Deck 1: The Mission and the Method

Question 1

In one of the first social psychological experiments ever conducted, researcher Norman Triplett examined the records of teams of cyclists.He found that cyclists who raced against each other ____ than those who raced alone (against the clock).

A)were more aggressive after the race
B)got into more accidents
C)cycled more quickly
D)enjoyed the race less

Answer 1

cycled more quickly

Question 2

The first social psychological experiments and the publication of the first book to bear the title Social Psychology both occurred around ____.

A)400 AD
B)1750
C)1900
D)1965

Answer 2

1900

Question 3

Dr Twala does not want the participants in his study to be aware of his hypothesis.What will he strive to reduce in his study?

A)margin of error
B)divergent validity
C)measurement validity
D)demand characteristics

Answer 3

demand characteristics

Question 4

Early research in social psychology conducted by Max Ringelmann revealed that people ____ when they work as part of a group (e.g., pushing a car off of the road with two other people) compared to when they work alone at the same task.

A)do not work as hard
B)work harder
C)feel like they are doing more work
D)feel like they are doing less work

Question 5

The influence of Freudian psychoanalysis on psychology is most readily seen in ____.

A)the identification of neurological correlates
B)detailed studies of genotypes and phenotypes
C)elaborate interpretation of individual experiences
D)the systematic search for reinforcement contingencies

Question 6

In the history of psychology and social psychology, the late 1800s and early 1900s marked ____.

A)the very first social psychological experiments
B)social psychology's independence from behaviourism
C)the beginnings of research in social cognition
D)the beginnings of research in social neuroscience

Question 7

When did social psychology begin to come into its own as a field?

A)The 1910s and 1920s
B)The 1930s and 1940s
C)The 1950s and 1960s
D)The 1970s and 1980s

Question 8

Who proposed the idea that behaviour is a function of both the person and the situation in the first half of the 20th century?

A)Max Ringelmann
B)Norman Triplett
C)Kurt Lewin
D)Gordon Allport

Question 9

During the first half of the 20th century, who argued that attitudes were the most important and useful concept in social psychology?

A)Kurt Lewin
B)Max Ringelmann
C)Norman Triplett
D)Gordon Allport

Question 10

Based on early research by Norman Triplett, we should expect that children who work on maths problems alone will ____ than children who work on maths problems side by side with their classmates.

A)work more slowly
B)work more quickly
C)second-guess themselves less
D)second-guess themselves more

Question 11

In the 1950s and 1960s, mainstream psychology was divided between two main theoretical camps: ____.

A)trait theory and behaviourism
B)Freudian psychoanalysis and humanism
C)humanism and trait theory
D)behaviourism and Freudian psychoanalysis

Question 12

Based on early research by Norman Triplett with racing cyclists, we should expect that people who exercise on rowing machines at gyms are more likely to ____ than people who exercise on the same machines in the privacy of their homes.

A)burn more calories
B)burn less calories
C)feel a sense of accomplishment
D)feel a sense of failure

Question 13

In one of the first social psychological experiments ever conducted, researcher Norman Triplett built a 'competition machine', in which children wind up a fishing reel.He found that the children were able to wind more quickly when ____.

A)they worked as a group side by side than when they worked alone
B)they worked alone than when they worked as a group side by side
C)they were explicitly asked to work as fast as possible
D)they were explicitly asked to take their time to 'get it right'

Question 14

Suppose that you own a rowboat and enjoy going rowing on a nearby dam in the summer.In December, you are planning to go rowing with two of your friends (three people total in the boat), and in January, you are planning to go rowing with just one friend (two people total in the boat).Will you put in more effort (row harder) on the three-person trip or on the two-person trip?

A)You will put in more effort on the three-person trip.
B)You will put in more effort on the two-person trip.
C)You will put in the same amount of effort on both trips.
D)It is impossible to say - no research has examined this question.

Question 15

Milgram's famous studies of obedience to authority were motivated by which historical event?

