Question 1

People with authoritarian personalities have unusually strong personality needs for scapegoating and projection.

Accepted Answer

Authoritarian personalities tend to have a strict and rigid view of the world, which leads them to look for simple solutions to complex problems. Scapegoating and projection are common defense mechanisms used by people with authoritarian personalities when they feel threatened or insecure. They blame others for their problems and project their own unacceptable thoughts or feelings onto others.

Question 2

In a study by Sniderman and Piazza (1993)a group of people who were all white, were asked survey questions about whether they thought the government should guarantee equal rights for women and for blacks.They found:
A) That conservatives showed a double standard, being more supportive of equal rights for women than for blacks
B) That liberals were supportive of equal rights for both women and for blacks
C) That both conservatives and liberals showed a double standard, being more supportive of equal rights for women than for blacks
D) That conservatives and liberals supported equal rights for both women and blacks

Accepted Answer

The study found that both conservatives and liberals showed a double standard, being more supportive of equal rights for women than for blacks. This suggests that there was a bias in the participants' attitudes towards race and gender, with a greater emphasis on gender equality over racial equality.

Question 3

Rather than focus on the personality needs of the individual,social scientists who study social learning and conformity as causes of prejudice usually look at:
A) Child rearing practices
B) Mental illness
C) Characteristics of the out-group
D) The social environment

Accepted Answer

Social scientists who study social learning and conformity as causes of prejudice usually focus on the social environment, including cultural norms, institutions, and the media. They examine how individuals learn and adopt prejudiced attitudes and behaviors from their surrounding social contexts. This approach emphasizes the role of socialization and social influence in shaping individuals' beliefs and behaviors towards different groups, rather than individual personality traits or characteristics of the out-group.

Question 4

Anti-Semitism refers to prejudice against Jews.

Accepted Answer

This is the correct definition of Anti-Semitism.

Question 5

Persons in lower socioeconomic groups tend to be:
A) More positive toward out-groups
B) Less ethnocentric
C) Less likely to stereotype
D) More rigid thinkers

Accepted Answer

Persons in lower socioeconomic groups often face more stress and uncertainty, which can lead to more rigid thinking as a coping mechanism. This rigidity can manifest in stronger adherence to stereotypes and ethnocentric views.

Question 6

Adorno found that prejudice is a generalized attitude.

Accepted Answer

Adorno's study on authoritarianism proposed that prejudice is a generalized attitude, meaning it is not specific to one particular group or individual, but rather a tendency to categorize and judge others based on stereotypes and preconceived notions.

Question 7

Which of the following did Asch (1956)find in his studies of conformity?
A) Most people fail to conform even under a great deal of pressure
B) Most people tend to conform to gain or keep the acceptance of others
C) Most people will stick up for what they believe to be true even under extreme pressure to do otherwise
D) Confederates can mess up a research paper

Accepted Answer

Asch found that most people tend to conform to gain or keep the acceptance of others. In his line judgment study, participants conformed to the incorrect judgments of the group approximately one-third of the time. Asch also found that the likelihood of conformity increased as the size of the group increased and as the unanimity of the group increased.

Question 8

One's position in society's ranking system as represented particularly by such criteria as income,education,and occupation is called:
A) Stratification
B) Class
C) Socioeconomic status
D) Prestige

Accepted Answer

Socioeconomic status (SES) refers to one's standing in society based on a combination of factors including income, education, and occupation. It is a measure of both one's economic and social status, as those with higher SES have greater access to resources, opportunities, and social connections.

Question 9

Prejudice is learned through all of the following socialization processes EXCEPT:
A) Modeling
B) Reward and punishment
C) Internalization
D) Socioeconomic status

Accepted Answer

Prejudice is not directly learned through socioeconomic status, although it can be influenced by the attitudes and beliefs of those in higher sociological positions. The other options (modeling, reward and punishment, internalization) are all socialization processes that can contribute to the development of prejudice.

Question 10

When people's ability to engage in complex thinking or thoughtful reflection is increased,people tend to fall back on stereotypes.

Accepted Answer

The statement is contradicted by research. Studies have shown that when people engage in complex thinking, they are more likely to challenge and reject stereotypes, rather than rely on them. This phenomenon is known as stereotype inhibition or stereotype replacement.

Question 11

According to Adorno,which of the following is part of the process by which prejudiced persons develop personality needs for projection and scapegoating?
A) Very lax child rearing practices
B) Being taught in childhood to question authority
C) Inability to release frustration against authority figures who are the source of the frustration
D) Aggression is taken out against those who are high in the individual's ranking system

Accepted Answer

Adorno's theory suggests that prejudiced individuals often cannot express their frustrations towards the actual sources of these frustrations, typically authority figures, due to fear or societal constraints. Instead, they project these frustrations onto safer targets, leading to scapegoating.

