Deck 3: Perception, Attribution, and Diversity

Question 1

According to Bruner's model of the perceptual process,when an unfamiliar target is encountered,we are likely to be ________ to target cues.Once the target has been categorized,however,we become ________ selective in our cue search.

A)open; more
B)closed; more
C)open; less
D)closed; less
E)selective; consistent

Answer 1

A

Question 2

________ is defined as the failure to perceive unpleasant emotions.

Answer 2

Perceptual defence

Question 3

Define "perception." What are its three main components?

Answer 3

Perception is the process of interpreting the messages of our senses to provide order and meaning to the environment.Its three main components are the perceiver,a target that is being perceived,and a situational context in which the perception is occurring.

Question 4

The perceiver's experience,needs,and ________ can affect his or her perceptions of a target.

Question 5

Perceptual defence is

A)the tendency for the perceptual system to defend the perceiver against unpleasant emotions.
B)the tendency to attribute one's own thoughts and feelings to others.
C)the tendency to generalize about people and ignore variations between individuals.
D)the process by which motives are assigned to explain people's behaviour.
E)the process of interpreting messages of our senses to provide meaning.

Question 6

Prototypes refer to

A)members of a social category who best represent the attributes of that category.
B)our unique personal characteristics, such as our interests, abilities, and traits.
C)our perception that we belong to various social groups, such as our gender, nationality, and so on.
D)the most typical attributes embodied by members that belong to a social category.
E)social categories that we use to categorize people such as gender, religion, and so on.

Question 7

According to social identity theory,our sense of self is composed of a

A)personal identity and relational identity.
B)personal identity and social identity.
C)social identity and relational identity.
D)self identity and social identity.
E)social identity and normative identity.

Question 8

Nicole believes that her presentation was very good even though she overheard some of her friends say that it was the worst in the class.What is this an example of?

A)Projection
B)Perceptual defence
C)Self-serving bias
D)Actor-observer effect
E)Fundamental attribution error

Question 9

Paul met a salesperson for the first time.His first impression was that she was pushy,as were most people in sales that Paul had encountered in the past.According to Bruner's model of the perceptual process,Paul is most likely to

A)seek out cues that contradict his first impression.
B)change his perception as soon as new cues become evident.
C)select cues that confirm his first impression.
D)recategorize the target.
E)form a stereotype about the salesperson.

Question 10

What aspects of a perceiver can affect his or her perceptions of a target?

A)Experience, cognitions, and needs
B)Experience, cognitions, and emotions
C)Experience, needs, and values
D)Experience, needs, and beliefs
E)Experience, needs, and emotions

Question 11

Your interest in music and your musical talents can contribute to your personal identity.

Question 12

Which of the following statements most accurately defines "perception"?

A)Perception is reality.
B)Perception is the tendency to attribute one's own thoughts and feelings to others.
C)Perception is the tendency to generalize about people and ignore variations between individuals.
D)Perception is the process by which motives are assigned to explain people's behaviour.
E)Perception is the process of interpreting messages of our senses to provide meaning.

Question 13

Social identity is based on our perception that we are similar to many other individuals.

Question 14

The three main components of perception are

A)selectivity, constancy, and primacy.
B)primacy, recency, and projection.
C)perceiver, situation, and target.
D)perceiver, situation, and projection.
E)perceiver, target, and attribution.

Question 15

Which of the following best represents the notion that social identities are relational and comparative?

A)Medical students are perceived as doctors by patients in the hospital but as children by their parents.
B)Medical students are perceived as doctors by patients in the hospital but as students by their professors in the classroom.
C)Medical students are perceived as doctors by patients in the hospital but as students by themselves.
D)Medical students are perceived as students by patients in the hospital and as students by their professors in the classroom.
E)Medical students are perceived as students by patients in the hospital before they graduate, but as doctors by the same patients after they have graduated.

Question 16

Our sense of self is composed of a self-identity and a social identity.

Question 17

Projection is the tendency to act differently from the way we feel; to put on a false face,so to speak.

Question 18

What is perceptual defence? Give an example.

Question 19

Personal identity is based on our unique characteristics,such as our interests,abilities,and traits.

Question 20

According to Bruner's model of perception,we are most open to cues about a target

A)when the target is first encountered.
B)when the target has been categorized.
C)when the target is very familiar to us.
D)when we already have a lot of information about the target.
E)once the categorization has been strengthened.

