Deck 13: Social Psychology

Question 1

Chuck is a highly ambitious graduate student who does not intend to let anything get in the way of excelling in each of his classes and graduating at the top of his class.When he learns that the professor for one of his course modules is an attractive young woman,he opts for a different module.He believes that attractive women cannot be good educators.Chuck's attitude toward attractive women best illustrates

A)altruism.
B)a stereotype.
C)affirmative action.
D)the false consensus effect.

Answer 1

a stereotype.

Question 2

The _____ refers to the tendency of an individual who observes an emergency to help less when other people are present than when the observer is alone.

A)Flynn effect
B)bystander effect
C)audience effect
D)ambiguity effect

Answer 2

bystander effect

Question 3

Both social psychologists and personality psychologists are most likely to focus on

A)solving the problems in society at large.
B)identifying the causes of and developing treatments for mental disorders.
C)understanding and predicting behavior.
D)studying the ways in which human societies,organizations,and institutions work.

Answer 3

understanding and predicting behavior.

Question 4

Mr.and Mrs.Lee warn their new babysitter that their son,Dennis,is very aggressive and mischievous and must be strictly disciplined.As a result,Alison is overstrict with Dennis and does not let him out of her sight.This facilitates Dennis's aggressive and mischievous behavior.This scenario best illustrates

A)the self-fulfilling prophecy.
B)altruism.
C)the false-consensus effect.
D)self-objectification.

Question 5

According to Darley and Latané's five steps to helping in an emergency,the actor must first

A)understand that it is an emergency.
B)take responsibility for aiding the victim.
C)notice the event.
D)know how to help.

Question 6

Felicia tells her mother that she failed the biology test because her professor made the test too difficult.Felicia is attributing her performance to _____ causes.

A)external
B)intuitive
C)stable
D)controllable

Question 7

Identify a true statement about sociology.

A)It is also known as social psychology.
B)It is interested in human social behavior on the group level.
C)It focuses on how individuals socialize in groups.
D)It focuses on how a person's behavior is influenced by others.

Question 8

_____ is the study of how people think about,influence,and relate to other people.

A)Abnormal psychology
B)Social psychology
C)Experimental psychology
D)Clinical psychology

Question 9

The process by which individuals come to understand the causes of others' behavior and form an impression of them as individuals is called

A)attribution.
B)altruism.
C)egoism.
D)ethnocentrism.

Question 10

Maria believes that her roommate did not clean the dirty dishes last night because she was exhausted after an unusually busy day at work.Maria is explaining her roommate's behavior through

A)internal attribution.
B)external attribution.
C)the bystander effect.
D)the false consensus effect.

Question 11

Paula is considered very attractive and receives differential treatment from others.This special treatment helps her develop enhanced social skills and become more self-confident than others Which of the following is exemplified in this case?

A)self-perception theory
B)cognitive dissonance
C)self-fulfilling prophecy
D)bystander effect

Question 12

The processes by which individuals use social stimuli to form impressions of others are referred to as

A)self-perception.
B)cognitive dissonance.
C)person perception.
D)effort justification.

Question 13

In the context of social psychological research,which of the following variables do social psychologists manipulate to draw causal conclusions about its effects on some outcome?

A)measured variable
B)confounding variable
C)explained variable
D)independent variable

Question 14

Unlike sociologists,social psychologists are most likely to focus on

A)the genetic factors that lead to human social behavior.
B)human social behavior on the group level.
C)the immediate social situation to understand what causes people to behave as they do.
D)the systematic functioning of organizations,institutions,and human societies at large.

Question 15

Jeremy,a psychologist,is writing a research paper on how overt racism is replaced by subtle forms of racial microagression.In this case,Jeremy's research paper is most likely to be published in the field of

A)social psychology.
B)clinical psychology.
C)forensic psychology.
D)physiological psychology.

Question 16

Unlike personality psychologists,social psychologists typically focus on

A)a person's capacity for human growth and positive human qualities.
B)a person's traits,characteristics,and motives.
C)the situational factors that lead to behavior.
D)the unconscious aspects of behavior.

Question 17

Hiroko's fifth-grade teacher was disappointed when he performed poorly in math.She believes that Asian students are academically excellent and never perform poorly.In this scenario,the teacher's beliefs best illustrate

A)polarization.
B)stereotyping.
C)altruism.
D)deindividuation.

Question 18

Identify a feature of social psychology.

A)It is connected to real-life events.
B)It solely relies on correlational methods.
C)It primarily deals with diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders.
D)It is a multidimensional approach to human health.