A)The Holocaust
B)The fall of Communism
C)The return of soldiers from Desert Storm
D)The Great Depression

Question 16

Which of the following elements is particularly critical to include in a deception study, but is not usually required in other types of studies?

A)IRB approval
B)demand characteristics
C)complete debriefing
D)informed consent

Question 17

In one of the first social psychological experiments ever conducted, researcher Max Ringelmann observed men as they pulled on a rope either alone, as part of a small group, or as part of a large group.He found that as the size of the group increased, ____.

A)individual effort increased
B)individual effort decreased
C)the task took longer to complete
D)the task took less time to complete

Question 18

Given Max Ringelmann's early research looking at group size and individual effort, should we expect Student X to put in a different amount of effort depending on whether she worked on a history project in a five-person group rather than a two-person group?

A)Yes, we should expect her to work harder in the five-person group.
B)Yes, we should expect her to work harder in the two-person group.
C)No, we should expect her to work equally hard in both groups.
D)It is impossible to say; it appears group size effects depend on other variables.

Question 19

You want to ask your friend Maya to help paint your room next week.Maya is extremely reliable and trustworthy, but she is totally swamped with her upcoming exams.You decide not to ask her since she might be too busy to follow through.According to Kurt Lewin's analysis of human behaviour, knowing that Maya is reliable is an example of '____' information, and knowing she is busy is an example of '____' information.

A)person; situation
B)situation; person
C)social; nonsocial
D)nonsocial; social

Question 20

Today, both funded and unfunded studies conducted at universities in the USA must first obtain ____ approval.

A)ABPP
B)IRB
C)APA
D)ERB

Question 21

As a rule, social psychologists are MOST interested in ____.

A)normal adult human beings
B)severe mental illness
C)normal childhood development
D)diagnoses in abnormal behaviour

Question 22

Which of the following fields is best defined as 'the study of human culture - the shared values, beliefs, and practices of a group of people'?

A)history
B)political science
C)social psychology
D)anthropology

Question 23

Which of the following is an example of an 'emotion'?

A)A stomach ache
B)A nervous twitch
C)Happiness
D)Political activism

Question 24

Behaviourism seeks to explain human behaviour in terms of ____.

A)basic biological drives such as hunger and thirst
B)broad environmental influences such as historical time period
C)the natural tensions between biological drives and society
D)learning principles such as rewards and punishments

Question 25

How are social psychologists generally similar to behaviourists?

A)They both tend to favour experiments and the scientific method.
B)They are both interested in the mind, thoughts, and emotions.
C)They are both originally rooted in psychoanalytic theory.
D)They are both interested in the unconscious mind.

Question 26

While social psychologists are interested in a wide variety of topics, three themes that have become increasingly important during the last 30 years are ____.

A)psychoanalysis, meditation, and hypnosis
B)economic behaviour, political behaviour, and criminal behaviour
C)social cognition, biological influences on behaviour, and the self
D)personality measurement, organisational behaviour, and spirituality

Question 27

In social psychology, the 'ABC triad' consists of ____.

A)attitudes, beliefs and commitments
B)ambiances, biology, and culture
C)affects, behaviours and cognitions
D)attributions, boundaries, and corrections

Question 28

Following the collapse of the Soviet empire in 1989, social psychology's focus on conflict ____.

A)remained unchanged
B)emphasised racial/ethnic conflict
C)lessened
D)increased

Question 29

When attempting to explain a person's behaviour, what do social psychologists tend to assess first?

A)The person's unconscious motivations
B)The person's personality
C)The person's situation
D)The person's childhood

Question 30

Musi believes that his blue coat is warmer than his red coat.Themba thinks that he might want to have kids sometime in the next few years.Ntombi remembers playing soccer with her friends as a child.These are all examples of ____.

A)delusions
B)schemas
C)affects
D)cognitions

Question 31

Roger holds a number of negative stereotypes about women; specifically, he thinks that most women are manipulative, vain, and lazy.In trying to understand why Roger holds these stereotypes, which of the following questions would a social psychologist be MOST likely to ask?

