Deck 1: The Revealing Science of Social Psychology

Question 1

A variable other than the variable intended to be manipulated that may be responsible for an observed effect is called a(n) _____.

A) independent variable
B) confound
C) reverse causal variable
D) artifact

Answer 1

confound

Question 2

An experiment is specifically a study in which a researcher:

A) records dependent measures among members of naturally occurring groups (e.g., gender) and looks for systematic differences.
B) observes the development of one or more variables in a group of individuals over time at regular intervals.
C) measures the degree and direction of association between two variables.
D) takes active control of an independent variable, manipulates it, and observes its effect on a dependent variable.

Answer 2

takes active control of an independent variable, manipulates it, and observes its effect on a dependent variable.

Question 3

Dispositions are defined as:

A) preferences that people have for certain political points of view, i.e., party preferences.
B) statements that scientists make about the relationship between two variables which should be observable if a theory is true.
C) moods that the individual enters into in certain situations.
D) consistent preferences, ways of thinking, and behavioral tendencies that manifest across different situations and over time.

Answer 3

consistent preferences, ways of thinking, and behavioral tendencies that manifest across different situations and over time.

Question 4

A researcher manipulates a person's level of death anxiety by showing some participants footage of a gruesome car accident. In this study, footage of the car wreck is the _____ and death anxiety is the _____.

A) independent variable; dependent variable
B) dependent variable; independent variable
C) abstract conceptual variable; operational definition
D) operational definition; abstract conceptual variable

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT an official ethical requirement for research with human subjects?

A) Efforts should be taken to protect the confidentiality of participants' data.
B) Projects must be approved by an institutional review board.
C) Participants must be given the chance for informed consent.
D) Participant should have a chance to give their opinion on the design of the study, and these opinions should be incorporated into future research.

Question 6

_____ refers to the possibility that the association between two variables is driven by their mutual association with another variable, whereas _____ refers to the difficulty in determining which variable influences the other in a correlation.

A) Reverse causality; third variable
B) Third variable; reverse causality
C) Confirmation bias; a priori causal theory
D) A priori causal theory; confirmation bias

Question 7

Humans interpret events and experiences through a lens of symbols (e.g., language) that are largely inherited from the prior generations that created and built upon them. For this reason, humans can be uniquely referred to as:

A) political animals.
B) cultural animals.
C) social animals.
D) individualist animals.

Question 8

Which of the following assumptions is one of the four core assumptions of social psychology?

A) Behavior is determined exclusively by situations.
B) Social interaction is the result of people's dispositional patterns of social-emotional functioning.
C) The scientific method is only one way of understanding human behavior; other approaches, such people's cultural knowledge, are equally valid.
D) All human thought is inherently social.

Question 9

A researcher finds a positive correlation between a measure of community involvement and a measure of life satisfaction. How should we interpret the relationship between these variables?

A) There is no relationship between involvement and life satisfaction.
B) The higher a person scores on involvement, the higher they tend to score on life satisfaction.
C) The higher a person scores on involvement, the lower they tend to score on life satisfaction.
D) Involvement and life satisfaction are probably the same variable.

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT one of the major perspectives that provide an integrated view of human social behavior in contemporary social psychology?

A) the social neuroscience perspective
B) the cognitive-behavioral perspective
C) the cultural perspective
D) the existential perspective

Question 11

Compared to other early approaches to human behavior in psychology, social psychology has always tended to emphasize _____.

A) the motivational force of unconscious drives that are repressed by the individual because they threaten social functioning
B) the role of instincts in human behavior
C) the interaction between situational forces and an individual's understanding of those forces based on personal characteristics
D) the role of learning experience over the life span in determining all forms of behavior

Question 12

Describe the three major perspectives on human behavior that were prominent prior to the rise of social psychology. What did each of these perspectives primarily emphasize as the explanatory force driving social behavior?

