Exam 1: Introducing Social Psychology

In the long run, which will help you determine what steps you need to take to improve your study skills for your social psychology class?

When Mark goes to give Sven a congratulatory pat on the back after a job well done, he jumps and turns away. Mark has just read Chapter 1, and fancies himself something of a Gestalt psychologist. What is he likely to think about Sven's behavior?

Which of the following is true about social psychologists' interest in social problems?

From across the room, J.T. sees his mother sigh, and he approaches to give her a hug in the hopes of cheering her up. In this case, J.T.'s behavior is an example of a(n) ________ social influence attempt.

The tendency most people have to discount situational explanations of behavior in favor of personality characteristics or traits is called the

Linda tells her professor that her dog is very smart. Every time he hears the word "walkies," he runs to get his leash and stands in front of the door. Linda's professor tells her that her dog has learned to do this because in the past, pleasant walks always followed the word "walkies." Linda's professor is most likely endorsing a ________ explanation.

Jake had a hypothesis about the outcome of the Ross and colleagues (2004) study about the "Wall Street Game" and the "Community Game." Jake hypothesized that the players would respond based on their personalities, not just the name of the game they played. His hypothesis is most likely based on which tendency?

Aidan is trying to decide who would be the better roommate, Yushi or Lamar. Yushi has lots of money and a flat-screen TV to add to the apartment, but Lamar is really fun to hang out with. Aidan doesn't know other things, such as how tidy they are or how loud they are at night, but has to make his decision soon. This best illustrates which challenge of accurate social cognition?

Several presidents have been given conflicting advice during wartime. Some advisers urged the president to pursue a peaceful solution; others urged him to escalate bombing to overcome the enemy. These presidents did not want to go down in history as the first U.S. president to lose a war, so they have chosen to escalate; thereby prolonging the war. According to your text, this decision was most likely a consequence of the motive to

Consider the following situation: Madeline does very poorly on a term paper she has written. If Madeline is motivated by the need to feel good about herself (the self-esteem approach), what kinds of construals might she make about this?

Because their intellectual roots lie more in Gestalt psychology than in ________, social psychologists tend to focus less on objective aspects of a social situation, and more on ________.

When Suzie whines in a supermarket, her father gives her candy to keep her quiet. After a while, Suzie whines more often in the market because her father has "rewarded" her whining with candy. This explanation is more compatible with a ________ approach.

A behaviorist would be most likely to focus on the role of ________ in influencing behavior.

Ross and colleagues (2004) randomly assigned participants previously identified as either competitive or cooperative to one of two games: the "Wall Street Game" or the "Community Game." They found that two-thirds of the players in the "Wall Street Game" behaved competitively compared to one-third of people who played the "Community Game" who behaved competitively What do these findings suggest?

In their approach to understanding social behavior, social psychologists are most similar to

In commenting on the development of social psychology in the U.S., Dorwin Cartwright (1979) wrote, "If I were required to name the one person who has had the greatest impact on the field, it would have to be Adolf Hitler." By this he meant that

The "father" of modern experimental social psychology, Kurt Lewin, pointed out the importance of understanding how people ________ their social environments.

The ________ approach portrays humans as akin to Sherlock Holmes, who tries his best to accurately make sense of the facts.

The behaviorist approach

Research by Lee Ross suggests that even when people recognize that others perceive information differently, they persist in thinking that others are biased, while they themselves are objective. This illustrates the idea of