Deck 20: How Do Groups Intensify Decisions

Question 1

Research on group polarization began with the erroneous conclusion that group discussion leads to

A)a risky shift.
B)groupthink.
C)pluralistic ignorance.
D)group moderation.

Answer 1

a risky shift.

Question 2

Myers and Bishop (1970)set up organized groups of relatively prejudiced and nonprejudiced high school students and asked them to respond-both before and after discussion-to issues involving racial attitudes.Results indicated that the discussions among like-minded students

A)were more positive and engaging than if they disagreed.
B)helped in forging intimate friendships.
C)were similar among both the groups of students.
D)increased the initial gap among the students.

Answer 2

increased the initial gap among the students.

Question 3

The fact that people associate mostly with others whose attitudes are similar to their own suggests the prevalence of naturally occurring

A)social facilitation.
B)groupthink.
C)minority influence.
D)group polarization.

Answer 3

group polarization.

Question 4

What underlying processes help to explain the occurrence of group polarization?

A)informational influences and normative influences
B)minority influences and social facilitation
C)psychological reactance and deindividuation
D)social comparison and self-censorship

Question 5

A false impression of what other people are thinking,feeling,or responding is what social psychologists call

A)an imaginary audience.
B)social comparison.
C)pluralistic ignorance.
D)groupthink.

Question 6

According to Festinger (1954),it is human nature to want to evaluate our opinions by

A)comparing ourselves with others.
B)designing everyday tests of validity.
C)engaging in frequent introspection.
D)actively studying the results of scientific research.

Question 7

Group polarization occurs when group discussion _____ group members' initial inclinations.

A)challenges
B)reverses
C)neutralizes
D)strengthens

Question 8

Evaluating one's opinions and abilities by comparing oneself with others is called

A)informational influence.
B)normative influence.
C)the reactance theory.
D)the social comparison theory.

Question 9

According to social comparison theory,we are most persuaded by

A)experts.
B)people in our reference group.
C)people who hold opinions that are different from ours.
D)leaders.

Question 10

Which of the following best reflects group polarization in a community?

A)gang delinquency
B)a massacre
C)sorority membership
D)a looting mob

Question 11

Teresa has joined the campus Amnesty International Group,and after attending a few of the meetings,she now feels even more passionate about human rights.Social psychologists would explain the change in Teresa's opinions using

A)social facilitation.
B)groupthink.
C)minority influence.
D)group polarization.

Question 12

Wright (2003)suggested that the Internet is an effective means to rally like-minded people and mobilize lethal consequences,such as recruiting individuals for terrorist organizations.Which concept in social psychology best explains this trend?

A)group polarization
B)pluralistic ignorance
C)social loafing
D)social facilitation

Question 13

Students who join extracurricular groups on campus tend to find that their attitudes regarding the groups' purposes increase if they stay in the group.This is an example of

A)social facilitation.
B)groupthink.
C)minority influence.
D)group polarization.

Question 14

Which one of the following is an explanation of group polarization?

A)informational influence
B)normative influence
C)social facilitation
D)desire to be accepted

Question 15

Maggie favors the death penalty.In discussing this issue with some like-minded classmates,she hears arguments that she has never considered before.After the discussion,her opinion is more extreme.This outcome is an example of

A)informational influence.
B)normative influence.
C)the reactance theory.
D)the social comparison theory.

Question 16

Consistent with what is known about group polarization,Schkade and Sunstein (2003)found that on federal appellate court cases,a Republican judge sitting with two other Republican judges voted _____ than when sitting with one Democratic judge.

A)more liberally
B)more conservatively
C)more predictably
D)less predictably

Question 17

The fact that active participation in discussion produces more polarization is best explained by

A)informational influence.
B)normative influence.
C)the cognitive miser theory.
D)a decrease in pluralistic ignorance.

Question 18

In the context of group polarization,which of the following statements is true of informational influence?

A)People express stronger opinions after discovering that others share their views.
B)People shift their positions when they hear relevant arguments without learning the specific stands other people assume.
C)People fail to realize how strongly others support the socially preferred tendency.
D)People restrained by a misperceived group norm refrain from voicing their opinions.

