Question 1

Muzafer Sherif found that when groups of people viewed a stationary dot of light in a dark room, the people perceived the dot to move in a phenomenon called the autokinetic effect. When comparing their experiences in small groups after viewing the dot, groups came to slightly different conclusions regarding how much the dot had moved and provided some insight into how _________ are formed.
A)social norms
B)social roles
C)prejudices
D)attributions

Accepted Answer

Muzafer Sherif's experiment on the autokinetic effect demonstrated how social norms are formed through group consensus on ambiguous situations, showing how individuals' perceptions align with group norms over time.

Question 2

The fact that Japanese individuals typically sit farther apart when conversing than Americans do, and that Greeks are more likely than Europeans to touch during social interaction are best considered as examples of
A)groupthink
B)stereotype threat
C)social norms
D)informational social influence

Accepted Answer

These examples illustrate social norms, which are the shared expectations and rules that guide behavior of people within social contexts. Japanese and Greeks have different social norms regarding personal space and physical contact during interactions.

Question 3

Under which of the following conditions would we expect the presence of other people to have the strongest negative effect on performance?
A)When a task is complex and not well learned
B)When a task is complex and well learned
C)When a task is easy and not well learned
D)When a task is easy and well learned

Accepted Answer

The presence of others tends to increase arousal, which can enhance performance on simple or well-learned tasks but impair performance on complex or new tasks. Therefore, the strongest negative effect would be expected when a task is complex and not well learned, as the increased arousal would likely interfere with the performance.

Question 4

Aaron has been trying to improve his time in the 100 metre run. He often practices at the track late at night with his girlfriend timing him. To his amazement, when his friend, Benjamin, who is an excellent runner, volunteers to run with him, his time actually ______________.
A)worsens due to the mere presence of another person
B)worsens due to Benjamin's speed
C)improves due to Benjamin's speed
D)improves due to the mere presence of another person

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described is known as social facilitation, where an individual's performance improves because of the mere presence of others. In this case, Aaron's time improves when running with Benjamin, not necessarily because of Benjamin's speed, but because having another person present motivates him to perform better.

Question 5

Normative social influence involves conforming in order to be accepted by others or to avoid social rejection, while people conforming to the behaviours or opinions of others because they believe that these others have accurate knowledge and know what is "right" involves ____________ social influence.
A)facilitative
B)informational
C)transformational
D)conformational

Accepted Answer

Informational social influence occurs when individuals conform because they believe others are correct in their judgments and have accurate information, especially in ambiguous situations where the correct action or belief is uncertain.

Question 6

Professor Price is concerned about the drinking habits of his students. He knows that many of them drink to get drunk at least twice a week. He decides to give them a substance abuse lecture but is unsure whether or not he should mention safe ways to drink or merely focus on instilling fear in them about drinking at all. After reviewing the past research he decides that a more effective way to persuade the students is ______________.
A)systematic desensitization to alcohol messages
B)focusing on heightening their fear
C)instilling fear in addition to good information about "what to do"
D)the peripheral route to persuasion

Accepted Answer

Research in health communication suggests that fear appeals can be effective when they are combined with practical, actionable information that enables individuals to mitigate the risks being highlighted. This approach helps in not only raising awareness about the dangers but also empowering individuals with the knowledge on how to avoid or reduce those risks.

Question 7

The phenomenon of how the mere presence of others can function to increase the likelihood of an individual's dominant response in a given situation is called ________________.
A)normative social influence
B)social facilitation
C)the self-fulfilling prophecy
D)the self-serving bias

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation is the concept that explains how an individual's performance can be improved or diminished due to the presence of others. It suggests that the presence of others increases arousal, which enhances the likelihood of an individual's dominant response. If the task is simple or well-learned, performance is enhanced. If the task is complex or new, performance may suffer.

Question 8

Sets of norms that specify how people in a particular social position are expected to behave are __________________.
A)social norms
B)social standards
C)social rules
D)social roles

Accepted Answer

Social roles define the expected behaviors, rights, obligations, responsibilities, and privileges assigned to a social position. These roles guide how individuals should act and interact within their specific social positions.

