Deck 12: Groups

Question 1

Tom finds solving math problems easy.According to the research reviewed in the textbook, when Tom solves math problems in the presence of others (as opposed to alone),

A) his self-esteem increases.
B) his inhibitions decrease.
C) his performance improves.
D) his fear of evaluation decreases.

Answer 1

his performance improves.

Question 2

Michael is exceptionally good at Ping-Pong.According to research, good players such as Michael, who know they are being watched while they play, perform

A) better than good players who do not know they are being watched.
B) worse than bad players who do not know they are being watched.
C) the same as good players who do not know they are being watched.
D) the same as bad players who either do or do not know they are being watched.

Answer 2

better than good players who do not know they are being watched.

Question 3

As discussed in the textbook, social psychological research on culture and valuing risk shows that

A) citizens of the United States tend to endorse riskier solutions than do citizens of Uganda and Liberia.
B) group discussion leads to riskier decisions among Africans than among Americans.
C) collectivist cultures value risky decisions, whereas individualist cultures value cautious decisions.
D) Both a and c are correct.

Answer 3

citizens of the United States tend to endorse riskier solutions than do citizens of Uganda and Liberia.

Question 4

Research on social facilitation warrants some practical advice.All of the following recommendations are supported by this research except for one.Which one?

A) When students want to memorize unfamiliar information, they should do it alone.
B) When students want to review material they have already learned, they should not do it in a study group.
C) When supervisors want their employees to do simple tasks well, they should have the employees do them in the presence of others.
D) When supervisors want their employees to complete challenging tasks, they should give employees some privacy.

Question 5

According to research on group polarization, people who make decisions in groups tend to make ____________ decisions than people who make decisions on their own.

A) more extreme
B) riskier
C) more conservative
D) less accurate

Question 6

Imagine you are playing a video game when five strangers arrive to watch you.According to Zajonc's work on social facilitation, the ____________ created by the presence of these strangers would impair your performance if you ____________ this particular video game.

A) dissonance; are unfamiliar with
B) dissonance; dislike
C) arousal; dislike
D) arousal; are unfamiliar with

Question 7

Evaluation apprehension can ____________, and thereby leads to more pronounced social facilitation effects.

A) increase how much effort we put into a task
B) decease how much effort we put into a task
C) increase how aroused we are during a task
D) decrease how aroused we are during a task

Question 8

Which of the following statements captures the persuasive arguments account of why group polarization occurs?

A) Discussing an issue in a group exposes group members to even more arguments in favor of the position that the average group member was already inclined to take.
B) Discussing an issue in a group exposes group members to arguments that contradict their original position.
C) Discussing an issue in a group gives each person a chance to state his or her opinion out loud, which increases his or her commitment to that opinion.
D) Discussing an issue in a group increases group members' motivation to reach a consensus.

Question 9

Kari is trying to memorize lines for a school play.According to the research reviewed in the text, under what conditions will the presence of others detract from her ability to learn the lines?

A) if others are simultaneously memorizing lines
B) if others are simply watching Kari memorize the lines
C) if Kari's pet cat is watching her learn the lines
D) if Kari finds the task difficult

Question 10

According to ____________, being aware of another person's presence divides our attention between this person and the task at hand.This division of attention is arousing, which explains why people perform better on well-learned tasks in the presence of others.

A) deindividuation theory
B) mere presence theory
C) evaluation apprehension theory
D) distraction-conflict theory

Question 11

Rachel knows that sometimes the presence of others improves performance and other times it hinders performance.Which of the following is NOT advice she should give people regarding the impact of others on performance?

A) The mere presence of others tends to make people aroused.
B) Arousal makes a person more likely to have a dominant response.
C) A dominant response is always correct.
D) A dominant response can be correct or incorrect, depending on the situation.

Question 12

Jason Hill is getting ready to give the first lecture of his teaching career.He studies his notes for hours.Before class, he combs his hair for fifteen minutes and brushes his teeth three times.Jason is experiencing

A) distraction conflict.
B) deindividuation.
C) evaluation apprehension.
D) groupthink.

Question 13

Which of the following will likely perform better on an upcoming test?

A) Shannon, who is studying alone
B) Kelly, who is studying in a group of ten
C) Brad, who is studying in a group of two
D) There will be no difference in test performance regardless of the context of studying.

Question 14

As discussed in the textbook, early studies showed that decisions made in groups were riskier than decisions made on one's own.Additional studies were conducted to learn whether this finding would generalize across many different situations.This later research showed that group decisions are not always riskier than individual decisions.Rather, group decisions tend to be more extreme than individual decisions.This phenomenon is captured by the concept of

A) risky shift.
B) group polarization.
C) social inoculation.
D) groupthink.

