Deck 12: Groups

Question 1

Michael is exceptionally good at Ping-Pong. According to research on social facilitation, when good players such as Michael know they are being watched while they play, they perform

A) better than good players who do not know they are being watched.
B) worse than bad players who do not know they are being watched.
C) the same as good players who do not know they are being watched.
D) the same as bad players who know they are being watched.

Answer 1

better than good players who do not know they are being watched.

Question 2

Evaluation apprehension can ________ a task, and thereby leads to more pronounced social facilitation effects.

A) increase how much effort we put into
B) decease how much effort we put into
C) increase how aroused we are during
D) decrease how aroused we are during

Answer 2

increase how aroused we are during

Question 3

According to research on group polarization, people who make decisions in groups tend to make more ________ decisions than people who make decisions on their own.

A) extreme
B) divided
C) conservative
D) accurate

Answer 3

extreme

Question 4

Kari is practicing lines for a school play. According to the research reviewed in the textbook, under what conditions will the presence of others detract from her ability to learn the lines?

A) if the other people are blindfolded
B) if Kari finds the task easy
C) if Kari knows the lines well
D) if Kari finds the task difficult

Question 5

Who will likely perform better on an upcoming test?

A) Shannon, who is studying primarily alone
B) Kelly, who is studying only in a group of ten
C) Brad, who is studying only in a group of two
D) There will be no difference in test performance regardless of the context of studying.

Question 6

Norman Triplett conducted what is widely regarded as social psychology's first experiment. He found that children tended to perform a relatively easy task better while in the presence of another child doing the same task. This finding set the stage for research on

A) social facilitation.
B) social loafing.
C) groupthink.
D) dissonance.

Question 7

Recall that Robert Zajonc placed cockroaches in either a complex maze or a simple maze. He created three other conditions as well. Any given cockroach was induced to navigate the maze (a) entirely alone; (b) in the presence of an "audience" of cockroaches; or (c) simultaneously with another cockroach (but without an audience). The audience condition (b) permitted Zajonc to demonstrate whether

A) audiences pay attention to competitors.
B) the mere presence of others can facilitate or hinder performance.
C) complex tasks are performed less well than simple tasks.
D) competitive situations are preferred over solitary situations.

Question 8

Imagine you are playing a video game when five strangers arrive to watch you. According to Robert Zajonc's work on social facilitation, the ________ created by the presence of these strangers would impair your performance if you ________ this particular video game.

A) dissonance; are unfamiliar with
B) dissonance; dislike
C) arousal; dislike
D) arousal; are unfamiliar with

Question 9

Which of the following scenarios best captures the definition of a group, as described in the textbook?

A) people who stand together during an elevator ride
B) people who wait together in the same room for a job interview
C) people who decide how to help a stranded motorist
D) people who watch someone get stabbed while they are sitting on the same bus

Question 10

According to ________ theory, being aware of another person's presence divides our attention between this person and the task at hand. This division of attention is arousing, which explains why people perform better on well-learned tasks in the presence of others.

A) deindividuation
B) mere presence
C) evaluation apprehension
D) distraction-conflict

Question 11

In which of the following scenarios is social loafing most likely to occur?

A) during a competitive bike race such as the Tour de France
B) while moving large furniture with a group of friends
C) during a group project where each group member's work will be graded individually
D) when trick-or-treaters are asked to provide their names

Question 12

As discussed in the textbook, social psychological research on culture and valuing risk shows that

A) citizens of the United States tend to endorse riskier solutions than do citizens of Uganda and Liberia.
B) group discussion leads to riskier decisions among Africans than among Americans.
C) collectivist cultures value risky decisions, whereas individualist cultures value cautious decisions.
D) Both a and c are correct.

Question 13

Robert Zajonc found that the mere presence of others tends to facilitate performance ________, but to hinder performance ________.

A) on novel tasks; on well-learned tasks
B) on well-learned tasks; on novel tasks
C) among women; among men
D) among men; among women

Question 14

In which of the following situations can the presence of others mask the typical social facilitation effects?

A) when employees have powerful norms against working too hard, and "rate busters" are chastised
B) when African American students put out less effort in the presence of other African American students to avoid "acting white"
C) when adolescent boys want to convey a lack of interest in a childlike task when others are present
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 15

Tom finds solving math problems easy. According to the research reviewed in the textbook, when Tom solves math problems in the presence of others (as opposed to alone), his

A) performance is likely to suffer.
B) inhibitions are likely to decrease.
C) performance is likely to improve.
D) fear of negative evaluation is likely to increase.

Question 16

Research on social facilitation warrants some practical advice. All of the following recommendations are supported by this research EXCEPT when

A) students want to memorize unfamiliar information, they should do it alone.
B) students want to review material they have already learned, they should not do it in a study group.
C) supervisors want their employees to do simple tasks well, they should have the employees do them in the presence of others.
D) supervisors want their employees to complete challenging tasks, they should give employees some privacy.

