Question 1

People who hold a minority view tend to change the majority opinion through

Accepted Answer

When someone holds a minority view, they tend to change the majority opinion through informational social influence, which occurs when people conform because they believe that others' interpretation of an ambiguous situation is more accurate or informed than theirs. The individual with the minority opinion may provide new or alternative information that is persuasive and causes the majority members to rethink their current viewpoint. Normative social influence, public compliance, guilt, and shame are less likely to be effective ways for the minority view to change the majority opinion.

Question 2

According to the textbook, conformity can be beneficial for society because it can

Accepted Answer

All of the above options are correct according to the textbook. Conformity can free us from having to deliberate about every possible action, it can eliminate potential conflict, and it can lead to smoother social interactions.

Question 3

John is a mathematics graduate student, whereas Lisa is a local celebrity.Although both John and Lisa are likely to have some increased ability to elicit conformity from others, Lisa is more likely to influence conformity through

Accepted Answer

Lisa is more likely to influence conformity through normative social influence because she is a local celebrity and people may want to conform to her behavior and expectations in order to fit in or gain approval. John's status as a graduate student does not necessarily imply social power or influence.

Question 4

Roxanne is exerting significant social influence on Christian in an attempt to get her way.In exerting social influence, Roxanne is attempting to bring about changes in Christian's ____________ through her comments, actions, or mere presence.

Accepted Answer

Social influence is the attempt to bring about changes in a person's attitudes, beliefs, feelings, and/or behavior through comments, actions, or mere presence. As such, all of these factors (attitudes, beliefs, feelings, and behavior) are potential targets of social influence. While feelings and behavior may be more directly observable, attitudes and beliefs can also be influenced through various communication strategies, such as persuasive arguments, emotional appeals, and social norms.

Question 5

If you decide to buy new clothes that fit the latest fashion trend just to blend in with others, you are responding to ___________ conformity pressures.

Accepted Answer

Implicit conformity pressures refer to the subtle, often unspoken pressures to conform to the behaviors, attitudes, or standards of a group without direct commands or requests. Buying clothes to blend in with others is an example of adapting to these unspoken social norms or trends.

Question 6

Janet is afraid she will conform to the majority opinion at an upcoming meeting about a dorm curfew.Research suggests that to avoid this fate, Janet should

Accepted Answer

Having an ally can provide social support and reduce the pressure to conform to the majority opinion.

Question 7

Gerald has been spending a good deal of time reading about elderly nursing-home patients, their ailments, and the physical decline that they experience.When he returns home, his wife comments that Gerald is walking slowly and seems to be stooped over, as though he were physically weaker.Gerald has probably been influenced by

Accepted Answer

Gerald's behavior is likely influenced by ideomotor action, where merely thinking about a behavior can lead to its automatic enactment, such as walking slowly after reading about physical decline.

Question 8

Going into a group meeting at work, you are concerned that once again you will end up conforming to the rest of the group on decisions that are made.Which of the following would NOT be a factor in influencing whether you would conform?

Accepted Answer

Understanding why the group opinion differs from yours would not influence whether you would conform.

Question 9

Compared with people who are reared in independent cultures, people who are reared in interdependent cultures are ____________ susceptible to ____________.

Accepted Answer

People who are reared in interdependent cultures tend to value group harmony and are more likely to conform to the opinions and behaviors of others, making them more susceptible to both informational (conforming to gain accurate information) and normative (conforming to gain social acceptance) social influence.

Question 10

Mike will be more likely to agree with the recommendations of others on the best tax-preparation company to use, a matter about which he knows little, because people are particularly susceptible to informational social influence when they

Accepted Answer

People are more likely to be influenced by others when they are uncertain, as they may not have enough knowledge or expertise to make an informed decision on their own. In the case of tax-preparation companies, Mike may not know much about the different options available, which could make him more open to suggestions from others.

Question 11

The main difference between compliance and obedience is that obedience occurs in response to

Accepted Answer

Obedience involves following orders or instructions from someone in a position of authority or power, whereas compliance is more about agreeing to a request from someone without necessarily having authority over you.