Question 15

Imagine you are just learning how to play the piano, so you are not very good.You are practicing by yourself when suddenly your mother and her friends walk into the room to listen.You notice that your performance has changed.Research on ____________ is most relevant to predicting how your performance will change in this situation.Specifically, this research suggests that your performance will ____________.

A) social facilitation; improve
B) social facilitation; worsen
C) social loafing; improve
D) social loafing; worsen

Question 16

Normal Triplett conducted what is widely regarded as social psychology's first experiment.He found that children tended to perform a relatively easy task better while in the presence of another child doing the same task.This finding set the stage for research on

A) social facilitation.
B) social loafing.
C) nondominant performance.
D) dissonance.

Question 17

Zajonc argued that the mere presence of others tends to ____________ performance ____________, but to ____________ performance ____________.

A) hinder; on well-learned tasks; facilitate; on novel tasks
B) facilitate; on well-learned tasks; hinder; on novel tasks
C) facilitate; among women; hinder; among men
D) hinder; among women; facilitate; among men

Question 18

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the phenomenon of social loafing?

A) exerting minimal effort on a group task
B) showing minimal concern over other people's desires or problems
C) avoiding social interactions that require complex thought
D) losing one's motivation to be liked by other people

Question 19

Which of the following scenarios captures the meaning of Cartwright and Zander's definition of a group?

A) people who stand together during a routine elevator ride
B) people who wait together in the same room for a job interview
C) people who decide how to help a stranded motorist
D) people who watch a person get stabbed while they are sitting on the same bus

Question 20

Recall that Zajonc placed cockroaches in either a complex maze or a simple maze.He created three other conditions as well.Any given cockroach was induced to navigate the maze (a)entirely alone; (b)in the presence of an "audience" of cockroaches; or (c)simultaneously with another cockroach (but without an audience).The audience condition (b)permitted Zajonc to demonstrate whether

A) audiences pay attention to competitors.
B) the mere presence of others can facilitate or hinder performance.
C) complex tasks are performed less well than simple tasks.
D) competitive situations are preferred over solitary situations.

Question 21

Which of the following events BEST illustrates the disastrous effects of groupthink?

A) the Johnson administration's decision eventually to decrease the number of troops fighting in Vietnam
B) the Kennedy administration's decision to conduct the Bay of Pigs invasion
C) the Japanese government's decision to bomb Pearl Harbor
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 22

Imagine that a group of corporate managers are experiencing groupthink.Which of the following is a symptom of this phenomenon?

A) Supporting the leader becomes less important than supporting the other group members.
B) Generating many possible solutions to a problem is valued over developing one solution fully.
C) Reaching a consensus is valued over critically evaluating the facts.
D) Group members become competitive and unlikely to cooperate with each other.

Question 23

Research on decision making suggests that, compared with a single person, a group is ____________ likely to generate the correct solution to a problem that ____________.

A) more; has a precise, factual answer
B) less; has a precise, factual answer
C) more; requires logical reasoning
D) less; requires logical reasoning

Question 24

Raymond has been focused on acquiring and increasing power since he was young.As discussed in the textbook, this would mean that Raymond desires

A) higher status in relation to that of others.
B) the ability to control his own outcomes and those of others.
C) an institutionalized role.
D) behavior that produces dominance.

Question 25

The approach/inhibition theory suggests that _________________ individuals are more inclined to pursue their goals, whereas ________________ individuals are more inclined to constrain their behavior.

A) high-power male; high-power female
B) low-power; high-power
C) high-power; low-power
D) low-power female; high-power female

Question 26

Recalling the research discussed in the textbook, indicate which of the following scenarios illustrates how many Japanese corporations make decisions.

A) In a group setting, colleagues debate each other on the relevant issues.Immediately thereafter, they discuss the issues openly until a consensus is reached.Finally, the company manager tells the group what decision has been made.
B) In a group setting, the company manager gives a speech on the relevant issues.Then, the manager asks the rest of his or her colleagues to discuss the issues openly.Finally, the manager tells the group what decision has been made.
C) Before the employees meet as a group, the company manager meets individually with his or her colleagues to discuss the relevant issues.A consensus is reached.Then, in a group setting, the manager tells the group what decision has been made.
D) The company manager makes a decision.Then, in a group setting, the manager tells the group what decision has been made.

Question 27

Which of the following statements captures the risky shift phenomenon?

A) Groups tend to make riskier decisions than individuals.
B) Individuals tend to make riskier decisions than groups.
C) People behave more courageously in groups than when alone.
D) People behave more courageously when alone than when in groups.

Question 28

Matt ran for student body president at Arlen High School.He won the election, which thrust him into a position of great power and prestige.Research on power suggests that after becoming president, Matt should be

A) more likely to touch or stand close to other students.
B) less likely to flirt.
C) more accurate at judging how other people are feeling.
D) less rude.

