Question 1

________ theory deals with how people assign causes to the events around them and the effects that these explanations have.
A) Explanatory
B) Attribution
C) Representative
D) Situational

Accepted Answer

Attribution theory deals with how people assign causes to the events around them and the effects that these explanations have.

Question 2

Which of the following questions best reflects what attribution theory seeks to explain?
A) How often does Tina engage in binge drinking?
B) Why did Larissa break up with Tom?
C) What did Bob say in response to Jim's insult?
D) Where is Juan most likely to find a date for the dance?

Accepted Answer

Attribution theory seeks to explain why people behave or act in certain ways. Option B is a question that seeks to understand the underlying reasons or causes for Larissa's decision to break up with Tom.

Question 3

At the last minute, Christine decided to try a new route to work. On her drive in, she hit a deep pothole, causing one of her car tires to go flat. Her decision to try a new route ________ the likelihood that she engaged in counterfactual thinking.
A) increased
B) decreased
C) had no effect on
D) eliminated

Accepted Answer

The definition of counterfactual thinking is imagining alternative outcomes to events that have already occurred. In this case, Christine may engage in counterfactual thinking by imagining what would have happened if she had taken her usual route instead of the new one. The fact that she made a last-minute decision to try a new route increases the likelihood that she will engage in such thinking.

Question 4

Recall that Dweck and her colleagues aimed to understand why boys and girls tend to explain their failures differently. To this end, they conducted an experiment that manipulated ________. Results showed that ________.
A) the type of feedback that students received in class; comments teachers typically give to girls lead to internal attributions for failure
B) the type of feedback that students received in class; comments teachers typically give to boys lead to internal attributions for failure
C) success and failure on various assignments; after a success, girls felt happier than boys
D) success and failure on various assignments; after a failure, girls felt sadder than boys

Accepted Answer

Dweck and her colleagues found that the type of feedback students received influenced how they attributed their failures. Specifically, comments typically given to girls led them to make internal attributions for failure, meaning they were more likely to blame themselves.

Question 5

Kyle, a male student, and Megha, a female student, both failed their geography exams. According to research by Dweck and colleagues, Kyle is likely to attribute his failure to his ________, whereas Megha is likely to attribute her failure to her ________.
A) parents; teachers
B) teachers; parents
C) lack of ability; lack of effort
D) lack of effort; lack of ability

Accepted Answer

The answer of Kyle, a male student, and Megha, a...

Question 6

Psychologists who want to measure a person's explanatory style assess each of the following attribution dimensions EXCEPT
A) rational/affective.
B) internal/external.
C) stability/instability.
D) global/specific.

Accepted Answer

The dimensions of attribution assessed to evaluate a person's explanatory style are internal/external, stability/instability, and global/specific. Rational/affective is not a dimension of attribution that is typically included in measures of explanatory style.

Question 7

Jim meets Eun Joo for coffee and asks, "Would you be my date for the Sigma Chi formal dance?" She smiles and says, "That is so nice of you, but I have already got plans." Jim then thinks to himself, "I will never find a date for this formal." Given this information, you can conclude that Jim's response reflects a(n) ________ attribution.
A) stable
B) global
C) external
D) transient

Accepted Answer

Jim's response reflects a stable attribution because he believes that his inability to find a date is a consistent and unchanging situation.

Question 8

Someone with an optimistic explanatory style is likely to make which types of attributions for success?
A) internal, stable, specific
B) internal, stable, global
C) internal, unstable, global
D) external, unstable, specific

Accepted Answer

An optimistic explanatory style involves attributing successes to internal, stable, and global causes, meaning the person believes their successes are due to their own qualities or actions (internal), these qualities or actions will consistently lead to success (stable), and these successes can be applied across different situations (global).

Question 9

In a study conducted by Peterson and his colleagues, participants' explanatory style when they were young adults
A) predicted health at age thirty.
B) predicted health in older age.
C) predicted relationship status at age thirty.
D) did not predict health at any age.

Accepted Answer

In the study conducted by Peterson and his colleagues, participants' explanatory style when they were young adults was found to predict health in older age.

