Deck 4: Social Perception: How We Come to Understand Other People

Question 1

Express is to __________ as interpret is to __________.

A) encode; decode
B) decode; encode
C) encode; emit
D) emit; encode

Answer 1

encode; decode

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT a purpose of nonverbal communication?

A) Conveying attitudes
B) Conveying personality traits
C) Facilitating verbal communication
D) Stating clear goals and motives

Answer 2

Stating clear goals and motives

Question 3

According to your textbook authors, the popularity of reality television is largely due to the fact that we __________.

A) have an obsession with deviant behavior, because it seems so "unreal" to us
B) promote our own self-esteem by viewing ourselves as superior to the "losers" on those programs
C) now perceive sitcoms as childish in comparison
D) are fascinated with trying to figure other people out, so we can better understand our social world

Answer 3

are fascinated with trying to figure other people out, so we can better understand our social world

Question 4

If nonverbal communications were used evolutionarily to communicate with other members of your species, how would an early human convey that the thing they just ate was tasty and pleasing?

A) They would show an angry face.
B) They would show a disgusted face.
C) They would show a happy face.
D) They would show a surprised face.

Question 5

Social perception is defined as __________.

A) how we form impressions of and make inferences about other people
B) how we see, smell, and hear other people's behavior
C) how we memorize what we see when we observe other's behaviors
D) how we judge other people according to our schema's

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT considered a nonverbal behavior?

A) Tone of voice
B) Touch
C) Spoken sentences
D) Facial expressions

Question 7

According to the authors of your text, how people communicate-intentionally or unintentionally-without words is the definition of __________.

A) gestures
B) automatic communication
C) nonverbal communication
D) social perception

Question 8

According to the authors of your text, emojis are used to __________.

A) fill in the gaps of nonverbal cues in normal communication
B) hide the original intent of the message
C) add color to our communications
D) increase ambiguity in written messages

Question 9

Contemporary researchers have collected evidence that naturalist Charles Darwin (1872) was correct when he asserted that facial expressions are __________ specific.

A) culture
B) location
C) species
D) feeling

Question 10

Sheila fancies herself an outgoing extrovert. She smiles a lot and gestures dramatically as she talks. This example best illustrates the use of nonverbal behavior to __________.

A) convey attitudes
B) facilitate verbal communication
C) communicate personality traits
D) express emotions

Question 11

All we can see is other people's appearance and behavior, but we are most interested in trying to infer from this __________.

A) why people behave the way they do
B) when people will change their behavior
C) whether people are happy or unhappy
D) what people will do when they are alone

Question 12

After a long day at work, you get home, log on to Facebook, and find three messages from friends, checking on you. You smile and laugh in delight that your friends have shown they care. Your nonverbal behavior in this example is helping you __________.

A) convey your personality
B) facilitate your verbal communication
C) convey your emotions
D) convey your attitudes and beliefs

Question 13

Professor Dante is interested in how we show more leniency to attractive people who make bad decisions than unattractive people who make bad choices. Professor Dante is studying __________.

A) false attribution theory
B) social cognition
C) social elevation
D) social perception

Question 14

Eva and her roommate haven't been getting along lately. Every time Eva enters the room, her roommate looks away and turns her body so that her back is to Eva. This example best illustrates the use of nonverbal behavior to __________.

A) communicate personality traits
B) express rational cognitions
C) convey attitudes
D) facilitate verbal communication

Question 15

Darwin believed that emotional expressions began as __________ that came to have evolutionary value because they __________.

A) physiological reactions; convey emotional states to other members of the species
B) physiological reactions; increased the efficiency of bodily reactions
C) communication devices; increased the efficiency of bodily reactions
D) random mutations; convey expectations to other members of the species

Question 16

Social perception helps us in __________ and in being __________.

