Exam 4: Behavior Control: the Self in Action

When is the best time for a person to try to quit a habit like smoking?

People tend to say that they would prefer to have $1000 today rather than $1200 two weeks from now-even though, logically, they would be better off with the $1200 in two weeks. The phenomena underlying this tendency is known as ____.

Sherryl doesn't use online automated bill payment because she wants to have control over when she pays her bills. Even when she has enough money in her account to pay her bills, though, Sherryl still spends her weekend afternoons watching television rather than paying her bills. This is consistent with the idea of ____.

Suppose that an annoying co-worker is always trying to get you involved in office athletic activities - bowling teams, softball teams, corporate Olympics, even fantasy football leagues and March Madness betting pools. Research on the panic button effect suggests that you would be less troubled by this person if ____.

Which term refers to the tendency to take whatever course of action does not require you to do anything (also called the default option)?

Self-determination theory suggests that most people need to feel at least some degree of autonomy and internal motivation.

Two key reasons that people engage in self-defeating behaviors are because of ____ and because of ____.

Pranav provided richly for his family for many years. As he ages, he develops a degenerative illness that threatens the family finances. As an act of kindness to protect them and their financial stability, Pranav most likely commits suicide to ____.

Failure will most likely produce learned helplessness for ____.

Suicide is commonly thought to involve a trade-off between death, which people think will bring ____, and future life, which ____.

Mr. Lee has been drinking a lot of whiskey lately and wants to cut back. Research suggests that he is more likely to be successful if he keeps a record of exactly how much whiskey he consumes every week. In other words, ____.

Aimee is moving to a new state and has looked at numerous houses. She is avoiding making a decision on which one to purchase because she knows once she chooses, she may find a better house she would have loved even more. What best explains Aimee's decision avoidance?

One of the biggest differences between attending to current concerns and engaging in long-term planning is that how people deal with current concerns is more dependent upon ____.

The existence of absolute free will is undisputed amongst social psychologists.

Which statement about free will is BEST supported by your text?

When pursuit of a goal has been interrupted, and people experience automatic, intrusive thoughts about that goal, they are said to be experiencing the ________________ effect.

Do social psychologists believe that people have free will? How important is perceived free will or autonomy to people? What happens when people believe that their freedom of choice has been revoked?

The common notion of willpower is known as ________________ by psychologists who study self-regulation.

Research findings suggesting that people become less prosocial when induced to reject their belief in free will is interpreted as indicating that ____.

Suppose that Peter hates his job as a medical assistant. Research on the panic button effect would suggest that Peter would hate his job less if ____.