Question 1

Social comparison theory holds that we most often compare ourselves to people
A)of similar backgrounds, abilities, and circumstances.
B)slightly higher in status or abilities than ourselves.
C)lower in status or abilities than ourselves.
D)higher in status but lower in abilities than ourselves.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Social comparison theory holds that we most...

Question 2

Motivation for self-improvement often comes from _____ comparison.
A)unilateral
B)downward
C)upward
D)bilateral

Accepted Answer

Upward comparison involves comparing oneself to someone who is perceived to be better or more successful in a certain area, which can lead to motivation for self-improvement in that area. Downward comparison involves comparing oneself to someone who is perceived to be worse off, which can lead to feelings of superiority or complacency. Unilateral and bilateral comparison do not specifically refer to comparisons that can drive motivation for self-improvement.

Question 3

Phillip meets Lydia in class and is interested in getting to know more about her.In social psychology, Phillip's affinity for Lydia would be called
A)social exchange.
B)interpersonal attraction.
C)an actor-observer bias.
D)social compliance.

Accepted Answer

Interpersonal attraction refers to the positive feelings that people have for one another and the desire to form and maintain close relationships. In this scenario, Phillip's interest in getting to know Lydia is an example of interpersonal attraction. Social exchange refers to the exchange of benefits and costs between people in a relationship, while social compliance refers to the tendency to conform to the expectations or demands of others. Actor-observer bias refers to the tendency to attribute other people's behavior to their internal dispositions while attributing one's own behavior to external factors.

Question 4

Janie has a part-time job and her employer has just cut her hours.She finds comfort by thinking about one of her friends that just lost her job.This is an example of
A)discounting.
B)downward comparison.
C)upward comparison.
D)unilateral compensation.

Accepted Answer

Downward comparison involves looking at others who are worse off than oneself, in order to feel better about one's own situation. In this case, Janie is comparing herself to her friend who lost her job, which makes her own situation seem less negative. This is a common psychological coping mechanism.

Question 5

Meaningful evaluations are based on comparing oneself with people who are
A)experts in the area of comparison.
B)more advanced, but not experts, in the area of comparison.
C)of similar backgrounds and abilities.
D)strangers.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Meaningful evaluations are based on comparing oneself...

Question 6

Comparing yourself with a person who ranks lower than you on some dimension is referred to as
A)discounting.
B)downward comparison.
C)reverse comparison.
D)unilateral comparison.

Accepted Answer

Comparing yourself with a person who ranks lower than you on some dimension is referred to as downward comparison. This can be used as a strategy to boost self-esteem and feel better about oneself in comparison to others.

Question 7

Felisia finishes her psychology test and goes outside and joins a group of students who are discussing the test.Felisia asks the group, "Didn't you think those last four questions were hard? Did the teacher go over that material?" The other students agree with Felisia that the questions were extremely difficult thus giving Felisia an idea of how her opinion "stacks" up to the opinions of others.This illustrates Felisia's use of
A)social exchange.
B)group cohesiveness.
C)cognitive dissonance.
D)social comparison.

Accepted Answer

Felisia's action of asking the group and comparing her opinion to theirs demonstrates her use of social comparison, which involves evaluating oneself by comparing to others.

Question 8

Ava just received her psychology test back, and she made a 75 on it.She finds out that two of her friends made 95 and 99, respectively, on the same test.By doing this _____ comparison, Ava decides that she will increase her study time and use the course supplementary site to improve her test scores.
A)unilateral
B)upward
C)downward
D)bilateral

Accepted Answer

Upward comparison involves comparing oneself to someone who is doing better in a particular area. In this scenario, Ava is comparing herself to her friends who scored higher on the test. This comparison motivates her to improve her test scores by increasing her study time and utilizing supplementary resources.

Question 9

Eddie goes to his 20^th class reunion.He wonders as he is about to enter the ballroom how he will measure up to his classmates.Are they more successful than he is? Are a lot of them divorced like he is? Eddie is illustrating A)social comparison. B)role exchange. C)role conflict. D)social networking.

Accepted Answer

Eddie is engaging in social comparison, where he is evaluating his own qualities and status relative to his former classmates.

Question 10

According to social comparison theory, a major motive for joining groups is
A)to reduce the actor-observer bias.
B)a desire for self-evaluation.
C)to utilize groupthink in solving problems common to all group members..
D)a desire to influence and control others.

Accepted Answer

Social comparison theory suggests that people have a natural desire to evaluate themselves and compare their abilities, opinions, and behavior to others in order to determine their own social and personal worth. Joining a group provides an opportunity for individuals to engage in this process of social comparison and receive feedback on their own abilities and qualities.

Question 11

Regarding social comparisons, which of the following statements is FALSE?
A)People make meaningful evaluations by comparing themselves to others who are similar to them.
B)You may reach different conclusions about your actions and motives, depending upon whom you compare yourself to.
C)Social comparisons influence which groups we join.
D)If you are good at a particular skill, then it does not matter who is in the comparison group.

Accepted Answer

This statement is false. If a person is good at a particular skill, they may still compare themselves to others who are even better at that skill, which may affect their self-evaluation and motivation. Additionally, social comparison can also influence which groups we aspire to join, not just which groups we already belong to.

Question 12

_____ is the basis for most voluntary social relationships.
A)Social comparison
B)Mutual exchange
C)Interpersonal attraction
D)Temperament

Accepted Answer

Interpersonal attraction refers to the positive feelings that someone has towards another person, and it is often the basis for the development of voluntary social relationships such as friendships or romantic partnerships. Social comparison refers to the tendency to evaluate oneself in relation to others, while mutual exchange is a form of social interaction that involves reciprocal giving and receiving. Temperament refers to an individual's innate personality traits and characteristics.