Question 13

In an experiment, an interaction is defined as:

A) a pattern of results in which the effect of one independent variable on a dependent variable depends on the level of another independent variable.
B) a statistically significant relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable.
C) the mean difference between three or more variables.
D) the way in which an experimenter unconsciously biases the results of the experiment by behaving in a certain way towards the participants.

Question 14

The tendency to process information to conform to what we desire and expect is referred to as:

A) confirmation bias.
B) causal attribution.
C) demand characteristics.
D) an interaction.

Question 15

In the scientific method, _____ generate _____ which are proposed relationships between variables that should be observable.

A) hypotheses; theories
B) theories; hypotheses
C) experiments; hypotheses
D) hypotheses; experiments

Question 16

Explanations that people give for their behavior, acquired from culture or situationally salient factors, are referred to as:

A) folk wisdoms.
B) operational definitions.
C) a priori causal theories.
D) hypotheses.

Question 17

Social psychology is defined as _____.

A) the study of the causes and consequences of people's thoughts, feelings, and actions regarding themselves and other people
B) the study of the interaction between culture and biology in determining human patterns of cognition
C) the study of how people relate to romantic partners and to the societies they live in
D) the study of cultural differences in psychology across a variety of groups of people

Question 18

Researchers observe the number of people who go to a bar alone on the days before and after Valentine's Day. They find that the number of people increases leading up to Valentine's Day, drops significantly on Valentine's Day, and then rises quickly back up again on the day afterwards. This is best conceptualized as an example of:

A) pilot research.
B) experimental research.
C) longitudinal research.
D) field research.

Question 19

When participants are assigned to experimental conditions in such a way that they have an equal chance of being in any condition, this is called _____.

A) experimental control
B) quasi-experimental design
C) random assignment
D) random sampling

Question 20

A researcher conducts a study in which students in Germany and in the United States are asked to rate the extent to which they would be disappointed if they weren't accepted into the college of their choice. The researcher predicts that there will be differences between the two groups of students on these variables. This study is best characterized as:

A) a correlational design.
B) a quasi-experiment.
C) an experiment.
D) longitudinal research.

Question 21

Explain the two primary reasons why a correlation between two variables does not confirm that one variable causes the other.

Question 22

What is social psychology?

A) the study of society as a psychological entity (i.e., society as a motivated agent)
B) the study of how individual differences in social-emotional functioning drive a person's behavior across a variety of situations
C) the study of the causes and consequences of people's thoughts, feelings, and actions regarding themselves and other people
D) the study of the relationships between and development of different societies

Question 23

Identify and briefly discuss three conditions that must be satisfied in order for a study to be a true experiment. What are the variables involved in an experiment? How are they administered?

Question 24

What is a debriefing, and why is it important?

Question 25

What is the correlational method, and what is a correlation coefficient? What information does a correlation coefficient give us?

Question 26

List and briefly characterize three of the five perspectives that have emerged in the last few decades of social psychology to contribute to a more integrative perspective on human behavior.

Question 27

What is the essence of stereotype threat theory? What are two hypotheses that can be derived from this theory?

Question 28

List and briefly explain the four core assumptions of social psychology. What does each assumption explain about human behavior?

Question 29

What is the essence of attribution theory? What are causal attributions, and what is one of their primary sources?

Question 30

In an experimental study, what are demand characteristics, and what is one way in which they might arise?

Question 31

Define external validity. Why is this form of validity important? What might be a threat to this form of validity in standard social psychological research?

Question 32

List and briefly discuss the four of the five functions that a good theory in social psychology should be able to serve.

Question 33

Define an interaction between two variables. Give an example of an interaction, one that is either hypothetical or taken from research.

Question 34

How do true experimental designs eliminate the reverse causality and third variable problems?

Question 35

Define and discuss the concepts of internal validity and confounds. How are these two concepts related to each other?

Question 36

Summarize some of the research suggesting that people aren't really able to accurately describe the causes of much of their own behavior. Why do people have difficulty with this kind of understanding?

