Deck 13: The Intersection of Social Psychology and Environmental Issues

Question 1

Kurt Lewin is quoted as saying,"There is nothing so practical as a good theory." This quote is best interpreted as meaning that

A)hypothesis testing is limited to the quality of the underlying theories.
B)to solve difficult social problems,one first needs to understand the underlying reasons why they occur.
C)basic research is more important than application of the research.
D)social psychologists should focus on solving world problems.
E)applied research is more important than basic research.

Answer 1

to solve difficult social problems,one first needs to understand the underlying reasons why they occur.

Question 2

Communication between group members to facilitate improvements to the environment work best if communication

A)induces fear.
B)is conducted in a large group setting.
C)is done face-to-face in small groups.
D)is moderated by a strong leader.
E)is enhanced by the presence of a role-model such as a celebrity spokesperson.

Answer 2

is done face-to-face in small groups.

Question 3

One of the most important research methods for social psychologists who seek to answer questions about social influence is

A)observational studies.
B)correlational studies.
C)case studies.
D)interview studies.
E)experiments.

Answer 3

experiments.

Question 4

A _______ refers to the idea that what is beneficial for an individual will be harmful if all people chose that course of action.

A)zero-sum situation
B)zero-sum dilemma
C)social conflict
D)commons dilemma
E)social dilemma

Question 5

The study by Reno,Cialdini and Kallgren (1993)that found people were more likely to pick up litter after watching a model do so is an example of reducing littering using a(n)

A)descriptive norm.
B)social norm.
C)injunctive norm.
D)conjuctive norm.
E)social dilemma.

Question 6

What did Sydney,Nova Scotia adolescents identify as the biggest problem in their neighbourhood?

A)unemployment
B)street crime
C)pollution
D)bullying
E)gang incidents

Question 7

According to the introduction to the chapter on social psychology and the environment,to avoid environmental disaster

A)new laws are needed to enforce environmental regulations.
B)we must return to a simpler lifestyle.
C)new sources of energy must be discovered.
D)attitudes and behaviours must be changed.
E)education about environmental issues must begin in elementary school.

Question 8

People most likely to underestimate what they can do to change injunctive norms around improving the environment are

A)low-status individuals.
B)high-status individuals.
C)members of minority groups.
D)people with friends who are environmentalists.
E)people who work for industries that depend on the environment.

Question 9

Communication between group members facilitates donation of resources to a group effort to save the environment because

A)communication increases awareness of environmental problems.
B)talking among themselves produces normative pressures to conform.
C)the desired behaviour becomes clear.
D)the possibility of future greater personal gains may be mentioned.
E)participants can see no way to terminate the discussion except by donating their funds.

Question 10

In the study conducted by Orbell and colleagues (1988),a participant could keep 6 dollars or donate it and have the money double.Most participants who played the game

A)donated the money so that each group member received 2 dollars.
B)donated the money after being prompted by the experimenter to do so.
C)failed to donate the money even after group discussion.
D)donated the money after watching a short video clip that explained the importance of the task.
E)kept the money unless there was group discussion about the virtues of donating the cash.

Question 11

Which of the following scenarios is an example of a social dilemma?

A)Roger cannot decide whether he wants to stay home and relax or meet his friends for coffee.
B)Ramona cannot decide whether she wants to go to the prom with Lazlo or Raúl.
C)Jason would prefer to study for his introduction to social psychology exam,but is pressured by his friends to attend a party instead.
D)Steve tries hard to please his boss,Nora,but Nora is too demanding.
E)Hilary would prefer to listen to her public radio station without subscribing,but the radio station would disappear if no one made pledges.

Question 12

One of the reasons that it is difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of a new energy conservation program is that

A)evaluations are time-consuming.
B)there are difficulties obtaining a large sample size.
C)there is no randomly assigned control group.
D)it is potentially unethical.
E)energy is difficult to experiment on.

