Question 1

Airline industry officials have attributed many fatal airline accidents to what they call ________,which refers to ________.

Accepted Answer

"Captainitis" refers to when the captain's error is not corrected by other crewmembers, which could lead to fatal accidents. "Flight myopia" is not a commonly used term in the industry, and option A is not a recognized term either. Option C may be a valid reason for accidents, but it is not the specific attribution mentioned in the question. Therefore, D is the best choice.

Question 2

In the study on nurses' obedience,a man who identified himself as a doctor ordered nurses to give twice the maximum acceptable dosage of a drug to a patient.The results of the study demonstrated that

Accepted Answer

The study found that the majority of nurses obeyed the order to give twice the maximum acceptable dosage of a drug to a patient, even though it went against their professional judgment and safety guidelines.

Question 3

According to the text,advertisements specifying a "limited time only" are attempting to cash in on

Accepted Answer

Advertisements that use the phrase "limited time only" are attempting to tap into the scarcity principle, which suggests that people place a higher value on things that are rare or difficult to obtain. This creates a sense of urgency and can motivate people to act quickly in order to secure the product or service being advertised before it is no longer available.

Question 4

Stanley Milgram conducted studies in which participants were directed by the experimenter to deliver high voltage shocks to a confederate every time the confederate gave the wrong answer on a learning task.This study exemplified which of the following phenomena?

Accepted Answer

The study conducted by Stanley Milgram exemplifies obedience wherein the participants were directed to deliver shocks to the confederate on the instructions of the experimenter. The participants obeyed the authority figure despite the harm caused to the confederate.

Question 5

Milgram asked individuals to administer shocks to a fellow participant as part of a "learning" task.He found that people are

Accepted Answer

Milgram's experiment showed that the majority of individuals were willing to deliver painful shocks to another person when ordered to do so by an authority figure. It was not due to a motivation to perform better or release aggression, but rather a sense of obedience to authority. Milgram's findings have been widely debated and criticized, but they remain a classic study in social psychology.

Question 6

Research on suicide epidemics has found that a suicide that makes the front-page news generally is followed by

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that when a suicide is highlighted in front-page news, it can trigger copycat or contagion suicides. This phenomenon is known as the Werther effect or suicide contagion. As a result, there is often an increase in suicides in areas where the news receives extensive coverage.

Question 7

Why do cult-like groups try to prevent new members from communicating with family and friends outside the group?

Accepted Answer

By preventing new members from communicating with friends and family outside the group, the cult-like group can create a bubble in which their beliefs and practices are reinforced by group members who have no dissenting opinions. Allowing contact with outsiders increases the possibility of dissent, and the presence of even one dissenter can make it easier for other individuals to resist social influence pressures. This can weaken the hold that the cult-like group has over its members, and make them more likely to leave.

Question 8

In a study by Milgram,participants delivered a series of painful shocks to another person.Milgram designed the study to examine the effects of which of the following on participants' aggression?

Accepted Answer

Milgram's study was designed to examine the effects of obedience to authority on participants' aggression. Participants were instructed by an authority figure to administer increasingly strong electric shocks to another person, and Milgram observed that a high percentage of participants obeyed the authority figure's commands despite causing harm to another person. The study demonstrated the powerful impact of obedience to authority on behavior, particularly in situations where individuals may be more likely to defer to authority figures than to their own moral values or empathetic instincts.

Question 9

A movie theater owner advertised a movie by saying,"Exclusive,limited engagement,ends soon." This appeal represents an attempt to use the social influence principle of

Accepted Answer

The appeal of "Exclusive, limited engagement, ends soon" represents an attempt to use the social influence principle of scarcity, which suggests that people believe that opportunities are more valuable when their availability is limited. This creates a sense of urgency and scarcity, motivating people to take immediate action and make a purchase to avoid missing out.

Question 10

Milgram's obedience research demonstrated that a sample of ordinary Americans was willing to deliver dangerous levels of shock because

Accepted Answer

Milgram's obedience research found that participants were willing to deliver dangerous levels of shock to a learner because an authority figure (the experimenter) instructed them to do so. This suggests that obedience to authority is a powerful influence on human behavior, even when it goes against moral principles. Jealousy, lack of empathy, and geographical location were not identified as significant factors in the study.

