Deck 6: Social Thinking, Influence, and Intergroup Relations

Question 1

Which area of social psychology involves how people select, interpret, remember, and use social information?

A) cognitive sociology
B) psychosocial interactionism
C) social cognition
D) social kinesthetics

Answer 1

social cognition

Question 2

Barney is a human relations director for a large company. He is interviewing a job applicant. He noted that the applicant came early, was dressed appropriately, appeared to have good communication skills, and asked knowledgeable questions about the company and the job. Barney formed an initially favorable impression of this job applicant. Which branch of social psychology would be most interested in this aspect of forming impressions?

A) pseudopsychology
B) social cognition
C) psychosocial interactionism
D) forensic psychology

Answer 2

social cognition

Question 3

Our thoughts about why people behave in the ways they do are known as:

A) attributions.
B) delusions.
C) illusions.
D) inferential psychology.

Answer 3

attributions.

Question 4

When committing the fundamental attribution error, observers tend to __________ the importance of a person's traits and _________ the importance of situations when they seek to explain someone else's behavior.

A) overestimate; overestimate
B) underestimate; overestimate
C) overestimate; underestimate
D) underestimate; underestimate

Question 5

While driving home from work, a car tailgates you and then passes you very rapidly. If you make the fundamental attribution error, what is your explanation for this driver's behavior?

A) He must have received an emergency phone call.
B) His brakes probably have failed.
C) I am going too slow.
D) That driver is a jerk.

Question 6

Susan thinks that her daughter-in-law is a slob because her house is not very tidy. Susan did not take into consideration that the daughter-in-law has been working two part-time jobs and trying to go to college. Susan is exhibiting ___________________ regarding her daughter-in-law's behavior.

A) cognitive dissonance
B) the fundamental attribution error
C) discrimination
D) the recency effect

Question 7

While the professor is answering a student's question, she walks toward the student and trips over the student's backpack. If the students in the room are typical of most observers, they will attribute the teacher's behavior to:

A) external causes.
B) the placement of the backpack.
C) the teacher's clumsiness.
D) the situation.

Question 8

By the time Melanie gets her three kids off to the school bus and gets ready for work, she is often running late. Melanie would say that her tardiness is due to ___________, while her husband would be more likely to say that her tardiness is due to ___________.

A) external situations; her personality
B) her personality; external situations
C) internal causes; chance
D) internal causes; her personality

Question 9

Concerning actor and observer differences in attribution, the actor usually attributes the cause of his or her behavior to _________, while observers are more likely to attribute the cause of the behavior to ___________.

A) an internal cause; an external cause
B) an external cause; an internal cause
C) chance; situations
D) personality; situations

Question 10

Actors explain their own behaviors with ________ causes.

A) vague
B) unjustifiable
C) external
D) internal

Question 11

When Jay makes a good grade on his history test, he usually tells himself that he's really smart and knows his history facts. However, when Jay makes a poor grade on his math test, it is because the math test was unfair and the teacher did not prepare the class well for this test. Jay is exhibiting:

A) cognitive dissonance.
B) groupthink.
C) the fundamental attribution error.
D) the self-serving bias.

Question 12

When we attribute our successes to our own characteristics but attribute our failures to external factors, we are exhibiting:

A) cognitive dissonance.
B) a self-serving bias.
C) the fundamental attribution error.
D) delusional thinking.

Question 13

When we use a self-serving bias, we tend to attribute ___________ to our own characteristics and to attribute ___________ to external factors.

A) our luck; other people's luck
B) other people's luck; our luck
C) our successes; our failures
D) our failures; our successes

Question 14

First impressions tend to be lasting impressions because:

A) we pay more attention to what we first learn about a person.
B) we pay less attention to subsequent information.
C) we tend to interpret later information in light of existing impressions.
D) of all of the above.

Question 15

___________ is a generalization about a group's characteristics that does not account for variations from one individual to the next.

A) A stereotype
B) Deindividuation
C) A self-serving bias
D) Groupthink

Question 16

Gary thought that "all blondes were dumb," and then he was surprised when he met a blonde who had a Ph.D. Gary's overgeneralization of blondes would be considered:

A) a self-serving bias.
B) a stereotype.
C) cognitive dissonance.
D) groupthink.

