Question 1

Rex likes Karl, in part, because he thinks Karl is fun, smart, and energetic.When Paul points out to Rex that Karl is a terrible driver, Rex refuses to believe it.Perhaps Rex's perception is clouded by the ________ effect.

Accepted Answer

The halo effect refers to the tendency for people to perceive someone who has one positive trait (such as being fun, smart, and energetic, as Rex believes Karl to be) as having other positive traits as well, even if those traits have no logical connection to the original positive trait (such as being a good driver). In this case, Rex's positive perception of Karl is causing him to reject the idea that Karl could be a bad driver, even when presented with evidence to the contrary.

Question 2

A construct is a bipolar quality that we use to classify people.

Accepted Answer

A construct is a bipolar quality as it refers to a trait or characteristic that has two opposite poles, such as introversion/extroversion or honesty/dishonesty, and is used to classify people according to where they fall on the spectrum.

Question 3

Rebecca is nervous and fidgets during her job interview with Calder.She is hired anyway, but Calder is surprised when he sees her at work on her first day and she is calm and collected.Calder may be guilty of the perceptual mistake of

Accepted Answer

Calder expected Rebecca to display the same nervous behavior at work that she did during her interview, which is an example of imposing consistency. This perceptual mistake involves expecting people's behavior to be consistent across different situations without considering changes in context or personal growth.

Question 4

When we stereotype others, we do so to fulfill our needs for power, authority, and structure.

Accepted Answer

Stereotyping allows us to categorize others and gain a sense of control and structure in our minds. It can also allow us to feel superior or more powerful over those we stereotype.

Question 5

When we look for nonverbal cues to help us understand how a person is feeling about something we did, we are engaging in

Accepted Answer

Indirect perception checking involves looking for nonverbal cues to help us understand how a person might be feeling about something we did without directly asking them. This allows us to gather information in a more subtle manner and can help us avoid uncomfortable or confrontational situations. Mindfulness involves being aware and present in the moment, intuitive perception relies on our gut feelings, and direct perception checking involves asking someone directly about their thoughts or feelings.

Question 6

If we assume a person's behavior was caused by an internal factor or personality characteristic, then we attribute his or her behavior to a stimulus.

Accepted Answer

If we assume a person's behavior was caused by an internal factor or personality characteristic, then we attribute his or her behavior to dispositional attribution, rather than a specific stimulus.

Question 7

The three stages of the interpersonal perception process are: selecting, organizing, and integrating.

Accepted Answer

The three stages of the interpersonal perception process are selecting, organizing, and interpreting, not integrating.

Question 8

Selective exposure is the process of focusing on specific stimuli.

Accepted Answer

Selective exposure refers to the tendency of individuals to favor information that aligns with their existing beliefs and attitudes, rather than focusing on specific stimuli.

Question 9

Interpersonal perception is the process by which we decide what people are like and give meaning to their actions.

Accepted Answer

Interpersonal perception is indeed the process by which we form opinions about people and attach significance to their behaviors. This process involves a variety of factors such as our own personal biases, expectations, past experiences, and social norms.

Question 10

People tend to give more weight to positive information than to negative information about others.

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that people often give more weight to negative information than to positive information, a phenomenon known as the negativity bias.

Question 11

Meghan is engaged in perception, but is not consciously trying to do so.She is engaged in passive perception.

Accepted Answer

Passive perception describes the process of unconsciously observing stimuli in the environment without actively trying to do so.

Question 12

The two ways to check the accuracy of your perceptions are objectively and subjectively.

Accepted Answer

Objectively and subjectively are not the two ways to check the accuracy of your perceptions.

Question 13

When Beth first met Katie at work, Katie was impatient, stressed out, and irritable.For quite a while, Beth had a negative impression of Katie and tried to avoid her.In reality, Katie is kind and even-tempered.Which of the following best describes why Beth persisted in seeing Katie in a negative light?

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect refers to the tendency to weigh initial impressions more heavily than subsequent information. Beth's first impression of Katie was negative, which influenced her continued perception of Katie despite evidence to the contrary.

Question 14

A recency effect occurs when we pay attention to the first pieces of information we receive about a person or situation.

Accepted Answer

A recency effect occurs when we pay attention to the most recent pieces of information we receive about a person or situation, not the first.

Question 15

Rob met Frank in an online chat group for race car enthusiasts.Based on briefly looking over Frank's online profile, Rob decided that Frank is a typical show off, know-it-all race car owner.This tendency to stereotype someone based on the few cues online interactions provide is known as

Accepted Answer

The answer of Rob met Frank in an online chat...

Question 16

Fritz Heider says all people are "naive psychologists" because we try to explain the motives behind another's actions.

Accepted Answer

Fritz Heider's theory describes how individuals interpret and understand social behaviour by attributing internal and external factors to the behaviour. So, according to him, everyone is a naive psychologist.

Question 17

Roberta told her parents that she earned an "A" on her psychology exam because she had studied hard and knew the material.She told her parents that she only received a "C" on her history exam because, although she also knew that material, her history professor doesn't like her.This is an example of the self-serving bias.

Accepted Answer

The self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute one's successes to internal factors and one's failures to external factors, such as other people or circumstances. In this scenario, Roberta is taking credit for her success in psychology by attributing it to her own hard work and knowledge, but is blaming her history professor for her failure in history. This is an example of the self-serving bias.

Question 18

Imposing consistency is an effective tactic for improving your perception skills.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Imposing consistency is an effective tactic for...

Question 19

When looking at Josie's LinkedIn page, Amy notices that some of the information is misspelled and that Josie's photo is blurred and poorly defined.In Amy's several meetings with Josie, these do not appear to be how Josie REALLY is.In order to keep her perceptions in line, Amy needs to

Accepted Answer

The answer of When looking at Josie's LinkedIn page, Amy...

Question 20

You see your friend Hernando sitting quietly, leaning forward with his head in his hands.As you approach him, you say, "Hernando, you look like you are really tired." Your statement is an example of a direct perception check.

Accepted Answer

A direct perception check is a statement or question that seeks to confirm or clarify what is going on with a person's behavior or emotions. In this case, the statement "Hernando, you look like you are really tired" is a direct perception check as it seeks to confirm his tiredness.

Quiz 3: Introduction to Interpersonal Communication