Question 1

Katelyn tells her friends that her father won't let her go with them to the movies.She explains that his overly protective behavior is the result of a bad week at work.This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Katelyn is trying to explain or attribute her father's behavior to the bad week at work. She is not referring to any personality trait or disposition of her father. This is an example of an attribution, which involves explaining someone's behavior in terms of the situation rather than their disposition.

Question 2

Students were told to write an essay about a tough-looking male "skinhead." Group A was told not to let their stereotypes about skinheads influence them.Group B was told nothing.Each student was later brought into a room with eight empty chairs.The first chair had a jacket draped over it that supposedly belonged to a skinhead.Group A students sat farther away from the jacket than did group B students.These events probably happened because:

Accepted Answer

Group A was likely actively suppressing their skinhead stereotype, which may have led to a rebound effect where the stereotype became more salient, causing them to distance themselves from the jacket in an effort to disconfirm the stereotype. This phenomenon is known as stereotype activation.

Question 3

Which technique has been shown to be MOST effective at reducing the negative automatic stereotypes of African Americans?

Accepted Answer

Reading stories of Blacks who defy stereotypes has been shown to be effective in reducing negative automatic stereotypes by providing counter-stereotypical examples that challenge and broaden existing perceptions.

Question 4

When a person clearly disconfirms an observer's stereotype,the observer may create a new subcategory in order to retain the stereotype.This behavior is called:

Accepted Answer

This behavior is called subtyping, where a person creates a new subcategory of the stereotype in order to account for the disconfirmation of the initial stereotype. This allows them to maintain a more general belief in the stereotype while accounting for the exceptions they have observed. Stereotype plasticity refers to the ability of stereotypes to change over time or in response to new information. Cognitive dissonance refers to the discomfort that arises from holding two conflicting beliefs or ideas. Flex-typing is not a recognized term in psychology or social science.

Question 5

Major league umpires are 10% less likely to mistakenly call a ball a strike,and thus benefit the pitcher,when the pitcher is:

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that major league umpires are less likely to mistakenly call a ball a strike, which benefits the pitcher, when the pitcher is Black. This phenomenon has been attributed to various factors, including unconscious biases and efforts to ensure fairness and equality in the game.

Question 6

Barbara realizes that she is clutching her purse tightly when she passes a Black man on the street and gets angry at herself for doing so.Yet,she cannot stop this behavior since it happens:

Accepted Answer

The behavior of clutching her purse tightly happens automatically, which means it occurs without conscious thought. The other options do not fully capture the nature of the behavior described.

Question 7

Which statement BEST describes the concept of stereotype threat?

Accepted Answer

Stereotype threat refers to the phenomenon where individuals who belong to a group that is negatively stereotyped can experience anxiety and underperformance in situations where they believe their performance will be evaluated based on the stereotype. This is because the individual may feel pressure to confirm the negative stereotype, leading to self-doubt and anxiety. Choice A refers to the self-fulfilling prophecy, while choices C and D are related to stereotypes but not specifically to stereotype threat.

Question 8

Stereotypes often cannot be avoided,even if we try to correct for them,because they happen:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Stereotypes often cannot be avoided,even if we...

Question 9

Studies using the _____ reveal that Whites more easily pair White faces with positive terms and Black faces with negative terms.

Accepted Answer

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a widely used tool to measure implicit biases, and it has been used to study racial biases. Studies using this test have shown that Whites tend to more easily pair White faces with positive terms and Black faces with negative terms, which suggests a bias towards Whites and against Blacks. Choices A, B, and D are not relevant to this topic.

Question 10

Bob is prejudiced against homosexuals.His best friend,Walter,is gay,but Bob says,"But he's different from the others." This rationalization is an illustration of:

Accepted Answer

The rationalization that Walter is different from other homosexuals because he is Bob's friend is an example of subtyping, which is the process of creating a new category for individuals who do not fit an existing stereotype, in order to maintain the original stereotype.

Question 11

Inferences about the causes of people's behavior are termed:

Accepted Answer

The term used to describe inferences about the causes of people's behavior is attributions. Stereotypes are preconceived beliefs about a certain group of people, deductions are logical conclusions based on evidence, and inductions are reasoning from specific observations to general principles.

