Deck 4: Thinking About People and Events

Question 1

How does mood-congruent memory explain why depressed individuals have trouble recalling past positive events?

A)The same regions of the brain that cause depression are also responsible for encoding memories.
B)Since depressed people experience fewer positive events,their memories typically cause them to be in a negative mood.
C)When depressed individuals remember positive events,they usually think about them negatively.
D)Because depressed people are usually in a negative mood,it is easier for them to recall negative events.

Answer 1

Because depressed people are usually in a negative mood,it is easier for them to recall negative events.

Question 2

Which of the following statements is true about the relationship between feelings and memory?

A)If an event made you feel positively or negatively,you will remember that feeling accurately.
B)People generally remember events as being more positive than they actually were.
C)People generally remember events as being more negative than they actually were.
D)People remember events as more negative than they were,but only if they feel positively about their current situation.

Answer 2

People generally remember events as being more positive than they actually were.

Question 3

Dialecticism refers to:

A)a tendency to oscillate back and forth between positive and negative moods when trying to recall memories.
B)a tolerance for inconsistency and changes in thinking about the world and others.
C)a tendency to recall information based on current mood.
D)a tendency to recall memories in schema-consistent ways.

Answer 3

a tolerance for inconsistency and changes in thinking about the world and others.

Question 4

Which of the following is the best description of the process of getting information into long-term memory?

A)Some of the information present in our current array of sensory input is encoded.
B)Information that is actively rehearsed or is otherwise distinctive,goal-relevant,or emotionally salient gets consolidated for later retrieval.
C)Information that we decide to remember becomes attached to a particular schema.
D)Information that we encounter three or more times becomes a part of our long-term memory.

Question 5

The process of storing information in short-term memory is called _____,while the process of storing information in long-term memory is called _____.

A)inference;discounting
B)consolidation;encoding
C)encoding;consolidation
D)discounting;inference

Question 6

Which of the following statements is an accurate description of the relationship between schemas and memory?

A)Schemas are more important than memories for processing information.
B)Memories are more important than schemas for processing information.
C)We often remember information that matches our schemas and ignore information that conflicts with our schemas.
D)"Schema" and "memory" are the same concept.

Question 7

If we are given a schema for thinking about a person before observing their behaviors,we are more likely to remember _____;but if we are given a schema for thinking about a person after observing their behaviors,we are more likely to remember _____.

A)negative behaviors;positive behaviors
B)positive behaviors;negative behaviors
C)schema-consistent behaviors;schema-inconsistent behaviors
D)schema-inconsistent behaviors;schema-consistent behaviors

Question 8

Cues given after an event can plant false information into memory.This is referred to as:

A)mood-congruent memory.
B)dialecticism.
C)the misinformation effect.
D)the availability heuristic.

Question 9

Information that is currently activated is called _____ memory.

A)consolidated
B)short-term
C)long-term
D)schematic

Question 10

Which of the following statements about the relationship between schema-consistency and memory is accurate?

A)People are equally capable of remembering schema-consistent and schema-inconsistent information in almost all contexts.
B)People are only able to remember information that is consistent with their prior schemas.
C)People are only able to remember schema-inconsistent information if they have time to think about it.
D)Under certain circumstances people are very good at remembering highly schema-inconsistent events.

Question 11

In a famous experiment,all subjects viewed the same video of an automobile accident.Later one group of subjects was asked,"How fast were the cars going when they bumped into each other?" The other group of subjects was asked,"How fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?" Which group reported seeing more broken glass?

A)the group that was asked about cars that "bumped" into each other
B)the group that was asked about cars that "smashed" into each other
C)Both groups reported seeing equal amounts of broken glass.
D)Neither group reported seeing any broken glass,because there was no broken glass.

Question 12

Hakeem has completed a psychology study about his childhood.At the beginning of the study,he was given a piece of candy in exchange for participating-and Hakeem loves candy.What does research suggest he remembered about his childhood?

A)He remembered a mix of positive and negative details.
B)He primarily focused on the positive details of his childhood.
C)He primarily focused on the negative details of his childhood.
D)He first discussed the negative,and then discussed the positive details of his childhood.

