Question 1

Benny auditioned for the lead in the school play every year since sixth grade, but was only ever cast in the chorus.During senior year, Benny remembered the outcomes of previous auditions and concluded that they are incapable of being cast as anything other than a chorus member.Benny experienced _____________.
A)Stereotype threat
B)Confirmation bias
C)Self-fulfilling prophecy
D)Learned helplessness

Accepted Answer

Benny's conclusion that they are incapable of being cast in roles other than chorus members, despite repeated attempts, is an example of learned helplessness. This psychological condition occurs when an individual believes they have no control over the outcome of situations due to past experiences of failure or lack of reinforcement.

Question 2

A friend is running a half-marathon to raise money for the Special Olympics and sends you a link to donate online.You see that Dan, a common friend who is tight with money, donated $15.You think of yourself as a generous person and donate $40.You used the __________ heuristic.
A)Availability
B)Representativeness
C)Anchoring and Adjustment
D)All of the above

Accepted Answer

You used the Anchoring and Adjustment heuristic, where Dan's $15 donation served as an anchor, and you adjusted from that point to reflect your self-perception as generous by donating $40.

Question 3

External locus of control refers to when people feel powerless over their life outcomes.External locus of control is ______________.
A)Linked to poor school achievement, increased depression, decreased self-control, increased delinquency
B)Increasing among young adults
C)Linked to learned helplessness
D)All of the above

Accepted Answer

External locus of control is linked to poor school achievement, increased depression, decreased self-control, increased delinquency. It is also increasing among young adults and is linked to learned helplessness. Thus, all the options listed are correct.

Question 4

Belief preservation is the tendency to take credit for acts that yield positive outcomes, and deflect blame for bad outcomes by attributing them to external causes.

Accepted Answer

Belief preservation actually refers to the tendency to cling to one's initial belief even after receiving new information that contradicts or disconfirms the basis of that belief. The description given is more accurately related to the concept of self-serving bias.

Question 5

When Lars arrived on campus in the morning the parking lot was covered in snow, making it hard to see the parking spaces.By mid-afternoon, when he left, the snow had melted.Lars noted how cars were parked crookedly, some taking up two or three spaces.He grumbled that people are terrible drivers and need to take a course on how to park their cars.This is an example of _____________.
A)Focus-of-attention bias
B)The fundamental attribution error
C)Actor-Observer difference
D)Motivational bias

Accepted Answer

The statement reflects the fundamental attribution error, as Lars is attributing the poor parking skills to the inherent characteristics of the drivers rather than considering external factors like the snow-covered parking lot.

Question 6

"Riley is very attractive," thought Alex."I'm sure she's smart and funny, too." Alex's statement is an example of _____________.
A)The halo effect
B)The complexity-extremity effect
C)Stereotypes
D)Attribution error

Accepted Answer

Alex's statement is an example of the halo effect, which refers to the tendency to infer positive qualities about a person based on one prominent trait that is appealing. In this case, Alex finds Riley physically attractive and assumes that she must also possess desirable personality traits like intelligence and humor.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a factor in inferring dispositions from acts?
A)Commonality
B)Social desirability
C)Normative expectations
D)Stereotypes

Accepted Answer

Stereotypes are not a factor in inferring dispositions from acts; the process typically involves analyzing commonality, social desirability, and normative expectations.

Question 8

A second grade teacher is told that the new student in his class has ADHD.When interacting with the student, the teacher pays attention to the student's fidgeting and daydreaming.He downplays when the student sits quietly with others and maintains focus on a task.This teacher demonstrates ____________.
A)Stereotype threat
B)Confirmation bias
C)Self-fulfilling prophecy
D)Learned helplessness

Accepted Answer

The teacher is selectively focusing on behaviors that align with his expectation (that the student with ADHD will be fidgety and distracted) while ignoring behaviors that do not align with his expectation (that the student can sit still and concentrate). This is an example of confirmation bias.

Question 9

Researchers recruited Black and White students to take an athletic test-ten rounds of miniature golf.Researchers told students that the task measured either "natural athletic ability" or "sports intelligence." When told that the task assessed "natural athletic ability," _______________ than in the "sports intelligence" condition.
A)Black participants performed better
B)Black participants performed worse
C)White participants performed better
D)Black and White participants performed the same

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is related to stereotype threat, where the performance of individuals can be negatively affected when they are aware of a negative stereotype about their group. In this case, when the task was framed as measuring "natural athletic ability," it likely activated stereotypes that could have led to improved performance among Black participants due to positive stereotypes about Black individuals' athletic abilities. Conversely, framing the task as measuring "sports intelligence" might not activate the same stereotypes, leading to no performance difference based on that framing.

Question 10

Juliana is reviewing applications for a nursing position.She finds that she has a greater positive response to well qualified male nurses than well qualified female nurses, and conversely, a more negative response to poorly qualified male nurses than poorly qualified female nurses.She suspects that this has something to do with the fact that she spends most of her time with other female nurses since her unit has no male nurses.Her response to the male applicants could be due to the _____________effect.
A)Recency
B)Complexity-extremity
C)Primacy
D)Halo

Accepted Answer

The Complexity-Extremity effect explains Juliana's response, as it suggests that when a stimulus (in this case, male nurses) is complex or unusual in a given context, people tend to have more extreme evaluations of it. Since Juliana works in an environment with no male nurses, her more extreme positive or negative reactions to male nurse applicants align with this effect.

Question 11

The prototype for any given category can vary from person to person.

Accepted Answer

The prototype for a category or concept is based on an individual's experiences, background, and cultural context, therefore it can vary from person to person.

