Deck 13: Social Dilemmas: Cooperation Versus Conflict

Question 1

The_________________game involves a situation in which cooperation results in the largest mutual gain, but selfish actions by one person lead to negative consequences for another person.

A) social problem
B) selfishness dilemma
C) survivor challenge
D) prisoner's dilemma

Answer 1

prisoner's dilemma

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT a reason that social dilemmas are so difficult to solve?

A) Social dilemmas are based on motivations that were adaptive for our ancestors.
B) People do not intend to destroy the environment or overpopulate the planet.
C) People do not realize the long-range implications of their actions.
D) People do not care about damaging the environment.

Answer 2

People do not care about damaging the environment.

Question 3

The self-serving psychological mechanisms that contribute to global social dilemmas

A) are very recent developments in our psychological make-up.
B) have come about as a result of the global economy.
C) were originally adaptive for life in small groups.
D) are only present among individuals in capitalistic countries.

Answer 3

were originally adaptive for life in small groups.

Question 4

Jan is running a bake sale for the debate team. In order to make enough money for the whole debate team to go to the state championships, at least half of the team has to contribute baked goods for the sale. Jan runs the risk of facing a

A) prisoner's dilemma.
B) tragedy of the commons.
C) replenishing resource management dilemma.
D) public goods dilemma.

Question 5

According to your textbook, what is one of the leading causes of environmental destruction and conflict in the world?

A) religious differences
B) racial prejudice
C) overpopulation
D) hunger

Question 6

From a purely economic perspective, which of the following options provides the most personal gain?

A) You contribute more than your fair share.
B) You contribute only as much as others do.
C) You contribute nothing and other people give more than enough.
D) You contribute less than others do.

Question 7

Two friends are caught cheating on an exam. The professor talks to them separately and says to each that they can admit to cheating and go before the dean and say that their friend cheated, or they can keep quiet and their friend might go before the dean against them. The two friends are in a

A) survivor's dilemma.
B) prisoner's dilemma.
C) cheater's dilemma.
D) tragedy of the commons dilemma.

Question 8

A situation in which the whole group profits if some individuals contribute to the common good, but individuals can also profit by "free riding" off of others' contributions is a

A) tragedy of the commons.
B) replenishing resource management dilemma.
C) prisoner's dilemma.
D) public goods dilemma.

Question 9

Overpopulation, destruction of the environment, and international conflict are examples of

A) prisoner's dilemmas.
B) social dilemmas.
C) game strategies.
D) individual-level problems.

Question 10

You are the owner of an area of open land. A group of ranchers comes to you and asks if you would be willing to let them graze their cattle on your land. You want to be helpful, so you agree. In order to prevent a tragedy of the commons and protect the health of your land, what should you do?

A) Hold weekly meetings with the ranchers and maintain communication.
B) Make it clear that the ranchers are in competition with one another.
C) Emphasize that the more cattle they graze, the more money they will make.
D) Allow the "invisible hand" of economics to balance out use of the land.

Question 11

A social dilemma where members of a community overuse public areas to the point of destroying them is known as

A) the tragedy of the commons.
B) the rancher's dilemma.
C) the prisoner's dilemma.
D) the invisible hand problem.

Question 12

A social dilemma is a situation in which an individual can profit from selfishness unless

A) everyone chooses the selfish option, in which case everyone loses.
B) some people choose the selfless option, in which case everyone loses.
C) everyone chooses the selfless option, and then only some people profit.
D) almost everyone chooses the selfish option and then everyone profits.

Question 13

What is most frequently the result when population growth causes the destruction of local environments and food sources?

A) People starve to death.
B) There is mass migration to more habitable areas.
C) Groups scatter to many different areas.
D) Individuals realize the need to conserve and begin to work together.

Question 14

The Alaska state government completely closed down the king crab fishing industry due to a replenishing resource management dilemma. What were the fishermen doing that caused the government to stop the fishing?

A) They were not catching enough crabs to justify the expensive equipment.
B) They were overfishing the crabs to the point of extinction.
C) They were killing other sea life while trying to catch crabs.
D) Their equipment was not sophisticated enough to catch crabs safely.