Question 19

The text suggests that the extremism of terrorist organizations,such as those involved in the September 11attacks on the United States,is very likely the result of the naturally occurring process of

A)group polarization.
B)pluralistic ignorance.
C)social loafing.
D)social facilitation.

Question 20

Individuals who believe that physician-assisted suicides should be legalized meet to discuss the issue.Research on group interaction suggests that after the discussion the individuals will be

A)more likely to question the wisdom of legalizing physician-assisted suicides.
B)even more convinced that physician-assisted suicides should be legalized.
C)sharply divided over whether physician-assisted suicides should be legalized.
D)opposed to the legalization of physician-assisted suicides.

Question 21

_____ are members who protect their group from information that would call into question the effectiveness or morality of its decisions.

A)Bystanders
B)Mindguards
C)Social loafers
D)Social facilitators

Question 22

In the context of groupthink,_____ is a symptom that leads group members to overestimate their group's might and right.

A)conformity pressure
B)self-censorship
C)an illusion of invulnerability
D)an illusion of unanimity

Question 23

According to Irving Janis,which of the following procedures is effective in preventing groupthink?

A)Groups should avoid designating one of its members as a devil's advocate.
B)Group members should be occasionally subdivided and then reunited to air differences.
C)Outsiders should be discouraged from challenging or critiquing the group's views.
D)Group discussions should begin by having people state their positions.

Question 24

In the context of groupthink,the absence of dissent in a group is most likely to create

A)impartiality.
B)an illusion of control.
C)an illusion of unanimity.
D)cognitive dissonance.

Question 25

Julio is a directive leader of a highly cohesive student group on campus.When discussing important policy decisions,the group will be at greatest risk for groupthink if it is also

A)isolated from dissenting viewpoints.
B)composed of majority and minority students.
C)well informed regarding both sides of the issue.
D)aware of the dangers of making wrong decisions.

Question 26

On what issues do persuasive arguments sway responses?

A)issues that have a factual element
B)moderate,rather than severe,issues
C)value-laden judgments
D)complex,rather than simple,issues

Question 27

Social comparison is likely to sway responses on

A)issues that have a factual element.
B)moderate rather than severe issues.
C)value-laden judgments.
D)complex rather than simple issues.

Question 28

According to Irving Janis,groupthink is most likely to result when a group is

A)adaptable and open to change.
B)exposed to dissenting viewpoints.
C)amiable and cohesive.
D)lacking a directive leader.

Question 29

When people learn about others' positions,without making a prior commitment and without discussing their own position,they will

A)often take a reverse position.
B)not adjust their own position.
C)adjust their responses to be more in line with the others' position.
D)pretend they "knew it all along."

Question 30

Which of the following is a comment you are least likely to hear being made within a group characterized by groupthink?

A)"Our critics are not very smart."
B)"Our past decisions have always been right."
C)"Let's weigh all the alternatives carefully before we proceed."
D)"It seems to me we are all in agreement on this,so let's proceed."

Question 31

In the context of groupthink,rationalization and a stereotyped view of an opponent result in

A)closed-mindedness.
B)self-censorship.
C)an impartial attitude.
D)conformity pressure.

Question 32

You are hesitant to ask questions in class because you assume everyone else understands and you would therefore seem foolish.Your thinking best exemplifies

A)groupthink.
B)pluralistic ignorance.
C)social loafing.
D)self-handicapping.

Question 33

Groupthink can be defined as

A)a tendency to suppress dissent in the interests of group harmony.
B)a tendency to sacrifice group cohesiveness in favor of task orientation and problem focus.
C)enhancement of problem-solving capacity as a result of several persons joining together to work on the same problem.
D)reduced self-awareness as a result of group immersion and social anonymity.

Question 34

According to the text,groupthink symptoms can be viewed as a form of dissonance reduction as group members

A)try to maintain their positive group feelings.
B)try to persuade other group members of their opinions.
C)underestimate their group's might.
D)discuss their group's vulnerability.

Question 35

Which of the following comments is most likely to be made in a group characterized by groupthink?

A)"We have been in agreement on matters in the past,and I hope that will continue."
B)"Joe,why don't you play devil's advocate and challenge the course of action most of us seem to prefer?"
C)"I think we need some outsiders to come in and critique our decision before we proceed."
D)"We have made some stupid mistakes in the past.Let's work carefully to not make the same errors again."