Deck 6: Social Influence: Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience

Question 1

The foot-in-the-door technique was demonstrated by Freedman and Fraser (1966)when they found that people who ________ were later more likely to ________.

A) agreed to answer a questionnaire for a consumer group; grant the much larger favor of allowing the group to spend two hours cataloging products in the home
B) were imposed upon to catalog all the products in their home; refuse to answer a questionnaire from a consumer group
C) were similar to the requester; grant the much larger favor of allowing the group to spend two hours cataloging products in the home
D) granted the favor of allowing a consumer group to spend two hours cataloging all the products in their home; rate themselves as similar to the requesters

Answer 1

agreed to answer a questionnaire for a consumer group; grant the much larger favor of allowing the group to spend two hours cataloging products in the home

Question 2

In Solomon Asch's series of experiments,participants judged the length of a line incorrectly when everyone else in the room gave the wrong answer.Which of the following statements best explains Asch's results?

A) Participants were told that they have poor vision.
B) Participants were exposed to strong light.
C) Participants were exposed to strong conformity pressure.
D) Participants were obedient to the authority in the group.

Answer 2

Participants were exposed to strong conformity pressure.

Question 3

Door-to-door sales companies discovered that if they had the buyer write the details of the contract,rather than the sales representative,fewer buyers canceled the deal after the salesperson left.This exemplifies the social influence principle of

A) reciprocation.
B) authority.
C) liking.
D) commitment/consistency.

Answer 3

commitment/consistency.

Question 4

Advertising a product by claiming that it is the best-selling in the market exemplifies which of the following principles of social influence?

A) reciprocation
B) social validation
C) scarcity
D) authority

Question 5

Your text mentions that during Steve Hassan's induction to the Unification Church,he was invited to a party,then a workshop,then an intense recruiting effort,and so on.This sequence is an example of the ________ technique.

A) door-in-the-face
B) foot-in-the-door
C) low-ball
D) social validation

Question 6

Telling yourself,"I should wear what other people are wearing at the party tonight," is an example of

A) conformity.
B) counterRemember the Facts thinking.
C) compliance.
D) obedience.

Question 7

"A change in overt behavior caused by real or imagined pressure from others" is defined as

A) inoculation.
B) brainwashing.
C) social comparison.
D) social influence.

Question 8

Robert Cialdini,one of your textbook authors,engaged in a type of systematic natural observation called participant observation.Using this methodology,he

A) drew conclusions from data that he retrieved from archives.
B) asked participants in an experiment to observe other participants and to record their conclusions.
C) disguised his identity and enrolled in the training programs of compliance professionals.
D) experimented on humans in the laboratory, where he observed behavior as an experimental participant.

Question 9

One way to gain compliance from others is through the use of the foot-in-the-door technique.Which of the following represents the sequence corresponding to this technique?

A) a large request followed by a still larger request
B) a moderate request followed by another moderate request
C) a small request followed by a large request
D) a large request followed by a small request

Question 10

Peter doesn't like pizza,but he went along with the rest of the group when they said they wanted to go out for pizza.Afterward,Peter didn't like pizza any more or any less than before.Peter yielded to

A) persuasion.
B) social influence.
C) brainwashing.
D) social facilitation.

Question 11

Asch's series of experiments,in which participants judged the length of a line incorrectly because everyone else in the room gave the wrong answer,demonstrated the process of

A) conformity.
B) compliance.
C) obedience.
D) illusory perception.

Question 12

Participants in the Berns et al.(2005)study of conformity

A) conformed to the computers' responses, but not to the people's responses.
B) conformed to both the computers and the people, in equal amounts.
C) conformed to both, but more often to the people than to the computers.
D) conformed to both, but more often to the computer than to the people.

Question 13

Suppose that someone says to you,"Can you give a contribution to St.Mary's Food Bank to feed the poor this Thanksgiving?" If you give them some money,this is an example of

A) conformity.
B) social validation.
C) compliance.
D) obedience.

Question 14

Obedience is

A) a behavior change designed to match the actions of others.
B) a behavior change that occurs as a result of a direct request.
C) a behavior change that occurs as a result of a directive from an authority figure.
D) a change in a private belief as a result of receiving a message.

Question 15

The foot-in-the-door technique is based on the ________ principle,whereas the door-in-the-face technique is based on the ________ principle.

A) scarcity; authority
B) friendship; social validation
C) commitment/consistency; reciprocation
D) liking; commitment/consistency

Question 16

The Disabled American Veterans nearly double their donation rate in response to a mailed solicitation when they include personalized address labels.This success can be attributed to the ________ principle.