Question 17

Sue is a librarian. Most people think that she is a quiet, introverted homebody away from the job; but, in reality, Sue is very extroverted and the "life of the party." People's initial misconception of Sue is probably due to:

A) groupthink.
B) cognitive dissonance.
C) stereotyping.
D) the fundamental attribution error.

Question 18

Which of the following is FALSE regarding the use of stereotypes?

A) Stereotypes help us to make quick, accurate perceptions about people.
B) Stereotypes may lead us to develop negative attitudes toward whole groups of people.
C) Anger makes it more likely that we will use stereotypes.
D) We often apply stereotypes without being aware of them.

Question 19

___________ are evaluations of people, objects, and ideas.

A) Attitudes
B) Self-serving biases
C) Emotions
D) Deindividuations

Question 20

_____________ is the process of acting in a way that presents a desired image.

A) Deinidividuation
B) Social identification
C) Impression management
D) Fundamental attribution

Question 21

Mr. Cooper owns a large company. He wants to present himself as an owner who is knowledgeable, intelligent, articulate, and compassionate. He has hired a consultant to create this image. The consultant is MOST likely an expert in:

A) impression management.
B) deindividuation.
C) leadership training.
D) social identification.

Question 22

Janet is presenting her paper at a psychology conference. She buys a new suit and shoes, has her hair and nails done, and spends extra time on her make-up the morning of the presentation. Janet is engaging in:

A) social identification.
B) fundamental attribution.
C) ethnocentrism.
D) impression management.

Question 23

We use impression management:

A) especially with people who interest us sexually.
B) especially with people we are not familiar with.
C) in most cases to try to present ourselves as better than we are.
D) in all of the above ways.

Question 24

Which of the following is FALSE regarding impression management?

A) Another name for impression management is self-presentation.
B) We especially use impression management with people who interest us sexually.
C) We especially use impression management with people we are familiar with.
D) Specific techniques of impression management that work in one cultural setting may not work in another.

Question 25

If Sadie wants to improve her chances that she will make a favorable impression during her job interview, she should do all of the following EXCEPT:

A) smile often
B) lean back in the chair in a relaxed manner.
C) maintain a high degree of eye contact.
D) frequently nod her head in agreement with the interviewer.

Question 26

Janine wants to make a favorable impression on Jack, her blind date, so she mirrors the behaviors that Jack displays, such as clasping her hands when Jack does or crossing her legs when he does. This mirroring is known as:

A) the bystander effect.
B) behavioral matching.
C) the elaborate likelihood model.
D) informational social interest.

Question 27

Jeffery prefers to teach his college classes in an informal style while wearing jeans and a pullover. He usually simplifies his explanations of the theories, using movie and television examples. However, when presenting his scientific paper at a conference, Jeffery wears a suit and addresses conference participants in a more formal, scientific style than he uses with his students. According to impression management, Jeffery is:

A) conforming to situational norms.
B) exhibiting cognitive dissonance.
C) exhibiting a self-serving bias.
D) exhibiting behavioral matching.

Question 28

John is a lawyer who spends a great deal of time trying to understand and "read" the members of the jury. He then fine-tunes his performance in order to optimize their impressions of him. John shows a high degree of:

A) the self-serving bias.
B) fundamental attribution.
C) cognitive dissonance.
D) self-monitoring.

Question 29

Dick is a politician who is keenly aware that he must make a good impression at each of his campaign stops. Therefore, Dick tries to "read" the audiences so that he can tailor his remarks and the way he delivers them in order to make a favorable impression on each group. Dick is exhibiting:

A) cognitive dissonance.
B) a self-serving bias.
C) self-monitoring.
D) fundamental attribution.

Question 30

What are the four key components of persuasion?

A) source, message, medium, and target
B) expertise, credibility, medium, target
C) rational, power, source, and message
D) attitude, behavior, cognition, and emotion

Question 31

Trustworthiness, power, attractiveness, likability, and expertise are all credibility characteristics of the:

A) message.
B) target.
C) medium.
D) source.

Question 32

In court, the prosecution and the defense both present psychiatrists to testify concerning the mental status of the accused. Which psychiatrist the jury ultimately believes will most likely depend on which of the following factors?

