Deck 1: Introducing Social Psychology

Question 1

Spinoza (1663) proposed the idea that when you love someone whom you used to hate, you __________.

A) love him or her more strongly than if hatred had not preceded the love
B) love him or her less strongly because hatred preceded the love
C) cannot ever love that person fully
D) will always question the love

Answer 1

love him or her more strongly than if hatred had not preceded the love

Question 2

Which of the following is an example of a direct persuasion attempt?

A) A bully threatens Billy and steals his lunch money.
B) Ramona works hard in school to make her mother proud.
C) Marianne thinks of her ex-boyfriend and becomes sad.
D) Jason moves from New York to Atlanta and picks up a Southern accent.

Answer 2

A bully threatens Billy and steals his lunch money.

Question 3

After the mass suicide related to the cult at Jonestown, people tended to blame the victims and accuse them of being psychologically unstable or deranged. Social psychologists are more likely to explain these mass suicides as being due to __________.

A) individual differences, such as antisocial personality
B) mental illness in most of the cult members
C) the social influence of cult leaders
D) the imagined presence of an all-powerful deity

Answer 3

the social influence of cult leaders

Question 4

Jada gives William her dessert at lunch in the hope that he will like her. Jada's behavior is an example of __________.

A) social cognition
B) a direct social influence attempt
C) a construal
D) the fundamental attribution error

Question 5

Folk wisdom is considered to be __________.

A) empirical research
B) self-consciousness
C) common sense
D) scientific explanation

Question 6

Social psychology is set apart from other ways of interpreting social behavior, such as folk wisdom or literature, because it is __________.

A) based on observations of human nature
B) an experimental science
C) a theoretical approach
D) reliant on objective measurement

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of social influence?

A) You feel guilty because you lied to your trusting professor about your assignment.
B) When you get hungry, you have trouble concentrating.
C) You didn't do well on the test because you stayed up all night cramming.
D) You almost fall asleep at the wheel, so you pull off the road to take a short nap.

Question 8

How do social psychologists differ from those who rely on common sense or folk wisdom in answering questions about human nature? Social psychologists __________.

A) seldom disagree with one another
B) ignore the notion of human consciousness
C) use science to test hypotheses about the social world
D) rely primarily on insight

Question 9

Which of the following is an example of social influence?

A) A boy plays basketball in the school yard.
B) Your child tells you she likes participating in art at school, but she doesn't like participating in math.
C) You cover your nose when you sneeze because you don't want to spread germs.
D) You perceive the bathwater as hot when you first get in, but don't notice the heat ten minutes later.

Question 10

Aya is eight months old, and her mother pretends her baby food is a train in order to convince her to eat it. Aya's mother is using a rather creative form of __________.

A) social influence
B) explicit values
C) social cognition
D) implicit values

Question 11

The scientific study of the way in which people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people is the definition of __________.

A) psychology
B) personality psychology
C) social psychology
D) sociology

Question 12

According to the definition of social psychology presented in your text, social psychology is the study of how __________ affect(s) the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of humans.

A) live social interactions with other humans
B) the presence of real or imagined others
C) other living things
D) perceptions of the social world

Question 13

Rather than relying on personal opinion, Dr. Walsh wants to answer his questions using experimentation and measurement. He is interested in asking __________ questions.

A) intuitive
B) rhetorical
C) empirical
D) scholarly

Question 14

From across the room, J.T. sees his mother sigh, and he approaches to give her a hug in hopes of cheering her up. In this case, J.T.'s behavior is an example of a(n) __________ social influence attempt.

A) direct
B) ineffective
C) indirect
D) unintended

Question 15

In the introduction to Chapter 1, you read about a number of social phenomena: a young man broadcast his suicide live online; a sister and brother disagreed on the attractiveness of the same fraternity; and more than 800 people committed mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. What do these examples have in common?

A) They defy explanation.
B) They describe socially deviant behavior.
C) They reveal the power of social influence.
D) They reflect the operation of deliberate persuasion attempts.

Question 16

Philosophers provide insight into __________.

A) human nature.
B) mental processes
C) behavior
D) learning and memory

Question 17

According to the authors of your text, when faced with a puzzling social question, it may be tempting to ask people why they behaved as they did. Why is this not always the best way to understand social behavior?

A) People almost always lie when they are interviewed.
B) People would feel defensive, even when asked benign questions.
C) People would not necessarily know why they behaved as they did.
D) People would simply answer randomly.

