Question 1

In which of the following situations would the false-consensus effect be strongest?

Accepted Answer

The false-consensus effect is strongest when the actual percentage of others who agree is low. When people believe that their opinions and behaviors are more common than they really are, they are more likely to view their own attitudes as normal and expect others to share their beliefs. Therefore, the false-consensus effect is amplified when the perceived consensus deviates from the actual consensus.

Question 2

When observing other people's behaviour,Danny tends to use the covariation principle and Amos tends to use cognitive heuristics.Which of the following statements best describes Danny and Amos?

Accepted Answer

Danny, who uses the covariation principle, is more likely to consider consensus information (how people behave in similar situations) when making judgments about others' behavior. Amos, who relies on cognitive heuristics, might not systematically use such information and could be more prone to shortcuts in thinking.

Question 3

According to correspondent inference theory,when are correspondent inferences most likely to occur?

Accepted Answer

Correspondent inferences are most likely to occur when a person's behavior is freely chosen, unexpected, and results in few desirable outcomes, as this suggests the behavior reflects the person's unique dispositions or attitudes.

Question 4

Suppose you are asked whether there are more psychology or biology majors at your school.Imagine that you estimate the numbers at your school based on the number of people with these majors you personally know.What are you using?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of using the availability heuristic, which involves making judgments based on easily accessible or readily available information. In this case, the person is using their personal experience with psychology and biology majors to estimate the number of each at their school, rather than seeking out more comprehensive data.

Question 5

Which of the following does the belief in a just world contribute to?

Accepted Answer

Belief in a just world may lead people to blaming the victim. This is because the belief suggests that people get what they deserve, so if something bad happens to someone, they must have done something to deserve it.

Question 6

Which of the following is consistent with Kelley's covariation principle?

Accepted Answer

Kelley's covariation principle states that people infer the causes of behaviour by looking at the three types of covariation present in the situation: consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus. Consistency refers to the extent to which the behaviour occurs in the same situation at different times. Therefore, people infer that something is the cause of a behaviour if it is present when the behaviour occurs and absent when it does not occur (consistent).

Question 7

Antonio observes Dwayne behave in a particular way.According to correspondent inference theory,in which of the following cases would Antonio be most likely to believe that he has learned something important about Dwayne's personal characteristics?

Accepted Answer

According to correspondent inference theory, people are more likely to make dispositional attributions (i.e., attributions to a person's internal characteristics) when someone's behavior deviates from social norms. This is because when someone goes against social norms, it suggests that they have internal characteristics that explain their behavior. Therefore, if Dwayne's behavior deviates from social norms, Antonio would be more likely to make dispositional attributions about Dwayne's personal characteristics.

Question 8

Monica uses the availability heuristic much more frequently than does Raul.Therefore,Monica is more likely than Raul to do which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic is the tendency to estimate the likelihood of an event based on the ease with which instances of it come to mind. Therefore, if Monica is using the availability heuristic more frequently than Raul, she is more likely to estimate the likelihood of events based on how easily she can recall examples of them.

Question 9

Everyone you know seems to love the TV show Wipeout.You're a huge fan of reality TV as well,as you never miss an episode of Dancing with the Stars,American Idol,or The Bachelor.But every time you watch Wipeout,you have the same reaction: You hate it with a passion.According to Kelley's (1967)covariation theory of attribution,your dislike of this show would be which of the following?

Accepted Answer

According to Kelley's (1967) covariation theory of attribution, your dislike of Wipeout would be low in consensus because everyone else seems to love it, high in distinctiveness because it stands out from the other reality TV shows you enjoy, and high in consistency because you consistently have the same negative reaction every time you watch it.

Question 10

Joe is leaving his job at Vandalay Industries.According to correspondent inference theory,in which of the following scenarios would you learn the most about Joe?

Accepted Answer

Correspondent inference theory suggests we make inferences about a person's disposition based on their actions when those actions are freely chosen, unexpected, and result in non-common effects. In scenario B, Joe's decision to leave a company known for long-term employee retention, especially when he is too young to retire, is unexpected and freely chosen, providing significant insight into his character or personal circumstances.