A) providing important skills to employers; more socially adept
B) empathizing with others; honest about our own behaviors
C) being honest about the intent of our own behaviors; accurate at judging the intent of others' behaviors
D) social survival; entertained

Question 17

Larry sees a group of people weeping, with frowns on their faces and their eyes turned down. Larry __________ their expressions to understand that they are feeling sadness.

A) encodes
B) decodes
C) recodes
D) misinterprets

Question 18

Jessica smiles to convey that she is happy. Jessica's smile is a way of __________ the emotion of happiness.

A) encoding
B) decoding
C) verbalizing
D) perceiving

Question 19

The basic type of information people use about others to form impressions and understand them is __________.

A) intuition
B) nonverbal behavior
C) rational judgment
D) reading their blogs

Question 20

Why is it difficult to draw inferences about other people's behaviors?

A) Social behavior is not observable and occurs at random.
B) Many people hide the motivations for their behavior.
C) We can never observe other people's behaviors without the influence of our own biases.
D) We only have observable behaviors to rely on for our inferences.

Question 21

Peter's expression when Jan saw him at lunch was difficult to decode. One part of his face registered one emotion and another part of his face registered a different emotion. Therefore, Peter was demonstrating __________.

A) an ambivalence display
B) dissembling
C) a deceptive display
D) an affect blend

Question 22

According to research conducted by Susskind and his colleagues (2008), presented by the authors of your text, the expression of fear involves facial movements that __________.

A) decrease visual input
B) increase sensory input
C) lower arousal
D) enhance hearing

Question 23

According to the authors of your text, individuals from a(n) __________ culture would be less likely to express feelings of shame in public.

A) collectivist
B) third-world
C) individualist
D) Eastern

Question 24

Recall that Ekman and Friesen (1971) have demonstrated that Fore tribespeople from a preliterate culture in New Guinea were able to decode the facial expressions of Westerners and encode emotion easily interpretable by Westerners. Their findings suggest that Darwin was __________.

A) right-facial expressions are species specific
B) wrong-facial expressions are culture specific
C) right-facial expressions are culture specific
D) wrong-facial expressions are universal among humans

Question 25

Nora has been blind since birth and has never seen a smile, frown, or furrowed brow. At age three, how capable would she be of expressing emotions using the facial expressions of sighted people?

A) Incapable of properly using facial expressions, she would require special training.
B) She would be capable of expressing only negative emotions such as anger or sadness.
C) She would be able to express all six basic emotions just as well as sighted people.
D) It depends on what culture she is being reared in.

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT one of the six accepted universal facial expressions?

A) Guilt
B) Surprise
C) Anger
D) Sadness

Question 27

Ekman and Friesen (1971) collected convincing evidence that facial expressions are universal. In their research, they studied __________.

A) blind people who smile, even though they have never seen a smile
B) a preliterate tribe in an isolated part of New Guinea
C) infants before they learned to talk
D) facial expressions on five different continents

Question 28

Lars has been blind since birth. Which negative emotion is he unlikely to be able to express on his face?

A) Anger
B) Fear
C) Sadness
D) Frustration

Question 29

Based on information from the authors of your text, who would be more likely to express a feeling of shame publicly?

A) Ken, a man from an individualist culture
B) Tran, a man from a collectivist culture
C) Lisa, a woman from an individualist culture
D) Nanami, a woman who grew up in both individualist and collectivist cultures

Question 30

Milo, a Canadian, just won his race. He is likely to show pride, but it is a more complicated emotion to express than the universal expressions and includes body movement in addition to facial expression. What is Milo going to need to include in order to express pride?

A) Head tilted back, arms up
B) Head down, shoulders slumped
C) Shoulders raised, hands behind his back
D) Hand in his pockets, eyes down

Question 31

__________ are culture-specific norms that dictate what kinds of emotional expression are allowed.

A) Nonverbal rules
B) Expressive norms
C) Display rules
D) Encoding rules

Question 32

Recent research suggests that the expression for the emotion of contempt may be __________.