Question 18

Juan thinks the idea that "birds of a feather flock together" has more merit than "opposites attract." So he designs an experiment to test his hypothesis. Juan is most likely a __________.

A) personality psychologist
B) social psychologist
C) sociologist
D) journalist

Question 19

When social psychologists do research, they seek to answer questions with experimentation and measurement. By doing so, they are asking __________ questions.

A) empirical
B) esteem
C) common sense
D) social influence

Question 20

Not all social influence is direct or deliberate. Which of the following is the best example of more indirect or subtle social influence?

A) An advertising campaign is launched to promote a new soft drink.
B) A senatorial candidate delivers a speech to convince voters that she is not really liberal.
C) A parent disciplines his child by taking away her favorite toy.
D) A child sees other kids wearing their sweatshirts inside out and starts wearing his the same way.

Question 21

Amber and Jules are friends but differ in how neat they keep their rooms. According to personality psychologists, the distinction between the friends can be referred to as a(n) __________.

A) hypothesis
B) social influence
C) direct persuasion attempt
D) individual difference

Question 22

"Are some people just better leaders than others?" Such a question about human nature is most likely to be asked by a __________.

A) personality psychologist
B) social psychologist
C) philosopher
D) sociologist

Question 23

Social psychologists, as compared with personality psychologists, believe that by only paying attention to the influence of personality traits on behavior, one is ignoring what?

A) Genetic variation
B) The role of social influence
C) Individual differences
D) Common sense

Question 24

What is the role of folk wisdom in social psychology?

A) It is unrelated.
B) It provides many ideas or hypotheses for scientific investigation.
C) It has been completely disproven by scientific research.
D) It tends to be more accurate and useful than social psychological research.

Question 25

Although the fields of sociology and social psychology are related, what distinguishes social psychology from the other?

A) It uses rigorous scientific methods; the other does not.
B) It examines how social situations impact individual's lives, whereas the other examines only the individual.
C) It examines the individual in the situation, whereas the other examines broader societal issues.
D) It examines social situations, but not the individuals in them.

Question 26

Why is a scientific approach preferable to reliance on folk wisdom and common sense?

A) Common sense approaches focus on the situation and not on personality.
B) Nothing useful can be learned from journalists, philosophers, or social critics.
C) Science has tested and debunked most folk wisdom.
D) Folk wisdom and common sense are filled with contradictions.

Question 27

Compared to social psychologists, personality psychologists are more likely to focus their attention on __________.

A) subjective construals
B) positive behaviors
C) individual differences
D) rewards and punishments

Question 28

Sometimes when we encounter behavior that is unpleasant or unexpected, we assume that something about the person-and not the situation-caused the behavior. In this sense, lay people are most like __________.

A) sociologists
B) personality psychologists
C) social psychologists
D) philosophers

Question 29

Like social psychologists, personality psychologists focus on __________.

A) individuals rather than collectives or institutions
B) the cultural context
C) individual differences
D) the power of construals to shape human behavior

Question 30

Professor Takahami is a personality psychologist interested in divorce. Which question is she most likely to investigate?

A) Have the changing roles of women contributed to divorce?
B) How does relationship satisfaction relate to divorce?
C) Are some types of people more likely to divorce than others?
D) Do children reduce the odds of divorce?

Question 31

Jamal was confused by his sister's relationship with her boyfriend. They just didn't seem to have anything in common. "Oh well," Jamal figured, "I guess opposites really do attract." Jamal's explanation is an example of __________.

A) folk wisdom
B) philosophy
C) sociology
D) social psychology

Question 32

How would a personality psychologist most likely explain the mass suicide in Jonestown?

A) An increasingly complex and mobile society creates confusion and the need to belong to a group at any cost.
B) People who have traits of being unstable are more likely to join cults.
C) She wouldn't try to explain it; personality psychologists are not interested in suicide.
D) The leader's control over his followers increased slowly over time.

Question 33

Although the fields of personality psychology and social psychology are related, what distinguishes social psychology from the other?

A) It uses rigorous scientific methods; the other does not.
B) It examines how social situations impact individual's lives, whereas the other examines only the individual.
C) It examines the individual, whereas the other examines broader societal issues.
D) It examines social situations, but not the individuals in them.

Question 34

Shanika is an executive, and asked her assistant repeatedly to make some copies for her. The assistant repeatedly failed to successfully complete the assignment. If Shanika is thinking like a social psychologist about this situation, what is she most likely to think about her assistant?