Question 19

Within psychology,social psychology is most closely aligned with

A)clinical psychology.
B)forensic psychology.
C)personality psychology.
D)community psychology.

Question 20

_____ is the tendency of people to attend to and remember what they learned first.

A)Cognitive dissonance
B)Fundamental attribution error
C)Flynn effect
D)Primacy effect

Question 21

Greg yells at his wife.He later apologizes to her and says that he had a rough day at work.According to attribution theory,Greg is attributing his behavior to

A)internal causes.
B)unstable causes.
C)experimental causes.
D)predictable causes.

Question 22

If Cathy blames her history teacher for her poor performance on a history test,she is most likely engaging in

A)self-serving bias.
B)self-objectification.
C)altruism.
D)the false consensus effect.

Question 23

In the context of attribution theory,which of the following best illustrates a stable cause of behavior?

A)A company lays off 10 employees because of economic downturn.
B)A woman,who loves children,breaks up with her boyfriend because he does not want children of his own.
C)A college student is unhappy during the first semester because he is finding his classes difficult.
D)A family is rendered homeless after a tornado destroys their home.

Question 24

Which of the following statements is true of stereotype threat?

A)A person facing stereotype threat usually performs well in any test to prove he or she is better than what is indicated by the stereotype.
B)A person who experiences stereotype threat is well aware of stereotypical expectations for him or her as a member of a group.
C)In stereotype-relevant situations,a person experiences anxiety about exceeding the expectations of others.
D)In stereotype-relevant situations,a person has the tendency to overperform.

Question 25

Gerald,a high school senior,sees another student stumble and drop her books in the hall.If Gerald makes the fundamental attribution error,how would he most likely explain the student's behavior?

A)She must have tripped over something.
B)She is a clumsy person.
C)She had too many books to carry.
D)She was trying to get out of someone's way.

Question 26

Joey and Phillip are high school students in the same class.Joey imitates Phillip's stammer in front of his friends and laughs.When none of his friends comment on his imitation,Joey assumes that they find Phillip's stammer funny as well.This scenario best exemplifies the _____ effect.

A)false consensus
B)bystander
C)group polarization
D)mere exposure

Question 27

Fiona was late for her friend's wedding because her flight was delayed due to bad weather conditions. According to attribution theory,the outcome in this case is attributed to a(n)

A)stable cause.
B)internal cause.
C)independent cause.
D)uncontrollable cause.

Question 28

Jane attends a quiz competition and bags the first prize.According to self-serving bias,she is most likely to attribute her success to

A)the difficulty level of the questions.
B)fluke.
C)her intelligence.
D)the poor performance of other contenders.

Question 29

Rachel's new roommate,Berta,has not done laundry for an entire week.Her clothes are lying all over their room.This leads Rachel to assume that Berta is an untidy and undisciplined person.What Rachel does not know is that Berta is currently taking finals and working 40 hours per week.In the context of social cognition,Rachel is primarily _____ while explaining Berta's behavior.

A)using social comparison
B)making a fundamental attribution error
C)using the self-serving bias
D)relying on the false consensus effect

Question 30

Lauren is watching a live golf tournament on television and sees a golfer frown after he makes his shot.Lauren would make the fundamental attribution error if she assumed that the golfer

A)just missed a putt.
B)has a volatile personality.
C)was thrown off by the flash of a camera.
D)thought it looked like it would rain.

Question 31

Daniel scores a century in a cricket match.According to self-serving bias,Daniel is most likely to attribute his success to

A)his coach.
B)his parents.
C)his luck.
D)his ability.

Question 32

Kaylee is in her car at a traffic light waiting for the light to turn green.Just as it does,a man driving a red truck goes speeding past Kaylee and just about misses crashing into her car.Kaylee abuses him and thinks to herself that his license should be revoked.What Kaylee does not know is that the truck's breaks have failed.In this scenario,Kaylee is demonstrating _____ while attempting to explain the man's behavior.

A)explicit racism
B)the fundamental attribution error
C)the mere exposure effect
D)consensual validation

Question 33

The _____ effect refers to individuals overestimating the degree to which other individuals think or act the way they do.

A)mere exposure
B)bystander
C)group polarization
D)false consensus

Question 34

In a recent softball game,Cindy misplayed a ground ball,which was scored as an error,causing her team to lose the game.According to the self-serving bias,Cindy is likely to reason that she misplayed because

A)she is not a good player.
B)of her low involvement in the game.
C)she did not train well.
D)of a bad bounce.