Question 29

John wants to show that social comparison processes help explain why the group polarization effect occurs.He decides to conduct an experiment.Which of the following strategies should John employ?

A) He should expose individual group members to a pool of specific arguments without conveying any information about the positions endorsed by the rest of the group.
B) He should expose individual group members to the positions endorsed by the rest of the group without conveying the specific content of their arguments.
C) He should expose individual group members to the positions endorsed by everyone else in the group and the specific content of their respective arguments.
D) He should expose individual group members to a pool of specific arguments and ask them to guess which other group member(s)made them.

Question 30

Jessica is in a position of power that does not derive from her physical strength or natural ability to dominate others, but from the fact that she has been hired as an executive at a corporation.We would refer to the power that Jessica's institutionalized role gives her as

A) manipulation.
B) authority.
C) dominance.
D) status.

Question 31

People arrange themselves into social hierarchies

A) starting as early as age 2.
B) starting as early as age 5.
C) starting as early as age 10.
D) starting as early as age 12.

Question 32

Evan is inclined to support the pro-choice position on abortion.He used to talk about abortion with a wide range of friends with different views.Then he stumbled on an Internet bulletin board that is visited almost exclusively by people who are pro-choice.Once this happened, he restricted his discussions on abortion with the other bulleting board members.According to social psychological research, Evan's attitude toward abortion should become

A) more heterogeneous.
B) less homogeneous.
C) more extreme.
D) less extreme.

Question 33

Bob and Will are arguing about capital punishment and end up adapting more extreme attitudes on the topic than they had previously.According to the social comparison interpretation, why did Bob's and Will's attitudes become more extreme?

A) Through their discussion, they were exposed to a wide range of influential arguments.
B) They viewed the consequences of their attitudes or decisions as extremely important.
C) They desire to be different from others, but also to be correct in their views.
D) They are motivated to conform to views that are socially desirable.

Question 34

In order to prevent the occurrence of groupthink, a group leader should

A) refrain from making his or her opinion known at the beginning of the discussion.
B) decrease the group's exposure to opinions of nongroup members.
C) dismiss group members who are critical of the prevailing opinion.
D) increase the cohesiveness of the group.

Question 35

Courtney's sorority is experiencing groupthink.The symptoms of groupthink include all of the following EXCEPT

A) The members of Courtney's group feel vulnerable to outside criticism.
B) The members of Courtney's group consider few alternative viewpoints.
C) The members of Courtney's group ignore relevant facts.
D) The members of Courtney's group believe in the group's moral superiority.

Question 36

What (or who)determines whether sorority group members will engage in self-censorship?

A) Jennifer, a strong leader
B) Nancy, a weak leader
C) An overall lack of motivation to reach a consensus within the sorority
D) An overall low level of stress within the sorority

Question 37

Research shows that people occasionally engage in a disturbing behavior called ____________.It is ____________ likely to occur when many individuals are present (as opposed to none or just a few).

A) suicide baiting; more
B) suicide baiting; less
C) risk valuation; more
D) risk valuation; less

Question 38

Researchers have manipulated how powerful participants felt during an experiment.Consistent with the approach/inhibition theory of power, study results suggest that ____________ were more likely to ____________.

A) high-power participants; use individuating information
B) high-power participants; stereotype others
C) low-power participants; use deindividuating information
D) low-power participants; stereotype others

Question 39

With his roommates, Jason participates in a group discussion on the merits of gun control.Once the discussion is over, Jason finds that he and his roommates have all adopted similar pro-gun control attitudes.This is an example of

A) groupthink.
B) risky shift.
C) group polarization.
D) social facilitation.

Question 40

Several military officials meet to plan battle strategy.Captain Biggs thinks that General Olsen's strategy will be ineffective and deadly for American soldiers, but Biggs does not speak out.He is worried that others will see him as an ignorant coward.Biggs's response in this situation best illustrates how the concept of ____________ applies to groupthink.

A) social censure
B) intellectual isolation
C) self-awareness
D) self-censorship

Question 41

In his classic test of social facilitation, Zajonc showed that cockroaches ran more slowly through a simple maze when they were alone than when an audience of other cockroaches looked on.

Question 42

According to self-awareness theory, which of the following conditions should prompt you to behave in accordance with your own moral standards?

A) observing yourself in a mirror
B) watching a television news broadcast
C) listening to friends talk about their morals
D) observing other people's immoral behavior

Question 43

Research shows that decisions are always riskier when they are made in groups than when they are made alone.

Question 44

Social comparison is one explanation for why group polarization occurs.