A) "My assistant is incompetent and I should fire him immediately."
B) "All of my subordinates are incompetent."
C) "I am the only intelligent person in this office."
D) "Perhaps my assistant is under stress from something else."

Question 35

Justin isn't sure if he wants to date Mary, with whom he shares many similarities, or Emma, who is very different from him. His friend says, "Opposites attract," and advises him to date Emma. But his brother says, "Birds of a feather flock together," and suggests that he pursue Mary. This best exemplifies that __________.

A) folk wisdom is often full of contradictions
B) folk wisdom is usually wrong
C) folk wisdom oversimplifies complex situations
D) common sense is an individual difference

Question 36

Social psychologists and personality psychologists share what common goal?

A) Understanding individual differences
B) Understanding how the presence of others influences people
C) Understanding people who are mentally ill
D) Understanding causes of human behavior

Question 37

Rahid's server in the restaurant just can't seem to get his order right. If Rahid has just read Chapter 1 on social influence and is thinking more like a social psychologist than before, what would he be most likely to think?

A) "This person is a chronic dolt."
B) "Our educational system is failing us."
C) "This person must have had a bad morning."
D) "Human beings are inherently lazy."

Question 38

Which of the following questions is most likely to be asked by a social psychologist?

A) Are some kinds of people more susceptible to recruitment into cults?
B) Do some types of people make better leaders than others?
C) Are some characteristics genetically determined?
D) What situations cause people to behave rudely?

Question 39

Why is conducting research in social psychology so challenging?

A) Research rarely allows social psychologists to draw conclusions about behavior.
B) Psychologists cannot study common sense because it is rarely expressed in an observable behavior.
C) Research in social psychology relies on self-report data, which is inherently inaccurate.
D) Psychologists are attempting to predict the behavior of highly sophisticated organisms in complex situations.

Question 40

When a social psychologist discusses individual differences, she is discussing __________.

A) genetic variation
B) differences in how people respond in different situations
C) aspects of personality that make people differ from one another
D) differences within a person in how to behave publicly versus privately

Question 41

Thomas is scrupulously honest when it comes to not cheating on his tests and papers, but when a cashier accidentally gives him back too much change, he is likely to keep the extra money. A social psychologist would most likely say that Thomas's behavior __________.

A) reflects an immaturity because of its inconsistency
B) must be responding to factors in the situation that affect his honesty
C) is chaotic and unpredictable
D) reflects his true immoral nature

Question 42

Which of the following statements most reflects a social psychological point of view?

A) I'll hire Justin to house-sit because he seems like a trustworthy type.
B) Sara won the competition because she is a hard-working person.
C) Fred offered to help because there was a certain someone watching whom he wanted to impress.
D) Janet's love for Jessica is an unconscious reflection of her childhood idealization of her mother.

Question 43

Social psychologists differ from sociologists in that social psychologists __________.

A) are interested in how people are influenced by their social environments
B) are concerned with people's perspectives on their social environments
C) advocate the use of common sense
D) are reliant on the insights of philosophers

Question 44

Dr. Diehl and Dr. Jzreck both study aggression. However, Dr. Diehl studies the topic from the standpoint of society at large; Dr. Jzreck studies it from the standpoint of the individual. Who is most likely to be the social psychologist?

A) Dr. Diehl, because she is studying a societal problem
B) Dr. Jzreck, because he focuses on individuals
C) They could both be social psychologists, since they both study aggression.
D) Neither one is a social psychologist.

Question 45

The major difference between sociology and social psychology is the __________.

A) kinds of topics studied
B) level of analysis used
C) methods of research used
D) ability to apply knowledge to address social problems

Question 46

Professor Hume has spent the last ten years studying the effects of people's levels of self-esteem on their tendency to discriminate against others. She is most likely to be a __________.

A) social psychologist
B) sociologist
C) personality psychologist
D) political scientist

Question 47

By degree of their level of analysis, which of the following reflects the narrowest to broadest focus?

A) Personality psychology, social psychology, sociology
B) Personality psychology, sociology, social psychology
C) Sociology, personality psychology, social psychology
D) Social psychology, sociology, personality psychology

Question 48

Consider the following research question: "How has new computer technology changed the U.S. educational system?" This question is most likely to be asked by a(n) __________.

A) social psychologist
B) personality psychologist
C) sociologist
D) anthropologist

Question 49

One common goal of sociology and social psychology is to understand __________.

A) how individuals function in modern society
B) the processes of society at large
C) how individuals are influenced by other people
D) the influence of social factors on human behavior

Question 50

Both social psychologists and sociologists are interested in aggression. Compared with a sociologist, a social psychologist is most likely to ask which of the following questions?