A) reciprocation
B) commitment/consistency
C) scarcity
D) social validation

Question 17

The study by Freedman and Fraser (1966),in which housewives were called on the phone and asked for permission to have a consumer group come to their home and classify all their household products,is an example of

A) a laboratory experiment.
B) a field experiment.
C) systematic observation in naturally occurring settings.
D) participant observation.

Question 18

The foot-in-the-door technique may be summarized by the phrase

A) build next to the best.
B) build on rock, not sand.
C) start small and build.
D) build it and they will come.

Question 19

Robert Young,who once played the part of a physician in a television show,became a successful spokesperson for a company that produced a non-caffeinated hot drink.In his TV ads,he extolled the medical benefits of drinking less caffeine.This tactic represents an attempt to use the social influence principle of

A) authority.
B) commitment/consistency.
C) reciprocity.
D) scarcity.

Question 20

Compliance is

A) a behavior change designed to match the actions of others.
B) a behavior change that occurs as a result of a direct request.
C) a behavior change that occurs as a result of a directive from an authority figure.
D) a change in a private belief as a result of receiving a message.

Question 21

Airline industry officials have attributed many fatal airline accidents to what they call ________,which refers to ________.

A) flight myopia; poor decision-making at high altitudes
B) captainitis; poor decision-making at high altitudes
C) flight myopia; when an error by the captain is not corrected by other crewmembers
D) captainitis; when an error by the captain is not corrected by other crewmembers

Question 22

In the study on nurses' obedience,a man who identified himself as a doctor ordered nurses to give twice the maximum acceptable dosage of a drug to a patient.The results of the study demonstrated that

A) the nurses obeyed this order only when they were given the order in person.
B) the nurses obeyed this order only when they knew the doctor.
C) the nurses relied on their judgment and did not obey the order despite the authority of the doctor.
D) the vast majority of the nurses obeyed this order.

Question 23

According to the text,advertisements specifying a "limited time only" are attempting to cash in on

A) the availability heuristic.
B) social validation concerns.
C) the preference for consistency.
D) the scarcity principle.

Question 24

Stanley Milgram conducted studies in which participants were directed by the experimenter to deliver high voltage shocks to a confederate every time the confederate gave the wrong answer on a learning task.This study exemplified which of the following phenomena?

A) conformity
B) obedience
C) aggression
D) social validation

Question 25

Milgram asked individuals to administer shocks to a fellow participant as part of a "learning" task.He found that people are

A) motivated to perform better when they are punished.
B) likely to deliver harmful shocks in order to release pent-up aggression.
C) likely to deliver painful shocks in obedience to authority.
D) not likely to follow the orders of an authority when this means harming another person.

Question 26

Research on suicide epidemics has found that a suicide that makes the front-page news generally is followed by

A) a decrease in single-car automobile accidents.
B) an increase in suicides in areas where the newspapers devote a great deal of coverage to it.
C) a slight increase in suicides, but only among elderly people.
D) a decrease in suicides because people reflect on the consequences of suicide.

Question 27

Why do cult-like groups try to prevent new members from communicating with family and friends outside the group?

A) It is more difficult to get group members to give away all their money to the cult-like group.
B) Even a single dissenter from a group view makes it much easier for individuals to resist social influence pressures.
C) Contact with family and friends tends to cause reactance.
D) They generally do not prevent new members from such communication.

Question 28

In a study by Milgram,participants delivered a series of painful shocks to another person.Milgram designed the study to examine the effects of which of the following on participants' aggression?

A) hostility toward the victim
B) fear of punishment for failing to act aggressively
C) liking
D) obedience to authority

Question 29

A movie theater owner advertised a movie by saying,"Exclusive,limited engagement,ends soon." This appeal represents an attempt to use the social influence principle of

A) liking.
B) authority.
C) social validation.
D) scarcity.

Question 30

Milgram's obedience research demonstrated that a sample of ordinary Americans was willing to deliver dangerous levels of shock because

A) they were jealous of the victim.
B) an authority told them to do so.
C) they lacked empathy.
D) they lived in hardened urban areas of the country.

Question 31

When Milgram moved his obedience study from Yale University to an office in a rundown section of Bridgeport,Connecticut,the level of obedience

A) stayed the same.
B) went up significantly.
C) dropped somewhat.
D) dropped to zero.

Question 32

The Tupperware Home Party Corporation,which arranges parties in people's homes so that friends and acquaintances can purchase the company's products,primarily takes advantage of the social influence principle of

A) consistency.
B) reciprocation.
C) authority.
D) liking/friendship.