Question 13

Comparing yourself with a person who ranks higher than you on some dimension is referred to as _____ comparison.
A)unilateral
B)downward
C)upward
D)bilateral

Accepted Answer

Upward comparison involves comparing oneself to a person who ranks higher than oneself on some dimension. This type of comparison can lead to feelings of inferiority and low self-esteem.

Question 14

_____ theory holds that desires for self-evaluation, self-protection, and self-enhancement provide motives for associating with others; and in doing so, they influence which groups we join.
A)Social comparison
B)Social exchange
C)Social networking
D)Group cohesiveness

Accepted Answer

Social comparison theory holds that people engage in social comparison to evaluate themselves and their abilities. This evaluation can lead to desires for self-enhancement, self-protection, or self-evaluation, which can motivate people to join certain groups. These desires can influence which groups people join, as they seek out groups in which they can achieve these self-evaluative goals.

Question 15

Wendy has just joined the community college tennis team.She loses her first two matches, while her other team members won both of their matches.Wendy's _____ comparison to her teammates has motivated her to increase her practice time and concentrate on improving her baseline shots.
A)upward
B)unilateral
C)downward
D)bilateral

Accepted Answer

An upward comparison occurs when an individual compares themselves to someone they perceive as better in some way, which can motivate them to improve. Wendy is comparing herself to her teammates who won their matches, thus motivating her to practice more.

Question 16

According to social comparison theory,
A)there are numerous objective standards for comparing oneself to others.
B)people have a low need to compare their achievements, actions, and views to those of others.
C)group membership provides the primary means for comparing oneself to others.
D)comparison to others does not occur on a regular basis.

Accepted Answer

Social comparison theory proposes that people compare themselves to others in order to evaluate their own abilities and opinions. Group membership provides a primary means of comparison, as individuals tend to compare themselves to peers who they perceive as similar or relevant to themselves. Therefore, choice C is correct as it reflects this key aspect of the theory. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because the theory does not suggest that objective standards are numerous, that people have a low need to compare themselves to others, or that comparison does not occur on a regular basis.

Question 17

The use of _____ reflects desires for self-protection when one feels threatened.
A)discounting
B)a downward comparison
C)a reverse comparison
D)unilateral compensation

Accepted Answer

A downward comparison involves comparing oneself to others who are worse off, which can serve as a self-protective mechanism when feeling threatened.

Question 18

We look for friends and lovers who
A)are kind and understanding.
B)have attractive personalities.
C)like us in return.
D)exhibit all of these characteristics.

Accepted Answer

It is ideal to look for friends and lovers who are not only kind and understanding, but who also have attractive personalities, and reciprocate our feelings of affection. Therefore, the best choice is D, which includes all of these necessary characteristics.

Question 19

Richard just received his psychology test back, and he made an 85 on it.He takes comfort when he finds out that a friend, who had studied long hours for this test, only made a 65.This example illustrates
A)discounting.
B)upward comparison.
C)downward comparison.
D)unilateral compensation.

Accepted Answer

This example illustrates downward comparison, which is the act of comparing oneself to someone who is worse off in order to feel better. Richard feels better about his score when he compares it to his friend's lower score.

Question 20

Ron feels that his philosophy professor is making the class more difficult than it needs to be.He calls a classmate to get her opinion.Ron has engaged in
A)social comparison.
B)role exchange.
C)role conflict.
D)social networking.

Accepted Answer

Ron is comparing his own opinions of the class with those of his classmate in order to evaluate whether his opinions are valid or not. This is an example of social comparison, which involves evaluating oneself by comparing oneself to others. The other options are not relevant to this situation - role exchange implies that Ron has assumed someone else's identity or role, role conflict implies that Ron is struggling to reconcile two conflicting roles or demands within his own identity or role, and social networking implies a broader context of online or in-person network building, rather than simply seeking another person's opinion.

Quiz 17: Extension A: Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior

Social comparison theory holds that we most often compare ourselves to people

Motivation for self-improvement often comes from _____ comparison.

Phillip meets Lydia in class and is interested in getting to know more about her.In social psychology, Phillip's affinity for Lydia would be called

Janie has a part-time job and her employer has just cut her hours.She finds comfort by thinking about one of her friends that just lost her job.This is an example of

Meaningful evaluations are based on comparing oneself with people who are

Comparing yourself with a person who ranks lower than you on some dimension is referred to as

Eddie goes to his 20th class reunion.He wonders as he is about to enter the ballroom how he will measure up to his classmates.Are they more successful than he is? Are a lot of them divorced like he is? Eddie is illustrating

According to social comparison theory, a major motive for joining groups is

Regarding social comparisons, which of the following statements is FALSE?

_____ is the basis for most voluntary social relationships.

Comparing yourself with a person who ranks higher than you on some dimension is referred to as _____ comparison.

_____ theory holds that desires for self-evaluation, self-protection, and self-enhancement provide motives for associating with others; and in doing so, they influence which groups we join.

Wendy has just joined the community college tennis team.She loses her first two matches, while her other team members won both of their matches.Wendy's _____ comparison to her teammates has motivated her to increase her practice time and concentrate on improving her baseline shots.

According to social comparison theory,

The use of _____ reflects desires for self-protection when one feels threatened.

We look for friends and lovers who

Richard just received his psychology test back, and he made an 85 on it.He takes comfort when he finds out that a friend, who had studied long hours for this test, only made a 65.This example illustrates

Ron feels that his philosophy professor is making the class more difficult than it needs to be.He calls a classmate to get her opinion.Ron has engaged in

Eddie goes to his 20^th class reunion.He wonders as he is about to enter the ballroom how he will measure up to his classmates.Are they more successful than he is? Are a lot of them divorced like he is? Eddie is illustrating