Question 35

Carlos,a manager,wants to meet his team members-Megan,Aisha,Chang,and Jake-at 9.00 a.m.the following day.Aisha turns up 15 minutes late for the meeting.In this scenario,who among the following is committing the fundamental attribution error?

A)Megan,who thinks Aisha must have had a busy morning
B)Chang,who thinks Aisha has a laid-back attitude toward work
C)Carlos,who thinks Aisha was late because of heavy traffic
D)Jake,who thinks Aisha was late because she had to drop her children at school

Question 36

Despite evidence to the contrary,Denise thinks she is smarter than most of the people in her class.Denise's unfounded attitude about herself is an example of a(n)

A)positive illusion.
B)altruistic idea.
C)fundamental attribution error.
D)stereotype.

Question 37

Kiara,a high school student,is an avid supporter of the practice of meditation and yoga.She starts a school club for yoga and meditation thinking there are many students like her who believe in the health benefits of such practices.On the contrary,only a few students share her beliefs and join the club.Which of the following is best exemplified in this scenario?

A)the group polarization effect
B)the mere exposure effect
C)the fundamental attribution error
D)the false consensus effect

Question 38

Joseph does exceptionally well in his math exam.Which of the following represents an internal attribution as an explanation for Joseph's good performance?

A)his hard work
B)an easy test
C)his good luck
D)a good teacher

Question 39

Sally is very intelligent and has a great personality.However,she has always seen herself as unattractive and,as a result,is often depressed.Sally's depression is most likely facilitated by feelings of

A)egoism.
B)altruism.
C)social contagion.
D)self-objectification.

Question 40

Mary is a very shy young woman.She wants to buy a dress to wear at a friend's wedding.Mary tries on many dresses but does not buy any of them because she feels that they all will make her attract too much attention from the opposite sex.In this scenario,Mary is giving into the feeling of

A)altruism.
B)egoism.
C)self-objectification.
D)social contagion.

Question 41

Which of the following statements is true of social comparison?

A)When engaging in social comparison,people try to act like others and lose their true identity.
B)Social comparison provides distinctive characteristics of a person and helps in building an identity.
C)In downward social comparison,people consider themselves to be inferior and compare themselves to people superior to them.
D)Social comparison is an individual's fast-acting,self-fulfilling fear of being judged based on a negative stereotype about his or her group.

Question 42

Juanita returned home after being away for several years.When she saw her father,whom she thought she disliked,she hugged him and cried.Based on her behavior when she met him,she determined that she must like him more than she thought.This is most consistent with the _____ of attitudes.

A)evolutionary theory
B)social learning theory
C)self-perception theory
D)social identity theory

Question 43

Chelsea is a chain-smoker.She plans to stop smoking because she knows that smoking will harm her health.In this scenario,Chelsea is trying to change her behavior to fit her attitude,which will most likely reduce her

A)consensual validation.
B)cognitive dissonance.
C)prejudice.
D)egoism.

Question 44

Hugh buys a new calculator for $125 from the PaperMills stationery store.A week later,he sees an ad from another stationery store,StationMax,selling the same calculator for $65.Hugh feels guilty about having wasted so much money on the calculator but justifies his action by saying that StationMax items are always of poor quality.In the context of attitudes,Hugh's statement reflects an attempt to reduce his

A)cognitive dissonance.
B)self-perception.
C)informational influence.
D)absentmindedness.

Question 45

Kylie knows that excessive drinking can adversely affect her health.Every time she engages in binge drinking,she tells herself that all her friends who binge drink seem healthy.In this scenario,Kylie is attempting to reduce

A)cognitive dissonance.
B)her altruistic behavior.
C)the fundamental attribution error.
D)her egoistic attitude.

Question 46

In the context of attitudes,_____ theory contends that behaviors can influence attitudes.

A)self-perception
B)self-efficacy
C)social identity
D)social comparison

Question 47

Kate takes the bus to work every day.She envies those who have their own car.Which of the following is best exemplified in this scenario?

A)social loafing
B)self-serving bias
C)upward social comparison
D)the fundamental attribution error

Question 48

Teresa asks herself whether she is as popular as Cathy.This question is an example of gaining self-knowledge through the process of

A)mere exposure.
B)effort justification.
C)reciprocity.
D)social comparison.

Question 49

Gary's mother tells him that he must complete his homework before he goes out to play.Gary does not like to disobey his mother,but he really wants to play.He tells himself that he can disobey his mother just this one time without feeling guilty as she has been mean to him lately.In this scenario,Gary changes his attitude to fit his behavior to reduce _____.