Question 13

Based on the research conducted by Reno,Cialdini and Kallgren (1993),one effective technique for having your friend pick up her discarded granola bar wrapper is to

A)have signs saying "please pick up after yourself."
B)shout at your friend whenever she fails to pick up after herself.
C)offer her a small token when she does pick up after herself.
D)remind your friend of the importance that one person's actions can have on the environment.
E)have your friend observe you picking up after yourself.

Question 14

According to Kurt Lewin,the founder of social psychology,pressing social problems can be addressed by

A)changes to the economic structures of society.
B)politicians and changes to the law.
C)sociologists better than social psychologists.
D)grassroots approaches to social change.
E)social psychological theories and methods.

Question 15

According to Kurt Lewin,the founder of social psychology,social psychological questions about the environment are best addressed by

A)naturalistic observation.
B)experimental methods.
C)correlational techniques.
D)case studies.
E)employing non-reactive measures.

Question 16

Kurt Lewin is considered to be the

A)founder of modern personality psychology.
B)greatest applied methodologist of the twentieth century.
C)founder of empirical social psychology.
D)father of professional psychology.
E)father of clinical psychology.

Question 17

Social psychologists are better equipped to study applied problems such as the environment because of our emphasis on

A)deception.
B)ethics.
C)statistics.
D)extrinsic validity.
E)the experimental method.

Question 18

One difference between medical disciplines and social psychology in the application of treatments is that

A)social psychology does not require rigorous testing of the treatment.
B)social psychology requires ethical clearance prior to investigating treatments.
C)many of the treatments applied by social psychologists are impractical because they require the use of deception.
D)medical treatments are less widely available compared to social psychological interventions.
E)there is an educational component to medical treatment that is not present with social psychology treatments.

Question 19

Social psychological research investigating environmental issues is best characterized as

A)basic research.
B)theory-driven research.
C)qualitative research.
D)applied research.
E)ecological research.

Question 20

Sometimes to make big changes in the environment,one needs

A)to convince politicians of the importance of the environment.
B)to organize demonstrations to show popular support for change.
C)to bring the media on board so that change is widely publicized.
D)to make small changes and make change easier to implement.
E)to induce fear in the general public so they put pressure on powerful figures to implement change.

Question 21

A specific plan about where,when,and how to fulfill a goal is termed a(n)________ and has been found to ________.

A)intrinsic motivation; increase environmentally sustainable behaviour.
B)implementation plan; increase environmentally sustainable behaviour.
C)intrinsic plan; decrease freeloading in social dilemmas.
D)implementation plan; decrease the strength of the attitude-behaviour relationship.
E)sustainability plan; decrease the gap between environmental attitudes and behaviours.

Question 22

Jorge does not want to make the effort to reduce energy consumption by turning down the heat and switching to energy-efficient light bulbs.How might an energy auditor convince Jorge to take these measures?

A)Provide Jorge with local norms for consumption and put a smiley face on his bill every time he meets or betters those norms.
B)Describe how the energy saved will benefit the environment.
C)Offer Jorge an incentive to switch to energy efficient bulbs.
D)Provide detailed statistics on how much he would save on his electricity bills if he switched to energy efficient bulbs.
E)Use a fear-inducing message about the dangers of energy gluttony.

Question 23

Allowing face-to-face communication during a commons dilemma game can work to increase cooperation.Why does the text suggest that communication works?

A)It helps the individual to persuade everyone else to see things from his or her perspective.
B)Communication can help to establish a sense of group identity.
C)It helps to pass the time more pleasurably and people will like each other when they're having fun.
D)It helps to toughen group members up so that they can play more competitively
E)There tends to be less normative pressure when people get to know each other.

Question 24

When Siero and colleagues (1996)provided workers in a unit of a Dutch factory with feedback on energy consumption in other units,energy-saving behaviours drastically increased.These results point to _______ as a useful process in encouraging energy-saving behaviours.