Question 12

Black and White participants were shown pictures for less than 1 second of White and Black men carrying either guns or cameras.Participants were instructed to "shoot" the men carrying guns by pressing a button.What were the results of the study?

Accepted Answer

This study, reflecting on implicit racial biases, found that both White and Black participants were more likely to mistake a camera for a gun when it was held by a Black man, indicating that both groups harbored biases that influenced their split-second decisions.

Question 13

Ms.Campbell is a fifth-grade teacher who wishes to reduce the undesirable effects of negative stereotypes against African Americans.Which strategy would be MOST effective?

Accepted Answer

Providing examples of African Americans who defy stereotypes can help to challenge and break down negative stereotypes in the minds of students. This can also help to create positive representations and perceptions of African American individuals which can have a long-term impact on reducing negative stereotypes and biases.

Question 14

When data analysis revealed to a professor that he unknowingly graded essays written by Black students slightly more critically than he did those written by White students,the professor adopted a new policy where he graded all essays with no knowledge of who wrote them.Prior to this intervention,the Professor was exhibiting a(n)_____ stereotype.

Accepted Answer

The professor's behavior was based on an unconscious and automatic stereotype, as revealed by the data analysis. This means that he was not intentionally or consciously grading Black students more critically, but rather his bias was operating at an automatic level outside of his awareness. The intervention of grading essays blindly was aimed at minimizing the influence of this implicit bias.

Question 15

Which statement about stereotypes is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

This statement is false because the undesirable consequences of stereotypes are not inevitable. While stereotyping can lead to negative actions and attitudes, individuals can work to recognize and challenge their own biases, as well as educate themselves on the harmful impacts of stereotypes. Therefore, it is not inevitable that stereotypes always lead to negative consequences.

Question 16

Police officers received specialized training to reduce the effects of stereotypes on their job performance.Then,they were shown pictures for less than 1 second of White and Black men carrying either guns or cameras.The officers were instructed to "shoot" the men carrying guns by pressing a button.Compared with officers who did not receive the specialized training,the officers who did receive the training:

Accepted Answer

The officers who received the specialized training were less likely to shoot Black men carrying cameras, indicating that the training did have an effect on reducing the effects of stereotypes. However, it still took longer for them to determine that the held object was a camera if the suspect was Black relative to White, suggesting that some level of implicit bias still persisted. Option A is incorrect as there was a reduction in the likelihood of shooting Black men carrying cameras. Option C is incorrect as it implies that the officers were able to quickly discriminate guns versus cameras for both races, which is not indicated in the text. Option D is incorrect as there is no evidence of overcompensation.

Question 17

Suppose that students were given two tests.Before the tests,students were told that men usually do better than women do on test A but not on test B.Which set of results would be predicted by the literature on stereotype threats?

Accepted Answer

This is the predicted result of stereotype threat, where women perform more poorly on the test where they are told that men perform better than women (test A), but perform equally as well as men on the test where there is no stereotype threat (test B).

Question 18

When Jimmy was growing up,his parents frequently told him he was "no good" and wouldn't amount to anything.Jimmy grew up to be a bitter,angry,destructive adult.His parents said,"We always knew this would happen." This result is an example of:

Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of the self-fulfilling prophecy. Jimmy's parents' belief that he was "no good" and wouldn't amount to anything likely influenced the way they treated and interacted with him, which ultimately impacted his development and behavior. This illustrates how our beliefs and expectations can influence the outcome of a situation.

Question 19

People are often not aware of the stereotypes they are using,which BEST illustrates the fact that stereotypes often occur:

Accepted Answer

The fact that people are often not aware of the stereotypes they are using indicates that the use of stereotypes often occurs unconsciously, meaning without conscious awareness or intention.

Question 20

Specialized training can help people to:

Accepted Answer

Specialized training can help individuals learn strategies to prevent stereotypes from influencing their behavior, though it may not always eliminate the use of stereotypes or change them from automatic to willed responses.

Quiz 13: Social Psychology-Part A