Exam 3: Social Cognition: How We Think About the Social World

You've rented the movie Sophie's Choice. There is a scene in which Sophie, a recent immigrant from Poland, is both surprised and amused that Americans have so many words for the concept "fast." She reports that in Polish, there is only one word. You've just read Chapter 3 (Social Cognition), and a friend asks you why the cultures differ in that regard. What would you say?

Controlled processes such as counterfactual thinking can have their benefits and drawbacks. First, discuss what is meant by the term "counterfactual thinking," then explain how this phenomenon can be beneficial and how it can be detrimental.

If the research on priming and metaphors is correct, which of the following is true? You are more likely to meet your true love on vacation somewhere __________.

In the 1977 study regarding the story about Donald and priming, the researchers wanted to measure the impact of the __________ on their positive or negative interpretation of Donald's behaviors.

Researchers had college students read statements about the existence or absence of free will. They were interested in the impact of __________ on the students' willingness to cheat on rewarding themselves for accuracy on an exam.

Recently, a state department of education decided to lower the grade needed to pass the writing portion of a standardized test. Assuming that Rosenthal and Jacobson's research remains true in today's classrooms, what is most likely to happen to students' writing ability as a result?

With regard to the use of base rate information, the evidence suggests that people __________.

Your roommate is interested in dating Chris, whom you know from a history class. Your roommate asks if you think Chris is generally a considerate person. You remember how Chris gave you notes when you missed class last week and tell your roommate you think Chris is very considerate. In making your judgment, you have relied upon the __________ heuristic.

What is the planning fallacy and how can you prevent yourself from making this critical mistake?

Although there are only a few runners on your college track team, you see a woman on campus who has the physique of a runner. You decide that she's a member of the track team. Your conclusion is based on __________.

Which of the following is a function of controlled thinking?

When Robin meets her friend's new roommate, she sees that she has easels and paints strewn about, and that she has decorated her side of the room with lots of handmade ceramic pots and paintings. At first, Robin is most likely __________.

Which of the following is NOT a part of controlled thinking?

The authors of your text report that a college professor asked students to list either two or ten ways to improve the course. Because students used the availability heuristic, which group of students gave the professor the highest course ratings overall?

Describe how people may use metaphors about the body and mind as part of automatic thinking.

Based on the study by Harold Kelley (1950) presented in your text, if you were to describe yourself to a blind date as being witty, how would she be most likely to view a slightly sarcastic comment you made?

Eva wants to raise a lot of money for her cat rescue group. Based on the research by Shariff and Norenzayan (2007), the best strategy for doing this involves __________.

An analytic thinking style has been shown to be associated with __________.

Jason cannot stop thinking about the fact that, because he turned in his term paper late, he missed getting an A in the class. He repetitively focuses on this negative part of the class; in other words, his counterfactual thinking has turned into __________.

Which of the following does NOT belong?