Question 17

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the phenomenon of social loafing?

A) exerting minimal effort on a group project
B) showing minimal concern over other people's desires or problems
C) avoiding social interactions that require complex thought
D) losing one's motivation to be liked by other people

Question 18

Jason is getting ready to give the first lecture of his teaching career. As he steps up to the podium and looks out at the lecture hall, he is struck by the fear that he will appear incompetent in front of his students. Jason is experiencing

A) distraction conflict.
B) deindividuation.
C) evaluation apprehension.
D) groupthink.

Question 19

Research on social ________ suggests that performance ________when novel tasks are performed in the presence of others.

A) facilitation; improves
B) facilitation; suffers
C) loafing; improves
D) loafing; suffers

Question 20

According to the textbook, which of the following statements about group living is correct?

A) Group living gave our human ancestors protection from predators, efficiency in acquiring food, and help with child rearing.
B) All mammalian species live in groups.
C) Humans have a physical but not psychological need to belong in groups.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 21

Researchers have manipulated how powerful participants felt during an experiment. Consistent with the approach/inhibition theory of power, study results suggested that high-power participants were

A) more likely to use individuating information.
B) more likely to show empathy.
C) more likely to stereotype others.
D) less likely to take others' perspectives.

Question 22

The symptoms of groupthink include all of the following EXCEPT

A) being open to outside criticism.
B) considering few alternative viewpoints.
C) ignoring relevant facts.
D) believing in the group's moral superiority.

Question 23

The approach/inhibition theory of power suggests that ________ individuals are more inclined to pursue their goals, whereas ________ individuals are more inclined to constrain their behavior.

A) high-power male; high-power female
B) low-power; high-power
C) high-power; low-power
D) low-power female; high-power female

Question 24

According to the social comparison interpretation of group polarization, when exposed to other group members' attitudes, people's attitudes tend to become more extreme in the ________ because they want to ________.

A) opposite direction of the group's attitudes; play "devil's advocate"
B) opposite direction of the group's attitudes; distinguish themselves from others
C) same direction the group is already leaning; distinguish themselves from others
D) same direction the group is already leaning; play "devil's advocate"

Question 25

A detested political dictator can be thought to have ________ without________.

A) status; power
B) power; status
C) status; authority
D) power; authority

Question 26

With his roommates, Jason participates in a group discussion on the merits of gun control. Once the discussion is over, Jason finds that he and his roommates have all adopted similarly strong pro-gun control attitudes. This is an example of

A) groupthink.
B) social loafing. .
C) group polarization.
D) social facilitation.

Question 27

Matt ran for student body president at Arlen High School. He won the election, which thrust him into a position of great power and prestige. Research on power suggests that after becoming president, Matt might be

A) more likely to touch or stand close to other students.
B) less likely to flirt.
C) more accurate at judging how other people are feeling.
D) less rude.

Question 28

Evan is inclined to support the pro-choice position on abortion. He used to talk about abortion with a wide range of friends with different views. Then he stumbled on an Internet bulletin board that is visited almost exclusively by people who are pro-choice. Once this happened, he restricted his discussions on abortion with the other bulletin board members. According to social psychological research, Evan's attitude toward abortion is likely to become more

A) heterogeneous.
B) ambivalent.
C) extreme.
D) moderate.

Question 29

Groupthink can be very powerful in interdependent cultures, such as in Japan, where the drive toward group harmony is especially strong. Despite this tendency toward groupthink, Japanese companies tend to be highly effective. According to the textbook, what practice might help to explain this?

A) Colleagues often engage in staged debates and someone plays "devil's advocate."
B) After the CEO states his or her opinion, he or she asks employees to engage in an open discussion.
C) CEOs meet individually with employees to discuss the relevant issues before a decision is made.
D) CEOs make decisions alone.

Question 30

John wants to examine whether social comparison processes help explain why the group polarization effect occurs, beyond the effects of persuasive arguments. He decides to conduct an experiment. John should expose individual group members to ________ to see if group polarization still occurs.

A) a pool of specific arguments without conveying any information about the positions endorsed by the rest of the group
B) the positions endorsed by the rest of the group without conveying the specific content of their arguments
C) the positions endorsed by all others in the group and the specific content of their respective arguments
D) a pool of specific arguments and ask them to guess which other group member(s) made them

Question 31

Which of the following events best illustrates the disastrous effects of groupthink?

A) the Johnson administration's eventual decision to decrease the number of troops fighting in Vietnam
B) the Kennedy administration's decision to conduct the Bay of Pigs invasion
C) the Japanese government's decision to bomb Pearl Harbor
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 32

Raymond is in a position where he is able to control his own outcomes and those of others. Which of the following terms best describes what Raymond possesses?