A)Does Roger feel so intimidated by women that he expresses these negative stereotypes in order to 'cover up' his deep-seeded lack of self-esteem?
B)Did Roger have a difficult relationship with his mother as a young child that might have fostered negative attitudes toward all women?
C)Does Roger have a physical brain abnormality?
D)Has Roger been exposed to these stereotypes in the media, or has he perhaps had a few limited (but negative) interactions with women that might have helped to perpetuate these stereotypes?

Question 32

In psychology, an 'affect' is most similar to ____.

A)an emotion or mood
B)a belief or attitude
C)a behaviour or reaction
D)a motivating force or drive

Question 33

Most social psychologists perform research by ____.

A)engaging in historical analyses
B)conducting case studies (individual interviews)
C)conducting experiments
D)using nonexperimental observational methods

Question 34

Social psychology focuses especially on the power of ____.

A)genetics
B)reinforcement
C)situations
D)unconscious

Question 35

Kumi just stole R50 from his parents.In assessing Kumi's motives, which of the following questions would a social psychologist be MOST likely to ask?

A)Is Kumi unconsciously motivated to hurt his parents?
B)Is Kumi a person with a weak moral character?
C)Does Kumi have friends or other role models who are also stealing?
D)Is Kumi mentally healthy enough to realise what he has done?

Question 36

Social psychologists are generally similar to Freudian psychoanalysts in that they both ____.

A)are more interested in abnormal behaviour than in normal behaviour
B)tend to favour experiments and the scientific method
C)are primarily interested in external behaviours rather than the mind
D)have an interest in thoughts and feelings as well as behaviours

Question 37

Social psychology is best defined as the study of ____.

A)how we learn to behave in accordance with the rules of society
B)how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are affected by other people
C)how cultures are created in order to serve the interests of the powerful
D)how societies work to allocate resources and responsibilities

Question 38

Which of the following is the best example of 'cognition'?

A)Experiencing an auditory hallucination
B)Having a hunger pang
C)Thinking that you are a valuable employee
D)Exhibiting a nervous twitch

Question 39

Which topic has been of the MOST interest to social psychologists during the last 30 years?

A)Social cognition - concerned with how people think about other people and how people think about the social world in general
B)Behaviourism - concerned with basic principles of learning such as reward and punishment
C)The idea that modern life makes people vulnerable to alienation and exploitation
D)The idea that people act less on the basis of firm moral principles than they do on the basis of conformity, or 'following the crowd'

Question 40

When psychologists talk about 'cognitions,' they are typically referring to ____.

A)unconscious motivations
B)thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes
C)abnormal thoughts or experiences
D)emotions or feelings

Question 41

In recent years, what has emerged as an important subfield of social psychology that explores the ways in which people think about social situations?

A)cognitive sociology
B)social cognition
C)cognitive psychology
D)socioneurology

Question 42

Which of the following fields is LEAST focused on what happens in the brain, nervous system, and other bodily processes?

A)Biological psychology
B)Physiological psychology
C)Neuroscience
D)Social neuroscience

Question 43

The social psychological theory known as 'social exchange theory' is based MOST obviously on which of the following other social sciences?

A)economics
B)history
C)political science
D)anthropology

Question 44

According to the simile in your text, if psychology is like a tree, then social psychology is like ____.

A)the trunk
B)a branch
C)a leaf
D)a root

Question 45

Within psychology, typically focus on 'abnormal' behaviour (e.g., mental disorders and behavioural disorders).

A)only clinical psychologists
B)both clinical psychologists and personality psychologists
C)only personality psychologists
D)psychologists from all branches of psychology

Question 46

Layla is interested in studying how our thoughts and behaviours are influenced by the groups to which we belong.Layla's work will MOST closely intersect with which other social science?

A)economics
B)sociology
C)neuroscience
D)history

Question 47

Anthropologists would posit that social psychologists cannot understand human behaviour fully unless they understand the ____.

