Question 1

Which of the following two social psychologists studied factors involved in determining whether a person will help a stranger, and wrote the landmark book, The Unresponsive Bystander: Why Doesn't He Help?

Accepted Answer

Bibb Latané and John Darley conducted research on the bystander effect, which refers to the phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help in an emergency situation when there are other people around. They wrote the book, The Unresponsive Bystander: Why Doesn't He Help? to explain the factors that contribute to this effect.

Question 2

Which of the following factors made it easier for the Army Reserve guards to mistreat detainees at Abu Ghraib?

Accepted Answer

The fact that the detainees belonged to a different cultural and ethnic group made it easier for the Army Reserve guards to view them as a despised and threatening out-group. This would make it easier to justify mistreatment and dehumanization of the detainees. It is important to note that none of the other factors listed would justify the mistreatment of detainees.

Question 3

Dr. Alvarez spent his whole working life selflessly helping the sick and poor in some of the poorest countries in the world. His example illustrates:

Accepted Answer

Dr. Alvarez's selfless behavior and dedication to helping others demonstrate altruism, which refers to helping others without expecting any personal gain or benefit.

Question 4

Kitty Genovese was murdered outside her New York City apartment. This tragic event led to intense psychological research on:

Accepted Answer

Kitty Genovese's murder led to research on altruism and prosocial behavior because of the bystander effect. The bystander effect is a phenomenon where individuals are less likely to intervene in an emergency situation if others are also present. In the case of Kitty Genovese, it was reported that many people witnessed the attack, but no one intervened. This led to research on why people choose to help or not help in emergency situations.

Question 5

Which of the following was NOT a factor that contributed to the abuse of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq?

Accepted Answer

The rule of reciprocity, which involves responding to a positive action with another positive action, is not relevant to the abuse at Abu Ghraib. The other factors, such as prejudice, conformity to roles, and normative social influence, were significant contributors to the behavior of the guards.

Question 6

The Stanford Prison Experiment demonstrated the powerful influence of:

Accepted Answer

The Stanford Prison Experiment involved college students taking on the roles of prisoners and guards in a simulated prison environment. The study revealed that once people assume situational roles, they tend to conform to the implied social rules and norms associated with those roles. This demonstrated the powerful influence of situational roles and conformity. Participants were not explicitly ordered or directly pressured to obey authority figures, which rules out option A. The bystander effect and the just-world hypothesis were not factors in the experiment, so options B and D are also incorrect.

Question 7

In a series of experiments, Stanley Milgram systematically varied the conditions of his obedience study. Under which of the following conditions were subjects LEAST likely to continue administering shocks to the full 450-volt level?

Accepted Answer

When the teacher observed two other teachers who refused to continue with the experiment, they were less likely to continue administering shocks to the full 450-volt level. This suggests that the presence of social support or models who resist authority can influence an individual's willingness to obey.

Question 8

Altruism is to _____ as prosocial behavior is to _____.

Accepted Answer

Altruism specifically refers to helping another person with no expectation of reward, whereas prosocial behavior can encompass both selfless and self-serving behavior.

Question 9

Jason belongs to a college fraternity and has been told to show up for a hazing ritual to take place later that week. Jason is against the whole idea of hazing but is not sure how to avoid participating. According to your textbook, Jason will find it easier to refuse to participate in the hazing if:

Accepted Answer

According to the textbook, social support can increase an individual's ability to resist peer pressure. By finding another fraternity member to join him in refusing to participate, Jason can show solidarity and resistance to the hazing ritual. This can also reduce the fear of being ostracized or punished for refusing to participate. It is important to note that telling the fraternity president about the anti-hazing rules in the college disciplinary guide can potentially increase Jason's risk of retaliation from other fraternity members. Participating in milder hazing behavior and then refusing to participate in severe behaviors can also put Jason at risk and send mixed messages to the fraternity regarding his stance on hazing. Simply attending the ritual but not participating in any way may not be enough to avoid pressure to participate and may still subject Jason to psychological distress.