A)a commons dilemma
B)cognitive dissonance
C)a social dilemma
D)self-perception
E)social comparison

Question 25

A _____ refers to the idea that what is beneficial for an individual will be harmful if all people chose that course of action.

A)common dilemma
B)social dilemma
C)zero-sum situation
D)social conflict
E)social loafing

Question 26

One example of a real-world commons dilemma includes the use of

A)limited resources such as energy.
B)public radio and television by non-contributors.
C)welfare by working citizens.
D)taxes to build urban infrastructure.
E)air in breathing.

Question 27

Research by Van Vugt and Samuelson (1999),in which water meters were installed in houses in one community,suggests that one way to resolve social dilemmas is to

A)decrease the availability of resources.
B)increase the cost of resources.
C)make it easier for people to monitor their own resource usage.
D)make it easier for the city to monitor people's resource usage.
E)facilitate neighbours putting pressure on each other over water usage.

Question 28

Researchers (Dickerson et al.,1992)asked some students on the way to a field house shower to sign a poster advocating water conservation,asked others to report on their water use,and asked others to do both.Those who both reported their water use and signed the poster took shorter showers than those students in the other two conditions because

A)they made a private commitment to conserve water.
B)the intervention took too long and they had to hurry.
C)they became more aware of how much water they used.
D)they were reminded that they were not practicing what they preached.
E)they made a public commitment to conserve water.

Question 29

Professor Martinez always throws paper and soft drink cans into the garbage.Based on research related to water conservation ,how might he be encouraged to recycle?

A)Put signs on the recycling bins to make them stand out.
B)Point out that it is in his own self-interest to recycle.
C)Give him information about what can and cannot be recycled.
D)Have him lecture to his students about recycling and then make him aware of his own behaviour.
E)Point out that recycling has good long-term benefits for the environment.

Question 30

John Orbell and his colleagues (1988)gave each participant $6 and told them that they could keep the $6 or else donate it to the group.If they donated,the $6 would be doubled and then divided among all members of the group.Orbell et al.(1988)found that when participants were allowed to discuss the situation among themselves,they were more likely to pool their money and make a large profit,in essence doubling their original $6 to $12.Why does this approach not work well for entire communities caught in such social dilemmas?

A)It will only work well when people are given the money at the outset.
B)It will only work well when it is possible to punish those who choose not to cooperate.
C)It will only work well when the resource in question is monetary.
D)It will only work well when people can discuss the situation face-to-face.
E)It will only work well when people trust one another.

Question 31

Utility companies policies that provide for a fixed monthly fee for water results in

A)informative behaviours.
B)hypocritical behaviour.
C)water conservation.
D)injunctive norms.
E)a social dilemma.

Question 32

Which of the following situations is the best example of a commons dilemma?

A)Eric sorts his recycling even though his neighbours don't sort their cans and bottles
B)Michelle prefers electric heat,whereas Mitch prefers gas heat
C)Hugo will not drive unless there is no public transit available
D)because it's only one piece of paper,Janet doesn't recycle it
E)Pat and Mike disagree about whether to turn off the water while brushing their teeth

Question 33

Research by Van Vugt and Samuelson (1999),in which water meters were installed in houses in one community,suggests that when people can monitor their own use of a scarce common resource,they may use less of that resource because

A)using less helps them save money.
B)they become concerned for the collective good.
C)people become competitive and vie to use less.
D)they feel as if 'big brother' in the form of the utility company is watching them.
E)using less stops them feeling guilty all the time.

Question 34

Elliot Aronson and his colleagues (Dickerson,Thibodeau,Aronson,& Miller,1992)used _______ to convince university students to turn off water while soaping up in a shower room.

