Question 1

In the classic cognitive dissonance study, participants paid $20 to promote a dull task rated the task as more enjoyable than people paid $1 to promote it.

Accepted Answer

In the classic cognitive dissonance study, participants paid $1 to promote a dull task rated the task as more enjoyable than those paid $20, because those paid only $1 experienced more cognitive dissonance and thus had to justify their actions by altering their attitudes to believe the task was more enjoyable.

Question 2

The view that poor people are lazy and deserve their lot in life reflects both the fundamental attribution error and the just-world hypothesis.

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to attribute people's behavior to their internal characteristics rather than external factors, such as situational factors. The just-world hypothesis is the belief that people get what they deserve and that the world is fair, which can lead to blaming the victim for their own misfortune. The view that poor people are lazy and deserve their lot in life reflects both of these biases, as it attributes poverty to personal characteristics rather than external factors and assumes that the world is fair and just.

Question 3

People are more persuadable when they are feeling happy.

Accepted Answer

According to research, people in a positive mood are more open to persuasion because they are less likely to engage in counterarguments and more likely to focus on positive aspects of the message.

Question 4

Attitudes are mainly genetic in origin.

Accepted Answer

While some attitudes may have a genetic component, the majority are shaped by environmental factors such as upbringing, education, and experiences. Attitudes can also change throughout a person's life as they encounter new information and situations.

Question 5

Teacher expectations have more impact on low-SES than on high-SES pupils.

Accepted Answer

Research shows that teacher expectations have a greater impact on the academic success of low-SES students compared to their high-SES counterparts. This may be attributed to the fact that low-SES students are more likely to internalize negative expectations from teachers and have less access to academic resources outside of school. Additionally, low-SES students are more likely to attend schools with fewer resources and less experienced teachers, further exacerbating the impact of teacher expectations.

Question 6

Leon Festinger is credited with uncovering the phenomenon of cognitive dissonance.

Accepted Answer

Leon Festinger is indeed credited with discovering cognitive dissonance, which refers to the mental discomfort experienced by a person who holds two or more contradictory beliefs or values, or experiences a conflict between their beliefs and behavior.

Question 7

After conducting a social psychological experiment, Herbert tells his participants about the deception involved in the study and makes sure that they weren't harmed by the procedures. Herbert is debriefing his participants.

Accepted Answer

Herbert is conducting a debriefing session with his participants where he discloses any deception involved in the study and ensures that his participants were not harmed by the procedures.

Question 8

The False consensus effect refers to the fact that one often exaggerates the differences between oneself and other people.

Accepted Answer

The False consensus effect actually refers to the tendency for people to overestimate the degree to which others share their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, and to underestimate the degree to which they differ from others.

Question 9

Deception is not permitted in social psychological research.

Accepted Answer

Deception is permitted in social psychological research under certain conditions. However, the use of deception must be justified and the risks and benefits to participants must be carefully considered. Researchers must also ensure that participants are fully debriefed after the study and that any potential harm caused by the deception is minimized.

Question 10

Attitudes and attributions are aspects of social cognition.

Accepted Answer

Attitudes and attributions both refer to the way individuals think about and make judgments about the social world around them, and are therefore part of the broader field of social cognition.

Question 11

Leon Festinger is credited with identifying the important elements of persuasion.

Accepted Answer

Leon Festinger is best known for developing the theory of cognitive dissonance, not for identifying the important elements of persuasion.

Question 12

The fundamental attribution error is at work when Annie assumes an aggressive driver is a hostile person rather than someone who is late for an appointment.

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to over-emphasize dispositional (personal/internal) explanations for someone's behavior, while under-emphasizing situational (external) factors. In this scenario, Annie is making a dispositional attribution by assuming that the aggressive driver is a hostile person, rather than considering the possibility that the driver is simply in a hurry or dealing with some other situational factor that is causing them to behave aggressively.

Question 13

External attributions are sometimes called situational attributions.

Accepted Answer

External attributions are explanations for someone's behavior that focus on factors outside of the person, such as the situation or circumstances they are in. This type of attribution is also sometimes referred to as a situational attribution.

Question 14

People's shock when bad things happen to good people underscores the power of the just-world hypothesis.

Accepted Answer

The just-world hypothesis is the belief that individuals get what they deserve and that the world is a fair place. When bad things happen to good people, it challenges this belief, and people may experience shock or disbelief. Therefore, the statement is true.

Question 15

The explanations people develop for other people's behaviors are called appraisals.

Accepted Answer

The explanations people develop for other people's behaviors are called attributions, not appraisals. Appraisals are evaluations or judgments about the events, objects, or people.

Question 16

One way to reduce cognitive dissonance is to change one's behavior.

Accepted Answer

Changing one's behavior to align with their beliefs, attitudes, or values can help reduce the feeling of cognitive dissonance. This can include avoiding certain behaviors or taking action to address conflicts in beliefs.

Question 17

An attitude consists of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components.

Accepted Answer

An attitude is a relatively enduring organization of beliefs, feelings, and behavioral tendencies towards socially significant objects, groups, events or symbols. It consists of cognitive (beliefs about the attitude object), emotional (feelings towards the attitude object), and behavioral (tendencies to behave in certain ways towards the attitude object) components.

Question 18

As part of the self-serving bias, people make situational attributions for their own successes.

Accepted Answer

In the self-serving bias, people typically make internal attributions for their successes (attributing them to their own qualities or actions) and external attributions for their failures (attributing them to situational factors).

Question 19

People tend to overemphasize the importance of the situation when explaining human behavior.

Accepted Answer

People tend to overemphasize the importance of personal characteristics and underemphasize the importance of the situation when explaining human behavior, a phenomenon known as the fundamental attribution error.

Question 20

Fear-inducing messages are almost never effective.

Accepted Answer

Fear-inducing messages can be effective in certain contexts, particularly in health campaigns and safety warnings, where they can motivate individuals to change behaviors to avoid negative outcomes.

Quiz 15: Treatment of Psychological Disorders