A) the degree of emotion used by each of the psychiatrists
B) the degree of logic used by each of the psychiatrists
C) the guilt or innocence of the accused
D) the credibility of each of the psychiatrists

Question 33

Phyllis and Jarman are running for class president. Both are trustworthy and dependable, and each gave a good speech. Phyllis is more popular and slightly more attractive than Jarman; and Phyllis also was class vice-president last year. If Phyllis wins the election, it will most likely be due to which element of communication?

A) the source
B) the message
C) the medium
D) the target

Question 34

If you wanted to get your friend to see things your way, you would be more successful if:

A) you just waited long enough for the idea to sink in.
B) your view was endorsed by an expert on the topic.
C) you eliminated all fear related to the topic.
D) you used deception.

Question 35

Communicators are more likely to be persuasive when they appear:

A) similar to the target audience.
B) disimilar to the target audience.
C) to have a very high self-esteem.
D) unemotional and controlled.

Question 36

If the target audience is not well informed about a particular issue, they are more likely to respond to:

A) a logical, rational appeal.
B) an emotional appeal.
C) visual aids, such as pictures, graphs, and charts.
D) none of the above.

Question 37

If you wanted to scare people to get them to floss their teeth, which strategy would be the most effective in getting them to change their behavior?

A) Explain to people the reasons why they will lose their teeth if they do not floss.
B) Show people gory pictures of what happens to teeth and gums when neglected.
C) Show people gory pictures of what happens to teeth and gums when neglected and then give them . instructions on how to avoid diseased teeth and gums.
D) Fear-induced strategies are not effective in changing behavior.

Question 38

Phyllis and Jarman are running for class president. Both are trustworthy, dependable, popular, and served as a class officer last year. Both candidates presented logical reasons for people to vote for them, but Jarman was wearing the school's sweater and used famous lines from popular songs in her speech. If Jarman wins the election, it will most likely be due to her use of:

A) the target.
B) the peripheral route of the message.
C) the central route of the message.
D) the medium.

Question 39

The model that has been proposed to explain the relationship between emotional and rational appeals is the:

A) rational-emotive model.
B) cognitive appraisal model.
C) elaboration likelihood model.
D) emotion-persuasive model.

Question 40

In order to sell a new piece of exercise equipment, the actors on the TV commercial explain the benefits to middle-aged persons of keeping fit, while in the background a 70s rock song is playing. The explanation of the benefits would be the _______ route of the message, while the music would be the_______ route of the message.

A) central; peripheral
B) peripheral; central
C) credibility; target
D) target; medium

Question 41

The _________ route to persuasion is effective when people are not paying close attention to what the communicator is saying, while the ________ route is more persuasive when people have the ability and are motivated to pay attention to the facts.

A) central; peripheral
B) peripheral; central
C) credibility; target
D) target; medium

Question 42

Television, radio, and newspapers are examples of which component of persuasion?

A) source
B) message
C) target
D) medium

Question 43

Political messages tend to be more persuasive if they are presented:

A) on talk radio because there is debate between the politician and the host.
B) on music radio because the message is associated with the music the listener identifies with.
C) on television because the politician's appearance and mannerisms can be seen as the message is delivered
D) in newspaper editorials and opinion articles because the information is presented in a more logical and thoughtful format.

Question 44

If all other audience characteristics are equal, which of the following persons is MOST likely to change his/her attitude?

A) Paul, who is 35 years old
B) Gwen, who is 20 years old
C) Grace, who is 70 years old
D) Todd, who is 43 years old

Question 45

Doris has voted for every Democratic candidate for President since she started voting. Jeffery has voted for the Republican candidate in all but one of the last seven presidential elections. Ed has voted for the Democratic candidate in four of the last seven elections, the Republican candidate in two elections, and once for a third-party candidate. Which of these people would be the one most likely to be persuaded by the TV ads and the presidential debates?

A) Doris
B) Jeffery
C) Ed
D) Each of them is equally likely to be persuaded because television is a powerful medium

Question 46

___________ is a change in a person's behavior to coincide more closely with a group standard.

A) Obedience
B) Compliance
C) Conformity
D) Deindividuation

Question 47

Although Kimberly has never liked to go bowling, her friends at school have started spending every Friday night at the bowling alley. So, every Friday night, Kimberly can be found at the bowling alley with her friends. Kimberly is exhibiting:

A) conformity.
B) obedience.
C) compliance.
D) deindividuation.