A)monetary incentives
B)large obtrusive signs
C)cognitive dissonance
D)strict punishment
E)a social dilemma

Question 35

John Orbell and his colleagues (1988)studied social dilemmas by putting people into groups,then giving each person money to keep or to donate to the group at a higher return rate.The catch was,of course,that if only one or a few participants donated their money,they would lose on their investment.The researchers found that when group members were not allowed to discuss their plans,they typically

A)kept all the money they were given for themselves.
B)donated a little money to the group,but kept most of the money for themselves.
C)donated all of their money to the group.
D)split the money evenly between themselves and the group.
E)donated most of their money to the group,but kept a little money for themselves.

Question 36

One productive resolution to social dilemmas is to make people's selfish behaviours public.This tactic often works because such public exposure

A)focuses people to think about the value of the group.
B)is a means to dissonance reduction.
C)provides information about the appropriate course of action.
D)makes individuals aware of possible social censure.
E)convinces individuals that there is a larger problem.

Question 37

Siero and colleagues (1996)introduced an intervention to reduce energy consumption in different units of Dutch factories.Which of the following aspects of their intervention had the greatest (positive)impact on energy use?

A)raising prices for those that did not reduce energy consumption
B)placing announcements in company magazines
C)offering cash incentives for energy saving measures
D)providing feedback on other units' consumption
E)providing weekly feedback on a unit's consumption

Question 38

Karla likes to study in well-lit environments,but she knows that extra lights waste electricity.Karla's struggle to balance her own preferences with conservation efforts is an example of a

A)lose-lose situation.
B)contrast effect.
C)means-end analysis.
D)perceptual contrast.
E)commons dilemma.

Question 39

In Graham and colleagues' (2011)study,students record on a website how many miles they had saved through not driving.The take-home message from this study is that if you want people to actually change their behaviour to conserve energy,then

A)intrinsic motivation is extremely important.
B)giving people feedback about their personal and environmental savings is extremely important.
C)you have to make sure there is some competition with others involved.
D)making them aware of their own shortcomings through hypocrisy induction is essential.
E)you have to be prepared to provide concrete rewards for conservation behaviours.

Question 40

Graham,Koo,and Wilson (2011)asked students to track the number of miles they avoided driving on a website.Those who were keeping track

A)drove more than those who were not keeping track.
B)drove less only if they were also told how much money they had saved on gas.
C)drove less only if they were told about the savings in air pollution.
D)drove less especially when given feedback about financial savings and reduction in air pollution.
E)drove less only if they had intrinsic motivation to reduce driving.

Question 41

Which of the following anti-litter campaigns relies most on injunctive norms?

A)highway signs that read "Keep Canada Beautiful"
B)highway signs that read "Don't Mess with Manitoba!"
C)television ads that tell viewers,"Give a hoot,don't pollute"
D)highway signs that simply read "Don't litter"
E)television ads that show streets filled with garbage

Question 42

One way to encourage more people to recycle would be to institute curbside recycling,to provide free containers for sorting glass,paper,and aluminum,and to increase the number of recycling bins throughout a community.These strategies are likely to work,given Kurt Lewin's early assertion that

A)subjective perceptions are more important than objective reality.
B)attitudes are powerful predictors of simple behaviours (like recycling).
C)big social changes can occur with the removal of small barriers.
D)human beings do not like to fall prey to the fundamental attribution error.
E)human beings dislike cognitive inconsistency.

Question 43

Robert Cialdini and his colleagues (1990)argue that in general,_______ norms are more effective than _______ norms in reducing litter.

A)injunctive; descriptive
B)subtle; salient
C)salient; subtle
D)conjunctive; subtle
E)descriptive; injunctive

Question 44

Your text discusses the value of cooperation and working together to solve the social dilemma of environmental problems.Yet,there are ways to also use competition to improve the environment.
Describe how competition can be used to promote behaviours that would improve the environment.

Question 45

In what sense does the problem of littering represent a social dilemma?

A)Each citizen may not litter a lot,but it all adds up.
B)Littering has increased steadily over the last fifteen years.
C)People often look to one another to guide their behaviour.
D)Litter pollutes water and endangers wildlife.
E)Norms can be made salient to reduce littering.