A) only found in Western cultures
B) easily confused with anger
C) only decoded by adults
D) another universal emotion

Question 33

Your best friend comes by to let you know he just landed his dream job in New York. You feel excited for him, and yet you are sad that he will be leaving. These different emotions show on your face. The expression on your face is known as __________.

A) a frown.
B) confusion
C) an emotional mix
D) an affect blend

Question 34

Based on evidence presented by the authors of your text, the facial expression for disgust is adaptive because it __________.

A) allows people to taste more sensitively
B) decreases the intensity of disgusting sensations
C) increases the chances people will detect poisons or pathogens in food
D) actually decreases the likelihood someone will become ill from eating spoiled food

Question 35

According to research conducted by Susskind and his colleagues (2008), presented by the authors of your text, the emotions of __________ and __________ involve opposite facial muscle movements.

A) fear; disgust
B) happiness; sadness
C) anger; surprise
D) pride; shame

Question 36

Jonathan is an American student and was just caught cheating on an exam. Which of the following emotions is he LEAST likely to express?

A) Shame
B) Fear
C) Surprise
D) Anger

Question 37

Ekman and Friesen (1971) have identified __________ universal facial expressions in their research.

A) three
B) six
C) nine
D) twelve

Question 38

The six major facial expressions discussed in the text are widely considered to be __________.

A) universal
B) culture specific
C) developmentally determined
D) primate specific

Question 39

According to research conducted by Susskind and his colleagues (2008), presented by the authors of your text, when people make the facial expression of disgust, it involves __________.

A) decreasing input from the senses
B) increasing sensory input
C) heightened arousal
D) sensitized taste and smell

Question 40

Which of the following facial expressions does NOT belong to the group of accepted universal facial expressions?

A) Anger
B) Surprise
C) Desire
D) Happy

Question 41

Research by Ambady and colleagues has demonstrated that student impressions of professors formed after observing only ten seconds of behavior __________.

A) were similar to the perceptions of students who observed the professors all semester
B) determined that the professors were naïve and submissive
C) were less accurate than those formed after longer observation of the professors
D) were more accurate than those formed after only six seconds

Question 42

Research indicates that humans can form an initial impression of others based solely on their facial appearance in less than __________ milliseconds.

A) 10
B) 25
C) 50
D) 100

Question 43

Chantelle's family is hosting a Japanese exchange student, Yukiko, at their home for a year. Chantelle notices that Yukiko hides her smile behind her hands. After reading Chapter 4 (Social Perception), Chantelle learns that Yukiko hides her smile because __________.

A) Japanese norms discourage men and women from smiling
B) she wants to conform to American display rules
C) Japanese norms discourage Japanese women from showing broad smiles
D) in Japan, smiles signal feelings of superiority

Question 44

Students in the United States seldom applaud after a lecture, whereas students in Europe often applaud or rap their knuckles on their desks. This cultural difference reflects the power of __________ to influence nonverbal communication.

A) display rules
B) emblems
C) encoding
D) politeness norms

Question 45

The "hand purse" gesture means "good" or "slow down" in some cultures. In American culture, it doesn't have a clear meaning; therefore, it is a(n) __________.

A) display rule
B) decoded display
C) encoded display
D) emblem

Question 46

Paula's cubicle at work is filled with pictures of her family, comfy stuffed animals, her favorite foods, and posters of her favorite music groups. Based on the research of Gosling, Paula is most likely a(n) __________.

A) narcissist
B) extravert
C) depressed person
D) foreigner

Question 47

Using __________, individuals can draw meaningful conclusions about another person's personality or skills based on an extremely brief sample of behavior.

A) thin-slicing
B) self-serving
C) priming
D) the availability heuristic

Question 48

Ingrid has had a few interactions with Chinese students at her college and thinks that they are "hard to read" because they do not use facial expressions "clearly" as compared to Americans she interacts with. Such experiences illustrate __________.