Question 11

When Milgram moved his obedience study from Yale University to an office in a rundown section of Bridgeport,Connecticut,the level of obedience

Accepted Answer

When Milgram moved his obedience study to Bridgeport, the level of obedience dropped somewhat. This was likely due to the location not having the same level of authority and legitimacy as the prestigious Yale University, making participants less willing to comply with the experimenter's instructions.

Question 12

The Tupperware Home Party Corporation,which arranges parties in people's homes so that friends and acquaintances can purchase the company's products,primarily takes advantage of the social influence principle of

Accepted Answer

The Tupperware Home Party Corporation primarily takes advantage of the social influence principle of liking/friendship. The parties are arranged in people's homes amongst friends and acquaintances, emphasizing the personal relationships and connections between individuals rather than formal authority or consistency in behavior. Participants are more likely to trust and be influenced by people they like and have a positive relationship with, which is why Tupperware relies on the liking/friendship principle to sell its products.

Question 13

A curious case of mass hysteria occurred when vast numbers of Londoners left the city because a soldier named Bell had predicted that the city would be destroyed by an earthquake on a specific day.The mass hysteria was primarily due to

Accepted Answer

The mass hysteria was primarily due to the Londoners themselves, who mimicked each others' behaviors, a phenomenon often observed in cases of mass hysteria where the actions of a few can lead to a collective response without a rational basis.

Question 14

Individuals are most likely to conform to the actions of ________.

Accepted Answer

People tend to conform to individuals who are similar to themselves in terms of opinions, beliefs, values, and socio-economic status. This is because they perceive similar others as credible sources of information and believe that they share similar experiences and perspectives. As a result, they are more likely to engage in behaviors that are consistent with the norms and expectations of their peer group.

Question 15

In the famous first study conducted by Stanley Milgram,________ of the participants continued to "shock" the confederate all the way up to 450 volts,which was as high as the shock generating machine could go.

Accepted Answer

More than half of the participants (62.5%) continued to administer shocks all the way up to 450 volts, despite the confederate's screams of pain and pleas to stop.

Question 16

In the studies conducted by Stanley Milgram,most participants were willing to deliver high voltage shocks to a confederate every time the confederate gave the wrong answer in a learning task.Which of the following statements best explains these results?

Accepted Answer

Milgram's studies demonstrated that participants were willing to deliver high voltage shocks to a confederate because they were obedient to the experimenter's authority and instructions, even when it conflicted with their own conscience or ethics. The confederate's response or learning was not a determining factor in the participants' willingness to continue administering the shocks.

Question 17

Influence practitioners often invoke social validation by claiming that their products

Accepted Answer

Social validation is the phenomenon where people rely on the opinions and actions of others to guide their own behavior. Claiming that a product is the largest selling or fastest growing provides social proof that others also find the product desirable or useful, thereby influencing potential customers' decisions to purchase. This is why choice A is the best option.  Choices B, C, and D may influence some people, but they are not direct indicators of social validation. Limited supply may create a sense of urgency or exclusivity, but it does not necessarily mean that others have found the product valuable. Claiming that a product is a good investment for the future or can provide rewards may appeal to people's self-interest, but it does not necessarily demonstrate that others have already found it worthwhile.

Question 18

Bartenders who put some dollar bills in their tip jars in order to influence their customers to tip generously are trying to take advantage of which social influence principle?

Accepted Answer

The principle of social validation suggests that people look to others to determine their own actions, especially in uncertain situations. By seeding their tip jars with money, bartenders signal that tipping is a common and expected behavior, encouraging others to follow suit.

Question 19

A single visible dissenter from the group's position

Accepted Answer

A single visible dissenter can embolden others to express their own dissenting opinions or resist conforming to the majority, as it breaks the unanimity of the group and shows that dissent is possible.

Question 20

The claim "We have the bestselling truck in its class" utilizes the ________ principle,whereas "We have only four of these trucks in stock" utilizes the ________ principle.

Accepted Answer

The claim "We have the bestselling truck in its class" utilizes the social validation principle because it is trying to convince customers that because many others have purchased the truck and find it to be the best, they should too. The claim "We have only four of these trucks in stock" utilizes the scarcity principle, as it creates a sense of urgency and encourages customers to purchase quickly because the product is limited in availability.

Quiz 6: Social Influence: Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience

Airline industry officials have attributed many fatal airline accidents to what they call ,which refers to .