Question 12

Research on gender and conformity shows that compared with women, men are

Accepted Answer

The answer of Research on gender and conformity shows that...

Question 13

Hank attends a focus group where he and five other men are asked to rate each of three lawn mowers.Hank knows a lot about lawn mowers.He is certain that lawn mower A is superior and deserves the highest rating.However, the rest of the men say that lawn mower B is the best.If Hank ends up publicly agreeing with the rest of the group, he has probably succumbed to

Accepted Answer

Hank is likely succumbing to normative social influence, which occurs when a person conforms to the expectations of a social group to gain acceptance or avoid rejection. In this case, Hank may feel pressured to agree with the group in order to fit in and avoid being seen as an outsider. This is different from informational social influence, which occurs when a person conforms because they believe the group is providing accurate information or guidance.

Question 14

Which of the following is the best example of normative social influence?

Accepted Answer

Normative social influence occurs when a person conforms to be liked or accepted by others, even if it goes against their own beliefs. In option D, Bob changes his opinion to align with his friends despite initially believing Janet is attractive.

Question 15

Glenda has just heard a compelling statement from Rhonda about why she should fasten her seatbelt, even though she had not originally intended to fasten her seatbelt.Glenda's act of conforming to Rhonda's comments because she believed these comments were accurate is called

Accepted Answer

Informational social influence occurs when a person conforms to the opinions or behaviors of others because they believe that those others have accurate knowledge or information. In this scenario, Glenda is conforming to Rhonda's comments about fastening her seatbelt because she believes that Rhonda's information is accurate and that it is therefore in her own best interest to follow Rhonda's advice.

Question 16

Social psychologists differentiate several types of social influence.Which of the following scenarios best characterizes the concept of obedience?

Accepted Answer

The scenario in option C best characterizes the concept of obedience as David obeys his boss's direct order without questioning or resisting it. Obedience involves complying with the requests or demands of an authority figure, even if they go against one's personal beliefs or values. Options A, B, and D do not involve obedience as they do not involve an authority figure giving a direct order to be obeyed.

Question 17

In his attempts to persuade Roger to get a fraternity tattoo on his arm, Dan assembles 100 tattooed fraternity members.Dan probably wasted a lot of effort in doing so, because

Accepted Answer

The effect of group size on conformity tends to level off when the group size reaches about three to four people, meaning that having 100 people is unnecessary for increasing conformity.

Question 18

Recall that Sherif showed participants a point of light in a completely darkened room.The participants were asked to judge the light's movement.This study suggests that people

Accepted Answer

Sherif's study found that participants changed their own judgments in accordance with other people's judgments, even if it meant adjusting their perception of the movement of the light. This demonstrates the phenomenon of social influence, where individuals conform to the opinions and behaviors of others in their social group.

Question 19

Normative influence often has a greater impact on ____________ than on____________.

Accepted Answer

Normative influence refers to the pressure to conform to social norms in order to be accepted or liked by others. Public compliance is when someone outwardly conforms to social norms without actually believing in them, while private acceptance is when someone internalizes social norms and genuinely believes in them. Normative influence is more likely to result in public compliance (choice A) than private acceptance (choice B or C), as people may go along with social norms in order to fit in or avoid social rejection, even if they do not agree with them. Internalization (choice D) refers to a stronger and more lasting form of acceptance of social norms, which is less likely to be influenced solely by normative pressure.

Question 20

Chartrand and Bargh (1999)found that people mimic such behaviors as face rubbing and foot shaking, and that this mimicry is particularly likely to occur in

Accepted Answer

Chartrand and Bargh (1999) found that people mimic behaviors such as face rubbing and foot shaking, and this mimicry is particularly likely to occur in people with an empathic orientation toward others and those with a high need to affiliate with others. This suggests that both options A and B are correct, making D the best answer. Self-awareness is not mentioned as a specific factor related to mimicry.

Quiz 9: Social Influence