Question 12

Marcus's friend set him up on a blind date with a woman named Sharon.His friend told him that Sharon is sociable, so Marcus assumes that she is also happy, humorous, and tolerant.Marcus is relying on _____________.
A)A stereotype
B)An implicit personality theory
C)The availability heuristic
D)The representative heuristic

Accepted Answer

Marcus is relying on his implicit personality theory, or the set of assumptions and beliefs about personality traits that people hold. He assumes that because Sharon is sociable, she must also possess other positive traits such as happiness, humor, and tolerance.

Question 13

Because of its relation to our perceptions of another's intent-such as whether they may help or harm us-and its ability to capture traits like friendliness and sincerity, warmth is the primary dimension upon which we base our impressions.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Warmth is an important dimension for forming social impressions and can help us assess whether someone is trustworthy or approachable.

Question 14

Harold's mother is a physician.When Harold thinks of his mother, he relies on a _____________schema.When he thinks of physicians, he relies on a _____________schema.
A)Person; group
B)Group; role
C)Role; role
D)Person; role

Accepted Answer

Harold thinks of his mother as an individual person, so he relies on a person schema. When he thinks of physicians in general, he thinks of their role as a medical professional, so he relies on a role schema.

Question 15

In terms of attributions for success and failure, effort is _____________and _____________, while ability is _____________ and _____________.
A)Internal; stable; internal; unstable
B)Internal; unstable; internal; stable
C)External; unstable; internal; stable
D)External; stable; internal; unstable

Accepted Answer

Effort is seen as something internal and within a person's control, making it an internal attribution, and it can vary from situation to situation, making it unstable. Ability, on the other hand, is largely seen as an internal attribution due to being related to a person's inherent traits, and it is generally stable across situations.

Question 16

After graduation Carolyn struggled to find a job.After a particularly bad day filled with rejection letters, Carolyn met up with a friend for coffee.The friend asked Carolyn why she thought she had not yet found a job, and Carolyn stated that it was most certainly due to the poor economy.Carolyn's response may be influenced by _____________.
A)Belief perseverance
B)The fundamental attribution error
C)Actor-observer difference
D)Self-serving bias

Accepted Answer

Carolyn's response of blaming the poor economy for her job search struggles is an example of self-serving bias, where she attributes external circumstances instead of considering any possible internal factors.

Question 17

Jake is a waiter at the local diner.He dislikes waiting on teenagers because he believes they are bad tippers.He prefers to spend his time and energy on ensuring that his older (and, he believes, better tipping) customers get great service, often at the expense of his teenaged customers.As a result, the teens that Jake serves tip him poorly.This is an example of _____________.
A)Stereotype threat
B)Fundamental attribution error
C)Self-fulfilling prophecy
D)Focus-of-attention bias

Accepted Answer

This is a clear example of self-fulfilling prophecy, where Jake's belief that teenagers are bad tippers leads him to provide poorer service to them, which then results in them tipping him poorly, thus confirming his original belief.

Question 18

We remember information contradictory to schemas better than schema-irrelevant information.

Accepted Answer

This is known as the "false memory effect" or "schema distortion effect," where our pre-existing schemas (mental frameworks) influence our memory and can lead to inaccuracies or false memories. When presented with information that contradicts our schema, it can stand out and be remembered more vividly.

Question 19

Marge is unemployed.She attributes her state of unemployment to the challenging job market for recent PhDs.This attribution is _____________.She feels powerless over being able to improve her prospects on the job market.This locus of control is ____________.
A)Situational; Internal
B)Situational; External
C)Dispositional; Internal
D)Dispositional; External

Accepted Answer

Marge's attribution of her unemployment to the challenging job market for recent PhDs suggests a situational locus of control, where external factors such as the job market are seen as the cause of her unemployment. Additionally, her feeling powerless over improving her prospects on the job market suggests an external locus of control, where factors beyond her control are seen as having a greater influence on her outcomes.

Question 20

People of lower status are more likely than people of higher status to rely on stereotypes.

Accepted Answer

The answer of People of lower status are more likely...

Quiz 7: Social Perception and Cognition

A friend is running a half-marathon to raise money for the Special Olympics and sends you a link to donate online.You see that Dan, a common friend who is tight with money, donated $15.You think of yourself as a generous person and donate $40.You used the __________ heuristic.

External locus of control refers to when people feel powerless over their life outcomes.External locus of control is ______________.

Belief preservation is the tendency to take credit for acts that yield positive outcomes, and deflect blame for bad outcomes by attributing them to external causes.

"Riley is very attractive," thought Alex."I'm sure she's smart and funny, too." Alex's statement is an example of _____________.

Which of the following is NOT a factor in inferring dispositions from acts?

The prototype for any given category can vary from person to person.

Marcus's friend set him up on a blind date with a woman named Sharon.His friend told him that Sharon is sociable, so Marcus assumes that she is also happy, humorous, and tolerant.Marcus is relying on _____________.

Because of its relation to our perceptions of another's intent-such as whether they may help or harm us-and its ability to capture traits like friendliness and sincerity, warmth is the primary dimension upon which we base our impressions.

Harold's mother is a physician.When Harold thinks of his mother, he relies on a _schema.When he thinks of physicians, he relies on a _schema.

In terms of attributions for success and failure, effort is _______and _, while ability is _ and _______.

We remember information contradictory to schemas better than schema-irrelevant information.

Marge is unemployed.She attributes her state of unemployment to the challenging job market for recent PhDs.This attribution is _.She feels powerless over being able to improve her prospects on the job market.This locus of control is .

People of lower status are more likely than people of higher status to rely on stereotypes.