Question 1

Paulo has always believed that tuition for higher education should be free. However, he has just changed his attitude to be more positive about paying for his education. In order to determine whether this change was the result of cognitive dissonance or self-perception, what would you look for?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory predicts that people experience psychological discomfort when they hold two or more conflicting beliefs. To reduce this discomfort, people may change one of their beliefs or engage in behaviors that support their existing beliefs. In this case, Paulo's change in attitude could be the result of cognitive dissonance if he experienced physiological arousal, such as increased heart rate or sweating, when he realized that his new attitude was inconsistent with his previous belief.

Question 2

As a researcher you approach couples at an amusement park and ask them how much they are in love. Some couples you ask before they get on the roller coaster, and other couples you ask as they get off. You find that people report they are more in love after they get off the roller coaster. How can you explain this?

Accepted Answer

The transfer of excitation theory suggests that arousal from one source can be misattributed to another source. In this case, the excitement from the roller coaster ride may be misattributed to feelings of love.

Question 3

Jan needed a new phone so she went to the phone store where they offered her the latest Samsung for 50 dollars. She agreed to buy the phone. Then they told her that she would have to sign a new contract for 80 dollars a month. Jan has just experienced

Accepted Answer

Lowballing is a technique where an initially attractive offer is made, but then additional costs or conditions are revealed after the person has agreed to the initial offer. Jan agreed to buy the phone at a low price, but then was informed about the expensive contract.

Question 4

You've just heard a new song on the radio. As you listened to it a few more times, you decided that you really liked it. How might we explain this increase in liking?

Accepted Answer

The mere exposure effect suggests that repeated exposure to a stimulus increases our liking for it.

Question 5

In class, you are given the assignment of writing an essay in favour of raising tuition by 30 percent. You do not agree, but have to write the essay. Later if we ask you about your opinion regarding an increase in tuition, you will

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort that arises from holding two contradictory beliefs. In this case, the student initially believes that tuition should not be increased, but is forced to write an essay in favor of it. This creates cognitive dissonance, which the student can resolve by either changing their opinion to match their behavior (favoring an increase) or by strengthening their original belief (becoming even more opposed to an increase). Since the student does not change their opinion, the correct answer is E.

Question 6

Sometimes people will live up to others' stereotypes of their group because of fear and self-consciousness. Why?

Accepted Answer

Stereotype threat refers to the risk of conforming to stereotypes about one's social group, which can lead to anxiety and self-consciousness, causing individuals to inadvertently fulfill those stereotypes.

Question 7

Let's say that you are a pretty good chess player. According to the theory of social facilitation, if an audience watches you play, you should

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation theory suggests that the presence of an audience enhances performance on well-learned or simple tasks, so a good chess player is likely to perform better.

Question 8

You are really frustrated with your boss, but cannot attack her. So you go to the gym and work out for a while. You find that you are less frustrated and no longer want to attack. How can we explain this?

Accepted Answer

Catharsis refers to the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions. By working out, you are releasing your frustration in a non-destructive way, which reduces your desire to attack.

Question 9

In class, you are given the assignment of writing an essay in favour of raising tuition by 30 percent. You do not agree, but freely choose to write on this topic. Later if we ask you about your opinion regarding an increase in tuition, you will

Accepted Answer

When you write an essay in favor of something you initially disagree with, cognitive dissonance may lead you to change your opinion to align with your actions to reduce the discomfort of holding conflicting beliefs.

Question 10

As you are shopping one day, you notice a customer arguing loudly with one of the sales staff. You immediately think that the customer is a rude person. However, you may have just demonstrated the

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency to attribute others' behaviors to their character rather than to situational factors. In this case, assuming the customer is rude without considering the situation is an example of this error.

Question 11

Your best friend asks to borrow $100 until next week. You say no. He then asks if he can borrow $20 and you agree. You have fallen victim to

Accepted Answer

The door-in-the-face technique involves making a large request that is expected to be refused, followed by a smaller request that seems more reasonable by comparison.

Question 12

Jennifer has just signed up for Match in order to find a date. All things being equal, she is likely to choose

Accepted Answer

People tend to be attracted to others who are similar to themselves in terms of attractiveness, a concept known as the matching hypothesis.

Question 13

All of your friends want to go out to the new Sushi restaurant for dinner. You don't. But you decide to go along anyway, even though you would prefer to go to the new steak house. Your behaviour is an example of

Accepted Answer

Your behavior is an example of normative social influence, where you conform to the expectations of your friends to gain social approval or avoid social disapproval, even though it goes against your personal preference.

Question 14

One of your friends is very much against letting more immigrants into the country. He claims any problems they have is their own fault and we should not have to care for them. Your friend's opinion is in line with

Accepted Answer

The just world hypothesis is the belief that people get what they deserve, which aligns with the idea that immigrants' problems are their own fault.

Question 15

Let's say that you are a novice chess player. According to the theory of social facilitation, if an audience watches you play, you should

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation theory suggests that the presence of an audience enhances performance on well-learned tasks but impairs performance on tasks that are not well-learned. As a novice, chess is not a well-learned task for you, so an audience would likely cause you to perform worse.

Question 16

John has been given a lot of information about a stranger. You are about to ask for his impression of this person. In order to decrease the likelihood of a primacy effect, what should you do?

Accepted Answer

Encouraging John to carefully consider all the material helps prevent the primacy effect, where initial information disproportionately influences impressions.

Question 17

If you wanted to increase the level of obedience in a standard Milgram experiment, which of the following would you do?

Accepted Answer

Having a second participant who actually flips the shock switch can increase obedience because it diffuses responsibility, making the teacher feel less personally accountable for the actions.

Question 18

Liam doesn't like the new iPhone. In order for us to make a situational attribution and assume that it really is something about the phone (and not just Liam's opinion), which of the following has to be true?

Accepted Answer

For a situational attribution, all three factors—consistency, consensus, and distinctiveness—should be high, indicating that the dislike is due to the phone itself and not just Liam's opinion.

Question 19

If you do poorly on this exam and conclude that it is really the professor's fault for making the exam too hard, you are basing your explanation on

Accepted Answer

A self-serving bias involves attributing positive outcomes to internal factors and negative outcomes to external factors, such as blaming the professor for a difficult exam.

Question 20

As you drive through an intersection, you notice that a car has been in an accident. You do not stop to help because there are a number of people at the scene, even though no one seems to be doing anything. Why didn't you help?

Accepted Answer

Diffusion of responsibility occurs when individuals in a group setting feel less personal responsibility to take action because they assume others will do so. In this scenario, seeing many people at the scene may lead you to believe that someone else will help, thus you do not stop.

Quiz 13: Behaviour in a Social Context