Question 1

Connie is outside raking leaves and watching her son play with some neighborhood children.The children are playing football,and during one play it appears that several children have been injured.Connie rushes over to see if her son is okay first and then attends to the other children.Connie's reaction is best explained by ____.

Accepted Answer

Connie's reaction is best explained by evolutionary theory, which suggests that individuals are more likely to help those who are genetically related to them first, as a means of ensuring the survival of their own genes. In this scenario, Connie's instinct to check on her son before others aligns with the evolutionary drive to protect one's offspring.

Question 2

Beatrice finds that one person working alone can scoop about 100 pounds of corn kernels per minute.When these people work in groups,each person's output drops to about 80 pounds per minute.What is this group process called?

Accepted Answer

Social loafing refers to the tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working in a group compared to when working alone. This phenomenon can result in a decrease in individual output and overall group performance.

Question 3

The prisoner's dilemma game is an experiment designed to test ____.

Accepted Answer

The prisoner's dilemma game is a simulation of a situation where two individuals have to choose between cooperation and non-cooperation, and the outcome of their choices determines the payoff they receive. The game is designed to test the level of cooperation between individuals and highlight the tension between self-interest and mutual benefit. In the game, the best choice is for both players to cooperate, as this results in the highest combined payoff.

Question 4

Which of the following is the best example of social facilitation?

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation is the phenomenon where individuals perform better on tasks in the presence of others. Sarah running the mile faster when running against someone else indicates social facilitation as her performance is improved in the presence of others.

Question 5

You are stuck on a desert island with a group of people after your three-hour cruise turned into a shipwreck.If you must help only one other person to survive,whom will you choose,according to the evolutionary theory of helping behavior?

Accepted Answer

According to the evolutionary theory of helping behavior, individuals are more likely to help those with whom they share a genetic relationship, as this increases the likelihood of their genes being passed on to future generations. Helping a sibling, in this case, Gilligan, aligns with the concept of "inclusive fitness," which emphasizes the survival of one's own genes, either directly or indirectly through the survival of relatives.

Question 6

You are walking down the street and see someone lying motionless on the ground.You are most likely to help if you are ____.

Accepted Answer

In this scenario, the person directly asks for help, indicating that they are conscious and aware of their surroundings. This is the clearest indication that they require assistance and it eliminates any uncertainty or hesitation that may arise when it is unclear whether someone needs help or not. Additionally, being alone can reduce the diffusion of responsibility, making it more likely that an individual will act.

Question 7

Dave is driving along the interstate when he sees a stranded motorist.Dave had a flat tire just last week,so he knows how it feels to be stranded.He decides to stop and help the motorist.Which theory of helping behavior best explains why Dave stopped to help?

Accepted Answer

The empathy-altruism theory proposes that people are motivated to help others in need because of their empathetic concern for the well-being of others, without any expectation of personal reward or benefit. In this scenario, Dave's past experience with a flat tire may have increased his empathetic concern for the stranded motorist, leading him to stop and help without expecting any reward or benefit. Therefore, the best theory to explain Dave's helping behavior is the empathy-altruism theory.

Question 8

Mildred has fallen and she can't get up! Which factor will not increase the likelihood that Janet,a passer-by,will help?

Accepted Answer

The presence of many other witnesses can lead to the bystander effect, where individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present. This decreases the likelihood of Janet helping, rather than increasing it.

Question 9

According to environmental psychology,your chances of being a victim of a violent crime are highest in the ____.

Accepted Answer

According to environmental psychology, the chances of being a victim of a violent crime are highest in the summer. This is due to factors like warmer temperatures leading to more people being out and about, increased alcohol consumption, and more leisure time.

Question 10

Ramona was in a crowd of fellow students when she saw a maintenance worker fall down a flight of stairs at the entrance to a building.Ramona continued on to her class without helping the worker.Ramona's behavior reflects ____.

Accepted Answer

Ramona's behavior reflects diffusion of responsibility, as she was one of many people in the crowd and may have felt like it was not solely her responsibility to help the maintenance worker.

Question 11

Carol is shopping for the holidays when she slips on some ice and drops some of her packages.Which one of the following would most likely increase the likelihood of somebody stopping to help her?

Accepted Answer

Announcing loudly that she needs help directly communicates her need for assistance, making it more likely for someone to stop and help her.