Question 48

Sammy is in a grocery store with his friends. He sees each of his friends steal a candy bar. Although Sammy knows stealing is wrong, he goes ahead and steals a candy bar just like his friends did. Sammy is exhibiting:

A) obedience.
B) conformity.
C) compliance.
D) deindividuation.

Question 49

Asch's experiment revealed that people:

A) tend to stand up for what they believe.
B) will obey the orders of a person in authority.
C) tend to go along with the group even when the group is wrong.
D) have difficulty judging the length of lines.

Question 50

What percentage of the time did subjects in Asch's study conform to the group's incorrect answers?

A) 15%
B) 35%
C) 55%
D) 75%

Question 51

In Fein's experiment, students were randomly assigned to three groups to watch the Clinton-Bush debates of the 1990s. Two of the groups had persons (confederates) in them who were actually working with Fein and were told to cheer Clinton and criticize Bush in one group and the reverse in the other group. The third group served as the control group. The real subjects in the two groups were then asked to rate the candidates' performances. It was found that the group pressure exerted by the confederates had
______________ on how the candidates were rated by each of the experimental groups.

A) a strong effect
B) a slight effect
C) a slight but opposite effect
D) no effect

Question 52

____________ is the influence to conform that other people have on us because we seek their approval or seek to avoid their disapproval.

A) Informational social influence
B) Normative social influence
C) Reciprocal social influence
D) Compliant social influence

Question 53

Jeanie was afraid to jump off the high dive into the pool, but all of her friends were doing it. So, Jeanie jumped off the high dive because she did not want them to think that she was "chicken." Jeanie was influenced to conform due to:

A) reciprocal social influence.
B) compliant social influence.
C) normative social influence.
D) informational social influence.

Question 54

______________ causes people to conform because they want to be right.

A) Informational social influence
B) Normative social influence
C) Ethnocentric social influence
D) Elaborative social influence

Question 55

Carl is planning to buy a new car. He notices that two people at work drive older models of the car that he is thinking about buying, so he asks them how their cars have performed over the years. Both of them say that they have had a great deal of trouble with the car and had numerous repair bills. Carl decides to look into other car brands. Carl's decision is due to:

A) ethnocentric social influence.
B) informational social influence.
C) normative social influence.
D) elaborative social influence.

Question 56

The tendency to conform based on _________ social influence depends on how confident we are in our own independent judgment and how well informed we perceive the group to be.

A) ethnocentric
B) normative
C) elaborative
D) informational

Question 57

A person is more likely to conform if:

A) the group's opinion is divided.
B) s/he has made a prior commitment to an idea or action.
C) s/he has low self-esteem.
D) s/he is from an individualistic culture.

Question 58

A person is more likely to conform if:

A) the group's opinion is divided.
B) s/he has not made a prior commitment to an idea or action.
C) s/he has high self-esteem.
D) s/he is from an individualistic culture.

Question 59

A person is more likely to conform if:

A) the group's opinion is unanimous.
B) s/he has made a prior commitment to an idea or action.
C) s/he has high self-esteem.
D) s/he is from an individualistic culture.

Question 60

At a political rally, Murray publicly endorsed Amy for city council. During the next few weeks, whenever Murray is around his friends, they are always talking about supporting another candidate. Murray will probably not conform to his friends' opinion because:

A) of informational social influence.
B) of normative social influence.
C) of his prior commitment to endorsing Amy.
D) Murray was raised in the U.S., which is a collectivistic culture.

Question 61

Jeffery is from England, Amy is from the United States, Martha is from Germany, and Kim is from China. Which one is from a culture that has a high conformity rate?

A) Jeffery
B) Amy
C) Martha
D) Kim

Question 62

How does obedience differ from conformity?

A) People obey more easily than they conform.
B) People conform more easily than they obey.
C) In conformity, people change their behavior without being told to do so.
D) With obedience, people change their behavior without being told to do so.

Question 63

The classic experiment on obedience involving a "teacher" and a "learner" was done by:

A) Solomon Ache.
B) Stanley Milgram.
C) Robert Cialdini.
D) Erik Erikson.

Question 64

The real subject in Milgram's classic obedience study was the:

A) authority figure.
B) "teacher"
C) "learner"
D) electric shock

Question 65

Forty psychiatrists predicted that only 1 in 1,000 of the subjects in Milgram's study would deliver the full 450 volts. In actuality, almost _______ of the subjects delivered the full voltage.