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT true about memory?

A)It is a reconstructive process.
B)It can be biased by schemas.
C)Ease of retrieval may bias memory.
D)It is affected only by paying attention.

Question 14

The term "mood-congruent memory" refers to the fact that:

A)people are more likely to remember negative information when in a negative mood,and positive information in a positive mood.
B)memory tends to be driven by the mood we are feeling at the time that we are forming a memory.
C)our mood at any point in time is primarily determined by our memories.
D)overall,people are more likely to remember events as more negative than they actually were.

Question 15

Melvin had an okay time at his retirement party.The next year,however,he remembered the retirement party as fabulous.This is called:

A)rosy recollection bias.
B)counterfactual thinking.
C)the mind-set effect.
D)dialecticism.

Question 16

Short-term memory is information _____,while long-term memory is _____.

A)that is currently activated;information from past experience
B)from past experience;information that is currently activated
C)that is only active for a short period of time;information that is chronically active
D)that is chronically active;information that is only active for a short period of time

Question 17

According to the text,which of the following is NOT an essential way that people make sense of their social world?

A)person perception
B)counterfactual thinking
C)memory
D)magical thinking

Question 18

Which of the following conditions does NOT increase the likelihood that people will remember schema-inconsistent information?

A)The information is highly salient.
B)The schema being violated is highly important to the person.
C)People have the cognitive resources to notice and process the information.
D)People are motivated to make sense of the information.

Question 19

At the beginning of a romantic relationship,Reema feels like she may or may not be in love with her new partner.Six months later,Reema feels very much in love and is contemplating getting married to her partner.What does research suggest Reema's memory will be of the beginning of her relationship?

A)She will remember that she wasn't sure if she was in love at first.
B)She will remember that she didn't love her partner at all.
C)She will remember being in love with her partner from the beginning.
D)She will not be able to remember the beginning of the relationship.

Question 20

Hae Min is trying to remember the day that her friend Carlos went missing.The police are asking her to recall everything about that day as part of their investigation of Carlos's disappearance.Which of the following statements BEST characterizes what Hae Min's process of remembering the day will be like?

A)Hae Min will not be able to remember everything that happened that day,but the memories that she does have will be accurate reflections of reality.
B)Hae Min's recollection of the day will be a mixture of short-term and long-term memories.
C)Hae Min's memory of the day will be a reconstructive process,possibly biased by many factors.
D)Because an important event in her life happened on that day,Hae Min will be able to remember most of the details of the day with almost photographic accuracy.

Question 21

The two fundamental dimensions along which Heider believed causal attributions vary are _____ and _____.

A)externality;internality
B)stability;externality
C)locus of causality;internality
D)locus of causality;stability

Question 22

If Samir believes he failed his math test because the professor is a horrible teacher,then Samir is making a(n)_____ attribution about his behavior.

A)external
B)internal
C)noncausal
D)fundamental

Question 23

Chuan decides to go to a bar on a Friday night.Chuan is very happy to spend a night out.However,at the bar,he accidentally bumps into another man and spills his drink.This man becomes very angry,because he infers that Chuan intentionally knocked into him in order to spill his drink.In this scenario,what is the best example of a causal attribution?

A)Chuan's act of bumping into the man
B)Chuan's decision to go out for the night
C)the other man's inference that Chuan deliberately knocked him over
D)the happiness Chuan feels at the beginning of the night

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT true about repressed memories?

A)Individuals who are susceptible to suggestion may be more likely to experience false repressed memories.
B)Individuals who are trying to understand their psychological problem may be more likely to experience false repressed memories.
C)Individuals who are overconfident may be more likely to experience false repressed memories.
D)Individuals who are asked leading questions may be more likely to experience false repressed memories.

Question 25

In a classic study,Heider and Simmel (1944)showed people a film clip of a large triangle and a small triangle moving around,and out of a larger square that had an opening.When the researchers asked people what was going on in the clip,what were the findings?

A)People explained the events in terms of intentional actions committed by the shapes.
B)People simply listed the shapes that they had seen in the video.
C)People suspected that the experimenters were doing something suspicious while distracting them with the shapes.
D)The majority of the participants were completely unable to make sense of what they had seen.