A)genetic makeup of the populations under study
B)relationship between humans and animals
C)biological basis of the behaviour
D)cultural context in which that behaviour occurs

Question 48

Although sociologists and social psychologists are both interested in group behaviour, sociologists tend to focus on ____, whereas social psychologists tend to focus on ____.

A)individual members within the group; the group as a single unit
B)the group as a single unit; individual members within the group
C)how groups are unique; how various groups are similar to one another
D)how various groups are similar to one another; how groups are unique

Question 49

How has the textbook described the historical relationship between clinical psychology and social psychology?

A)Clinical psychology grew out of social psychology.
B)Both clinical psychology and social psychology grew out of cognitive psychology.
C)The two fields have historically been at odds and argued with one another.
D)The two fields have historically exchanged ideas and viewpoints.

Question 50

With which of the following social sciences has social psychology had the LEAST interaction until recently?

A)sociology
B)anthropology
C)economics
D)history

Question 51

Which of the following fields is MOST concerned with understanding different human cultures?

A)economics
B)political science
C)social psychology
D)anthropology

Question 52

What do we best call the field that combines the interests of social and biological psychology?

A)Neuroscience
B)Physiological psychology
C)Social neuroscience
D)Social cognition

Question 53

Political science is BEST described as the study of ____.

A)organisations and institutions, especially governments
B)human societies and groups that form those societies
C)past events
D)human culture

Question 54

Which field is BEST defined as 'the study of human societies and the groups that form those societies'?

A)anthropology
B)political science
C)sociology
D)psychology

Question 55

During the 'Decade of the Brain' in the ____, social psychologists became particularly interested in the biological aspects of social behaviour.

A)1960s
B)1970s
C)1980s
D)1990s

Question 56

Which of the following fields is concerned with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services?

A)anthropology
B)history
C)economics
D)political science

Question 57

Dr Mofokeng studies the relationship between crime rates and childrearing practices.Dr Mofokeng is MOST likely a(n) ____.

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

Question 58

Dr Kay researches the effectiveness of different therapies for treating severe anxiety disorders.He is MOST likely a ____.

A)personality psychologist
B)clinical psychologist
C)cognitive psychologist
D)Freudian psychoanalyst

Question 59

Johanna is examining how attitudes predict voting behaviour.Her research will MOST likely involve an intersection of social psychology and what other social science?

A)anthropology
B)sociology
C)political science
D)economics

Question 60

Which branch of psychology is primarily concerned with thought processes (e.g., how memory works and what people notice)?

A)developmental psychology
B)social psychology
C)cognitive psychology
D)biological psychology

Question 61

The top research journals in social psychology have substantial overlap, content-wise, with which of the following?

A)developmental psychology
B)clinical psychology
C)personality psychology
D)biological psychology

Question 62

Applied researchers are BEST defined as social scientists who ____.

A)work in 'real life' settings - such as in workplaces, schools, or zoos
B)focus on concrete problems - such as how to boost literacy rates or how to increase water conservation
C)seek to 'test out,' or apply, others' theories rather than develop their own theories
D)study the process of research itself - how researchers go about selecting research questions, conducting studies, and reporting findings

Question 63

Social scientists who focus on concrete problems - such as how to boost literacy rates in schools or how to increase energy conservation - are known as ____.

A)counselors
B)applied researchers
C)psychometricians
D)social workers

Question 64

Which of the following would a basic researcher MOST LIKELY study?

A)A theory that explains the causes of aggression
B)The plight of welfare mothers
C)Why people don't wear seat belts
D)How to get people to conserve electric power

Question 65

The study of how people change across their lives from conception to death is in the field of ____.

A)developmental psychology
B)cognitive psychology
C)clinical psychology
D)biological psychology

Question 66

In recent years, the line between social psychology and ____ has become especially blurred.

A)developmental psychology
B)biological psychology
C)clinical psychology
D)personality psychology

Question 67

Which of the following branches of psychology is MOST closely affiliated with social psychology?