A)social contagion.
B)cognitive dissonance.
C)deindividuation.
D)egoism.

Question 50

Gregory is asked to perform a series of difficult and embarrassing tasks as initiation rites to a secret fraternity in his university.As a result of enduring these tasks,he is extremely loyal toward the fraternity.This strong group loyalty that Gregory feels is best explained by the concept of

A)positive illusions.
B)deindividuation.
C)effort justification.
D)social loafing.

Question 51

_____ are people's opinions and beliefs about other people,objects,and ideas-how they feel about the world.

A)Attributions
B)Traits
C)Attitudes
D)Skills

Question 52

Which of the following is proposed by self-perception theory?

A)Behavior can change and influence the attitude of a person.
B)A person's attitude is always constant,while the behavior can change.
C)Individuals make inferences about their behavior by assessing their attitude.
D)Individuals' attitudes determine their behavior.

Question 53

According to studies over the past half-century,which of the following is a condition under which a person's attitude will guide his or her actions?

A)when the person shows a lack of awareness about the attitude
B)when the person has a vested interest in the issue
C)when the person has not practiced activities supporting the attitude
D)when the person's attitude is positive but weak

Question 54

Unlike cognitive dissonance theory,self-perception theory states that

A)individuals are motivated toward consistency between their attitudes and behavior.
B)attitudes can change behavior.
C)behavior can change attitudes.
D)individuals make inferences about their attitudes by observing their behavior.

Question 55

According to the cognitive dissonance theory,when attitudes and behavior conflict,individuals are most likely to reduce cognitive dissonance by

A)changing their attitudes to fit the behavior.
B)moving on to a different task.
C)ignoring theconflict.
D)consulting others.

Question 56

_____ means coming up with a rationale for the amount of work a person puts into getting something,typically by increasing the value associated with things that are difficult to attain.

A)Conceptual validation
B)Effort justification
C)Informational social influence
D)Self-perception

Question 57

Zephyr is Nadia's favorite clothing brand.Recently,Zephyr was involved in a scandal for using child labor. Despite knowing about the scandal,Nadia continues to shop at Zephyr.This makes her feel uneasy as she is against child labor.In this scenario,Nadia's feeling of uneasiness is best explained by the concept of

A)the exposure effect.
B)cognitive dissonance.
C)self-objectification.
D)the consensus effect.

Question 58

An individual's psychological discomfort caused by two inconsistent thoughts is known as

A)mere exposure.
B)egoism.
C)cognitive dissonance.
D)prejudice.

Question 59

_____ is the process by which an individual evaluates his or her thoughts,feelings,behaviors,and abilities in relation to others.

A)Social contagion
B)Social facilitation
C)Social comparison
D)Social loafing

Question 60

Freddy and his girlfriend fight often.As a result,he is stressed out most of the time and laments about his relationship with his friends.He realizes that the relationship makes him unhappy and that he no longer likes his girlfriend.He decides to break up with his girlfriend.Which of the following theories best explains the connection between Freddy's attitude and his behavior in this scenario?

A)social exchange theory
B)social identity theory
C)self-perception theory
D)cognitive dissonance theory

Question 61

Paula tumbles down the steps and twists her ankle.Parker,a passerby,stops to help Paula.He helps her to her car and drives her to the hospital so that she gets immediate treatment.Once she is with the doctor,he leaves,leaving Paula with no way to contact him.In the context of prosocial behavior,Parker has best demonstrated

A)egoism.
B)altruism.
C)reciprocity.
D)prejudice.

Question 62

_____ helps individuals to resist persuasion.

A)Conformity
B)Inoculation
C)Proximity
D)Groupthink

Question 63

According to the elaboration likelihood model,the _____ route involves factors such as the source's attractiveness or the emotional power of an appeal.

A)parallel
B)peripheral
C)central
D)systematic

Question 64

In the context of prosocial behaviors,which of the following is an accurate description of egoism?

A)Egoism involves helping others so that they may return the favor.
B)Egoism involves helping another person to avoid guilt.
C)Egoism involves helping another person in order to appear powerful.
D)All of these.

Question 65

Which of the following is a similarity between the cognitive dissonance theory and self-perception theory?

A)Both theories suggest that behavior can change attitudes.
B)Both theories suggest that when attitude changes,behavior changes too.
C)Both theories suggest that attitude remains constant while behavior changes.
D)Both theories suggest that individuals should changetheir behavior to fit their attitude.