Question 37

Clarify the difference between theories, facts, and hypotheses. What role does each of these play in the scientific method?

Question 38

Give an example of a study design that would have to be a quasi-experiment, rather than a true experiment.

Question 39

Discuss at least two reasons why people often have difficulty explaining the behavior of others, and provide supporting examples from research findings. What aspects of psychology make us poor judges of the causes of others' behavior?

Question 40

Define and discuss the concepts of an operational definition and construct validity. How are these concepts related to one another?

Question 41

Which of the following events had a major influence on the history of social psychology?

A) the economic crisis of the 1970s
B) World War II
C) the Cold War
D) the development of institutional care for people with severe personality disorders

Question 42

Which of the foundational thinkers of social psychology argued that behavior is a function of the person and the situation?

A) John Dewey
B) Floyd Allport
C) Sigmund Freud
D) Kurt Lewin

Question 43

Which of the following is true of the earliest versions of social psychology (the instinct-based and psychoanalytic approaches)?

A) They were inspired by Darwin's ideas.
B) They were not inspired by Darwin's ideas.
C) They were pioneered by Wilhelm Wundt.
D) They were pioneered by William James.

Question 44

What is the primary metaphor for the person in the social cognitive perspective?

A) a tumultuous storm of conflicting drives
B) a blank slate
C) an information processor
D) a social animal

Question 45

Behaviorists emphasized that human behavior is driven primarily by:

A) unconscious motivation.
B) instinct.
C) cognitive processes.
D) learning from past experiences.

Question 46

The earliest treatments of social psychology (such as the theories of Spencer and McDougal) tended to emphasize:

A) a view of humans as driven by unconscious motivation.
B) an instinct-based view of human behavior.
C) a view of humans as machinelike information processors.
D) a reinforcement-centered view of humans as learning from experience.

Question 47

Consistent preferences, ways of thinking, and behavioral tendencies that manifest across different situations and over time are referred to as:

A) dispositions.
B) situational influences.
C) selves.
D) core attitudes.

Question 48

While social psychology in the first half of the 20th century tended to stress _____, social psychology from the second half of the 20th Century on stresses ______.

A) an instinct-based approach; a behaviorist approach
B) a behaviorist approach; an instinct-based approach
C) specific, topic-based theories; broad views of human sociality
D) broad views of human social behavior; specific, topic-based theories

Question 49

The notion that much of human social behavior is driven by the need to keep disturbing and antisocial bodily drives out of conscious awareness is critical to which perspective?

A) psychoanalysis
B) behaviorism
C) the social cognition perspective
D) the evolutionary perspective

Question 50

Which of the following techniques of measurement is NOT considered a key part of the neuroscience perspective in social psychology?

A) brain imaging
B) assessing cardiovascular functioning
C) assessing self-reported mental states
D) measuring brain waves

Question 51

What phenomena were behaviorists primarily interested in measuring?

A) mental states
B) observable behaviors
C) neurological pathways
D) unconscious drives

Question 52

Which of the following occurrences is the best example of the "power of the situation"?

A) U.S. citizens vary in the extent to which they conform to the norms of their culture.
B) Everyone in a library tends to be quiet.
C) More extraverted people are more likely than introverted people to talk at a party.
D) A person tends to have a stable identity that is constant through different environments.

Question 53

What is the term for the way an individual understands his or her social world?

A) social cognition
B) existential perspective
C) embodied cognition
D) a priori causal theory

Question 54

Which of the following instances is an example of the way we use social comparisons to self-evaluate?

A) An instructor provides personal feedback on a test.
B) A person shooting rolled-up paper balls into a wastebasket is able to make three baskets.
C) A child thinks about how tall she is by looking around at the other children in her classroom.
D) A mother decides that her son is her favorite person in the world.

Question 55

The concept of adaptation is most central for which influential perspective in contemporary social psychology?

