Question 1

Social facilitation is most likely to occur when individuals

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation occurs when an individual's performance improves because they are in the presence of others. This phenomenon is most likely when the individual has mastered the task, as the presence of others increases arousal, which enhances the execution of well-learned or simple tasks.

Question 2

What did Milgram study?

Accepted Answer

Milgram studied obedience to authority. He conducted an experiment where participants were asked to deliver electric shocks to another person (who was actually a confederate) when they answered questions incorrectly. The shocks increased in intensity with each incorrect answer. Milgram wanted to see how far the participants would go in obeying the authority figure (the experimenter) who told them to continue administering shocks, even when the confederate was in obvious pain and distress. The study showed that a large majority of participants were willing to continue shocking the confederate at dangerously high levels, solely based on the orders of the experimenter.

Question 3

If you're like ___ percent of participants in the original Asch study,you would conform to the incorrect norm on at least once during testing.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If you're like ___ percent of participants...

Question 4

William is a police officer who is instructed by a superior officer to beat a subject in order to obtain a confession.According to research done on obedience,William is more likely to disobey this order if

Accepted Answer

Seeing another police officer refuse to continue beating the subject is likely to increase William's level of disobedience according to the research done on obedience. This is because the act of disobedience by another officer could serve as a model for William to follow and help him realize that it is possible to disobey an unjust order without severe consequences.

Question 5

When Milgram and his team set up several variations of his original study,they found that people were more likely to disobey when

Accepted Answer

In Milgram's variations, one of the factors that increased disobedience was when a confederate acting as another teacher refused to comply. This made the participant feel less alone in their disobedience and gave them a sense of support. The other options did not consistently impact levels of disobedience in the same way.

Question 6

You and your group have had four weeks to complete a group project for your economics class.You are now four days away from the due date,and you and one other group member have been putting in all of the time and effort.The other two members come occasionally to group meetings and do the minimal work required.This unfortunate situation is known as

Accepted Answer

The situation described is an example of social loafing, which occurs when group members do not contribute as much effort as they would if they were working alone. This phenomenon often happens when individual members feel less accountable for their contributions when working in a group setting.

Question 7

Complying with instructions or orders from an individual who is in a position of authority is called

Accepted Answer

Obedience refers to complying with instructions or orders from someone who is in a position of authority. Mimicry refers to copying someone's behavior or actions. Conformity refers to adjusting one's behavior to match the norms and expectations of a group. Groupthink refers to a phenomenon where a group's desire for harmony and conformity results in irrational decision-making.

Question 8

When an individual,who is part of a larger group,puts forth less effort than other group members,________ occurs.

Accepted Answer

Social loafing is the phenomenon where an individual who is part of a larger group puts forth less effort than other group members. It occurs because the individual feels their contribution is less significant and relies on the efforts of others.

Question 9

A group of chemists,who have been working together on a new diet pill for the last four years,meet to discuss their new drug.Over the years,they have all come to respect each other and have formed a close bond.Upon discussing the effectiveness and safety of the diet pill,many members of the group found themselves agreeing with most of the comments that were made.Somewhere along the way,no one seemed to pay much attention to the fact that some of the subjects in the clinical trials of that drug became ill.It seemed that because nobody wanted to disrespect anyone else,the topic of ill subjects was dropped.What psychological phenomenon occurred here?

Accepted Answer

The psychological phenomenon that occurred here is groupthink, which is a phenomenon where a group of individuals prioritize group cohesion and conformity over rational decision-making processes. In this case, the chemists seemed to prioritize their relationships with each other and maintaining group harmony over acknowledging the potential health risks associated with the diet pill. As a result, the topic of ill subjects was not addressed and potentially important information was overlooked.

Question 10

_______ found that normal people in normal times will often follow orders to hurt innocent people.

Accepted Answer

This statement refers to the famous Milgram experiments, in which participants were instructed to administer electric shocks to an innocent person, simply because they were told to by an authority figure. Milgram found that a large majority of participants obeyed these orders, even when it meant causing harm to someone else. Asch, Lewin, and Sherif all conducted important experiments in social psychology, but their findings were not specifically related to obedience to authority.