A) women's inability to decode emotions
B) women's inability to encode emotions
C) differences in display rules
D) the use of emblems

Question 49

Jordanka has big eyes, a small chin and nose, and a high forehead. Her new employer is most likely to believe she is __________.

A) extraverted and outgoing
B) confident bordering on rude
C) calculating and scheming
D) naïve and submissive

Question 50

The study presented in your text where participants were asked to look at pictures and judge the sexual orientation of the individual in the picture demonstrated that __________.

A) only those pictures of above average attractiveness were able to be accurately judged
B) "gaydar" may actually exist as people performed above chance at judging sexual orientation
C) there is no evidence of "gaydar"
D) judging sexual orientation is something that is not performed above chance

Question 51

Emre has a baby face. Noam just met him. What is Noam likely to think about Emre?

A) "He's a very warm and naïve person."
B) "He's a very outgoing and stubborn person."
C) "He's a very mature and responsible person."
D) "He's a very independent and talkative person."

Question 52

Our ability to form an initial impression of others forms as early as __________ years of age.

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 5

Question 53

If you use the Internet, you are probably familiar with emoticons: facial expressions displayed using a combination of typographic figures,

A) emblem
B) display rule
C) affect blend
D) decoding difference
E)g., :-) for a smile. Asian countries have their own set of emoticons; in these (which are viewed without having to turn one's head), there are different smiling facial figures for a man smiling (^_^) and a woman smiling (^ . ^), since in Japan, women are not supposed to exhibit a wide, uninhibited smile. This difference between the men's and women's emoticons in Japan is due to a(n) __________.

Question 54

The research done on Canadian politicians showed that the candidate perceived to be __________ was most likely to be voted into office.

A) happy
B) warm
C) powerful
D) threatening

Question 55

Judy forms a circle with her thumb and forefinger to communicate to her sister that everything is okay. Although in America this is a common gesture, it may be interpreted differently elsewhere in the world. What kind of gesture is this?

A) Display rule
B) Emblem
C) Hand-purse
D) Universal

Question 56

Who displays fewer emotions in general?

A) Logan, from Canada
B) Oliver, from Great Britain
C) Michael, from the United States
D) Itsuki, from Japan

Question 57

On a visit to Australia, then president George H. W. Bush offended the Australians when he flashed the two-fingered "V for victory" sign to a crowd. Unfortunately, he flashed the sign with his palm facing himself and not the crowd. This is an example of how the use of __________, which vary from culture to culture, may lead to confusion or conflict if used outside of the user's culture.

A) emblems
B) display rules
C) political gaffes
D) paralanguages

Question 58

Zeinab won't make eye contact with you. In American culture, this lack of eye contact is interpreted as a sign of __________.

A) deception
B) unhappiness
C) sadness
D) happiness

Question 59

Sarah, a student at an American university, has just arrived in Bolivia for a study year abroad. When meeting her host parents, she notices that they stand very close to her as they speak. She feels uncomfortable until she realizes that __________.

A) they have different cultural norms concerning the use of space
B) she is just nervous about her trip
C) their emblem use differs from her own
D) social roles are different in Latin America

Question 60

While many facial expressions of emotions are universal, __________ display rules indicate there are factors that may alter nonverbal communication.

A) cultural
B) universal
C) internal
D) external

Question 61

Jack and Jill just saw a fellow student arrive late for class. Jack immediately assumes the student overslept, while Jill thinks the student must have been caught in traffic. Jack is making a(n) __________ attribution, while Jill is making a(n) ___________ attribution.

A) personality; internal
B) internal; external
C) external; situational
D) situational; internal

Question 62

In interviewing a new employee, you find that they won't shake your hand, they don't make eye contact with you, and they speak so quietly you can barely hear them. In determining the reason for their behavior, you are most likely to __________.

A) develop a schema
B) use a judgmental heuristic
C) make an attribution
D) apply an implicit personality theory

Question 63

Heider described people as amateur scientists, trying to understand other people's behavior by working to arrive at a reasonable cause. The effort this requires contradicts the idea of people as __________ thinkers.