Question 9

The peripheral route to persuasion is said to occur when people are persuaded because
A)they are influenced by non-message factors such as communicator attractiveness
B)they have thought carefully about a message
C)a message is moderately discrepant
D)a message evokes a moderate amount of fear

Accepted Answer

The peripheral route to persuasion involves being persuaded in a manner that is not based on the arguments or the message content but on external cues such as the attractiveness or credibility of the source, or other non-content related factors.

Question 10

Social facilitation refers to
A)relating one's personal attributes, abilities, and opinions to those of other people
B)how people in a given social position ought to behave
C)the shared expectations about how people should think, feel, and behave
D)an increased tendency to perform one's dominant response in the presence of others

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation is the concept that people tend to perform simple or well-learned tasks better when in the presence of others than when alone. This is because the presence of others increases physiological arousal, which enhances the tendency to perform the dominant response for a particular task.

Question 11

During a murder trial, two expert witnesses testify as to the accuracy of the DNA statistics. The two experts have conflicting opinions. James is a juror who finds the scientific evidence hard to understand, but he finds that he is more attracted to one of the experts for the defence because she is young and reminds him of his daughter. When James is persuaded by her testimony and discounts the testimony of the other expert, he is using
A)the central route to persuasion
B)the peripheral route to persuasion
C)a self-fulfilling prophecy
D)a self-serving bias

Accepted Answer

James is using the peripheral route to persuasion because his judgment is influenced by a superficial characteristic (the expert's youth and resemblance to his daughter) rather than the content or quality of the argument presented.

Question 12

Norman Triplett accurately predicted that bicycle racing times would be faster when individuals raced in groups. This effect is currently explained by the modern construct called ______________.
A)the primacy effect
B)cognitive dissonance
C)group polarization
D)social facilitation

Accepted Answer

Norman Triplett's observation that bicycle racing times improve when individuals race in the presence of others is explained by the concept of social facilitation. This psychological phenomenon suggests that performance on tasks can be enhanced when individuals are in the presence of others or perceive that they are being watched.

Question 13

When Mrs. Jones asks her kindergarten class, "Who is looking forward to summer vacation?" every student raises his or her hand. Notice that Mrs. Jones did not ask them to raise their hands they just know that is the socially acceptable way to respond to the question. The behaviour of raising your hand in elementary school is an example of
A)social facilitation
B)social norms
C)theory of planned behaviour
D)groupthink

Accepted Answer

Raising a hand in response to a question in a classroom setting is an example of social norms, which are the unwritten rules about how to behave in social situations. This behavior is learned and followed because it is the accepted and expected action in that context.

Question 14

According to Sorrentino and colleagues at the University of Western Ontario, if you are trying to persuade someone regarding an issue that is personally relevant to that person and that person has a certainty-oriented approach to new information, you would probably be more successful by
A)having that person think carefully about your arguments
B)presenting your arguments in a compelling and unbiased manner
C)appearing to be an attractive speaker and an expert on that issue
D)presenting your arguments in a persuasive and biased manner

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Sorrentino and colleagues at the...

Question 15

You are leading a group of 25 adults on a tour of your campus and as you pass the tennis courts, you all stop to watch. Half of the courts contain students who are just learning to play tennis, while next to them are several exceptional tennis players from your college tennis team. According to the social facilitation effect, which of the following would you expect?
A)Both the novice and expert tennis players should perform better.
B)Both the novice and expert tennis players should perform worse.
C)The novice tennis players should perform worse, while the expert tennis players should perform better.
D)The expert tennis players should perform worse, while the novice tennis players should perform better.

Accepted Answer

The social facilitation effect posits that the presence of others can enhance the performance of well-learned or expert tasks but can impair the performance of tasks that are not well-learned or are complex for the individual. Therefore, expert tennis players are likely to perform better with an audience, while novice players may perform worse due to increased pressure and anxiety.