Question 10

Bo has repeatedly tried to find a job. After each unsuccessful attempt, he concludes that there is just something about him that will always get in the way of success in his life. Bo is displaying a ________ explanatory style.
A) self-defensive
B) maladaptive
C) pessimistic
D) self-protecting

Accepted Answer

Bo's belief that he will always fail suggests a pessimistic explanatory style, which assumes that negative outcomes are permanent and pervasive. This type of thinking can lead to feelings of helplessness and hinder future success.

Question 11

According to ________, our confidence that a particular cause is responsible for a given outcome is reduced if there are other plausible causes that might have produced it.
A) plausibility theory
B) the principle of refutation
C) the discounting principle
D) the augmentation principle

Accepted Answer

The discounting principle states that our confidence in a particular cause is reduced if there are other plausible causes that could have produced the same outcome. This principle relates to the idea of discounting or decreasing the weight given to a particular cause in light of other possible explanations. Plausibility theory, the principle of refutation, and the augmentation principle are not directly related to this concept.

Question 12

Recall that Wells and Gavanski (1989) asked study participants to read a story about a woman who went to lunch with her boss to celebrate a promotion. According to the story, the boss ordered a dish for the woman that contained wine. Unfortunately, the woman was so allergic to wine that she died. The researchers were interested in how participants would respond to additional information about the boss's behavior. Results of this study showed that participants who thought the
A) boss's behavior was situationally caused were more likely to blame him for the woman's death.
B) boss's behavior was dispositionally caused were more upset by the woman's death.
C) boss almost ordered a different dish that contained wine viewed him more negatively.
D) boss almost ordered a different dish that did not contain wine viewed his choice of meals as more causally significant.

Accepted Answer

Participants viewed the boss's choice as more causally significant when they learned he almost chose a different dish that did not contain wine, highlighting the importance of counterfactual thinking in attributions of causality.

Question 13

Darby consistently attributes her failures to stable, global, and internal causes. Maria accounts for her failures by citing unstable, specific, and external causes. According to research on explanatory style, Darby is likely to ________ than Maria.
A) earn higher grades
B) earn lower grades
C) be more creative
D) be less creative

Accepted Answer

Darby's explanatory style is characterized by pessimism, as she attributes her failures to stable, global, and internal causes, which are more difficult to change. This may lead to lower self-esteem and motivation, ultimately resulting in lower grades. Maria's explanatory style, on the other hand, is characterized by optimism, as she cites external factors that can change and improve in the future, leading to higher grades.

Question 14

Trina notices her brother Mark eating a second piece of chocolate from a box of candy. Because he rarely eats candy of any kind, Trina concludes that Mark must really like the chocolate. In this instance, Trina is relying on ________ information to explain her brother's behavior.
A) distinctiveness
B) consistency
C) consensus
D) individuating

Accepted Answer

Trina is using the distinctiveness information to explain her brother's behavior. This is because she notices that her brother rarely eats candy, but is eating the chocolate from the box, indicating that he must really like this specific type of candy.

Question 15

________ refers to a person's habitual way of explaining many different types of events.
A) Causative thinking
B) Dispositional attribution
C) The correspondence bias
D) Explanatory style

Accepted Answer

Explanatory style refers to a person's habitual way of explaining many different types of events. This can include both positive and negative events, and is believed to be related to their overall outlook on life and mental health.

Question 16

________ theory focuses on the ways in which we answer such questions as "Why does my roommate always play his music loudly?"
A) Explanatory
B) Representative
C) Attribution
D) Situational

Accepted Answer

Attribution theory focuses on how individuals explain the behaviors of themselves and others. It examines how people make causal attributions about events and behavior, such as why someone always plays their music loudly.

Question 17

Rhonda tells you that she hates her new apartment. According to the covariation principle, which question would you ask to assess the consistency covariation dimension?
A) Do her roommates also hate the apartment?
B) Did Rhonda like her previous apartment?
C) Would Rhonda prefer to own her own home rather than rent?
D) Does Rhonda always report hating her apartment, or is she just saying so today?

Accepted Answer

The consistency covariation dimension involves assessing whether Rhonda's negative feelings towards her apartment are consistent over time. Asking if she always reports hating her apartment addresses this directly.