Question 21

The chairperson opened the meeting by saying "I'm sure you all agree with me that ..." What perceptual phenomenon might the speaker be exhibiting?

A)Implicit personality theory
B)Projection
C)Fundamental attribution error
D)Similar-to-me effect
E)Stereotyping

Question 22

Our ________ is based on our unique personal characteristics,such as our interests,abilities,and traits.

Question 23

Social identities are relational and ________.

Question 24

I am a Canadian male who wants to become a doctor.Knowing this contributes to my ________.

Question 25

Knowing that a person falls into some social category,we might assume that he or she possesses certain traits,and that everyone in this category possesses these traits.This is an example of

A)reliance on central traits.
B)a situational attribution.
C)projection.
D)a stereotype.
E)consensus cues.

Question 26

My perceptions of people are strongly influenced by how kind they are to others.Which concept explains my reaction?

A)Central tendency
B)Central trait
C)Similar-to-me effect
D)Primacy effect
E)Projection

Question 27

When I see somebody who is Canadian,I begin to perceive them as being friendly,modest,and nice because these are the ________ that I associate with the category of Canadian.

Question 28

"You're just like me.I despise you." Which perceptual tendency might the speaker be revealing?

A)Actor-observer effect
B)Self-serving bias
C)Projection
D)Similar-to-me effect
E)Central Trait

Question 29

What is social identity theory and how does it help us understand stereotypes and discrimination?

Question 30

We tend to see members of a category as embodying the most typical attributes of that category,or what are called ________.

Question 31

If recency is operating within a selection interview,the job candidate would be well advised to

A)see the interviewer late in the day.
B)hold off revealing some good qualities until the end of the interview.
C)try to be the last applicant interviewed.
D)list his or her most recent jobs first on his or her resume.
E)ask for a different interviewer.

Question 32

Your gender,religion,and occupation are important in the formation of your personal identity.

Question 33

A prototype is a member of a social category who is easy to identify and categorize.

Question 34

For many months,Sam performed his job excellently.However,just before his performance evaluation,Sam's boss saw him insult a client.In the performance evaluation,the boss gave Sam a very low rating.What happened?

A)Recency effect
B)Harshness
C)Contrast effect
D)Self-serving bias
E)Primacy effect

Question 35

Our ________ is based on our perception that we belong to various social groups,such as our gender,nationality,religion,occupation,and so on.

Question 36

I love sports and I am very good at hockey and baseball.I also really love food and my friends say that I am a great cook.These things all contribute to my ________.

Question 37

Which of the following statements may indicate projection by the speaker?

A)"I didn't land the contract because the competition was just too good."
B)"I would never assign a woman to that sales territory."
C)"Telling a white lie to clinch a sale is perfectly ethical."
D)"Most of my sales staff think like I think."
E)"I don't steal from the company but I'm sure that others do."

Question 38

Which of the following statements is indicative of an implicit personality theory on the part of the speaker?

A)"Roger is aggressive."
B)"Accountants are intelligent."
C)"Introverts are honest."
D)"Women make bad managers."
E)"Teenagers drive more recklessly than seniors."

Question 39

If primacy is operating within a selection interview,the job candidate would be well advised to

A)get an early appointment to see the interviewer.
B)see the interviewer early in the morning.
C)be sure her good qualities come out early in the interview.
D)engage the interviewer in small talk before getting down to business.
E)ask for a different interviewer.

Question 40

According to ________,people form perceptions of themselves based on their characteristics and memberships in social categories.

Question 41

Attributing our own thoughts,feelings,or attitudes to someone else is characteristic of ________.

Question 42

Having a mental model where certain traits tend to "fit together" is indicative of a(n)________.

Question 43

A recency effect means that the most recently acquired information we have about a target person has the least effect on our impression of the target.

Question 44

The person who fails to perceive differences among the members of a class or category of people has fallen prey to a(n)________.

Question 45

We may rely on dispositional explanations when making judgments about the behaviour of other people because

A)we are making excuses for our own behaviour.
B)we have a tendency to give others the benefit of the doubt when they offend us.
C)we don't appreciate how their behaviour can vary in other situations.
D)we realize that circumstances beyond their control can cause them to act the way they do.
E)we have a tendency to project our own thoughts and feelings on others.

Question 46

Heloise was happy that the systems manager was fired.She incorrectly assumed that everyone else in the company was also happy.What perceptual tendency is at work here?