A) the existential perspective
B) the evolutionary perspective
C) the neuroscience perspective
D) the cultural perspective

Question 56

Carlos is a deeply introverted person. However, at a party with several of his friends he ends up talking more than he normally would. Nevertheless, he still talks less than most of his friends. What is the primary determinant of Carlos's behavior in this case?

A) his genetic make-up
B) the situation that he is in
C) his dispositions
D) the interaction of the situation and his dispositions

Question 57

What does it mean to say that humans are cultural animals?

A) Humans create their own symbolic conception of reality.
B) Humans tend to live socially in groups.
C) Humans in different groups around the world are hostile towards members of other groups.
D) Humans are actually driven by instincts.

Question 58

Which of the following is NOT one of the following is NOT one of the major perspectives that provide an integrated view of human social behavior in contemporary social psychology?

A) the existential perspective
B) the evolutionary perspective
C) the instinct-based perspective
D) the social cognitive perspective

Question 59

Which of the following assumptions is NOT one of the four core assumptions of social psychology?

A) Behavior is determined exclusively by situations.
B) All human thought is inherently social.
C) Social cognition has a strong influence on social behavior.
D) The scientific method is essential for understanding the roots of social behavior.

Question 60

Jeremiah has become deeply depressed because he feels like his life has no meaning. Which of the perspectives in contemporary social psychology is BEST suited to help us understand Jeremiah's experience?

A) the existential perspective
B) the evolutionary perspective
C) the social cognitive perspective
D) the neuroscience perspective

Question 61

In a famous study, participants were told they were "teachers" in an experiment who were going to give instructions to a "learner." When the learner failed to do well, the participants were ordered to give the learner electric shocks. The learner was actually an actor working for the study, and not a real participant. The learner in this study was what is called:

A) a confederate.
B) a research assistant.
C) an experimenter.
D) an ersatz-participant.

Question 62

Emiliano believes that dogs are better than cats. He decides to search the Internet one day to see if his opinion is rooted in fact. He reads several articles that consider all sides of the matter, presenting a rather blurry picture of whether humans should prefer the company of dogs or cats. What does research suggest Emiliano is most likely to conclude based on reading all this new information?

A) Dogs are better than cats.
B) Cats are better than dogs.
C) Both animals should be loved equally.
D) There is no way to answer the question definitively.

Question 63

Researchers Nisbett and Wilson found that when shoppers were asked to choose between different silk stockings, the primary factor influencing their decision was the positioning of the stockings on the table. However, when asked why they chose the stockings they chose, the shoppers generated a variety of different reasons. This finding is evidence that:

A) a behaviorist perspective provides the most insight into psychology.
B) people rely on a priori causal theories to explain their behavior.
C) people are the best sources of information about their own behavior.
D) cultural knowledge is generally accurate.

Question 64

Leleti believes that her friend spilled soda all over her backpack in order to get revenge for a remark Leleti made a few days ago, even though her friend claims that the incident was an accident. Leleti is making a:

A) dispositional assumption.
B) causal attribution.
C) third variable assumption.
D) social comparison.

Question 65

A study demonstrated that if a participant is being interviewed by a person who taps her feet, the participant is also more likely to tap his feet; and if he is being interviewed by a person who scratches her head, the participant is also more likely to scratch his head. Which principle does this finding BEST demonstrate?

A) People are biased to confirm what they already know.
B) The act of observing behavior can change that behavior.
C) People develop a priori causal theories to explain their behavior.
D) People are cognitive misers.

Question 66

Within the scientific method, a theory is:

A) a narrative about the origin of some psychological trait.
B) an explanation (potentially false) that people give for their own behavior.
C) an explanation for how and why variables are related to each other.
D) a prediction about what will occur given certain specified conditions.

Question 67

What aspect of social psychology MOST distinguishes it from many other ways of understanding the causes and consequences of people's social behavior, such as philosophy or general cultural knowledge?