Question 66

Random acts of kindness,such as helping a visually impaired person cross the street,are examples of

A)obedience behaviors.
B)inoculation.
C)discrimination.
D)prosocial behaviors.

Question 67

Twelve-year-old Ryan's father returns from work tired.Ryan wants his father to take him to his favorite movie,which starts in an hour.Which route of persuasion should Ryan attempt to obtain the highest rate of success?

A)the central route
B)the peripheral route
C)the egotistic route
D)the altruistic route

Question 68

Which of the following is a difference between the central and peripheral routes to persuasion?

A)The central route is effective when people have the ability and the motivation to pay attention,while the peripheral route is not.
B)The central route involves factors like the source's attractiveness and emotional power,while the peripheral route involves logical arguments.
C)The central route uses short presentations that require very little time,while the peripheral route uses detailed presentations.
D)The central route is more often used by television advertisers as compared to the peripheral route.

Question 69

Betty sent Christmas cards to everyone in her address book and received Christmas cards in return from most of the recipients.This result is consistent with the social behavior known as

A)reciprocity.
B)inoculation.
C)altruism.
D)ethnocentrism.

Question 70

The advertising committee for a politician is going door to door and asking people to place a big,unattractive election sign on their lawns.Assuming that most people will refuse at first,the advertising committee is prepared to ask them to place a small sign on their lawns instead,which is the actual plan.Which strategy for successful persuasion is the advertising committee using in this scenario?

A)the foot-in-the-door strategy
B)the door-in-the-face strategy
C)the inoculation technique
D)the negative appeal approach

Question 71

Unlike the foot-in-the-door strategy of persuasion,the door-in-the-face technique involves

A)quoting a price lower than the intended price for an item or service,and then stating the intended price.
B)making the biggest pitch first,and then making a smaller demand.
C)creating a relationship with a customer by getting the customer to agree first with a small offer.
D)using the principle of inoculation.

Question 72

Which of the following statements is true of the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion?

A)The central route is effective when people lack the time or energy to think about the message.
B)The central route works by engaging the audience thoughtfully with a sound,logical argument.
C)The central route involves factors such as the source's attractiveness or the emotional power of an appeal.
D)The central route is often used by television advertisers to persuade the viewers into buying their products.

Question 73

Allison is attending a seminar where the presenter is attempting to persuade people to make a rather risky but potentially profitable financial investment.The presenter provides a rational and factual explanation for why the investment is profitable,even though there are risks involved.Alison finds the presenter's idea compelling and decides to invest.The way the presenter persuades Allison to invest exemplifies

A)the fundamental attribution error.
B)cognitive dissonance theory.
C)the central route to persuasion.
D)the foot-in-the-door technique.

Question 74

Caroline has volunteered to work with the underprivileged children who are participants in her professor's literacy project.She is hoping that her professor will take this into consideration when calculating her grades.In this scenario,Caroline is demonstrating an expectation of

A)prejudice.
B)reciprocity.
C)false consensus.
D)inoculation.

Question 75

Mariam provides food for the homeless every Sunday.She does this without expecting praise or anything in return.In this case,Mariam is most likely engaging in

A)obedient behavior.
B)impulsive behavior.
C)altruistic behavior.
D)stereotypical behavior.

Question 76

According to Carl Hovland,which of the following is NOT an element of persuasion?

A)communicator
B)audience
C)intention
D)message

Question 77

The _____ identifies two pathways of persuasion-a central route and a peripheral route.

A)extended transportation-imagery model
B)extended parallel process model
C)heuristic-systematic model
D)elaboration likelihood model

Question 78

Which of the following statements is true of the various elements of persuasion?

A)Dissimilarity is a credibility characteristic that helps a communicator change people's attitudes.
B)Television is generally a more powerful medium than print sources for changing attitudes.
C)Younger people are less likely to change their attitudes than older ones.
D)Individuals with strong attitudes are more easily persuaded than those with weak ones.

Question 79

Samuel walks up to Katie and asks if she would be willing to wear a ribbon to show support for his cause.Though the ribbon is unattractive,it is small,so Katie agrees to wear it.Once Katie has agreed to this request,Samuel asks her if she would be willing to make a donation of $15 to his cause.Katie cannot refuse because she feels that Samuel is relying on her.In the context of persuasion,this scenario best demonstrates the _____ technique.

A)door-in-the-face
B)inoculation
C)deindividuation
D)foot-in-the-door

Question 80

In the context of persuasion,attempts at persuasion may be more difficult when

A)the audience has a weak attitude.
B)the audience is younger.
C)a source has a vested interest in the message.
D)a source has too much power.