A)Fundamental attribution error
B)Similar-to-me effect
C)Projection
D)Occupational stereotyping
E)Consensus cues

Question 47

Rosa thinks that her new hardworking friend is also very honest so she agrees to lend him some money.What is this an example of?

A)projection
B)implicit personality theories
C)fundamental attribution error
D)reliance on central traits
E)stereotyping

Question 48

A stereotype suggests that we fail to perceive important distinctions within a class or category of people.

Question 49

When we explain a behaviour by referring to some internal personality characteristic,we are NOT offering

A)an inference about the cause of the behaviour.
B)an attribution.
C)a dispositional explanation.
D)a situational explanation.
E)a rational explanation.

Question 50

Driving home from an auto repair shop,you find that the repair you just paid for wasn't done properly.Which of the following would increase your tendency to blame the mechanic's error on dispositional factors?

A)You have never had a car repair done right the first time by any mechanic.
B)When you picked up the car, the shop manager said that the mechanic had gone home early because he was injured on the job.
C)This mechanic has done poor repairs on your car twice before.
D)Several friends told you that this mechanic was excellent.
E)You had authorized the mechanic to use reconditioned parts instead of new ones.

Question 51

Perceptually exaggerating the weight of some newly obtained information about an old friend is an example of the ________.

Question 52

You have a friend who is very tall and always seems to be getting paid more than you and everyone else that is shorter than him.One reason for this might be ________.

Question 53

The more information you have about Bob,the more likely a stereotype will influence your perceptions of him.

Question 54

"Kevin acts the same as everyone else." The speaker here is invoking a ________ cue.

A)recency
B)distinctiveness
C)consensus
D)consistency
E)stereotype

Question 55

"Geraldo acts differently from everyone else." The speaker in the statement is invoking a ________ cue.

A)consistency
B)recency
C)distinctiveness
D)consensus
E)situational

Question 56

When we invoke ________,we tend not to perceive differences between people.

A)projection
B)the halo effect
C)a stereotype
D)the recency effect
E)consistency cues

Question 57

I say you are angry when,truly,I am angry.This is an example of projection.

Question 58

Exaggerating the weight of cues obtained early in an interaction with someone is the hallmark of the ________.

Question 59

Describe four common biases which may influence the impressions that we form of others.

Question 60

Which is a potential example of the fundamental attribution error?

A)John explained his failure to land the big account by saying that the competing firm had a better product.
B)Nancy explained her department's success by describing her boss as brilliant.
C)Tom realized that most of his crew failed to get to work because of the big snowstorm.
D)Rodney defended his boss's embezzlement by pointing out that he was under severe marital stress at the time of the incident.
E)Susan acknowledged that her company's sales growth was largely due to the booming economy.

Question 61

"He does it everywhere,he does it all the time,and no one else does it." Which cue combination is the speaker invoking?

A)High consensus, high consistency, high distinctiveness
B)Low consensus, high consistency, low distinctiveness
C)Low consensus, low consistency, high distinctiveness
D)High consensus, low consistency, low distinctiveness
E)Low consensus, low consistency, low distinctiveness

Question 62

The self-serving bias

A)may involve providing excuses for one's own behaviour.
B)suggests that we will provide dispositional reasons for our failures.
C)suggests that we will provide situational reasons for our successes.
D)may lead one to provide phony compliments when things go well for others.
E)may lead one to attribute their own thoughts and feelings to others.

Question 63

On a construction site,Ray drops a wrench and it almost hits Cecil on the head.If Cecil develops a situational (as opposed to dispositional)explanation of Ray's behaviour he might assume that

A)he was the target of a murder attempt.
B)the wrench was oily and it slipped.
C)Ray is stupid.
D)Ray is a careless person.
E)Ray has a poor aim.

Question 64

The actor-observer effect suggests that

A)actors and observers tend to view the actor's behaviour in an identical way.
B)actors tend to make dispositional attributions about their own behaviour.
C)actors and observers tend to view the actor's behaviour in a different way.
D)observers tend to make situational attributions about the actor's behaviour.
E)actors tend to take credit for successful outcomes and blame failures on observers.

Question 65

Other things equal,high consensus behaviour on the part of an employee will lead a manager to make a dispositional attribution about the behaviour.

Question 66

"He does it everywhere,he does it all the time,and no one else does it." Which attribution is the speaker likely to make?