Question 26

A causal attribution is:

A)the explanation that people use for what caused a particular event or behavior.
B)a tendency to explain events in terms of the results,rather than effects.
C)a tendency to explain other people's behavior in terms of dispositional,rather than situational,factors.
D)a tendency to explain other people's behavior in terms of situational,rather than dispositional,factors.

Question 27

If Saulo believes he performed poorly on a literature test because he failed to study the night before,he is making a(n)_____ attribution about his behavior.

A)unstable external
B)stable internal
C)unstable internal
D)stable external

Question 28

The tendency to assume that information that comes easily to mind is more frequent or common is referred to as the:

A)fundamental attribution error.
B)availability heuristic.
C)correspondent inference.
D)misinformation effect.

Question 29

A(n)_____ locus of causality refers to behavior being caused by an aspect of the actor,while a(n)_____ locus of causality refers to behavior being caused by an aspect of the situation.

A)internal;external
B)external;internal
C)short-term;long-term
D)long-term;short-term

Question 30

Which of the following is an example of the availability heuristic?

A)being more afraid of flying than driving because of heavy media coverage of airplane crashes
B)believing that a friend failed a test due to lack of intelligence,whereas you failed the test because you were unable to study due to various factors
C)thinking that an older student in the hall is a professor
D)being more upset about missing an important flight by a few minutes than about missing it by several hours

Question 31

Lupa was working at a bank when it was robbed.Another witness mentioned a snake tattoo on the robber's neck.The snake tattoo,while nonexistent,has become incorporated into Lupa's memory.This represents the:

A)fundamental attribution error.
B)availability heuristic.
C)correspondent inference.
D)misinformation effect.

Question 32

Ricardo and Monique are in couple's therapy because they often argue with each other.One day,their therapist asks each of them to think of five times in which they provoked the other person into an argument.Another day,their therapist asks them to think of ten times when they did the same thing.According to research,what will the effect of the therapist's technique be on making Ricardo and Monique think of themselves as argumentative?

A)On both days,Ricardo and Monique will be equally likely to think of themselves as argumentative.
B)Due to gender differences,Ricardo is more likely to see himself as an argumentative person on both occasions.
C)Both Ricardo and Monique will probably see themselves as more argumentative on the day when they are asked to recall five incidents.
D)Both Ricardo and Monique will probably see themselves as more argumentative on the day when they are asked to recall ten incidents.

Question 33

If Tyrell believes he failed his math test because he has no mathematical intelligence,then Tyrell is making a(n)_____ attribution about his behavior.

A)external
B)internal
C)noncausal
D)fundamental

Question 34

What does research suggest is a factor that lowers the tendency to rely on the ease of retrieval effect?

A)whether a person is able to easily recall past instances of a behavior or not
B)the extent to which the person has a good versus a poor general working memory capacity
C)the extent to which the person connects their sense of self to their memories
D)the personal relevance of the domain in which the individual is trying to recall past behaviors

Question 35

People in the United States are more likely to die in car crashes than in airplane crashes.People,however,often assume that flying is more dangerous than driving.This is an example of:

A)confirmation bias.
B)the fundamental attribution error.
C)the availability heuristic.
D)a causal attribution.

Question 36

The ease of retrieval effect refers to the fact that:

A)people are more likely to judge personal rather than situational factors as having an influence in others' behavior.
B)it's easier to retrieve long-term memories than to form new ones.
C)people judge how frequently an event occurs by how easily they can retrieve examples of that event.
D)people with better memories find it easier to retrieve events from long-term memory than those who have worse memories.

Question 37

The dimension of attribution referring to whether a behavior is an aspect of either the actor or the environment they are in is called:

A)fixed versus incremental attribution.
B)correspondent inference.
C)stability of causation.
D)locus of causality.

Question 38

Dweck (1975)found that boys tend to attribute their poor performance in math to _____ factors,whereas girls tend to attribute their poor performance in math to _____ factors.