Question 15

Sheepherders in New England grazed their animals on their own pastures in a conservative fashion, so that the grass could regrow and the grazing continue indefinitely. However, they overgrazed the common pastures, which resulted in the destruction of these areas. This problem became known as the

A) social action dilemma.
B) invisible hand problem.
C) public goods dilemma.
D) tragedy of the commons.

Question 16

Suppose that your town is planning to build a local community center, but does not have the necessary funds. If a minimum number of people contribute, the center will be built. However, if that happens, then others can "free-ride" and use the center without contributing. If too many people expect to "free-ride," the center will never be built. This is an example of a

A) replenishing resource management dilemma.
B) tragedy of the commons.
C) public goods dilemma.
D) cooperation-conflict dilemma.

Question 17

The desire for immediate satisfaction and the desire to defend ourselves and valued others are

A) instincts that helped our ancestors survive.
B) factors that contribute to global social dilemmas.
C) goals that take on special characteristics in large groups.
D) all of the above

Question 18

The tragedy of the commons dilemma

A) characterized our history but isn't a problem in modern society.
B) is a problem in theory but not in reality.
C) continues to be a significant problem in modern society.
D) is a problem only in underdeveloped nations.

Question 19

The tragedy of the commons is an example of a_________________dilemma.

A) replenishing resource management
B) prisoner's
C) economic cooperation
D) resource allocation

Question 20

In the study by Brechner (1977) of a tragedy of the commons dilemma in the laboratory, under what circumstances were participants most able to use the resource effectively?

A) when they were competing against one another
B) when they worked in teams against one another
C) when they were able to communicate with each other
D) when they did not place high value on the outcome

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT true of social traps?

A) There is usually a simple way to avoid them.
B) Groups get started in a particular direction that seems rewarding.
C) Social traps can have lethal consequences.
D) Social traps operate according to basic reinforcement principles.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT true of long-term consequences with regard to social traps?

A) The long-term consequences are often very small.
B) Individuals are sometimes ignorant of the long-term consequences.
C) Individuals do not consider the long-term consequences.
D) The long-term consequences are usually negative.

Question 23

Akiko understands that if she doesn't recycle there will be negative consequences for the environment at some point in the distant future. But she just doesn't have time to take her cans and bottles across town to the recycling plant this week, so she dumps them in the trash. Akiko is experiencing

A) classical conditioning.
B) tragedy of the commons.
C) a public goods dilemma.
D) a social trap.

Question 24

Which of the following is one of the goals associated with the problem of social dilemmas?

A) seeking accurate information
B) defending ourselves and valued others
C) seeking mental efficiency
D) gaining social approval

Question 25

Which of the following is true regarding the distribution of value orientations?

A) There are approximately equal numbers of people who fall into each of the four categories.
B) Half of the people are competitors; the rest are distributed equally in the other three categories.
C) Most people are altruists.
D) Most people are cooperators or individualists.

Question 26

A sliding reinforcer is

A) a stimulus that brings rewards in small doses, but punishments in larger doses.
B) a stimulus that brings punishments in small doses, but rewards in larger doses.
C) a stimulus that brings rewards to groups, but punishments to individuals.
D) a stimulus that alternates between reinforcement and punishment.

Question 27

An individual who would sacrifice his or her own rewards and enable others to obtain larger rewards has a/an_________________value orientation.

A) cooperative
B) collectivistic
C) competitive
D) altruistic

Question 28

There is a limited pool of resources in the company to give raises to the employees. Which of the following options would an individualist prefer?

A) getting a larger raise than everyone else
B) getting the biggest raise possible
C) getting a raise that allows everyone else to get a raise as well
D) forgoing a raise so that others can have larger raises

Question 29

Wendy thinks that everyone should work together so that everyone in the group can benefit, even if individual rewards are slightly smaller. Wendy is a/an

A) altruist.
B) cooperator.
C) individualist.
D) collectivist.

Question 30

Individuals with a competitive value orientation

A) want to do better than everyone else, even if it means sacrificing some of their own winnings.
B) want to maximize their own personal gains regardless of the rest of the group.
C) want to work with other group members so that all can benefit.
D) would give up their own rewards so that others can benefit.

Question 31

Individuals with an individualist value orientation

A) want to do better than everyone else, even if it means sacrificing some of their own winnings.
B) want to maximize their own personal gains regardless of the rest of the group.
C) want to work with other group members so that all can benefit.
D) would give up their own rewards so that others can benefit.