Question 11

Among your group of friends,Kent is the only one who is ever late for your weekly movie night.You've noticed that he is late every week and that he is also late for class,parties,weddings,sporting events,and dental appointments.According to Kelley's covariation model of attribution,how would Kent's behaviour best be described?

Accepted Answer

According to Kelley's covariation model of attribution, behavior is determined by considering information about consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness. In this case, Kent is consistently late for various activities, suggesting high consistency. However, he is the only one in the group who is consistently late, indicating low consensus. Finally, his lateness is not specific to any particular type of activity, where he would be considered low in distinctiveness. Therefore, the best description of Kent's behavior is A) low in consensus, high in consistency, and low in distinctiveness.

Question 12

According to the covariation principle,when are consistent behaviours attributed to the stimulus?

Accepted Answer

The covariation principle states that consistent behaviors are likely to be attributed to a stimulus when there is high consensus (other people show the same behavior) and high distinctiveness (the behavior is only observed in response to that particular stimulus). Therefore, when both consensus and distinctiveness are high, it is more likely that the behavior can be attributed to the stimulus.

Question 13

What does the base-rate fallacy reflect?

Accepted Answer

The base-rate fallacy reflects a failure to use consensus information, meaning individuals often ignore general information (base rates) in favor of specific but less relevant information.

Question 14

In which of the following situations will Elizabeth be least likely to make correspondent inferences from Bob's behaviour?

Accepted Answer

When behavior is coerced, it is less likely to reflect the individual's true intentions or dispositions, making correspondent inferences less likely.

Question 15

Lex voted for Dean to be the class president at his university this year.He believes that approximately 40 percent of people at his university did as well.In reality,closer to 20 percent of voters chose Dean.What concept does Lex's overestimation illustrate?

Accepted Answer

Lex's overestimation of the percentage of people who voted for Dean is an example of the false-consensus effect, which refers to the tendency for people to overestimate the extent to which others share their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

Question 16

Kelley's theory of attribution suggests that,in trying to discern personal characteristics from behavioural evidence,people will tend to do which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Kelley's theory of attribution posits that people act like amateur scientists when trying to understand the causes of others' behavior. They gather and analyze information, often through informal experiments, to decide whether a behavior is due to personal characteristics or situational factors.

Question 17

Carol is asked to rate her husband in terms of how helpful he is with the household chores.Because she cannot think of a single instance of such behaviour,she gives him a very low rating.What is Carol relying on to make her judgment?

Accepted Answer

Carol is relying on the availability heuristic, which refers to the tendency for people to base judgments on the ease with which examples come to mind. In this case, she cannot think of any instances where her husband has been helpful with household chores, so she assumes that he is generally unhelpful.

Question 18

Which of the following is reflected by estimates of the probability that an event will happen based on the ease with which one can recall previous instances of this event?

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic is the cognitive bias of estimating the probability of an event based on how easily an example, instance, or recent occurrence comes to mind. This means that the more examples someone can easily recall, the higher they estimate the likelihood of the event happening again.

Question 19

Though she doesn't usually watch television,Danielle never misses My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé on Monday nights.Which of the following best describes Danielle's behaviour?

Accepted Answer

Danielle's behavior is high in distinctiveness because it is specific to one particular show and not a common behavior for her.

Question 20

Daphne loves her social psychology class and thinks that most of the other students in the class love it as well.Anna is in the same class and absolutely hates it.Anna is thoroughly convinced that most of the other students also dislike it.What concept do these distorted perceptions illustrate?

Accepted Answer

The distorted perceptions illustrated in this scenario are an example of the false-consensus effect, where individuals believe that their own attitudes and opinions are more common than they actually are. Daphne assumes that most of the other students love the social psychology class, while Anna assumes that most of the other students dislike it, both based on their own attitudes and perceptions.

Quiz 4: Perceiving Persons