A) 10 %
B) 33 %
C) 50 %
D) 66 %

Question 66

When Milgram moved his obedience experiment from the university campus to a storefront and recruited volunteers through a newspaper ad, the percentage of subjects who administered the full 450 volts was:

A) 20%
B) 43%
C) 66%
D) 85%.

Question 67

The fact that so many people administered the highest level of shock in Milgram's study suggests that:

A) many people willingly obey authority even when it may be morally wrong.
B) most people lack a conscience.
C) shocking learners will not lead to increased retention of the course material.
D) most of the people knew that the shocks were not real.

Question 68

According to Milgram, which of the following situations encouraged disobedience in his studies?

A) having the authority nearby
B) using a legitimate authority figure
C) when participants saw other subjects disobey
D) using a more modern-looking shock apparatus

Question 69

Which of the following statements concerning Milgram's experiment is/are TRUE?

A) Even after the experiment was completed, the volunteers were never told that the shocks were fake.
B) Fifty percent of the participants said that they were sorry they had participated in this experiment.
C) Under current APA ethical guidelines, it is unlikely that the Milgram experiment would be conducted today.
D) All of the above statements are true.

Question 70

According to your textbook, if you wish to resist an unjust request by a person in a position of authority, you can:

A) give the appearance of complying but secretly do otherwise.
B) openly disregard the order and refuse to comply.
C) get higher authorities to intervene.
D) do any of the above.

Question 71

Which of the following social psychologists identified six basic principles of persuasion and compliance?

A) Robert Cialdini
B) Stanley Milgram
C) Solomon Ache
D) Philip Zimbardo

Question 72

You open an envelope from a charity. Inside you find 25 mailing labels with your name on them and a letter telling you to keep this gift while also asking you to make a donation to this charity. The compliance professional that sent out this mailing is using which principle of compliance?

A) social proof
B) scarcity
C) reciprocation
D) commitment and consistency

Question 73

In your local supermarket, there is a lady giving out samples of a new snack treat. You sample it, and she gives you a coupon for 25 cents off the price and tells you that she hopes you will buy the product. If you buy this new snack treat, you have complied due to which principle of compliance?

A) reciprocation
B) scarcity
C) liking
D) social proof

Question 74

The ___________ strategy begins with an extreme request that is bound to be rejected, from which the person then retreats to a smaller request that was desired all along.

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

Question 75

Marta's co-worker has asked Marta if she would consider working all three of her shifts this weekend. Marta refuses and her co-worker then says, "Couldn't you help me out by at least working one of the shifts this weekend?" Marta agrees to this request. The co-worker has used the:

A) high-ball-strategy.
B) carrot-strategy.
C) foot-in-the-door-strategy.
D) door-in-the-face-strategy.

Question 76

Ginny signed up to be a band booster at her son's high school and paid the $5 dues. The next week, she was asked to help cook and sell hamburgers at the next three football games to raise money to buy new band uniforms. Ginny will most likely comply because of:

A) reciprocation.
B) commitment and consistency.
C) social proof.
D) authority.

Question 77

_______________ consists of obtaining compliance with a small request in order to obtain compliance later with a larger request.

A) High-ball-strategy
B) Carrot-whip-strategy
C) Foot-in-the-door-strategy
D) Door-in-the face-strategy

Question 78

Mitzi's neighbor who does not drive asks Mitzi if she would drive her to the supermarket each week. Mitzi complies. Then, after four weeks, Mitzi's neighbor asks her if she will take her to a doctor's appointment in a city over an hour away. Mitzi's neighbor is using the:

A) door-in-the-face-strategy.
B) foot-in-the-door-strategy.
C) carrot-whip-strategy.
D) foot-in-the-face-strategy.

Question 79

The door-in-the-face strategy illustrates the principle of ______________, while the foot-in-the-door strategy illustrates the principle of ______________.

A) reciprocation; commitment and consistency
B) social proof; reciprocation
C) commitment and consistency; social proof
D) authority; scarcity

Question 80

When people are uncertain what to do, they often use the actions of others as a guide, particularly people who are similar to them. This illustrates:

A) reciprocation.
B) social proof.
C) the foot-in-the-door-strategy.
D) the effects of authority.