Question 1

Social facilitation involves:

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation refers to the phenomenon where the presence of others enhances an individual's performance. It is the opposite of social inhibition, where the presence of others impairs performance.

Question 2

When Jude is practicing on his own, he can run the 400 meters in 60 seconds.However, when he is running against a competitor he is able to run the 400 meters in just over 56 seconds.The improvement in Jude's performance when he runs against a competitor is consistent with the concept of:

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation theory suggests that individuals tend to perform better when in the presence of others than when they're alone. In this case, the improvement in Jude's performance when running against a competitor suggests that he is likely experiencing social facilitation.

Question 3

Ben realized that every time he had an open elective, he took a psychology class.Based on his observation, Ben has decided he must like psychology.Ben's attitude is best explained by:

Accepted Answer

Ben's attitude is best explained by self-perception theory, which suggests that individuals infer their attitudes and preferences from their behavior and the context in which it occurs. In this case, Ben's behavior of choosing psychology classes repeatedly led him to infer that he must like psychology.

Question 4

Social interference involves:

Accepted Answer

Social interference refers to the negative effect on individual performance when they perform in the presence of others. This phenomenon is also known as social facilitation, which involves enhanced performance when an individual performs a task that they are good at in the presence of others. Option A is incorrect as it describes social facilitation, not social interference. Option B describes the bystander effect, which is a different phenomenon than social interference. Option D describes social loafing, which involves exerting less effort in a group than when working alone, but again is a different phenomenon than social interference.

Question 5

Caleb saw an elderly lady struggling with a number of packages in a crowded shopping center, but he didn't offer any help.His actions in this case are consistent with:

Accepted Answer

The bystander effect is a phenomenon where people are less likely to offer help in an emergency situation when there are other people around. Caleb’s inaction in helping the elderly lady in a crowded shopping center is consistent with the bystander effect.

Question 6

Which of the following refers to when one acts in a way that shows an unselfish concern for others?

Accepted Answer

Altruism refers to acting in a selfless manner with genuine concern for the well-being of others. Passion refers to strong emotions and excitement, attribution refers to the process of explaining one's behavior or the behavior of others, and dissonance refers to the discomfort of holding conflicting ideas or beliefs.

Question 7

Some psychologists suggest that individuals sometimes act in a way that shows an unselfish concern for others because they anticipate that the favor will be returned in kind sometime in the future.This concept is known as:

Accepted Answer

Reciprocal altruism is a theory that suggests individuals sometimes act unselfishly towards others because they anticipate that the favor will be returned in the future. This is based on the idea that individuals are more likely to survive and reproduce when they work together and help each other.

Question 8

Which of the following refers to one's having an enhanced performance when he or she performs in the presence of others?

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation refers to the enhanced performance of an individual when they perform in the presence of others. It is a phenomenon where the mere presence of others results in improved performance on well-learned tasks, but can lead to decreased performance on tasks that are not yet mastered.

Question 9

Samuel was approached by a student who asked him to sign a petition supporting funding for an environmental program.Although Samuel had never thought much about environmental issues, he signed the petition.A week later, a different student approached Samuel and asked him to volunteer 1 hour per week to help start a recycling program and educate the community about environmental issues.Samuel said he would do it.His compliance to the second request can best be explained using:

Accepted Answer

Self-perception theory suggests that individuals come to understand their attitudes or beliefs by observing their own behavior, and Samuel's agreement to volunteer can be explained by his perception of himself as an environmentally conscious person after signing the petition.

Question 10

When Candy is driving on her own, she usually drives the speed limit.However, when she gets on a freeway with lots of other drivers around she tends to drive faster.The increase in Candy's driving speed when other drivers are present is consistent with the concept of:

Accepted Answer

The increase in Candy's driving speed when other drivers are present is an example of social facilitation, which is the tendency to perform better or worse in the presence of others. In this case, Candy's behavior is influenced by the presence of other drivers, causing her to drive faster than she would on her own. Groupthink, self-serving bias, and reciprocity are not applicable in this scenario.

Question 11

When ants are excavating dirt, they work much faster when there are other ants present than when they are excavating on their own.The improvement in performance that occurs in the presence of other ants is consistent with the concept of:

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation is the concept that individuals tend to perform better when in the presence of others, particularly when the task is simple or well-rehearsed. This phenomenon has been observed in many different species, including ants. The presence of other ants seems to stimulate and enhance the excavation process, resulting in faster and more efficient digging. Social interference refers to situations in which the presence of others hinders performance, which is not the case here. A self-serving bias and normative social influence are not applicable to this scenario.

