Question 1

In a classic experiment, researchers (Aronson & Mettee, 1968) gave positive false feedback to some students, negative false feedback to some students, and no feedback to others.They were interested in seeing how self-esteem would affect the likelihood of cheating.What was the result of their experiment?

Accepted Answer

The experiment found that students who received negative feedback were more likely to cheat, as their self-esteem was lowered, potentially leading them to engage in dishonest behavior to regain a sense of self-worth.

Question 2

Jay just found out that he was not accepted into his dream college.Based on information from the authors of your text about impact bias, which of the following best reflects how Jay will react?

Accepted Answer

The impact bias suggests that people overestimate the long-term emotional impact of negative events. Therefore, although Jay may initially be disappointed and upset about not getting into his dream college, research suggests that he is likely to recover from this disappointment rather quickly and move on with his life.

Question 3

Someone reminds you to be appropriately grateful for the gifts you receive.Were a dissonance theorist to remind you to be thankful, he or she would be giving you advice on how to

Accepted Answer

A dissonance theorist would remind you to be appropriately grateful for the gifts you receive in order to avoid the discomfort of cognitive dissonance, which can arise when a person's beliefs or attitudes clash with their behavior. By acknowledging and expressing gratitude for the gift, you align your behavior with your belief that it is good to be grateful and avoid the discomfort of dissonance.

Question 4

According to the authors of your text, people experience dissonance

Accepted Answer

According to the text, people experience dissonance every time they make a decision because there is always the possibility of doubt or regret about the choice made. Dissonance occurs when there is a conflict between attitudes, beliefs or behaviors, and people experience it in order to reduce discomfort and restore a sense of internal consistency. Therefore, choice letter A is the best answer.

Question 5

Ying just purchased a rather expensive wristwatch.She had debated for weeks about the merits of two different styles before making her final decision.It's now likely that Ying will

Accepted Answer

Ying is likely to emphasize all of the positive aspects of the chosen watch to justify her decision and feel good about her purchase. Option A is less likely as she has already made the purchase and option D is a drastic step that may not be feasible or necessary. Option C may be a passing thought, but it is not a productive or helpful reaction to her decision.

Question 6

________ refers to the dissonance aroused after we have chosen between two or more alternatives.

Accepted Answer

Postdecision dissonance is the discomfort or regret that arises after making a decision between two or more alternatives. It is the feeling of doubt or second-guessing oneself after making a choice. The other options listed (A, C, and D) all refer to different psychological concepts or phenomena.

Question 7

All of the following processes EXCEPT ??????????????????????________ are motivated by the need to preserve or maintain self-esteem.

Accepted Answer

Making upward social comparisons can often lower self-esteem rather than preserve or maintain it, as it involves comparing oneself to others who are perceived to be better off or more successful.

Question 8

Social psychologists had African American students do carefully constructed self-affirming writing assignments regarding their good qualities outside of school.This type of self-affirmation will not be effective in bolstering self-esteem unless

Accepted Answer

The self-affirmation will not be effective in bolstering self-esteem unless it is realistic. Overly inflated or overly positive and untrue affirmations may actually harm self-esteem in the long run, while overly negative and untrue affirmations are obviously not helpful. Realistic affirmations that acknowledge both positive qualities and areas for growth are most likely to lead to improved self-esteem.

Question 9

Recall that Brehm (1956) asked women to rate the desirability of a number of appliances and then allowed them to choose one of those appliances as a gift.Twenty minutes later, all women re-rated the same appliances, including the one they chose.Women tended to rate the alternatives they rejected lower than they had originally, and to rate their chosen appliance more positively.These results suggest that people

Accepted Answer

This result supports the idea of cognitive dissonance reduction, where individuals tend to exaggerate the differences between the chosen and unchosen options to feel better about their decisions.

Question 10

Who would be LEAST likely to remember sound and well-founded arguments against smoking?

Accepted Answer

A person who has no desire to quit smoking is least likely to remember sound and well-founded arguments against smoking, as they have no motivation to internalize and retain such information.

Question 11

Because dissonance reduction processes are mostly unconscious, people

Accepted Answer

Dissonance reduction processes happen mostly unconsciously, so people may not realize how they are attempting to reduce their discomfort. As a result, they may overestimate the potential negative impact of feedback, as they overuse bias to protect their self-image.