A) What is the effect of handgun laws on homicide rates in different states?
B) When does anger lead to aggression?
C) Are homicide rates higher among members of the lower socioeconomic class?
D) Do prisons deter homicide?

Question 51

Which question about romantic relationships is a sociologist most likely to ask?

A) Why does absence make the heart grow fonder?
B) Do outgoing people make better romantic partners?
C) Is the capacity to love one of humanity's greatest achievements?
D) Why are marriage rates decreasing in the lower socioeconomic classes?

Question 52

Which of the following social phenomena would be of interest to both social psychologists and sociologists?

A) The variation in homicide rates between China and the U.S.
B) The role of competition between groups in increasing aggression
C) The relation between murder and social class
D) Teaching frustrated people alternatives to aggression

Question 53

A social psychologist asks, "Are there social behaviors that have genetic determinants that evolve through the process of natural selection?" This question is using the __________ perspective.

A) sociologist's
B) personality psychologist's
C) evolutionary
D) biologist's

Question 54

Dr. Rakim is interested in why a particular culture produces different levels of kindness in its members. Dr. Rakim is most likely a __________.

A) social psychologist
B) personality psychologist
C) philosopher
D) sociologist

Question 55

Social psychologists tend to be more focused on __________, and personality psychologists tend to focus more on __________.

A) global issues; mental health
B) societal problems; therapies for psychological disorders
C) how people are unique; how people are similar
D) the influence of the situation; individual differences

Question 56

Social psychologists are interested in cross-cultural research because it __________.

A) helps to understand the differences between societies
B) demonstrates which aspects of human behavior are universal
C) provides information about individual differences
D) ultimately will lead to a better understanding of the causes of mental illness

Question 57

Which of the following is most likely to be studied by a social psychologist?

A) Differences in nonverbal behavior between members of different cultures
B) The effects of social class on religious beliefs
C) The effects of occupational segregation on income
D) Sex differences in self-concepts

Question 58

With regard to cross-cultural research in social psychology, which of the following is NOT true?

A) Social psychologists find cross-cultural studies of social behavior valuable because these provide a test of the universality of laws of human behavior.
B) Social psychologists have only recently expanded their research beyond the United States.
C) Social psychologists find cross-cultural studies of social behavior valuable because these allow the use of research methods deemed unethical in the United States.
D) Social psychologists find cross-cultural studies of social behavior valuable because these allow the discovery of additional variables that enable more accurate prediction.

Question 59

Social psychologists sometimes draw on evolutionary theory. Evolutionary theory is used to __________.

A) explain social behavior in terms of genetic factors that have evolved over time
B) explain how humans utilize societies to target changes in their behaviors
C) explain how the brain drives changing behaviors in a hostile environment
D) explain how personality remains the same throughout the lifespan

Question 60

Consider the following research question: "Have no-fault divorce laws increased the rate of divorce in the United States?" This question is most likely to be asked by a __________.

A) personality psychologist
B) sociologist
C) social psychologist
D) philosopher

Question 61

Which of the following is a consequence of underestimating the power of social influence?

A) We perceive people as more inconsistent and variable than they really are.
B) We overestimate our vulnerability to social situations.
C) We tend to overcomplicate simple situations.
D) We tend to oversimplify complex situations.

Question 62

Sheila shows up for a blind date with her hair disheveled and her clothes a mess. Her date, Jamal, thinks, "She must be a total slob!" Jamal's thought about Sheila is an example of __________.

A) individual differences
B) the fundamental attribution error
C) a strong social situation
D) gender differences in perception

Question 63

Which of the following people have fallen prey to the fundamental attribution error?

A) Cindy, who explains her poor exam performance by pointing out how hard the questions were
B) Tim, who points to a person who fell down and says, "What a clumsy oaf!"
C) Guillermo, who explains his girlfriend's tears by saying, "She didn't get enough sleep last night"
D) Dien, who points to an erratic driver and says, "Look at that! The roads are slick tonight"

Question 64

Which of the following is the best definition of the fundamental attribution error?

A) People's strong need to see themselves as reasonably good, competent, and decent
B) The subjective way in which an object appears in people's minds
C) The influence of the real or imagined presence of others
D) The tendency to underestimate the power of situational factors in people's behavior

Question 65

Which of the following relatively "famous" psychologists is a behaviorist?