Question 10

Psychological research has shown that resisting the direct orders of an authority figure:

Accepted Answer

Research on obedience has shown that individuals are more likely to resist direct orders from an authority figure if they perceive support from others, even if they are strangers. This is known as the "power of dissent" and has been observed in both individualistic and collectivistic cultures. Ethnocentrism is not necessarily a factor in obedience or resistance to authority.

Question 11

Which of the following events spurred social psychologists to begin studying the conditions under which people will help another person?

Accepted Answer

The murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964, where none of the witnesses intervened or called for help, led to the development of the bystander effect theory and spurred social psychologists to study the conditions under which people will help another person.

Question 12

Most of the Army Reserve soldiers who were convicted of mistreating prisoners at Abu Ghraib:

Accepted Answer

The majority of the Army Reserve soldiers convicted of mistreating prisoners at Abu Ghraib were reservists who were poorly trained and inexperienced, with no awareness of Army regulations covering civilian detainees or prisoners of war.

Question 13

Philip Zimbardo made the claim that "the value of the _____ Experiment resides in demonstrating the evil that good people can be readily induced into doing to other good people within the context of socially approved roles, rules, and norms."

Accepted Answer

The claim made by Philip Zimbardo refers to the Stanford Prison Experiment, which he conducted in 1971. The experiment aimed to investigate how people conform to social roles and norms, and specifically how ordinary people can quickly become evil when placed in a position of power. The experiment involved dividing participants into prisoners and guards, and the results showed that the guards were quick to adopt authoritarian behavior and mistreated the prisoners, despite all participants being mentally and emotionally stable before the experiment. The experiment was controversial and raised ethical concerns, but it also provided valuable insights into how situational factors can influence people's behaviors and attitudes.

Question 14

Helping another person with no expectation of personal reward or benefit is the definition of:

Accepted Answer

Altruism is the act of helping others without expecting any personal reward or benefit. Attribution refers to the process of explaining someone's behavior by attributing it to internal or external factors. Ethnocentrism is the belief in the superiority of one's own culture. Persuasion is the act of convincing someone to believe or do something through argument or appeal.

Question 15

How long did the Stanford Prison Experiment last before the situation became out of control?

Accepted Answer

The Stanford Prison Experiment lasted only six days before the situation became out of control, with participants displaying extreme behavior and emotional distress. Dr. Philip Zimbardo, the lead researcher, had originally planned for the experiment to run for two weeks, but terminated it early due to the alarming nature of the results.

Question 16

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

Some military personnel did in fact protest the mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and reported the prisoner abuse to higher authorities. The other options are false.

Question 17

The Stanford Prison Experiment:

Accepted Answer

The Stanford Prison Experiment involved Stanford University students playing the roles of prisoners and guards in a simulated prison. The experiment was intended to investigate how people would behave in a simulated prison environment and how power dynamics would play out between guards and prisoners.

Question 18

Lacey has reviewed the literature on conformity and obedience for a term paper. If her conclusions are similar to those presented in the textbook, she is likely to suggest that:

Accepted Answer

The textbook generally presents the idea that conformity and obedience can be both positive and negative, and are necessary for social order. The other options present extreme or inaccurate views that the textbook does not support.

Question 19

According to the Critical Thinking box "Abuse at Abu Ghraib," the Stanford Prison Experiment demonstrated that _____ is more likely in confusing or ambiguous situations.

Accepted Answer

The Stanford Prison Experiment demonstrated that normative social influence is more likely in confusing or ambiguous situations. Participants in the experiment were influenced by the norms and expectations within the simulated prison environment, even if it meant engaging in abusive behavior towards their fellow participants. This suggests that people are more likely to comply with social norms, even if it means acting in ways that go against their own values or morals, in situations where they are unsure of what is expected of them.

Question 20

Psychologist _____ conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment.

Accepted Answer

The Stanford Prison Experiment was conducted by psychologist Philip Zimbardo in 1971.

Quiz 11: Social Psychology