A) status
B) power
C) authority
D) dominance

Question 33

Which of the following statements captures the persuasive arguments account of why group polarization occurs? Discussing an issue in a group

A) exposes group members to even more arguments in favor of the position that the average group member was already inclined to take.
B) exposes group members to arguments that contradict their original positions.
C) gives each person a chance to state his or her opinion out loud, which increases his or her commitment to that opinion.
D) increases group members' motivation to reach a consensus.

Question 34

In order to prevent the occurrence of groupthink, a group leader should

A) refrain from making his or her opinion known at the beginning of the discussion.
B) decrease the group's exposure to opinions of nongroup members.
C) dismiss group members who are critical of the prevailing opinion.
D) increase the cohesiveness of the group.

Question 35

Which of the following statements captures the risky shift phenomenon?

A) Groups tend to make riskier decisions than individuals.
B) Individuals tend to make riskier decisions than groups.
C) People behave more courageously in groups than when alone.
D) People behave more courageously when alone than when in groups.

Question 36

Several military officials meet to plan battle strategy. Captain Biggs thinks that General Olsen's strategy will be ineffective and deadly for American soldiers, but Biggs does not speak out. He is worried that others will see him as an ignorant coward. Biggs's response in this situation best illustrates how the concept of ________ applies to groupthink.

A) social censure
B) intellectual isolation
C) self-awareness
D) self-censorship

Question 37

Early studies showed that decisions made in groups were riskier than decisions made on one's own. Later research, however, showed that group decisions are not always riskier than individual decisions but do tend to be more extreme. This phenomenon is captured by the concept of

A) risky shift.
B) group polarization.
C) social inoculation.
D) groupthink.

Question 38

Research on decision making suggests that, compared with a single person, a group is more likely to generate the correct solution to a problem that

A) has a precise, factual answer.
B) does not have a precise, factual answer.
C) requires logical reasoning.
D) requires considering diverse perspectives.

Question 39

Imagine that a group of corporate managers are experiencing groupthink. Which of the following behaviors might they display?

A) They place more importance on supporting the other group members than they do on supporting the leader.
B) They value generating many possible solutions to a problem over developing one solution fully.
C) They value reaching a consensus over critically evaluating the facts.
D) They become competitive and unlikely to cooperate with each other.

Question 40

In what situation would sorority members be most likely to engage in self-censorship?

A) when they have a strong leader
B) when they have a weak leader
C) when there is an overall lack of motivation to reach a consensus within the sorority
D) when there is an overall low level of stress within the sorority

Question 41

________ is to deindividuation as ________ is to self-awareness.

A) Wearing a mask; seeing oneself in a mirror
B) Playing a game; solving a problem
C) Inhibition; self-control
D) Being photographed; wearing a name tag

Question 42

What distinguishes the concept of authority from status and dominance?

A) It is a behavior enacted with the goal of obtaining power.
B) It involves an evaluation of respect and prominence.
C) It involves the use of force to exert power over others.
D) It refers to power that derives from institutionalized roles or arrangements.

Question 43

The spotlight effect involves

A) wanting more attention from others than one typically receives.
B) perceiving oneself in an unrealistically favorable light.
C) overestimating the degree to which one's appearance and behavior are noticed by others.
D) remembering social experiences better than solitary experiences.

Question 44

According to self-awareness theory, which of the following conditions is most likely to prompt you to behave in accordance with your own moral standards?

A) observing yourself in a mirror
B) watching a television news broadcast
C) listening to friends talk about their morals
D) observing other people's immoral behavior

Question 45

Consider the following quote by Gustav Le Bon: "Whoever be the individuals that compose it, however like or unlike be their mode of life . . . their character, or their intelligence, the fact that they have been transformed into a crowd puts them in possession of a sort of collective mind." This quote best illustrates the concept of

A) social loafing.
B) mere exposure.
C) deindividuation.
D) self-consciousness.

Question 46

Define the phenomenon of social facilitation and explain Robert Zajonc's three-component theory of when and why it occurs.

Question 47

All of the following are characteristics of people who are likely to rise to leadership positions EXCEPT

A) group-relevant expertise.
B) strong social skills.
C) a lack of inhibition.
D) generosity.

Question 48

Which of the following individuals is most likely to experience high self-awareness?

A) Joe, who does not care what other people think of him
B) Bree, who focuses her attention inward on herself and is concerned about how her current behavior conforms to her values
C) Antonio, who has a good memory for important events in his life
D) Stephanie, who is in a deindividuated state

Question 49

Research suggests that ________ are common characteristics of people who are likely to go on to gain power, whereas ________ are common characteristics of people who already have power.