A)Dispositional
B)Situational
C)Self-serving
D)Temporary situation
E)Actor-observer effect

Question 67

"Karen acts differently from everyone else,but Byron acts the same as everyone else." The speaker here is invoking a ________ cue to describe Karen's behaviour and a ________ cue to describe Byron's behaviour.

A)distinctiveness; consensus
B)distinctiveness; consistency
C)consensus; consistency
D)consensus; consensus
E)consistency; consistency

Question 68

Bob resigns from a job that most of his friends consider to be a very good job.Which of the following is a dispositional attribution of the reason for Bob's resignation?

A)Bob found a super job somewhere else.
B)Bob is irresponsible and doesn't know a good thing when he sees it.
C)Bob was forced to move to another city where medical care for his ill daughter is available.
D)The job that he resigned from was actually very bad.
E)The job that he resigned from was scheduled to be eliminated in an upcoming restructuring.

Question 69

The tendency for actors to attribute their behaviour to situational factors can be overcome by

A)the fundamental attribution error.
B)the actor-observer effect.
C)the self-serving bias.
D)perceptual defence.
E)contrast effects.

Question 70

The fact that people will explain the very same behaviour differently on the basis of events that happened after the behaviour occurred is suggested by

A)the fundamental attribution error.
B)the actor-observer effect.
C)the self-serving bias.
D)perceptual defence.
E)contrast effects.

Question 71

Orli is absent a lot,her co-workers are also absent a lot,but she was almost never absent in her previous job.What kind of attribution is her manager likely to make?

A)Disposition
B)Situation
C)Temporary situation
D)Temporary disposition
E)It depends on other factors.

Question 72

Samantha engages in a low consensus behaviour.What other combination of cues will ensure that an observer makes a dispositional attribution about the behaviour?

A)The behaviour is also low in distinctiveness and low in consistency.
B)The behaviour is also low in distinctiveness and high in consistency.
C)The behaviour is also high in distinctiveness and low in consistency.
D)The behaviour is also high in distinctiveness and high in consistency.
E)The behaviour is also low in distinctiveness and high in contrast.

Question 73

A reporter covering a price fixing trial felt that the alleged price fixer was a crook.The alleged price fixer testified that his boss pressured him to engage in illegal activities.The alleged price fixer felt that the reporter's stories about the trial were the product of a vindictive and nasty mind.The price fixer explained his own behaviour ________ and that of the reporter ________.

A)situationally; situationally
B)dispositionally, dispositionally
C)situationally; dispositionally
D)dispositionally; situationally
E)desperately, consistently

Question 74

Which is a potential example of the fundamental attribution error?

A)Shawn thought that her secretary was the kindest person she had ever met.
B)Rich figured that the team was late because of congested air traffic over Atlanta.
C)Pam explained that late report by noting that she wasn't familiar with the new software.
D)Cleo mistook the female vice-president for a secretary.
E)Joe attributed the car accident to slippery pavement.

Question 75

Rita inaccurately attributed Tommy's failure to show up at work to car problems.This is a potential example of the fundamental attribution error.

Question 76

Wes inaccurately attributed Nina's failure to show up at work to her poor work ethic.This is a potential example of the fundamental attribution error.

Question 77

Taylor is seldom absent,her co-workers are seldom absent,and she was seldom absent in her previous job.What kind of attribution is her manager likely to make?

A)Disposition
B)Situation
C)Temporary situation
D)Temporary disposition
E)It depends on other factors.

Question 78

After writing an exam,Yani told everybody that he did not study very hard and spent the weekend partying and playing video games.However,when the exam grades were posted the following week,Yani told everybody that he never studied so hard for an exam in his life and he described himself as brilliant.What is this an example of?

A)The fundamental attribution error
B)The actor-observer effect
C)The self-serving bias
D)Perceptual defence
E)Contrast effects

Question 79

Gloria is absent a lot,her co-workers are seldom absent,and she was absent a lot in her previous job.What kind of attribution is her manager likely to make?

A)Disposition
B)Situation
C)Temporary situation
D)Temporary disposition
E)It depends on other factors.

Question 80

After writing an exam,Yani told everybody that he studied really hard and spent a great deal of time preparing for the exam.However,when the exam grades were posted the following week,Yani did not talk about how he studied but instead told everybody that the exam was not fair and was poorly graded.What is this an example of?

A)The fundamental attribution error
B)The actor-observer effect
C)The self-serving bias
D)Perceptual defence
E)Contrast effects