-learned tasks, but hinders our performance on complex or novel tasks. This is because the presence of others increases our arousal level, which can help us focus and perform better on simple tasks, but can lead to distractions and anxiety on complex tasks. The other options are not true of social facilitation - the presence of others does not necessarily lead to unethical or ethical behavior, and it does not necessarily improve performance on complex tasks.

Question 17

The epistemological weighting hypothesis suggests that _________ and _________ knowledge compete with one another when an individual's view differs from the group's view.

Accepted Answer

The epistemological weighting hypothesis suggests that personal and social knowledge compete with one another when an individual's view differs from the group's view. Personal knowledge is the individual's own unique thoughts or experiences, while social knowledge is the shared beliefs or values of the group. When these two types of knowledge conflict, individuals may rely more heavily on one over the other, and this can impact how they respond to the group's view.

Question 18

Dania is at a party with some of her sorority sisters. Biff walks in and begins to dance like a chicken. Since Dania and the rest of her sorority sisters did not want to be left out, they began to dance like chickens as well. This example best illustrates the influence of which communication characteristic(s) on conformity?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dania is at a party with some...

Question 19

________________ suggests one of the ways individuals determine their identities and also explains the influence of others on individuals to stop certain behaviors and increase conformity.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ________________ suggests one of the ways individuals...

Question 20

Dominic and his close companions are featured on a game show where travelers are asked questions in exchange for cash prizes. Dominic does not know the answer to a question but fears to be incorrect, so he relies on the group he is traveling with to make the decision for him. This best illustrates

Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of informational influence, where an individual turns to their group to seek information and use their knowledge to make a decision when they are uncertain.

Quiz 1: Why Study Persuasion