Question 33

A curious case of mass hysteria occurred when vast numbers of Londoners left the city because a soldier named Bell had predicted that the city would be destroyed by an earthquake on a specific day.The mass hysteria was primarily due to

A) the high probability of another earthquake occurring.
B) the influential personality of Bell.
C) the Londoners themselves, who mimicked each others' behaviors.
D) the scarcity principle.

Question 34

Individuals are most likely to conform to the actions of ________.

A) similar others
B) dissimilar others
C) a group that is not unanimous
D) younger others

Question 35

In the famous first study conducted by Stanley Milgram,________ of the participants continued to "shock" the confederate all the way up to 450 volts,which was as high as the shock generating machine could go.

A) less than 1%
B) only the most psychologically disturbed
C) only the most independent
D) more than half

Question 36

In the studies conducted by Stanley Milgram,most participants were willing to deliver high voltage shocks to a confederate every time the confederate gave the wrong answer in a learning task.Which of the following statements best explains these results?

A) The victim rarely complained about the punishment.
B) The victim learned more quickly after receiving electric shocks.
C) The participants in the study reacted against what the experimenter said.
D) The participants in the study were obedient to the experimenter.

Question 37

Influence practitioners often invoke social validation by claiming that their products

A) are the largest selling or fastest growing.
B) are in limited supply.
C) are great investments for the future.
D) are capable of providing monetary or social rewards.

Question 38

Bartenders who put some dollar bills in their tip jars in order to influence their customers to tip generously are trying to take advantage of which social influence principle?

A) scarcity
B) social validation
C) commitment/consistency
D) reciprocity

Question 39

A single visible dissenter from the group's position

A) allows further group conformity by the identification of an "out-group" member.
B) is highly likely to hold his or her position in defiance of the group.
C) is likely to be ignored by the group.
D) emboldens other group members to resist conformity.

Question 40

The claim "We have the bestselling truck in its class" utilizes the ________ principle,whereas "We have only four of these trucks in stock" utilizes the ________ principle.

A) social validation; scarcity
B) social validation; reciprocation
C) reciprocation; scarcity
D) authority; reciprocation

Question 41

You need to meet a professor who is very busy,and you are afraid she will refuse to meet you.According to research,the professor will be more willing to meet with you for about 15-20 minutes if you

A) first ask her to spend 2 hours a week with you for the rest of the semester.
B) tell her that most of the professors whom you asked were too busy to meet with you.
C) employ the principle of scarcity by saying that you are available to meet with her only in the early mornings.
D) all of the above

Question 42

When faced with the fact that customers were not using his newly developed shopping carts,Sylvan Goldman

A) reduced the price of the carts.
B) advertised that only a few carts were available.
C) asked an authority to recommend them.
D) hired fake shoppers to use them.

Question 43

The door-in-the-face technique begins with getting a target person to say ________ to a large request and then making a second ________ request.

A) no; smaller
B) maybe; larger
C) yes; smaller
D) yes; larger

Question 44

The door-in-the-face technique,in which the requester makes a large request and then retreats to the smaller,desired favor,is based on the

A) need for consistency.
B) need for cognition.
C) norm of reciprocity.
D) value of collectivism.

Question 45

Imagine that you are the only person who doesn't like punk music in a group of fans of a popular punk band.According to the work of Schachter (1951),

A) you will be ignored and rejected, but you will be accepted if you hold steadily to your view.
B) you will be ignored and rejected, and you will not be accepted even if you subsequently conform to the group opinion.
C) the group will actively try to change your opinion, but will accept you whether you conform or not.
D) the group will actively try to change your opinion, and will accept you if you conform but will reject you if you don't.

Question 46

Imagine that you are stopped in the street by a Boy Scout selling tickets to the circus for $5 each.You refuse to buy a ticket,and then the boy offers you chocolate bars for $1 each.You are ________ likely to buy some of the chocolate bars now than if you had been approached first with the chocolate bar offer because ________.

A) less; now you don't need to find additional excuses to refuse the second request
B) less; once you've said no, you don't feel obligated to agree with subsequent requests
C) more; you perceive the chocolate bars as scarce
D) more; you perceive the change in his request as a concession to be reciprocated

Question 47

Someone who gives you a flower at the airport and then asks for a donation,is attempting

A) to capitalize on the fundamental attribution error.
B) to induce you to succumb to the reciprocity rule.
C) to arouse dissonance.
D) to use the availability heuristic.

