Exam 13: Behaviour in a Social Context

The brainiacs at the Optimum Computing Corporation have developed a superior notebook computer.The advertising department knows that the purchase of a notebook is a significant investment for the average computer buyer.Since their product is more expensive than their competitors',they will have to convince their target audience that the technology is extraordinary enough to warrant the additional cost.Which of the following approaches would be most likely to achieve their goal?

The Deodorant & Antiperspirant Company's advertising executives know that they need to create a need so that people will use their product.They devise an advertising campaign in which extremely attractive athletic men and women are rejected by members of the opposite sex because their deodorants and antiperspirants aren't strong enough.The company is relying on

Phaedra's friend has asked her to join him for a fundraiser dinner.When they reach their table,Phaedra notices more forks and spoons than she has ever seen at a single place setting.Rather than admit that she has no idea when to move from one piece of silverware to the next,she surreptitiously watches the other diners and sets aside each utensil when they do.Phaedra is relying on

Leah decides to give speed dating a try.In the course of an hour,she will spend three minutes each talking with 20 different men.Without any additional information,which of the following qualities is most likely to make Leah want to date one or more of the men she meets?

When the Enron Corporation went bankrupt in 2001,this collapse was the largest corporate failure in history and the name has since become synonymous with corporate fraud.Enron's board of directors failed to monitor,question,or analyze Enron's management and business practices,and billions of dollars' worth of unscrupulous activities were conducted to make Enron look more financially stable than it was.Though the board had access to evidence that something was wrong with Enron's business practices,a culture had developed in which conformity was encouraged and diverse views not acceptable.What might Enron have done differently to prevent this kind of culture?

Eisa and Reuben have been assigned to do a group project with two other students from their class.They are aware that they earn higher grades than the other group members and expect that they will have to engage in ________________;that is,work harder in the group than if each of them were working alone.

Uma answers a call from a telemarketer,who asks her how she is today.Uma says she is fine,and the telemarketer launches into his spiel.By the time he has finished,Uma feels bad saying no to him,because he was nice to her at the beginning of the call.The telemarketer used the

As a news anchor,Craig is used to people approaching him to argue about things he reported.Though he loves his job,he is constantly explaining that just because he reports on an issue doesn't mean he personally subscribes to it.In situations like this,people are

Janis goes to see a movie with a group of friends.As they leave the theatre,she is surprised to hear her friends exclaim that they loved the movie,because she thought the plot was poorly constructed and the acting terrible.She says nothing to the others,though,because she doesn't want to look stupid or offend other people in her group.Janis has succumbed to

When Tanek serves jury duty,he is astonished by how different the casual,talkative people he met in the waiting area behave when they enter the courtroom.They stand and sit straighter,fold their legs more formally,and say "yes,sir" or "yes,ma'am" rather than "yeah" when speaking to the judge or attorneys.The members of the jury pool are responding to

Alvaro and Randall both feel strongly about global warming.Alvaro believes that it is an imminent danger;Randall believes its exaggerated hype.Both have been invited to present their views to an audience of students who are majoring in the biological sciences.Alvaro arrives in jeans and a flannel shirt.He knows he isn't particularly attractive and he is at least twice the age of most of the students,but he hopes they will be able to relate to his dress style.Randall is only a few years older than the students;he arrives in a jacket and tie and has clearly taken care with his appearance.Based on this information alone,who are the students more likely to view as credible?

During rush hour one afternoon,Tabitha sees a van on fire at the side of the road.Though normally she would drive on by assuming that someone else had already called for help,she learned in her psychology class that people often walk or drive past emergencies,due to __________.When she calls 911,she is nonetheless shocked to learn that nobody else has called in the fire.

When she first hears a particular song on the radio,Madelaine hates it.A lot of other people like it,though,and the song is played often,so whether she wants to or not,Madelaine hears it over and over.One day she realizes that she actually kind of likes the song.She tells a friend that the song has grown on her.Madelaine's feelings about the song changed,due to the

Though Aleser,Fiodor,and Alan are from different countries and backgrounds,they have no trouble agreeing on which women they find attractive.Fascinated that skin,eye,and hair colour have no effects on the men's experience of beauty,Fiodor wonders what the beautiful faces have in common.After some research,he learns that attractive faces tend to be more __________ than others.

Tamara is anxious when she arrives for her first day in a new office.She mentally rehearses introducing herself,so when someone asks "Where are you from?" Tamara accidentally replies,"I'm Tamara." Later that afternoon,Tamara overhears someone say,"The new girl doesn't seem that smart." Because she knows she's extremely smart,Tamara isn't upset,but she is embarrassed.Her coworker has

Medea and her friends go out for dinner at a sit-down restaurant.Their waiter is slow to greet them,confuses their drink orders,forgets to bring their appetizers,and is angry when they complain.Medea's friends begin to say that the waiter is a jerk and that they don't intend to tip him.They are making a ______________ attribution.

The Deodorant & Antiperspirant Company's advertising executives know that they need to create a need so that their target audience,athletic 18-to-40-year-olds,will use their product.They devise an advertising campaign in which young,extremely attractive athletic men and women are rejected by members of the opposite sex because their deodorants and antiperspirants aren't strong enough.When those individuals switch to the D&A Company's products,they are no longer rejected.The company's advertisers,using a common technique in the advertising world,are

While Allyson is considering her options in a computer store,a sales representative finishes helping a male client and asks if he can help her.When she says her router is not working,he asks her very basic questions that he never bothered to ask the male customer.Before the conversation is over,it is clear that Allyson knows far more about routers than the sales representative.The representative's behaviour suggests that he has a generalized belief

On the first day of class,Corey is assigned to sit next to a man wearing athletic pants and a baseball cap with a sports logo.Because Corey is overweight,he assumes that his new classmate will treat him poorly,so he goes out of his way to ignore the other student.Corey's negative evaluative reaction is referred to as

A good way to help yourself quit smoking is to spend time educating other people about the dangers of smoking.Because one action (smoking)is incongruent with the other action (telling others about the dangers related to smoking),and because there is little question that smoking is in fact dangerous to one's health,you would probably feel an urge to