Question 32

Which of the following factors influence people to seek immediate personal self-gratification over the long-term benefits to the group?

A) increased feelings of interdependence
B) decreased self-centeredness
C) decreased feelings of social responsibility
D) all of the above

Question 33

Failing to recycle because we'd rather save a few minutes a week to do something else we find more rewarding is and example of a

A) sliding reinforcer
B) public good
C) an altruistic act
D) tit-for-tat strategy

Question 34

If only a few people ride snowmobiles in the wilderness, they have fun and there is little harm to the environment. If hundreds of people ride snowmobiles in the wilderness, there is extensive noise pollution as well as environmental degradation. Snowmobiles are a

A) social trap.
B) operant conditioning mechanism.
C) public goods dilemma.
D) sliding reinforcer.

Question 35

Your text used the example of driving cars in Los Angeles in which small doses bring rewards but large doses bring punishments as a

A) replenishing resource management dilemma.
B) tragedy of the commons problem.
C) public goods dilemma.
D) sliding reinforcer.

Question 36

A social trap is a situation in which

A) an individual can benefit from cooperating with another person, but can also benefit from competing against that person.
B) individuals or groups are drawn toward immediate rewards that later prove to have negative consequences.
C) group members share a renewable resource that will continue to produce benefits only if individuals do not overharvest.
D) some individuals might profit from "free-riding" as long as others contribute.

Question 37

Social traps are problematic because the payoffs happen_________________but the negative consequences occur_________________.

A) to the group; to individuals
B) in the long-term; in the short-term
C) in the short-term; in the long-term
D) to individuals; to the group

Question 38

The "pleasure center" of the brain is located in the

A) cortex.
B) medulla oblongata.
C) hypothalamus
D) optic nerve.

Question 39

According to research, all of the following are value orientations EXCEPT

A) altruist.
B) collectivist.
C) cooperator.
D) competitor.

Question 40

Getting a pleasurable feeling in the brain as a result of engaging in actions that satisfy an animal's needs is, in the context of global social dilemmas, related to the goal of

A) defending oneself and others.
B) gaining immediate satisfaction.
C) gaining sexual gratification.
D) maintaining social status.

Question 41

Karp and Gaulding (1995) divided environmental interventions into all of the following categories EXCEPT

A) command-and-control.
B) market-based.
C) voluntarist.
D) socialist.

Question 42

An environmental group wants to place an additional display on the dashboard of sport utility vehicles that tells drivers exactly how much money they are spending per mile. This would be an example of

A) changing long-term consequences with technology.
B) highlighting selfish motivations.
C) immediately punishing undesirable behavior.
D) bringing future negative consequences to the present.

Question 43

In the Liebrand and VanRun (1985) energy conservation game, what was the optimal strategy for obtaining the public good?

A) to take small amounts of money on each turn
B) to take gradually larger amounts of money on each turn
C) to take large amounts of money on each turn
D) to take gradually smaller amounts of money on each turn

Question 44

Jake comes from England, an individualist culture, whereas Tia comes from the Philippines, a collectivist culture. Who is more likely to make unselfish choices in social dilemmas?

A) Tia, because she comes from a collectivist culture
B) Tia, because she is female
C) Jake, because he comes from a collectivist culture
D) Jake, because he is male

Question 45

City planners decide to institute a program whereby they will occasionally reward random bus riders with $100 gift certificates to the local grocery store. They are attempting to decrease pollution from individual cars by

A) intermittently reinforcing desirable alternative modes of transportation.
B) continuously reinforcing pro-environmental attitudes.
C) moving negative consequences into the present.
D) immediately punishing undesirable behavior.

Question 46

One of the reasons social norms may not be effective in a resolving social dilemmas is that they may

A) be of no interest to the target audience.
B) focus on the wrong descriptive norm.
C) not be activated in the appropriate context.
D) not be interested in "doing the right thing."

Question 47

Which of the following is NOT a method of using selfish reward-seeking tendencies to draw people out of social traps?

A) giving delayed feedback about energy costs
B) offering inexpensive solar energy
C) selling an energy efficient and clean hybrid gas-electric car
D) making people pay stiff fines for littering

Question 48

In laboratory studies, as in the real world, what types of groups usually end up with the fewest rewards for the group?