A) automatic
B) controlled
C) operative
D) regulatory

Question 64

Don is running late for work, and arrives ten minutes late. Which of the following represents an internal attribution that his supervisor would make?

A) "I'm sure you just couldn't find a parking spot-it's okay."
B) "You probably overslept again because you're so lazy."
C) "You probably got delayed by a train."
D) "You probably just had trouble getting your kids up and out the door."

Question 65

When we make note of an actor's personality, attitudes, values, or character, we are forming a(n) __________.

A) speculative attribution
B) implicit personality theory
C) internal attribution
D) external attribution

Question 66

When Marnie met Phillip, he was drunk and loud. Now, months later, she still doesn't like him very much, even though she recently found out the reason he was so drunk was because his cold medicine interacted with the alcohol. The lingering opinion of Phillip is a result of __________.

A) primacy effect
B) self-fulfilling prophecy
C) affect blending
D) belief perseverance

Question 67

Emma arrived late for her job interview, wore too much cologne, and forgot the interviewer's name. Because of the __________, the interviewer formed a negative __________ of her.

A) primacy effect; impression
B) impression formation; primacy effect
C) belief perseverance; impression
D) impression; belief perseverance

Question 68

Which of the following are you most likely to evaluate positively?

A) Alex, who is described as intelligent and industrious, but sometimes envious
B) Baxter, who is described as stubborn and envious, but also intelligent
C) Cody, who is described as critical and impulsive, but also industrious
D) Dixon, who is described as envious and critical, but also impulsive

Question 69

__________ theory provides a description of how people explain the causes of their own and others' behaviors.

A) Implicit personality
B) Attribution
C) Dispositional
D) Causal identification

Question 70

From the point of view of Heider's (1958) "naïve," or "commonsense," psychology, people are much like __________ in trying to understand others' behaviors.

A) computers
B) lawyers
C) amateur scientists
D) social psychologists

Question 71

The social psychologist Fritz Heider is historically important in the field for his contribution of __________.

A) cross-cultural research
B) the six universal facial expressions
C) the covariation model
D) attribution theory

Question 72

In trying to make sense of the social world, people are much like amateur scientists. This observation is most compatible with Heider's (1958) classic scholarly work on __________.

A) primacy effect
B) implicit personality theories
C) commonsense psychology
D) correspondent inferences

Question 73

Belief perseverance is likely a result of __________.

A) controlled social thinking
B) automatic social thinking
C) counterfactual reasoning
D) self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 74

The processes of decoding nonverbal communications and using schemas during impression formation are both examples of __________ processes.

A) controlled
B) automatic
C) heuristic
D) motivated

Question 75

The primacy effect involves using the __________ traits we perceive in others to understand additional information we learn about them.

A) first
B) middle
C) last
D) most obvious

Question 76

Seeing pictures of physically attractive celebrities and models, many people in the U.S. assume that these people are also intelligent, kind, or wealthy. Such assumptions illustrate a schema held widely in the culture that __________.

A) what is beautiful is good
B) beauty is in the eye of the beholder
C) beauty is only skin deep
D) one should beware of that which is too beautiful

Question 77

Galina is described to you as a "computer nerd." Based on this, you assume she is socially awkward, introverted, unpopular, and obsessed with anything related to technology. This information makes up your __________.

A) personality
B) schema
C) thin-slice
D) display rule

Question 78

The tendency to stick with an initial judgment even in the face of new information that should prompt us to reconsider is __________.

A) primacy effect
B) belief perseverance
C) thin-slicing
D) affect blends

Question 79

When we decide that there is something about the situation that is causing a behavior, we are making a(n) __________ attribution.

A) external
B) internal
C) global
D) personal

Question 80

Amber and Jack are very physically attractive. In the U.S., most people would think they are also __________.

A) kind and intelligent
B) unhelpful and ambitious
C) sophisticated and worldly
D) selfish and conceited