Question 48

Participants in Sherif's classic experiments estimated how far a dot of light moved in a dark room.Their judgments were influenced primarily by

A) the estimations made by other group members.
B) how far the light actually moved.
C) the light's intensity.
D) both A and B

Question 49

An individual's conformity in a group is most likely to happen under all of the following conditions EXCEPT

A) when the task is ambiguous.
B) when the task is difficult.
C) when there is a dissenter in the group.
D) when the group members are sleep-deprived.

Question 50

According to a classic set of studies by Schachter (1951),"For a deviate in a group,the unforgivable sin is not to ________,but to ________."

A) think differently; voice a different position
B) be different; stay different
C) voice a different opinion; act on that deviant conviction
D) act; react

Question 51

Sherif's experiments of how people judged the amount of movement of a dot of light in a dark room demonstrated that when there is no objectively correct response,participants were

A) likely to doubt themselves and accept the group opinion.
B) likely to doubt the group opinion, but nevertheless conform to it.
C) not likely to follow the group opinion.
D) likely to follow the group opinion, but only temporarily. When questioned alone later, their judgments shifted back to their initial, private judgment.

Question 52

You open your mailbox and discover a free packet of Health-Nut granola bars.The next time you go to the supermarket to buy snacks,you think about buying Health-Nut bars.However,you decide not to because you are angry with the manufacturers for manipulating you by activating the norm of

A) liability.
B) equity.
C) social responsibility.
D) reciprocity.

Question 53

People are likely to be influenced by others because they rely on the heuristic: "If it's popular,it must be ________."

A) an effective choice
B) an appropriate way to act
C) generally approved
D) all of the above

Question 54

To say that it is wrong to chat with another student during a lecture is to state a/an

A) descriptive norm.
B) injunctive norm.
C) conjunctive norm.
D) reciprocal norm.

Question 55

If a group is initially uncertain,but then agrees on a particular response,

A) members often hold strongly to the response.
B) members are less likely to defer to the authority in the group.
C) members are quick to change their minds in the face of disconfirming information.
D) both B and C

Question 56

________ norms define what is typically done;________ norms define what is typically approved or disapproved.

A) Descriptive; injunctive
B) Injunctive; descriptive
C) Social; cultural
D) Cultural; social

Question 57

People are more likely to follow the crowd when they are

A) motivated to be accurate and are certain of their own decision.
B) motivated to be accurate and are uncertain of their own decision.
C) not motivated to be accurate and are certain of their own decision.
D) not motivated to be accurate and are uncertain of their own decision.

Question 58

The pressure to recycle that you feel when you hear that most of your neighbors recycle is primarily awareness of

A) an injunctive norm.
B) a descriptive norm.
C) scarcity.
D) ambiguity.

Question 59

During a meeting in an advertising agency,Robert discovers that the rest of the team unanimously disagrees with his judgment about the poor quality of a particular product.According to research in social psychology,it's highly likely that Robert will

A) ask the group to reconsider their answers.
B) doubt his own judgment and conform to the group's judgment.
C) go against the authority in the group.
D) hold to his position and not back down.

Question 60

All of the following are sources of uncertainty EXCEPT

A) lack of familiarity.
B) the opinions of authorities.
C) difficult tasks.
D) ambiguous situations.

Question 61

Your text mentions the curious phenomenon in which certain resistance skills education programs (for example,teaching students to "just say no" to alcohol or drugs)have been shown to increase rather than decrease the use of harmful substances.Why does this appear to be the case?

A) Governmental programs such as these inevitably fail because of poor planning and execution.
B) These programs convey the message that these activities are what peers typically do.
C) These programs build reactance in students, so that they actively resist the message.
D) These programs do not reinforce the message with rewards.

Question 62

Researchers surveying Citibank branches throughout the world discovered that in the United States,employees' willingness to comply voluntarily with a request from a co-worker was greatest if they could answer "yes" to which of the following questions?

A) Has this person done a favor for me recently?
B) Is the requester connected to someone in my unit?
C) Is the requester connected to my friends?
D) According to official rules, am I supposed to assist this requester?

Question 63

Imagine that you are approaching a bake sale table and the saleswoman tells you that the price of a cupcake is $1.00.While you are deciding,she reduces the price to $0.75 for the same cupcake.You are ________ likely to buy the cupcake than if you were originally presented with a price of $0.75 because ________.