Question 12

Fallon is on her way to work when she sees a little boy,who is crying and apparently lost.Seeing the crying boy makes Fallon very uncomfortable and upset.To reduce these negative feelings,Fallon stops to help the boy find his parents.Which theory best explains Fallon's helping behavior?

Accepted Answer

The arousal: cost-reward theory explains Fallon's helping behavior as it suggests that witnessing the boy's distress created an unpleasant state of arousal in her, and helping him was a way to reduce her own discomfort and negative feelings.

Question 13

Research has indicated that when students who had recently learned about the bystander effect were confronted with a contrived emergency under circumstances unlikely to promote helping,their willingness to help ____.

Accepted Answer

Research on the bystander effect has shown that learning about it can temporarily increase individuals' awareness and likelihood to help in emergency situations, as they may actively try to counteract the bystander effect.

Question 14

Which action demonstrates altruistic behavior?

Accepted Answer

Informing the Environmental Protection Agency about your company dumping toxic waste into a local river, even at the cost of your job is an example of altruistic behavior. It prioritizes the well-being of the environment and the community over personal gain. The other options either have some selfish motive or accidental behavior that cannot be deemed as an altruistic action.

Question 15

Chris and Ben are neighbors who often work together on their Neighborhood Watch committee.However,on the job,they work for rival advertising firms.On their Neighborhood Watch committee,Chris and Ben ____.At work,they often ____ with one another to win an advertising contract with a client,thus creating ____.

Accepted Answer

The sentence clearly states that Chris and Ben cooperate on their Neighborhood Watch committee, indicating collaboration and teamwork. However, at work, they compete with each other to win contracts, suggesting a conflict of interest. Therefore, Option A, which includes both cooperation and conflict, is the most suitable choice. Options B and C are incorrect because they do not appropriately capture the dynamic between the two scenarios described in the sentence.

Question 16

Abigail is learning a complex new computer program in her Computers in the Real World class.She finds that she made fewer errors when she was working alone than when she is in class.This difference in her performance can best be explained by the principle of ____.

Accepted Answer

Social interference refers to the negative effects that social interaction can have on individual performance. This can occur when individuals are distracted or feel pressure to conform to the behavior of others in a group. In this case, Abigail's performance is negatively affected when she is in class, which suggests that social interference is occurring. The other options (descriptive norms, deindividuation, social loafing) do not fit the situation described.

Question 17

B.D.Check,a legislator,is being pressured to pass a bill to help curb the violence and aggressive behavior taking place in society.According to what you know about social psychology,this bill should include ____.

Accepted Answer

Overcrowding is a factor that can contribute to increased aggression and violence in society. A monetary penalty for overcrowded apartment buildings could incentivize landlords to reduce overcrowding, potentially leading to a decrease in aggressive behavior.

Question 18

Two fishing companies are competing for fish.Each company wants to maximize its profits by harvesting as many fish as possible,but if both companies do this,the fish population will become depleted.If both companies agree to set limits on the number of fish that they harvest,they will achieve the best joint outcome.This situation is an example of ____.

Accepted Answer

This situation is an example of a social dilemma, where each individual or group pursues their own self-interest, which leads to a suboptimal outcome for everyone involved. In such a situation, cooperation and collaboration can lead to the best joint outcome.

Question 19

All of the following have been identified as reasons why helping behaviors develop except for ____.

Accepted Answer

Excitation transfer refers to the phenomenon where emotions or arousal from one situation can carry over and influence behaviors in a subsequent situation. It is not directly related to the development of helping behaviors. B, C, and D are all reasons that have been identified as contributing to the development of helping behaviors.

Question 20

The popular girls make fun of Velma because she wears thick glasses with large rims.One day,they tease Velma until she cries.Knowing what it feels like to be picked on,Daria tells the girls to leave her alone and sits with Velma until she feels better.Daria's motivation to help Velma is best explained by the ____ theory.

Accepted Answer

The empathy-altruism helping theory suggests that when individuals empathize with the distress of another person, they are motivated by empathic concern to help the person, regardless of personal cost or reward. This theory is reflected in Daria's behavior as she helps Velma out of empathy for her situation, without any expectation of personal reward or benefit.

Quiz 16: Social Psychology