A) groups with a mix of prosocial and egoistic members
B) groups with all prosocial members
C) groups with all egoistic members
D) groups with predominantly prosocial members and a few egoistic members

Question 49

Audrey has an altruistic value orientation. Which of the following is likely to be true of Audrey?

A) She has an anxious/ambivalent attachment style.
B) She has a secure attachment style.
C) She finds it difficult to trust others.
D) She is an only child.

Question 50

The idea that the socially responsible thing to do is to ride your bike to work instead of driving your car is a/an

A) injunctive norm.
B) descriptive norm.
C) social norm.
D) personal norm.

Question 51

According to your textbook, what is one effective way to encourage industries to reduce their negative impact on the environment?

A) Force them to develop cleaner alternate technologies.
B) Require them to pay for the cost of cleaning up their toxic waste.
C) Make them pay heavy fines for pollution.
D) Ask them to voluntarily stop producing so much pollution.

Question 52

Which of the following is a descriptive norm about behavior that affects the environment?

A) It is wrong to litter.
B) Most people do not conserve water by taking short showers.
C) Driving over 80 miles per hour is wrong because it wastes gasoline.
D) People should bring their own canvas bags when they go shopping.

Question 53

A/an_________________norm describes what people ought to do, whereas a/an_________________norm describes what people actually do.

A) social; disjunctive
B) subjunctive; injunctive
C) injunctive; descriptive
D) altruistic; egoistic

Question 54

Ed is an economist who believes most people act according to self-interest. Ed has a very individualistic value orientation. What is one potential reason Ed is an individualist?

A) He has an injunctive norm that says he ought to be selfish.
B) He most likely came from a family with many siblings.
C) His descriptive norm of the way most people behave is that they are selfish.
D) His subjective norm compels him to be selfish.

Question 55

In the Liebrand and VanRun (1985) "energy conservation" experiment, participants with a value orientation took the most amount of money even when the resource became badly depleted.

A) competitive
B) cooperative
C) altruistic
D) individualistic

Question 56

Individualists and competitors are often categorized into a/an_________________category, whereas altruists and cooperators are categorized into a/an_________________category.

A) communal; prosocial
B) egoistic; prosocial
C) prosocial; egoistic
D) asocial; social

Question 57

In a research study of the effect of descriptive norms on cooperation, under what circumstances were people most likely to cooperate?

A) when they were instructed to do so
B) when injunctive norms for sharing were activated
C) when others in the group acted selfishly
D) when others in the group cooperated

Question 58

In the VanLange et al. (1997) study of the development of prosocial versus egoistic value orientations, what position in the family did prosocial individuals usually occupy?

A) They were only children.
B) They were the eldest child in a family with female siblings.
C) They tended to have more elder siblings.
D) They tended to have more younger siblings.

Question 59

Your text mentioned that driving efficient electric cars, insulating one's home, and using solar energy are all ways of

A) making individuals focus on long-term consequences to eliminate social traps.
B) encouraging people not to be selfish, thereby avoiding social traps.
C) using technology to change long-term consequences, thereby reducing the impact of social traps.
D) changing selfish motivations for immediate rewards.

Question 60

Platt (1973) suggested all of the following principles to draw people out of social traps EXCEPT

A) moving the future negative consequences into the present.
B) adding immediate punishments for undesirable behaviors.
C) emphasizing descriptive norms rather than injunctive norms.
D) reinforcing more desirable environmental alternatives.

Question 61

In the Pratto et al. (1994) study about views of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, which of the following was true of the opinions of U.S. college students high in social dominance orientation?

A) They favored staying out of the conflict.
B) They were more willing to sacrifice personally for the war.
C) They favored the U.S. involvement, as long as no civil liberties were violated.
D) They believed the U.S. involvement should be diplomatic only.

Question 62

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of voluntarist environmental polices?

A) They capitalize on norms of social responsibility.
B) They work better for individualistic nations.
C) They require no changes in law.
D) They typically cost little to implement.

Question 63

Terrence believes that the HIV virus is a government conspiracy to kill off the "undesirables" in society. Which of the following is also likely to be true of Terrence?