Question 11

A group member is more likely to engage in social loafing if he or she believes that

Accepted Answer

Social loafing occurs when an individual puts in less effort in a group task because he or she believes that their contribution will not make a significant impact on the group's overall performance. Therefore, choice B is the best answer as it aligns with the motivation for social loafing. The other choices (A, C, and D) do not necessarily align with the reasons for social loafing.

Question 12

Which of the following is a decision-making problem in which group members avoid arguments and strive for agreement?

Accepted Answer

Groupthink is a decision-making problem in which group members avoid arguments and strive for agreement. It occurs when the desire for harmony and cohesiveness trumps critical thinking and sound decision-making, often leading to poor or irrational outcomes.

Question 13

What is the term for an improvement in performance caused by the perception that others are watching?

Accepted Answer

The term for an improvement in performance caused by the perception that others are watching is social facilitation. This effect is sometimes referred to as the "audience effect" and can occur in various settings, such as sports, public speaking, and work environments.

Question 14

Which of the following statements is most likely to contribute to groupthink?

Accepted Answer

Choice C implies a presumption of agreement among members of the group and discourages dissenting opinions, which is a common characteristic of groupthink. The other choices promote open discussion and consideration of differing viewpoints, which would help guard against groupthink.

Question 15

About _______________ of all participants in Milgram's study administered the highest level of shock to the learner.

Accepted Answer

The answer of About _______________ of all participants in Milgram's...

Question 16

A social psychologist has been invited to give a community lecture on the importance of Milgram's research.He asks a social psychology class for suggested titles.Which of the following titles might they suggest as the most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Title B accurately reflects the significance of Milgram's research on obedience to authority. Milgram's experiments demonstrated that people are often willing to obey even harmful and unethical commands if they perceive authority in the person giving the command. This has important implications for understanding social influence and the power of authority in various contexts. The other choices do not capture the essence of Milgram's research in the same way. Choice A suggests that obedience and aggression are innate, which is not the main focus of Milgram's research. Choice C implies that ethics training is a straightforward solution to the problem of obedience, which oversimplifies the complexities of social influence. Choice D is a reference to the foot-in-the-door technique, which is related to but not the main focus of Milgram's research.

Question 17

Marco has been running each afternoon trying to beat his college's record for the 400-metre sprint.Despite all his practising,he hasn't been able to come in under his usual time.There's a big fan turnout for the track meet on Saturday against the rival school and Marco not only beats the old record,but far surpasses it.Marco's behaviour illustrates

Accepted Answer

Marco's improved performance in front of a larger audience suggests social facilitation, which is when people tend to perform better when in the presence of others.

Question 18

Before Stanley Milgram conducted his study on obedience,he asked a number of psychiatrists and psychologists how many people would go all the way to the highest voltage under the instructions of the authority.Milgram found that

Accepted Answer

Milgram found that the experts greatly underestimated how many participants would inflict what they thought were dangerous amounts of shock. In reality, about 65 percent of participants went all the way to the highest voltage under the instructions of the authority.

Question 19

________ can occur when individuals who are part of a group focus on preserving group solidarity at the expense of considering all possible alternatives or even failing to use rational thought in the process.

Accepted Answer

Groupthink occurs when individuals in a group prioritize maintaining group harmony over making effective decisions. This can result in the group disregarding dissenting opinions and failing to fully consider alternatives, leading to poor decision making. Social facilitation refers to the tendency for people to perform better when in the presence of others. Social loafing occurs when individuals in a group exert less individual effort on a task, assuming others will pick up the slack. Group polarization refers to the tendency for a group to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial preferences of individual members.

Question 20

Solomon Asch set up an experiment in which eight people were shown a 10-inch line and then had to choose the line that matched it in length from a choice of three other lines.Through this experiment,Asch was studying

Accepted Answer

Solomon Asch's experiment was studying conformity, which is the tendency for people to conform to the opinions or behaviors of others. The participants in the experiment were shown an obviously correct answer, but when the other people in the room intentionally chose the wrong answer, many participants also chose the wrong answer to conform to the group. This experiment demonstrated the powerful influence of social pressure on individual behavior.

Quiz 13: B: Social Psychology