Question 45

Dustin is working alone, whereas Darrin is working in a group.Because he is working alone, Dustin is more likely than Darrin to experience social loafing.

Question 46

Bill is standing on the ledge of a tall building.He yells out to the gathering crowd, "I have nothing left to live for!" Research suggests that people are particularly likely to chant, "Jump! Jump! Jump!"

A) after 6:00 p.m.(as opposed to earlier in the day).
B) when the temperature exceeds 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
C) when the crowd exceeds 300 people.
D) Both a and c are correct.

Question 47

Recall one of the clearest demonstrations of the spotlight effect.In this study, participants who arrived individually were asked to put on a T-shirt printed with an image that they found embarrassing.Then, these participants were asked to enter another room where a group of other participants sat.After just a few moments, the T-shirt wearer left the room.What were the results of this study?

A) T-shirt wearers who reported extremely high levels of embarrassment were remembered better than wearers who reported extremely low levels of embarrassment.
B) T-shirt wearers who reported extremely low levels of embarrassment were remembered better than wearers who reported extremely high levels of embarrassment.
C) T-shirt wearers estimated that about one-half of the group would be able to identify the person pictured on the T-shirt when asked later on by the experimenter.But only about one-quarter of the group members actually made a correct identification.
D) T-shirt wearers estimated that about one-quarter of the group would be able to identify the person pictured on the T-shirt when asked later on by the experimenter.But about one-half of the group made a correct identification.

Question 48

People tend to perform complex tasks better in the presence of others than when alone, but they tend to perform simple tasks better when alone than in the presence of others.

Question 49

According to the textbook, groupthink occurs because people feel anonymous in groups.

Question 50

Recall that Ed Diener and his colleagues monitored almost thirty homes throughout the city of Seattle on Halloween night.They recorded whether each trick-or-treater arrived alone or in a group.The researchers also randomly asked some children arriving alone and some arriving in groups to provide their names and addresses.What did the results of this study show?

A) Compared with children who arrived alone, children arriving in groups were more likely to provide their names and addresses.
B) Compared with children who arrived in groups, children who arrived alone were more likely to be asked for their names and addresses.
C) Compared with children who arrived in groups, children arriving alone tended to take more treats than they were supposed to.
D) Compared with children who were asked for their names and addresses, children who were not asked for this information tended to take more treats than they were supposed to.

Question 51

Robert Zajonc argued that the mere presence of others tends to impair performance on difficult or novel tasks.

Question 52

Paige ran out of clean laundry and had to wear her mother's Barry Manilow T-shirt to school.According to the spotlight effect, Paige will overestimate the extent to which others will notice her appearance and behavior.

Question 53

Consider the following quote by Gustav Le Bon: "Whoever be the individuals that compose it, however like or unlike be their mode of life ...their character, or their intelligence, the fact that they have been transformed into a crowd puts them in possession of a sort of collective mind." This quote best illustrates the concept of

A) social loafing.
B) mere exposure.
C) deindividuation.
D) self-consciousness.

Question 54

Imagine that your favorite team has just won the Super Bowl.According to research, which of the following psychological conditions have to be met to turn the revelers into a destructive mob?

A) anonymity
B) arousal
C) sensory deprivation
D) Both a and b are correct.

Question 55

Sally has found herself lost in a crowd and is therefore experiencing deindividuation.This means Sally is

A) more self-aware, less focused on other people, and more inhibited.
B) less self-aware, less focused on other people, and less inhibited.
C) less self-aware, more focused on other people, and less inhibited.
D) more self-aware, more focused on other people, and less inhibited.

Question 56

Deindividuation is unlikely to occur when Suzie goes trick-or-treating with ten of her closest friends, all of whom wear masks.

Question 57

Samantha is experiencing the spotlight effect.This means that she

A) wants more attention than she typically receives from others.
B) perceives herself in an unrealistically favorable light.
C) overestimates the degree to which her appearance and behavior are noticed by others.
D) remembers social experiences better than solitary experiences.

Question 58

____________ is to deindividuation as ____________ is to self-awareness.

A) Wearing a mask; seeing oneself in a mirror
B) Playing a game; solving a problem
C) Inhibition; self-control
D) Being photographed; wearing a name tag

Question 59

Which of the following is MOST likely experiencing high self-awareness?

A) Joe, who remembers important events from his life, helping him develop a more accurate sense of who he is
B) Bree, who focuses her attention inward on herself, becoming concerned about how her current behavior conforms to her values
C) Antonio, who thinks about why he has certain values, then comes to believe more strongly in these values
D) Stephanie, who undergoes psychotherapy and becomes less likely to suffer from deindividuation

Question 60

Diener and his colleagues' study of trick-or-treaters tested the theory of group polarization.