A) generosity and social skills; self-interest and a lack of empathy
B) self-interest and a lack of empathy; generosity and social skills
C) caution and inhibition; self-interest and a lack of empathy
D) self-interest and a lack of empathy; caution and inhibition

Question 50

Recall that Ed Diener and his colleagues monitored almost thirty homes throughout the city of Seattle on Halloween night. They recorded whether each trick-or-treater arrived alone or in a group. The researchers also randomly asked some children arriving alone and some arriving in groups to provide their names and addresses. The results of this study showed that children were more likely to take more treats than they were supposed to if they arrived ________ and if they were ________.

A) in a group; NOT asked to provide their names and addresses
B) alone,; NOT asked to provide their names and addresses
C) in a group; asked to provide their names and addresses
D) alone; asked to provide their names and addresses

Question 51

Explain the role that physiological arousal plays in social facilitation and deindividuation.

Question 52

Imagine that your favorite team has just won the Super Bowl. According to research on deindividuation, which of the following psychological conditions have to be met to turn the revelers into a destructive mob?

A) anonymity
B) arousal
C) sensory deprivation
D) Both a and b are correct.

Question 53

People arrange themselves into social hierarchies starting as early as age

A) two.
B) five.
C) ten.
D) twelve.

Question 54

Sally feels lost in a crowd at a rock concert and is experiencing deindividuation. This means Sally is

A) more self-aware, less concerned with others' evaluations, and more inhibited.
B) less self-aware, more concerned with others' evaluations, and less inhibited.
C) less self-aware, less concerned with others' evaluations, and less inhibited.
D) more self-aware, more concerned with others' evaluations, and less inhibited.

Question 55

Bill is standing on the ledge of a tall building. He yells out to the gathering crowd, "I have nothing left to live for!" Research suggests that people are more likely to chant, "Jump! Jump! Jump!"

A) after 6:00 p.m. (as opposed to earlier in the day).
B) when the temperature exceeds ninety degrees Fahrenheit.
C) when the crowd exceeds three hundred people.
D) Both a and c are correct.

Question 56

Evaluate the claim that people always perform easy tasks better when other people are present. Under what circumstances might this claim be INCORRECT?

Question 57

Consider the following explanations for why certain people are more likely to become leaders than others. Which one has the most empirical support?

A) People rise to leadership positions through coercion, deception, and manipulation.
B) One of the most important determinants of leadership is expertise and skill relevant to the goals of the group.
C) People who foster competition among group members increase their chances of rising to positions of leadership.
D) None of the above have empirical support.

Question 58

In one study of the spotlight effect, participants who arrived individually were asked to put on a T-shirt printed with an image that they found embarrassing. Then, these participants were asked to enter another room where a group of other participants sat. After just a few moments, the T-shirt wearer left the room. What were the results of this study?

A) T-shirt wearers who reported extremely high levels of embarrassment were remembered better than wearers who reported extremely low levels of embarrassment.
B) T-shirt wearers who reported extremely low levels of embarrassment were remembered better than wearers who reported extremely high levels of embarrassment.
C) T-shirt wearers estimated that about one-half of the group would be able to identify the person pictured on the T-shirt when asked later on by the experimenter. But only about one-quarter of the group members actually made a correct identification.
D) T-shirt wearers estimated that about one-quarter of the group would be able to identify the person pictured on the T-shirt when asked later on by the experimenter. But about one-half of the group made a correct identification.

Question 59

Are decisions made in groups more likely to be risky or cautious? Justify your answer on the basis of social psychological research and theory.

Question 60

According to the textbook, what is the definition of a group? Give an example from your own life that captures the key features of this definition.

Question 61

Give an example of a situation that can lead to deindividuation. Describe three of the antecedent conditions of deindividuation that are present in the example situation.

Question 62

Describe the persuasive arguments and social comparison explanations for why group polarization occurs.

Question 63

Distinguish between states of deindividuation and individuation/self-awareness. For each, give an example of a study that shows how this state affects social behavior.

Question 64

Explain the approach/inhibition theory of power and describe a situation in which high-power and low-power people are likely to behave differently.

Question 65

Describe the predictions of self-awareness theory. Then describe how you might draw on this theory to design a classroom intervention aimed at reducing cheating behavior.

Question 66

Evaluate the statement "power corrupts" based on research described in the textbook. Under what circumstances is power likely to promote prosocial versus antisocial behavior?

Question 67

Describe a real-world event that illustrates the phenomenon of groupthink. In addition, explain how its occurrence could have been avoided.

Question 68

Describe the spotlight effect. Then describe an experiment you could conduct that could demonstrate this effect.

Question 69

Describe the physiological and behavioral effects of assuming high-power physical poses. How might you use this knowledge to design an intervention aimed at increasing confidence in people who are preparing for a job interview?

Question 70

Define group polarization and describe how modern forms of communication might increase its prevalence.