A) He is high in feelings of alienation.
B) He is low in authoritarianism.
C) He feels very powerful.
D) He generally doesn't feel much hostility.

Question 64

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency punishes violators of environmental policies using police power. This type of environmental intervention is a

A) public goods policy.
B) market-based policy.
C) command-and-control policy.
D) voluntarist policy.

Question 65

A_________________policy involves an offer of reward to those who reduce their socially harmful behaviors.

A) voluntarist
B) market-based
C) command-and-control
D) fear-based

Question 66

Which of the following is NOT a market-based environmental policy?

A) giving tax credits to people who use solar energy
B) an employer giving bonuses to employees who take the bus
C) giving builders rebates for using energy efficient building materials
D) the Red Cross asking people to donate blood

Question 67

The idea that higher social dominance orientation among men is due to both biological and cultural factors has been labeled a

A) biocultural interactionist position.
B) sociocultural position.
C) social learning position.
D) social cognitive interaction position.

Question 68

In contrast to other environmental policies,_________________policies do not appeal to law or economics.

A) command-and-control
B) voluntarist
C) punishment-based
D) market-based

Question 69

The United States' attempts to be tough with Iraqis have led to increasing Iraqi support for anti-American military forces, which would lend support to the_________________view of international conflict.

A) deterrence view
B) intergroup conflict
C) conflict spiral view
D) social dominance

Question 70

A market-based policy regarding environmental problems is

A) the imposition of fines or imprisonment to those who are caught damaging the environment.
B) a prescriptive legal regulation to punish violators.
C) an appeal to people's intrinsic sense of social responsibility.
D) an offer of rewards to those who reduce their socially harmful behaviors.

Question 71

A policy which fines homeowners if they use too much water is an example of a__________________________________policy.

A) command-and-control
B) social dilemma
C) voluntarist
D) social responsibility

Question 72

In laboratory experiments on social dilemmas, rewards for cooperation work more effectively than punishments for non-cooperation, suggesting that_________________policies may be more effective than_________________policies.

A) command-and-control; voluntarist
B) market-based; voluntarist
C) market-based; command-and-control
D) command-and-control; market-based

Question 73

The tendency to respect power and rigidly cohere to society's conventions are characteristics of

A) social dominance orientation.
B) low self-monitors.
C) authoritarians.
D) individualists.

Question 74

Which of the following is TRUE about social dominance orientation?

A) Men are more socially dominant than women across many cultures and social groups.
B) Socially dominant individuals are less willing to sacrifice civil liberties during times of war.
C) Women are more socially dominant than men in cultures that emphasize equality.
D) Socially dominant individuals favor negotiation strategies to resolve international conflicts.

Question 75

A community group wants to encourage people to ride their bikes to work instead of driving their cars. Which of the following programs would be a market-based policy for bike-riding?

A) Increase the price of parking cars.
B) Send out fliers about how important it is for the environment that people ride bikes instead of driving.
C) Fine people $5 a day when they drive their cars .
D) Give people a gift certificate for lunch every day they ride their bike.

Question 76

The belief that escalations of international threat lead an opponent to feel more threatened and that leaders should demonstrate peaceful intentions to reduce defensive hostilities is associated with the

A) conflict spiral view.
B) deterrence view.
C) authoritarian view.
D) intergroup conflict view.

Question 77

Which of the following is FALSE regarding authoritarians?

A) They are especially prone to feeling threatened.
B) They are more likely to accept conspiracy theories.
C) They respect power and rigidly conform to social norms.
D) They are generally less favorable toward a strong military.

Question 78

Which of the following statements is TRUE about gender differences and social dominance orientation?

A) There are no significant differences between men and women in social dominance orientation.
B) Men must compete for mates, leading to a correlation between their social status and their reproductive success.
C) Biology, not culture, is responsible for gender differences in social dominance orientation.
D) Women are more selective in choosing mates, leading to higher social dominance orientation.

Question 79

Voluntarist environmental policies attempt to motivate individuals' sense of

A) social responsibility.
B) enlightened self-interest.
C) greed.
D) fear.

Question 80

The belief that signs of weakness will be exploited by an opponent and that leaders need to show their willingness to use military force is the

A) conflict spiral view.
B) deterrence view.
C) authoritarian view.
D) intergroup conflict view.