Question 46

_______ norms address people's perceptions of what other people approve of,whereas _______ norms address people's perceptions of what other people actually do.

A)Injunctive; descriptive
B)Proscriptive; injunctive
C)Descriptive; injunctive
D)Descriptive; proscriptive
E)Proscriptive; descriptive

Question 47

Nancy is listening to the radio while she drives.At the same moment she hears a message from a "Keep Canada Beautiful" campaign,she notices a fast-food bag on the side of the road.The difference between what Nancy hears and sees reflects the difference between _______ norms and _______ norms.

A)descriptive; proscriptive
B)objective; descriptive
C)descriptive; objective
D)injunctive; descriptive
E)descriptive; injunctive

Question 48

Catherine and Gabriel are picnicking in the park.They would be least likely to litter when

A)they notice that the park is completely free of litter.
B)a park official tells them about the fines for littering.
C)they see other people throw away their garbage.
D)they see one piece of garbage on the otherwise clean park grounds.
E)they see other people picking up litter.

Question 49

Some time ago,public service ads reminded viewers that "every litter bit hurts." Ad producers were working to convince viewers that

A)there are alternatives to littering.
B)descriptive norms should be obeyed.
C)there are norms against littering.
D)littering represents a social dilemma.
E)there are laws against littering.

Question 50

Recycling,although good for all of us,can be inconvenient and a lot of effort for individuals.In this sense,recycling represents a kind of

A)social norm.
B)normative conflict.
C)social dilemma.
D)injunctive norm.
E)dissonance-arousing activity.

Question 51

Public safety officials want to increase the use of seat belts among drivers and have decided to show a television ad documenting the rising use of seat belts among drivers.This represents the use of _______ norms to change safety behaviours.

A)descriptive
B)productive
C)injunctive
D)conjunctive
E)proscriptive

Question 52

Discuss how social psychology is in a unique position to contribute to the development of programs to improve the environment.

Question 53

During a drought,Lynne noticed that all of her neighbours had stopped watering their lawns even though there were no laws against it.Lynne was following a _______ norm when she let her lawn turn brown too.

A)productive
B)proscriptive
C)objective
D)injunctive
E)descriptive

Question 54

Assume that you are part of a student group trying to persuade students to recycle more.You plan to go door-to-door in residence halls,and to use hypocrisy induction to change recycling behaviours.How would you do this and why would your strategy work?

Question 55

"I just can't seem to make the effort to change my habits." How would you design the environment to best counter this excuse for not recycling that was made in Cornwall,Ontario?

A)Fine people who do not put out a recycling box.
B)Randomly give prizes to people for putting out full boxes of recycled materials.
C)Reduce the recycling charge at the local dump for people dropping off large loads.
D)Remove any hassles that make recycling inconvenient.
E)Reward people with 50 cents off their tax bill for each full box of recycled materials.

Question 56

Provide an example of a social dilemma as it relates to the environment.

Question 57

Kurt Lewin (1947)asserted that the best way to ensure large,widespread social change is to remove small barriers.How has this idea been used to encourage recycling?

Question 58

Research by Pelletier and Sharp (2008)suggests that the best motivation to help people engage in environmentally sustainable behaviour is

A)normative conformity.
B)informational conformity.
C)intrinsic motivation.
D)extrinsic motivation.
E)hypocrisy induction.

Question 59

Littering has become an increasingly serious problem on your campus.As a member of a student government committee,what recommendations would you make for how to reduce littering? Make sure to mention the role of norms.

Question 60

Participants in a field experiment by Raymond Reno and his colleagues (1993)were more likely to properly dispose of a handbill left on their windshields when they saw a confederate pick up and dispose of a fast-food bag.Results of this experiment reveal the power of _______ to reduce littering behaviours.

A)descriptive norms
B)subjective norms
C)self-awareness
D)conjunctive norms
E)injunctive norms