A)developmental psychology
B)clinical psychology
C)personality psychology
D)biological psychology

Question 68

According to the textbook, what is one major reason people study social psychology?

A)It is fun and interesting, and can help make the world a better place.
B)It provides an important foundation for understanding clinical psychology.
C)It helps people overcome their personal problems and become happier.
D)It is an easy topic to understand that offers opportunities for good jobs.

Question 69

Basic research is to applied research as ____ is to ____.

A)general; specific
B)specific; general
C)hard; easy
D)easy; hard

Question 70

Dr Ndlovu studies individual differences in introversion (a trait similar to shyness).Dr Ndlovu is MOST likely a _____ psychologist.

A)social
B)personality
C)clinical
D)developmental

Question 71

Which of the following topics is a personality psychologist MOST likely to study?

A)The development of schizophrenia
B)Gender differences in the acquisition of language skills
C)Individual differences in leadership ability
D)Cross-cultural differences in mating and courtship behaviours

Question 72

Until recently, what was the relationship between developmental and social psychology?

A)The two subfields mutually influenced each other.
B)Developmental psychology tended to draw more on social psychology.
C)Social psychology tended to draw more on developmental psychology.
D)The two fields had relatively little influence on each other.

Question 73

Which of the following topics would a cognitive psychologist be MOST likely to study?

A)The heritability of depression
B)Male-female differences in sexual behaviour
C)How people learn to memorise complex musical compositions
D)Altruistic behaviour among chimpanzees

Question 74

Consider the following two American proverbs, which seem to contradict one another: 'Birds of a feather flock together' and 'opposites attract'.The authors of the textbook would probably say that ____.

A)this contradiction is an anomaly since Americans tend to be extremely single-minded in their 'common sense' views about social psychology
B)most people in the US probably believe one of these adages to be true - but not both - since most people have very clear personal theories about social psychology
C)the contradiction is not surprising at all, since 'common sense' theories are often poorly defined, i.e., most people would probably say that both of these things are true (if you asked them at different times)
D)most people would not see the contradiction if it were pointed out to them, since the average person is not a strong logical thinker

Question 75

When social psychologist Kurt Lewin said that 'there is nothing so practical as a good theory', he meant that ____.

A)many theories are overly abstract; a good theory should be based on directly observable facts
B)many theories are overly abstract; a good theory should make predictions about directly observable phenomena
C)although they may seem impractical, theories can be very important in helping to stimulate practical ideas and practical research
D)he was opposed to overly theoretical work and a major proponent of applied research

Question 76

Dr Hlomo is a researcher who studies methods for increasing condom usage among sexually active teens.Dr Hlomo would probably be BEST described as a(n) ____.

A)personality psychologist
B)applied researcher
C)social worker
D)developmental psychologist

Question 77

According to the textbook, 'common sense' theories about social psychology are ____.

A)almost always wrong
B)often misleading or contradictory
C)very often correct
D)very often correct when they have to do with dyadic (two-person) relationships, but usually wrong when they have to do with group behaviour

Question 78

Many areas of study in social psychology evoke a lot of passion from the researchers invested in that arena.Although doing research to make the world a better place is great motivation, one of the hazards of this motive is that ____.

A)only correlational studies can be conducted
B)ideals and political beliefs may cloud scientific judgement
C)the research is hard to replicate
D)the research will not be reported accurately

Question 79

According to the textbook, the key distinction between philosophy and psychology is the fact that psychology ____.

A)is concerned with observable phenomena (e.g., behaviours) rather than unobservable phenomena (e.g., thoughts)
B)is concerned with unobservable phenomena (e.g., thoughts) rather than observable phenomena (e.g., behaviours)
C)primarily relies on the scientific method
D)primarily relies on the case study method

Question 80

According to the textbook, psychology can be thought of as a kind of 'experimental philosophy' because psychology ____ while relying on the experimental method.

A)addresses many of the same questions that interest philosophers
B)is as popular today as philosophy was in ancient times
C)also grew out of the mathematical sciences
D)is also a highly controversial field