A)stable internal;stable external
B)stable internal;unstable external
C)unstable internal;stable external
D)unstable internal;stable internal

Question 39

Vanessa turned a project in late to her boss.Her boss believes she did so because Vanessa is a lazy person.Vanessa's boss made a(n)_____ attribution about her behavior.

A)external
B)internal
C)noncausal
D)fundamental

Question 40

Ligiea believes that she failed her first test in college because the university she is attending has very high,hard-to-meet expectations.She is making a(n)_____ attribution about her behavior.

A)unstable external
B)stable internal
C)unstable internal
D)stable external

Question 41

Braden believes that if he works hard in school,he can make himself more intelligent.This suggests that Braden has an _____ mind-set about intelligence.

A)internal
B)external
C)incremental
D)entity

Question 42

Which of the following does NOT increase the likelihood of a correspondent inference?

A)There is a clear external factor contributing to the individual's behavior.
B)The individual has a choice between two actions,and there is only one difference between the two choices.
C)The individual is acting inconsistently with their given social role.
D)The individual seems to have a choice in the action.

Question 43

Dyna sees a woman shouting at another woman on the street.Dyna decides that this woman must be aggressive.Dyna has just made a(n):

A)external attribution.
B)correspondent inference.
C)availability heuristic.
D)mood-congruent memory.

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT true about Carol Dweck's early work on achievement?

A)She found boys often attributed their difficulties to a lack of effort.
B)She found girls tended to attribute their difficulties to a lack of ability.
C)She started encouraging children to attribute failures to internal but stable factors.
D)She found girls were more likely to give up trying to get better at math.

Question 45

Another name for an "entity" mind-set is:

A)incremental.
B)attributional.
C)fixed.
D)malleable.

Question 46

In which of the following situations are we LEAST likely to make a correspondent inference about a person who is screaming wildly?

A)in a grocery store
B)in a business meeting
C)at a football game
D)at a small social gathering

Question 47

Research suggests that which of the following will NOT result from convincing a person to adopt an incremental mind-set?

A)They will be more persistent in response to failure.
B)They will tend not to pursue opportunities to improve their intelligence.
C)They will make fewer ability-based attributions for failure.
D)They will adopt more learning-oriented goals.

Question 48

_____ is when we attribute to an actor the attitude,desire,or trait that corresponds to their actions.

A)A correspondent inference
B)A fundamental attribution error
C)An entity mind-set
D)An incremental mind-set

Question 49

People with fixed mind-sets tend to:

A)make more positive stable attributions about themselves in response to challenges.
B)experience more negative affect in response to challenging tasks.
C)perform better under pressure.
D)embrace opportunities for change.

Question 50

When is a person MOST likely to engage in an elaborate,thoughtful process of causal attribution to understand an event?

A)when the event clearly fits a schema from personal experience
B)when the event clearly fits a schema from the broader culture
C)when the event is something that has happened many times before
D)when the event is completely unexpected

Question 51

What does research suggest about exchange students who have strong entity mind-sets regarding achievement and intelligence?

A)They are more likely to be highly proficient in their native language.
B)They are less likely to be highly proficient in their native language.
C)They are more likely to attend remedial English courses.
D)They are less likely to attend remedial English courses.

Question 52

A 1967 study demonstrating the fundamental attribution error assigned participants to read an essay that either praised or criticized Fidel Castro.Participants were also randomly assigned to be told that the author of the essay either freely chose to write it or was required to write it on that particular theme.What were the results of the study?

A)Participants had no opinions about the author's attitude toward Fidel Castro,regardless of which essay they read.
B)Participants believed the author's attitude toward Fidel Castro corresponded to the essay that was written only when they believed the person freely chose to write the essay.
C)Participants believed the author's attitude toward Fidel Castro corresponded to the essay that was written only when they believed the person was forced to write the essay.
D)Participants believed the author's attitude toward Fidel Castro corresponded to the essay that was written,regardless of whether the person was required to write the essay or had freely chosen to do so.

Question 53

While the _____ concerns people's tendency to overestimate the role of internal factors in others' behavior,the _____ concerns people's tendency to make situational attributions about their own behavior.