A) Wolfgang Kohler
B) Lee Ross
C) B. F. Skinner
D) Kurt Lewin

Question 66

When we commit the fundamental attribution error, we __________ the power of __________.

A) overestimate; the situation
B) overestimate; personal influence
C) underestimate; personality characteristics
D) underestimate; personal motivations

Question 67

The tendency most people have to discount situational explanations of behavior in favor of personality characteristics or traits is called the __________.

A) character bias
B) discounting effect
C) fundamental attribution error
D) blame assignment bias

Question 68

What is a limitation of applying evolutionary theory to social psychology?

A) Evolutionary psychology is not a widely accepted field in psychology.
B) Some believe that evolution is not related to social behavior.
C) Evolutionary psychology can only predict changes in genetics.
D) There are debates about whether or not it is actually testable in the experimental method.

Question 69

Ross and colleagues (2004) found that people playing the Wall Street Game were __________ competitive than people playing the Community Game, __________ of individual differences in competitiveness and cooperativeness.

A) more; because
B) more; regardless
C) less; because
D) less; regardless

Question 70

Dr. Hazan believes that, over time, men have developed an attraction to women with a body type that will successfully support pregnancy or reproduction. Dr. Hazan is most likely taking a(n) __________ perspective on social psychology.

A) biological
B) evolutionary
C) personality
D) sociological

Question 71

When Monique plays checkers with her younger sister, she lets her sister win. When she plays with her older brother, she does everything she can to beat him. A social psychologist would suggest that __________.

A) Monique's personality is unstable
B) Monique is ambivalent in how she feels about her siblings
C) Monique is responding to different social situations
D) Monique is blindly obedient to the rules of the game

Question 72

What is the best way to apply evolutionary theory to social psychology today?

A) Create novel hypotheses that can be tested experimentally
B) Use intricate brain-scanning techniques to view perceptions
C) Understand how personality drives decisions we make when with others
D) Test how environmental cues affect how we behave in groups

Question 73

Jake had a hypothesis about the outcome of the Ross and colleagues (2004) study about the Wall Street Game and the Community Game. Jake hypothesized that the players would respond based on their personalities, not just the name of the game they played. His hypothesis is most likely based on which tendency?

A) The self-fulfilling prophecy
B) Construals
C) Direct social influence
D) The fundamental attribution error

Question 74

Behaviorists believe that all learning is a result of __________.

A) reinforcement and punishment
B) interpretation
C) emotion
D) Gestalt principles

Question 75

When Professor McDonald starts class, a student rushes in late, making a lot of noise and disrupting the entire classroom. Professor McDonald immediately labels the student as irresponsible. This is an example of __________.

A) a self-fulfilling prophecy
B) a fundamental attribution error
C) an intrinsic error
D) prejudice

Question 76

Liberman, Samuels, and Ross (2004) randomly assigned participants previously identified as cooperative or competitive to play a game that was labeled either the Wall Street Game or the Community Game. If their results had indicated that, no matter what the game, participants who were identified as competitive behaved more competitively in both groups than did participants who were identified as cooperative, these findings would have suggested that __________.

A) seemingly minor aspects of a social situation can override personality differences
B) cooperation and competition are based on personality characteristics that are consistent across social situations
C) competitive participants in the Wall Street Game caused their partners to respond in kind
D) cooperative participants in the Community Game caused their partners to respond in kind

Question 77

Ross and colleagues (2004) randomly assigned participants previously identified as either competitive or cooperative to one of two games: the Wall Street Game or the Community Game. They found that two-thirds of the players in the Wall Street Game behaved competitively, compared with one-third of the people who played the Community Game. What do these findings suggest?

A) True personality differences do not exist.
B) It is not important to study individual differences in personality.
C) Seemingly minor aspects of a social situation can override personality differences.
D) All the competitive people ended up playing the Wall Street Game.

Question 78

Nanami and April were playing in the den when April's mother entered the room and scolded them for making a mess. Nanami decided then and there that April's mother was a grouch. Nanami's inference is an example of __________.

A) the fundamental attribution error
B) availability
C) automatic thinking
D) a self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 79

In the Wall Street Game and Community Game research, the personality traits of the student participants __________.

A) determined how participants played the game
B) had no measurable effect on the participants' behavior
C) caused them to commit the fundamental attribution error
D) mean the more competitive students did better on the Community Game

Question 80

In discussing the issue of parental discipline, which of the following professionals would be LEAST likely to remind parents that it is important to consider how the child views being punished?

A) A behaviorist
B) A social psychologist
C) A philosopher
D) A journalist