Question 12

Reluctance to come to the aid of a person in need when other people are present is called:

Accepted Answer

The bystander effect refers to the tendency for individuals to be less likely to help someone in distress when others are present. This occurs because individuals assume that someone else in the group will take responsibility for helping, leading to a diffusion of responsibility.

Question 13

Wendy was at the lake when she heard a child in distress.While the other swimmers stood on the beach, Wendy swam out to help the child.In this case, Wendy's actions are the opposite of what would be expected based on:

Accepted Answer

The bystander effect refers to the tendency for individuals to be less likely to offer help in an emergency situation when others are present. In this situation, the other swimmers on the beach were not taking action to help the distressed child, but Wendy decided to swim out and help. This is the opposite of what would be expected based on the bystander effect.

Question 14

When Grant practices his saxophone on his own, he is able to get the fingering right, and he plays all the notes perfectly.However, when he plays as part of the orchestra, he finds he often makes mistakes in fingering.The impairment in Grant's performance when he is playing with others in the orchestra is consistent with the concept of:

Accepted Answer

Social interference refers to the phenomenon where the presence or actions of others negatively impact an individual's performance. In this case, playing with others in the orchestra interferes with Grant's ability to perform well, leading to mistakes in fingering.

Question 15

When Hank was practicing on his own, he was able to recite all his lines for the play without any errors.However, when he stepped on the stage, in front of an audience, his mind went blank and he couldn't remember any of his lines.The impairment in Hank's performance when he was in front of an audience is consistent with the concept of:

Accepted Answer

Social interference is the phenomenon where the presence of an audience impairs an individual's performance of a well-learned or skilled task. This explains why Hank, who was able to recite all his lines perfectly in practice, couldn't remember any of his lines when performing in front of an audience. Social facilitation, on the other hand, refers to an individual's improved performance on a simple or well-learned task in the presence of others. Social loafing pertains to the phenomenon where an individual's effort decreases when working in a group or team, and a self-fulfilling prophecy is when an individual's expectations about a situation or person influence their behavior in a way that leads to those expectations being fulfilled.

Question 16

Which of the following describes the situation when a person's performance is impaired performance when it is carried out in the presence of others?

Accepted Answer

Social interference refers to the impairing effect of the presence of others on a person's performance. In simpler terms, it means that a person's performance suffers when they are being observed or judged by others. This phenomenon is also known as the audience effect or evaluation apprehension. Social interference is the opposite of social facilitation, which refers to improved performance in the presence of others.

Question 17

Dozens of cars passed by before Jack got help when stranded on a busy road.Mike got help from the first person to pass by when he had car trouble on an almost deserted road.The difference in helping behavior they encountered is most consistent with:

Accepted Answer

The scenario described in the question is consistent with the bystander effect, which is a phenomenon in which individuals are less likely to offer help or intervene in an emergency situation when other people are present. This is because people tend to look to others for cues on how to behave, and when no one else is responding, they may assume that the situation is not an emergency or that someone else will take care of it. In Jack's case, the busy road may have made others assume that someone else would help him, and in Mike's case, the lack of others present may have made the passerby more likely to stop and offer assistance.

Question 18

Devin, Jeremiah, Meg, and Casey all watched as the building across the street burned to the ground.They kept waiting for the fire trucks to show up, even though none of them had called 911.In this case, the fact that none of the four friends phoned to report the fire illustrates the phenomenon of:

Accepted Answer

The fact that all four friends saw the fire but did not report it to emergency services is an example of the bystander effect. This occurs when individuals do not take action in an emergency situation because they assume that someone else will take responsibility or they believe that their own actions will not make a difference.

Question 19

The bystander effect refers to:

Accepted Answer

The bystander effect is the phenomenon where people are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present. This is due to diffusion of responsibility, where individuals feel less personally responsible when others are also present.

Question 20

Dana has never really thought about ordering a satellite television system, but she sees one system advertised for $50.00, including free installation.She can't pass up that great deal, so she calls to order the system.As the service person takes her order, Dana discovers that there a number of "extra" costs that weren't listed in the advertisement.The final cost of the system is close to $200.00, but she goes through with the deal anyway.In this case, the satellite company is:

Accepted Answer

The satellite company is using the lowball technique to sell its product. This technique involves advertising a very attractive offer (in this case, $50 for a satellite system with free installation) and then adding on additional costs or fees once the customer has committed to the purchase. Despite the additional costs, the customer is more likely to go through with the purchase due to their commitment to the initial offer.

Quiz 13: Social Psychology