A) more; you perceive the deal as a concession on the part of the salesperson
B) more; you will be affected by the commitment/consistency principle
C) less; you will anchor your judgment to the price of $1.00
D) less; you will experience psychological reactance at the price change

Question 64

According to your text,the success of the foot-in-the-door tactic may be attributed to the likelihood that

A) complying with the initial request changes people's self-images.
B) complying with the subsequent request changes people's attitudes.
C) the initial request causes a desire for contrast.
D) the subsequent request causes a desire for assimilation.

Question 65

Which of the following is FALSE regarding people with a high need for approval?

A) They are trusting.
B) They are agreeable.
C) They possess a high desire to be accurate.
D) They are likely to go along with the group to avoid conflict.

Question 66

The norms of obligation

A) are the same across all cultures.
B) are stronger in individualistic cultures.
C) probably didn't exist in ancient civilizations.
D) vary across cultures.

Question 67

Imagine that a representative of the American Heart Association knocks on your door and asks for a donation.You would be more likely to make a donation if

A) you are a reactant individual.
B) nobody has made a donation so far.
C) the representative is physically attractive.
D) you are physically attractive.

Question 68

Your text states that even powerful group norms won't guide the behavior of members of a group

A) who don't rank high on the personality dimension of extraversion.
B) who don't rank high on the personality dimension of agreeableness.
C) who don't identify themselves psychologically as group members.
D) who have a collectivistic orientation.

Question 69

A personality factor that has been shown to withstand social influence,particularly as it relates to harmful norms such as teen smoking,is

A) conscientiousness.
B) collectivism.
C) agreeableness.
D) a belief in one's ability to resist peer influence.

Question 70

Your text notes that a particular restaurant in Chicago discovered a highly effective tactic to ensure that callers who make reservations will call to cancel the reservation if they decide not to appear.What do the restaurant's receptionists say to engage the power of a personal commitment?

A) "Please call us if you change your plans."
B) "Will you call us if you change your plans?"
C) "We'll be grateful if you would call us if you change your plans."
D) "Please don't change your plans."

Question 71

Commitment was discussed in the text as most relevant to which of the following motives for allowing others to influence us?

A) getting information
B) choosing correctly
C) managing our self-image
D) managing our emotions

Question 72

Imagine that you are leaving a parking space and another driver who is waiting to take the space is honking to pressure you to leave faster.As a result,you start moving even more slowly.Which of the following would best explain your behavior?

A) norm of reciprocity
B) need for approval
C) social validation
D) reactance theory

Question 73

Sarah will be more likely to go along with the group when evaluating the taste of a new brand of coffee if

A) she is a highly reactant individual.
B) she is physically attractive.
C) her response is planned in advance.
D) her response is observable to the group.

Question 74

The study of Citibank branches in the United States,China,Spain,and Germany found that all of the following approaches were used in various countries EXCEPT the

A) market-based approach.
B) family-based approach.
C) need-based approach.
D) friendship-based approach.

Question 75

Imagine that a salesman at a tropical resort says you can experience the thrill of a parasailing lesson for only $50.Then,before you decide one way or the other,the salesman says he will drop the price to only $30.The salesman has tried to influence you via the

A) foot-in-the-door technique.
B) door-in-the-face technique.
C) that's-not-all technique.
D) low-ball technique.

Question 76

A Girl Scout comes to your door and says,"These boxes of cookies sell for 300 pennies each...that's $3.It's a great deal!" She apparently is using which technique to get you to comply with her request to buy cookies?

A) that's not all technique
B) disrupt-then-reframe technique
C) foot-in-the-door technique
D) low-ball technique

Question 77

Relative to people from individualistic cultures,people from collectivistic cultures are more likely to

A) focus on features that distinguish them from others.
B) express a strong need for consistency.
C) express a strong need for cognition.
D) base their decisions more on what others think than what they themselves think.

Question 78

Factors that lead people to resist social influence are known as

A) Beta forces.
B) Gamma forces.
C) Alpha forces.
D) Omega forces.

Question 79

After expressing an opinion about a book by Elias Canetti,Tim hears his opinion belittled by his classmates.When asked about his opinion on the book again,Tim becomes more extreme in his original opinion.Tim's behavior is an example of

A) reactance theory.
B) collectivist theory.
C) anti-conformist theory.
D) need for accuracy theory.

Question 80

Research on the effect of physical attractiveness on compliance has shown that

A) physically attractive individuals are influential in getting compliance only when they are not similar to the target.
B) physically attractive people are successful in making sales, but not in gaining compliance with requests for prosocial behaviors.
C) although people are more likely to vote for physically attractive political candidates, those who believe that appearance is not important are not influenced by the physical attractiveness of the candidate.
D) none of the above