Question 16

Which of the following statements regarding social norms and roles is most accurate?
A)Social norms consist of sets of social roles.
B)Social roles consist of sets of social norms.
C)Social norms and social roles are essentially synonymous.
D)Social norms and social roles both achieve their effects through informative social influence.

Accepted Answer

Social roles are defined by the expectations and behaviors that society associates with a particular position, such as a teacher or a student. These roles are guided by social norms, which are the unwritten rules that dictate how individuals in a society are expected to behave in various situations. Thus, social roles consist of sets of social norms that outline the behaviors expected of individuals in specific positions.

Question 17

The central route to persuasion has been found to be the most effective for people who
A)rely more heavily on communicator attractiveness and similarity
B)score high on measures of social loafing
C)have a high need for cognition
D)are more prone to cognitive dissonance

Accepted Answer

The central route to persuasion is most effective for individuals with a high need for cognition because these individuals enjoy engaging in and thinking about arguments and are more likely to be persuaded by the quality of the arguments presented rather than by superficial cues.

Question 18

When people are persuaded by an argument because they have thought carefully about it and find it compelling, the _______________ occurs.
A)peripheral route to persuasion
B)central route to persuasion
C)fundamental attribution error
D)social facilitation

Accepted Answer

The central route to persuasion involves a person being persuaded by the content of the argument itself, due to careful thought and finding the argument compelling. This contrasts with the peripheral route, which involves persuasion based on superficial cues rather than the content of the message.

Question 19

Anne has been practicing her new ballet moves all week. She wants to earn a role in the local ballet company's latest show. Although she has learned the moves very well, she is still making mistakes the night before the audition. According to the social facilitation phenomenon, at the audition, in front of an audience, Anne will
A)make the same number of mistakes as when she practiced
B)perform the ballet moves correctly
C)become distracted by the audience and create new moves at the audition
D)make more mistakes than she usually did at home practicing

Accepted Answer

The social facilitation phenomenon suggests that performing a well-learned or simple task in the presence of others typically improves performance. Since Anne has practiced her ballet moves well, it's likely she will perform them correctly in front of an audience.

Question 20

Alison is at a workshop where a presenter is attempting to persuade people to make a rather risky but potentially profitable financial investment. After carefully considering the presenter's arguments, Alison finds this person's ideas sound and compelling and decides to invest. This example best demonstrates
A)the peripheral route to persuasion
B)the norm of reciprocity
C)the central route to persuasion
D)the door-in-the-face technique

Accepted Answer

Alison's decision is based on carefully considering the presenter's arguments, which is characteristic of the central route to persuasion. This route involves thoughtful consideration of the arguments presented, leading to a more durable and stable change in attitude.

Quiz 13: Behaviour in a Social Context

The fact that Japanese individuals typically sit farther apart when conversing than Americans do, and that Greeks are more likely than Europeans to touch during social interaction are best considered as examples of

Under which of the following conditions would we expect the presence of other people to have the strongest negative effect on performance?

Aaron has been trying to improve his time in the 100 metre run. He often practices at the track late at night with his girlfriend timing him. To his amazement, when his friend, Benjamin, who is an excellent runner, volunteers to run with him, his time actually ______________.

The phenomenon of how the mere presence of others can function to increase the likelihood of an individual's dominant response in a given situation is called ________________.

Sets of norms that specify how people in a particular social position are expected to behave are __________________.

The peripheral route to persuasion is said to occur when people are persuaded because

Social facilitation refers to

Norman Triplett accurately predicted that bicycle racing times would be faster when individuals raced in groups. This effect is currently explained by the modern construct called ______________.

According to Sorrentino and colleagues at the University of Western Ontario, if you are trying to persuade someone regarding an issue that is personally relevant to that person and that person has a certainty-oriented approach to new information, you would probably be more successful by

Which of the following statements regarding social norms and roles is most accurate?

The central route to persuasion has been found to be the most effective for people who

When people are persuaded by an argument because they have thought carefully about it and find it compelling, the _______________ occurs.