Question 1

Cultural fads, like Americans wearing leg warmers in the 1980s or flannel shirts in the 1990s, are often followed because people want to fit in and go along with the crowd.This type of conformity is known as influence.

Accepted Answer

Normative conformity is when people conform to fit in with a group due to social pressure and the desire to be accepted. In this case, people wear leg warmers or flannel shirts because it is a fad and they want to be a part of the trend.

Question 2

The primary difference between conformity, compliance, and obedience is the

Accepted Answer

Conformity involves changing one’s behaviors or beliefs in order to fit in with a group, and is typically driven by social pressure. Compliance involves changing one’s behaviors in response to a request or demand from an authority figure, and is often motivated by the desire to avoid punishment or gain a reward. Obedience involves following the directives of an authority figure, even if it goes against one’s personal beliefs or values, and is often motivated by the belief that the authority figure is legitimate and has the right to give orders. The primary difference between these concepts is the degree of social pressure employed; conformity is peer pressure, compliance is request, and obedience is orders.

Question 3

After studying social psychology, Kelly knows the dangers of groupthink.What can she do to ensure that the decisions of her group are not impacted by this phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

Asking someone to argue against the majority can help prevent groupthink by encouraging diverse perspectives and challenging the assumptions of the group. This can lead to a more thorough consideration of alternatives and a better decision in the end. The other options can actually reinforce groupthink by discouraging dissent and promoting conformity to the leader's opinions or pressure to conform quickly.

Question 4

How would you rank the following social influence strategies in order of increasing degree of social pressure?

Accepted Answer

Conformity involves changing one's behavior to match the responses or actions of others, which can be due to real or imagined group pressure but is often more about fitting in than direct pressure. Compliance involves changing one's behavior in response to a direct request, which introduces a higher level of social pressure as it involves a direct ask from another person. Obedience involves changing one's behavior in response to a directive from an authority figure, representing the highest degree of social pressure among the three due to the power dynamics involved.

Question 5

According to the idea of kin selection, Hannah is most likely to behave altruistically toward her

Accepted Answer

Kin selection theory suggests that individuals are more likely to behave altruistically towards close genetic relatives, as it increases the likelihood of their genes being passed on to future generations. In this scenario, Hannah's brother's son, as her nephew, shares more genetic material with her than her husband, adopted daughter, or stepson. Therefore, she is most likely to behave altruistically towards him.

Question 6

Cross-cultural comparisons of levels of violence support the conclusion that

Accepted Answer

Cross-cultural studies have shown that there are significant differences in levels of violence between different regions and cultures. For example, southern men in the United States have been found to behave more aggressively due to a belief system that emphasizes honor and bravery. This suggests that cultural and social factors, rather than genetic differences or adaptive behavior, play a significant role in shaping levels of violence in different populations.

Question 7

Sarah wants to do particularly well at her upcoming piano recital.What should she do to ensure a great performance?

Accepted Answer

Practicing repeatedly until playing the piano becomes her dominant response will ensure that Sarah is well-prepared for her recital and can perform with confidence and ease. This level of practice will also help to minimize any nervousness or anxiety she may have about the performance.

Question 8

Sherif's work on the autokinetic effect stands as evidence for influence, whereas Asch's visual acuity study examined influence.

Accepted Answer

Sherif's work on the autokinetic effect demonstrated how people rely on others for information when faced with an ambiguous situation, which is informational influence. Asch's study examined how people conform to group norms even when the group is clearly wrong, which is normative influence. Therefore, the best choice is D.

Question 9

Mr.Ahkbar is the principal of an all-male military school.This year, girls are being admitted and the male students are very angry about this decision.What would you advise Mr.Ahkbar to do to decrease hostility between the male and female students?

Accepted Answer

Having mixed-gender groups work together on projects with superordinate goals would be the best option as it encourages cooperation and teamwork among the male and female students. This approach also helps to break down stereotypes and reduce hostility and competition between genders. Additionally, the superordinate goal can help focus their attention on a common purpose and shift their focus away from their differences.

Question 10

When people are uncertain of how to behave, they often look to others to help tell them the correct way to do things.This type of conformity is known as influence.

Accepted Answer

Informational conformity is a type of conformity where people conform because they believe that others' interpretation of an ambiguous situation is more correct than their own. In situations where people are uncertain of how to behave, they may look to others for information on how to behave correctly.

Question 11

To create hostility and prejudice between two groups of boys attending summer camp, Sherif

Accepted Answer

Sherif had the groups compete with each other in various activities and encouraged each group to develop its own identity and culture. This created a sense of "us" versus "them" and ultimately led to the development of hostility and prejudice between the two groups.

Question 12

Which of the following is a biological determinant of aggression?

Accepted Answer

The MAOA gene, also known as the warrior gene, has been linked to aggression. Research has shown that individuals with the low-activity variant of this gene are more likely to engage in impulsive and aggressive behavior. However, it's important to note that genetics alone cannot fully explain aggression and that environmental factors also play a significant role.

Question 13

Increased activity in the medial prefrontal cortex has been associated with which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The medial prefrontal cortex is involved in social cognition and self-referential processing, and increased activity in this area has been linked to ingroup bias, particularly after group assignment in minimal group paradigms.

Question 14

When public schools were desegregated, people thought that simply having black and white students attend school together would reduce stereotypes and prejudice.Given what you know about intergroup contact, why did this approach fail?

Accepted Answer

Contact alone cannot overcome existing hostility. Intergroup contact works best when it is supported by other factors such as equal status, common goals, intergroup cooperation, and the support of authorities, among others. These factors were not present in many desegregated schools, which made it difficult to reduce stereotypes and prejudice.

Question 15

The idea of inclusive fitness is designed to explain why

Accepted Answer

Inclusive fitness explains altruism by showing that helping relatives can increase the overall genetic success of an individual, as relatives share common genes.

Question 16

When the U.S.military was integrated, many people expected it to be a disaster.In fact, integration of the military was hugely successful.In terms of social psychology, a major reason for this success was most likely that black soldiers and white soldiers

Accepted Answer

Cooperation on important common goals is a key principle in social psychology for reducing intergroup conflict and improving relations, as demonstrated by the Contact Hypothesis and the Robbers Cave experiment.

Question 17

Shared goals that require cooperation are called

Accepted Answer

Superordinate goals refer to shared goals that require the cooperation of individuals or groups who may have different interests, values or goals. These goals often serve to unite people and overcome differences, leading to increased cooperation and positive actions. Implicit goals are not necessarily shared or cooperative, subordinate goals are those that are subordinate to larger goals and cooperative goals do not necessarily refer to shared goals that require cooperation.

Question 18

The notion of kin selection argues that we are

Accepted Answer

The notion of kin selection argues that we are most altruistic toward those who share our genes, as this increases the chances of our genes being passed on to future generations. This is based on the idea that helping close relatives increases the likelihood of their survival and reproduction, and therefore the passing on of shared genes.

Question 19

In Asch's conformity study, what percentage of participants went along with an obviously incorrect response at least once?

Accepted Answer

In Asch's conformity study, approximately 75 percent of participants conformed to the group by giving an incorrect response at least once, demonstrating the strong influence of social pressure on individual judgment.

Question 20

Studies on the "culture of honor" showed that men raised in the South, as compared to men raised in the North, responded to verbally aggressive behavior by

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that men raised in the South, where there is a "culture of honor" that values toughness and being willing to retaliate against insults or threats, are more likely to respond to verbally aggressive behavior by acting in a more aggressive or dominant manner. This is in contrast to men raised in the North, where there is less emphasis on defending one's reputation through physical intimidation.

Quiz 12: Social Psychology