Question 18

The ________ dimension of explanatory style considers whether the causes of a particular behavior will be present again in the future.
A) stable/unstable
B) global/specific
C) internal/external
D) positive/negative

Accepted Answer

The stable/unstable dimension of explanatory style refers to whether the causes of a behavior are likely to remain consistent over time. The global/specific dimension refers to whether the causes of a behavior are applicable to multiple areas of life or specific to a particular situation. The internal/external dimension refers to whether the causes of a behavior are due to personal factors or external circumstances. The positive/negative dimension refers to whether the cause of a behavior is attributed to positive or negative factors. Therefore, the best choice for the dimension that considers whether the causes of a behavior will be present again in the future is the stable/unstable dimension.

Question 19

Gloria looks back on her marriage and thinks, "If only I had put more effort into the relationship, Lew and I would still be together." This self-reflection exemplifies
A) counterfactual thinking.
B) the actor-observer effect.
C) emotional intensification.
D) the self-serving bias.

Accepted Answer

Gloria's statement of "If only I had put more effort into the relationship" is an example of counterfactual thinking, which is the tendency to imagine alternative outcomes or scenarios that could have happened if certain events or actions had been different in our past.

Question 20

Jamal watches how his new girlfriend reacts to a performer at a comedy club. Is she easily amused or is the comedian really that funny? If he compares his girlfriend's response to the comedian to other people in the audience, he is focusing on ________ information.
A) consistency
B) distinctiveness
C) consensus
D) shared

Accepted Answer

Focusing on how other people in the audience react (consensus) allows Jamal to determine if his girlfriend's response is typical or if she finds the comedian particularly funny. It is not necessary to consider consistency or distinctiveness in this situation, and shared information is not relevant.

Quiz 5: Social Attribution: Explaining Behavior

________ theory deals with how people assign causes to the events around them and the effects that these explanations have.

Which of the following questions best reflects what attribution theory seeks to explain?

At the last minute, Christine decided to try a new route to work. On her drive in, she hit a deep pothole, causing one of her car tires to go flat. Her decision to try a new route ________ the likelihood that she engaged in counterfactual thinking.

Recall that Dweck and her colleagues aimed to understand why boys and girls tend to explain their failures differently. To this end, they conducted an experiment that manipulated . Results showed that .

Kyle, a male student, and Megha, a female student, both failed their geography exams. According to research by Dweck and colleagues, Kyle is likely to attribute his failure to his , whereas Megha is likely to attribute her failure to her .

Psychologists who want to measure a person's explanatory style assess each of the following attribution dimensions EXCEPT

Someone with an optimistic explanatory style is likely to make which types of attributions for success?

In a study conducted by Peterson and his colleagues, participants' explanatory style when they were young adults

Bo has repeatedly tried to find a job. After each unsuccessful attempt, he concludes that there is just something about him that will always get in the way of success in his life. Bo is displaying a ________ explanatory style.

According to ________, our confidence that a particular cause is responsible for a given outcome is reduced if there are other plausible causes that might have produced it.

Darby consistently attributes her failures to stable, global, and internal causes. Maria accounts for her failures by citing unstable, specific, and external causes. According to research on explanatory style, Darby is likely to ________ than Maria.

Trina notices her brother Mark eating a second piece of chocolate from a box of candy. Because he rarely eats candy of any kind, Trina concludes that Mark must really like the chocolate. In this instance, Trina is relying on ________ information to explain her brother's behavior.

________ refers to a person's habitual way of explaining many different types of events.

________ theory focuses on the ways in which we answer such questions as "Why does my roommate always play his music loudly?"

Rhonda tells you that she hates her new apartment. According to the covariation principle, which question would you ask to assess the consistency covariation dimension?

The ________ dimension of explanatory style considers whether the causes of a particular behavior will be present again in the future.

Gloria looks back on her marriage and thinks, "If only I had put more effort into the relationship, Lew and I would still be together." This self-reflection exemplifies

Jamal watches how his new girlfriend reacts to a performer at a comedy club. Is she easily amused or is the comedian really that funny? If he compares his girlfriend's response to the comedian to other people in the audience, he is focusing on ________ information.