A)fundamental attribution error;actor-observer effect
B)availability heuristic;ease of retrieval effect
C)ease of retrieval effect;availability heuristic
D)actor-observer effect;fundamental attribution error

Question 54

All of the following are true about causal attribution,EXCEPT which statement?

A)Causal schemas are based on personal experience.
B)Causal schemas are based on general cultural knowledge.
C)We are more likely to make causal attributions for expected events.
D)The "top of the head phenomenon" plays a role in causal attribution.

Question 55

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency for observers to _____ situational influences and _____ dispositional influences on behavior.

A)overestimate;underestimate
B)underestimate;overestimate
C)ignore;overestimate
D)overestimate;ignore

Question 56

The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency to:

A)rely on the most situationally salient factor to make a causal attribution.
B)believe that what is easy to call to mind is also what is most accurate.
C)attribute behavior to situational factors and underestimate the role of internal qualities.
D)attribute behavior to internal qualities of an actor and underestimate situational factors.

Question 57

Another name for a more flexible mind-set is a(n)_____ mind-set.

A)incremental
B)attributional
C)fixed
D)corresponding

Question 58

According to Dweck's (1975)work on attributions and academic performance,what is the most productive form of causal attribution in a learning environment?

A)unstable external
B)stable internal
C)unstable internal
D)stable external

Question 59

A _____ mind-set sees a particular attribute as something fixed that a person can't control or change,whereas a _____ mind-set sees a particular attribute as something malleable that can increase or decrease.

A)incremental;entity
B)entity;incremental
C)internal;external
D)external;internal

Question 60

Research has shown that the most powerful influence on the development of children's mind-set is:

A)the parents' mind-set about failure.
B)the parents' mind-set about praise.
C)mass- and entertainment-media influences.
D)social-media influences.

Question 61

People from individualistic cultures are more likely to make _____ attributions for other people's behavior,while those from collectivist cultures are by comparison more likely to make _____ attributions for other people's behavior.

A)external;internal
B)stable;unstable
C)unstable;stable
D)internal;external

Question 62

You see Bea sleeping during your social psychology lecture.If you make the fundamental attribution error,then you will say Bea:

A)stayed up late studying for the exam.
B)partied too much last night.
C)is lazy.
D)probably worked an extra shift the night before.

Question 63

We often underestimate the situational causes of others' behavior but not our own because we observe others from a different perspective than we observe ourselves.This is known as:

A)the actor-observer effect.
B)the locus of causality effect.
C)the self-awareness effect.
D)rosy perspective bias.

Question 64

According to the three-stage model of dispositional attribution,a person is MOST likely to commit the fundamental attribution error when they:

A)have plenty of time to form a decision.
B)are highly motivated to make an accurate attribution.
C)are distracted or too tired to pay close attention to the situation.
D)are not under any cognitive load.

Question 65

A classic study by Storms (1973)showed that when people were engaged in a conversation,they thought that _____ was/were leading the conversation;but when they watched a video of the conversation from their partner's perspective,they thought that _____ was/were leading the conversation.

A)their partner;they (the participant)
B)they (the participant);their partner
C)no one;the experimenter
D)the experimenter;no one

Question 66

Which of the following is NOT true about the actor-observer effect?

A)People make more internal attributions for their successes.
B)People make more internal attributions for their failures.
C)Actor-observer asymmetries are stronger if people believe the behavior is unintentional.
D)The actor-observer effect can cause trouble for interpersonal relationships.

Question 67

The covariation principle refers to:

A)the fact that two continuous variables can covary with each other either positively or negatively.
B)the tendency to see a causal relationship between an event and an outcome when they happen at the same time.
C)the fact that people tend to overestimate the role of situational factors in explaining others' behavior.
D)the fact that people tend to overestimate the role of personal factors in explaining others' behavior.

Question 68

In a study by Ross and colleagues (1977)researchers randomly assigned participants to play the part of either a quiz show contestant or the questioner,while other participants were the observers.The results indicated that:

A)both contestants and observers thought the questioners were more knowledgeable than the contestants.
B)both contestants and observers thought the contestants were more knowledgeable than the questioners.
C)observers thought the questioners were more knowledgeable,but contestants attributed the outcomes to the situation.
D)questioners thought themselves more knowledgeable,but contestants attributed the outcomes to the situation.