A) the idea that humans are inherently social
B) an emphasis on the scientific method
C) a sense that people's dispositions play a major role in determining their behavior
D) the use of observations from the real world to form assumptions

Question 68

Mbongeni has never seen a "germ," and he also hasn't read any of the medical research supporting germ theory. Since he doesn't have any medical education, he likely wouldn't be able to make sense of the literature if he read it. However, Mbongeni believes that if he catches a cold, it is because of a germ. Mbongeni is relying on _____ to understand how colds happen.

A) an existential perspective
B) confirmation bias
C) cultural knowledge
D) the scientific method

Question 69

Which theory suggests that people are like "intuitive scientists," using reasoning and observation to understand the nature of the social world?

A) social cognition theory
B) social comparison theory
C) behaviorism
D) attribution theory

Question 70

A priori causal theories are:

A) theories for explaining behavior acquired from culture or situationally salient factors.
B) explanations for behavior constructed from scientific data.
C) correlational associations between two kinds of events.
D) views of life and the universe that imbue them with ultimate meaning.

Question 71

Akira got in a car accident recently. After assessing the situation, he believes that the accident was his fault. This is causing him to be constantly on the lookout for situations in which he might make a mistake, making him feel continually nervous. What does this example BEST demonstrate?

A) the importance of an evolutionary perspective
B) our reliance on social comparison
C) the power of the situation
D) the powerful influence of social cognition

Question 72

Which of the following is NOT a reason why people are often limited in their ability to explain their own behavior?

A) People often don't tell the truth.
B) People sometimes repress unpleasant information.
C) People rely on a priori causal theories to explain their behavior.
D) People have private access to their own memories and thoughts.

Question 73

What is one of the ultimate conclusions to be drawn from Nisbett and Wilson's research demonstrating people's reliance on a priori causal theories to explain their own behavior?

A) While people have access to the products of their thought processes, they have little access to those processes themselves.
B) Dispositional factors are more important than situational factors in determining how people behave.
C) Situational factors are more important than dispositional factors in determining the explanations people give for their own behavior.
D) People have exceptional powers of introspection.

Question 74

Confirmation bias is:

A) the tendency to be more positive than negative when processing social input.
B) the tendency to process information to conform to what we desire and expect.
C) a form of prejudice based on familiarity with outgroup members.
D) an automatically higher level of agreement with everything that is being said to one at the moment.

Question 75

What is the definition of cultural knowledge?

A) a store of information accumulated in a culture about how the world works
B) our understanding of a given culture using the scientific method
C) the way in which people understand themselves through comparison with others
D) people's consistent preferences and ways of thinking that are consistent across situations and time

Question 76

Which of the following reasons is NOT a reason why people are often limited in their ability to explain the causes of others' behavior?

A) The act of observing the behavior might change it.
B) People are biased to try to confirm what they already believe and expect.
C) People's observations come from a limited, idiosyncratic perspective.
D) People spend as much cognitive energy as possible trying to uncover why a given situation happened.

Question 77

The fact that people tend to seize onto quick and easy answers to questions, rather than expending cognitive effort, has led researchers to conclude that people are:

A) social cognizers.
B) introspective.
C) cognitive misers.
D) intuitive scientists.

Question 78

Lord and colleagues found that, after reading articles with research that both supported and undermined the value of capital punishment, people with initially favorable attitudes believed capital punishment to be more effective, while those with initially negative attitudes believed it to be less so. This finding is evidence of:

A) social comparison.
B) confirmation bias.
C) causal attribution.
D) hypocrisy.

Question 79

The process whereby scientists observe events, look for patterns, and evaluate theories proposed to explain those patterns is referred to as:

A) research.
B) a priori causal theory.
C) intuitive knowledge.
D) causal attribution.

Question 80

In the scientific method, _____ are derived from _____ in order to test the accuracy of the latter.

A) hypotheses; theories
B) theories; hypotheses
C) experiments; hypotheses
D) hypotheses; experiments