Question 12

In a classic experiment, researchers (Aronson & Mettee, 1968) gave positive false feedback to some students, negative false feedback to some students, and no feedback to others.They were interested in seeing how self-esteem would affect the likelihood of cheating.What was the result of their experiment?

Accepted Answer

Students who had received positive false feedback had an increased self-esteem, which led to a decrease in the likelihood of cheating. On the other hand, students who received negative false feedback had decreased self-esteem, which led to an increased likelihood of cheating. The group of students who received no feedback did not show a significant difference in cheating behavior.

Question 13

Misaki feels terrible after just failing an exam in Spanish class.Now, in chemistry class, her lab partner just left the answers to the homework open on her desk while she steps into the hall to take a phone call.How is Misaki likely to behave?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Misaki feels terrible after just failing an...

Question 14

Chloe debated for a long time about whether to take a psychology or a sociology course, both of which looked interesting.She finally chose the psychology course.Now, because she is experiencing ________, she raves about the psychology course to her friends.

Accepted Answer

Postdecision dissonance is the discomfort people feel after making a difficult decision. In Chloe's case, she had a difficult time deciding between psychology and sociology courses, and after ultimately choosing psychology, she may experience postdecision dissonance. To reduce this discomfort, she may overemphasize the positive aspects of her choice, such as raving about the psychology course to her friends.

Question 15

According to the authors of your text, after carefully making a decision, what is likely to happen?

Accepted Answer

According to the text, after making a decision, individuals are likely to start focusing on the positive aspects of the choice they made. This cognitive process is known as cognitive dissonance reduction, which helps individuals feel more confident and satisfied with their decision. Therefore, option C is the best choice. The other options are not accurate or are overly negative in their predictions.

Question 16

According to the authors, every time we make a decision, we experience some amount of dissonance.Why?

Accepted Answer

The chosen alternative is seldom completely positive, leading to dissonance as individuals recognize the drawbacks of their choice.

Question 17

Social psychologists had African American students do carefully constructed self-affirming writing assignments regarding their good qualities outside of school.If this approach was to work for you with a group of students who were in danger of being academically dismissed, how would it affect them?

Accepted Answer

The carefully constructed self-affirming writing assignments would increase the students' self-esteem and confidence in their abilities, which could translate into improved academic performance as they are more motivated to succeed. Research has shown that self-affirmation can improve academic achievement and reduce stereotype threat, which can negatively impact the academic performance of marginalized groups. Therefore, it is likely that this approach would result in higher self-esteem and improvement in academic performance for the students who are in danger of being academically dismissed.

Question 18

Imagine you really enjoy lying out in the sun to get a deep, dark tan.If you heard arguments both for and against tanning, you would probably remember ________ arguments for tanning, and ________ arguments against tanning.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Imagine you really enjoy lying out in...

Question 19

People tend to fall subject to the impact bias (and not understand that they will usually successfully reduce cognitive dissonance) because reducing cognitive dissonance is

Accepted Answer

Reducing cognitive dissonance is largely an unconscious process. People tend to automatically adjust their attitudes or beliefs to reduce the internal conflict caused by the dissonance. The impact bias refers to the tendency to overestimate the intensity and duration of emotional reactions to future events. Even though people may experience some discomfort or pain when their beliefs or attitudes are challenged, the automatic and largely unconscious nature of cognitive dissonance reduction means that people are often successful in resolving the dissonance without much conscious effort.

Question 20

In a classic experiment, researchers (Aronson & Mettee, 1968) gave positive false feedback to some students, negative false feedback to some students, and no feedback to others.They were interested in seeing whether a boost to self-esteem would affect the likelihood of cheating.In this experiment, what is the independent variable?

Accepted Answer

The independent variable in this experiment is the type of feedback given (positive false feedback, negative false feedback or no feedback). This is the variable that is being manipulated by the researchers in order to see how it affects the students' behavior (likelihood of cheating). The dependent variable is the likelihood of cheating, which is being measured in response to the different types of feedback given. Self-esteem is not the independent or dependent variable in this experiment, but rather a potential mediating variable that may be affected by the feedback and influence the likelihood of cheating. The students themselves are not the independent variable, but rather the subjects of the experiment.

Quiz 6: The Need to Justify Our Actions: the Costs and Benefits of Dissonance Reduction