Question 69

Tong is late for his date with Juanita because traffic on the freeway was unusually bad.Juanita is angry with Tong when he arrives.What does research on the actor-observer effect suggest each of these people will think about the other?

A)Tong thinks Juanita is angry because he was late for the date;Juanita thinks Tong might be late for a specific reason,like traffic.
B)Tong thinks Juanita is angry because he was late for the date;Juanita thinks Tong is late because he is always late.
C)Tong thinks Juanita is angry because she is always angry;Juanita thinks Tong is late because he is always late.
D)Tong thinks Juanita is angry because she is always angry;Juanita thinks Tong might be late for a specific reason,like traffic.

Question 70

In a study by Gilbert and colleagues (1988),participants were shown a video of a nervous-looking woman discussing various topics.It was explained to half the participants that she was discussing anxiety-provoking topics,while the remaining participants thought she was discussing pleasant topics.Finally,half the participants were randomly assigned to complete a cognitively draining task while they performed the study.What were the results?

A)Those participants who completed a cognitively draining task were more likely to assume that the woman was a nervous person when they thought she was discussing pleasant topics.
B)Those participants who completed a cognitively draining task were equally likely to assume that the woman was a nervous person regardless of what they thought she was discussing.
C)Those participants who did not complete a cognitively draining task were more likely to assume that the woman was a nervous person when they thought she was discussing anxiety-provoking topics.
D)Those participants who did not complete a cognitively draining task were equally likely to assume that the woman was a nervous person,regardless of what they thought she was discussing.

Question 71

Which of the following is NOT a stage in the three-stage model of dispositional attribution?

A)The observer makes an automatic external attribution.
B)If the observer has sufficient accuracy motivation and cognitive resources,they revise their initial attribution.
C)A behavior is observed and labeled.
D)The observer makes an automatic correspondent dispositional inference.

Question 72

If people have a high cognitive load,then they are _____ likely to attribute behaviors to internal factors.

A)randomly
B)less
C)more
D)not

Question 73

People in more individualistic cultures tend to believe that others' behavior:

A)is a reflection of internal traits.
B)is caused by the situation.
C)does not reflect internal dispositions.
D)is due to events beyond their control.

Question 74

People are more likely to make _____ attributions for their failures and _____ attributions for their successes.

A)causal;hostile
B)hostile;causal
C)internal;external
D)external;internal

Question 75

Which of the following statements is NOT an example of the fundamental attribution error?

A)Wealthy people tend to believe that poor people are poor because they are lazy or immoral.
B)People believe that their coworkers who are late to work are lazy.
C)People believe that individuals become depressed because the people around them treat them as if they should be depressed.
D)People believe that actors are like the characters they play.

Question 76

The actor-observer effect describes the tendency:

A)for actors to be more expressive than observers in any given situation.
B)to be less susceptible to the misinformation effect if one is an actor,rather than an observer,in a situation.
C)to make internal attributions for the behavior of others and external attributions for our own behavior.
D)to make causal attributions about both actors and observers,depending on the role we are playing in a given context.

Question 77

Which of the following cultural variables is MORE likely to encourage people to commit the fundamental attribution error?

A)lower socioeconomic status
B)individualism
C)collectivism
D)Catholicism

Question 78

According to research,one possible way to reduce the interpersonal conflicts arising from the actor-observer effect is to:

A)ask each person to think carefully about their own view of the situation.
B)have each person view a situation from the perspective of the other.
C)remind each person of the situational factors that are influencing their own behavior in that situation.
D)ask each person to think about the aspects of the other person that are causing them to behave the way they are behaving.

Question 79

In _____ cultures,people are less likely to perceive others in terms of internal dispositions.

A)collectivist
B)individualistic
C)secular
D)religious

Question 80

Research has shown that which of the following U.S.demographic groups is relatively more likely to make the fundamental attribution error?

A)political conservatives
B)political liberals
C)White Americans
D)Black Americans