Question 12

Which of the following is a reason why people with higher levels of education score lower on most measures of prejudice?
A) They are less able to understand complex ideas and situations
B) They have less tolerance for ambiguity
C) They use prejudice as a way of simplifying reality
D) They are more sophisticated about answering questionnaires

Accepted Answer

People with higher levels of education tend to be more sophisticated about answering questionnaires, which means they may be more aware of the socially desirable responses and thus may appear less prejudiced. This doesn't necessarily mean they are less prejudiced, but they might be better at responding in a way that is perceived as socially acceptable.

Question 13

All stereotypes are negative or derogatory.

Accepted Answer

Not all stereotypes are negative or derogatory. Some stereotypes can be positive or neutral. For example, the stereotype that all Asians are good at math is seen as positive but still a stereotype.

Question 14

Children may initially conform to peer group attitudes that may be prejudiced,merely to get rewards or avoid punishments but eventually they will:
A) Get tired of being forced to think one way and decide on their own beliefs, attitudes or norms about behavior
B) Get tired of this group and find another that fits their beliefs, attitudes and norms about behavior more closely
C) Come to accept as their own the conforming beliefs, attitudes and norms about behavior
D) Become neutral about the prejudices expressed by the group

Accepted Answer

Children may initially conform to peer group attitudes to avoid punishment or gain rewards, but over time, this repeated behavior and exposure can lead to internalization, where they genuinely adopt these attitudes and norms as their own. This process is supported by various psychological theories, including social learning theory, which suggests that people can learn new behaviors by observing others, especially if those behaviors seem to be rewarded.

Question 15

Stereotypes refer to exaggerated beliefs about a category of people.

Accepted Answer

Stereotypes are commonly defined as oversimplified or exaggerated beliefs about a particular group or category of people. These beliefs may be based on a variety of factors, including race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, or other characteristics.

Question 16

Prejudice that meets some personality need is harder to change than that which is due to social learning.

Accepted Answer

Prejudice that fulfills a specific psychological need, such as feeling superior to others, can be deeply ingrained in a person's identity and thus more difficult to change compared to prejudice that is simply a result of social learning or exposure to biased attitudes.

Question 17

Prejudiced people tend to be unconcerned about status.

Accepted Answer

Prejudiced people tend to be very concerned about status, as they often use it as a way to justify their prejudices and maintain a sense of superiority over others.

Question 18

White Americans are more likely to be supportive of equal rights for women (of all races)than of equal rights for black (men and women).

Accepted Answer

White Americans are more likely to support equal rights for women than for black people.

Question 19

Which of the following is true according to social learning theories of prejudice?
A) Adoption of prejudiced attitudes can happen throughout the life-cycle.
B) People who learn prejudice as children will definitely be prejudiced adults
C) People will not conform to prejudice attitudes to gain the acceptance of others
D) Parents must make a conscious effort to pass on their own prejudiced attitudes to their children.

Accepted Answer

Social learning theories suggest that prejudiced attitudes can be adopted throughout the lifespan, not just during childhood. This is because prejudice can be learned through various sources such as media, peers, and personal experiences.

Question 20

Prejudice is overcategorization-it is the tendency to think of everyone in some category in a more or less fixed way.

Accepted Answer

Prejudice involves making assumptions about individuals based on their inclusion in a certain category, without considering their individual differences or unique characteristics. This can lead to overgeneralizations and stereotyping, which can be harmful and hurtful to those who are targeted.

Quiz 2: Prejudice: Its Forms and Causes

People with authoritarian personalities have unusually strong personality needs for scapegoating and projection.

In a study by Sniderman and Piazza (1993) a group of people who were all white, were asked survey questions about whether they thought the government should guarantee equal rights for women and for blacks.They found:

Rather than focus on the personality needs of the individual,social scientists who study social learning and conformity as causes of prejudice usually look at:

Anti-Semitism refers to prejudice against Jews.

Persons in lower socioeconomic groups tend to be:

Adorno found that prejudice is a generalized attitude.

Which of the following did Asch (1956) find in his studies of conformity?

One's position in society's ranking system as represented particularly by such criteria as income,education,and occupation is called:

Prejudice is learned through all of the following socialization processes EXCEPT:

When people's ability to engage in complex thinking or thoughtful reflection is increased,people tend to fall back on stereotypes.

According to Adorno,which of the following is part of the process by which prejudiced persons develop personality needs for projection and scapegoating?

Which of the following is a reason why people with higher levels of education score lower on most measures of prejudice?