Deck 2: Social Psychological Theory

Question 1

For social psychologists,the observation stage of the scientific process may consist of

A) reviewing existing research evidence and a single vivid incident from everyday life
B) reviewing existing research evidence and deduction testing
C) induction testing and deduction testing
D) induction testing and a single vivid incident from everyday life

Answer 1

reviewing existing research evidence and a single vivid incident from everyday life

Question 2

The ______ of a theory refers to the number of different human behaviors that the theory attempts to explain.

A) range
B) scope
C) parsimony
D) depth

Answer 2

scope

Question 3

One function of a theory is to provide organization.This function is most related to the ______ component of the scientific process.

A) theory development
B) hypothesis testing
C) observation
D) creating specific hypotheses

Answer 3

observation

Question 4

Many social psychological theories attempt to explain one way of thinking or behaving that is relevant in a number of different situations.One example is cognitive dissonance theory.This theory is a ______ theory.

A) grand
B) mid-level
C) mini
D) parsimonious

Question 5

______ theories attempt to explain a particular human behavior when faced with a particular set of circumstances.

A) Broad
B) Social psychological
C) Mid-level
D) Mini

Question 6

Which of the following statements is false?

A) Hypotheses are not a critical component of theories.
B) A hypothesis can be developed through deduction.
C) A hypothesis can be tested through interventions.
D) A hypothesis is a prediction about the relationship between variables.

Question 7

In the scientific process,what step comes after hypothesis development?

A) statistical analysis
B) hypothesis testing
C) modifying the theory
D) screening

Question 8

______ is the process of moving from the specific to the general.

A) Deduction
B) Reasoning
C) Induction
D) Theory development

Question 9

One function of a theory is to guide intervention.This function is most related to ______.

A) observation
B) creating hypotheses
C) application
D) objectivity

Question 10

The ______ of a theory refers to whether the theory predicts the behavior of only a specific group of people or all human beings.

A) parsimony
B) range
C) scope
D) depth

Question 11

Social psychological theories differ from each other in terms of ______.

A) scope and range
B) range and relevance
C) relevance and generalizability
D) generalizability and scope

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a function of a theory?

A) to guide intervention
B) to provide organization
C) to aid in education
D) to give direction in research

Question 13

The first step of the scientific process is ______.

A) creating a hypothesis
B) developing a theory
C) observation
D) designing a research study

Question 14

A(n)______ is a set of interrelated hypotheses concerning a particular phenomenon.

A) psychological law
B) theory
C) observation
D) operational definition

Question 15

______ refers to the idea that a theory should use the fewest possible number of propositions to explain the phenomenon in question.

A) Parsimony
B) Frugality
C) Testability
D) Scope

Question 16

Central to cognitive dissonance theory is the idea that human beings are motivated to maintain ______ among their cognitions.

A) accuracy
B) reasonableness
C) comfort
D) consistency

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT one of the steps in the scientific process?

A) creating specific hypotheses
B) observation
C) theory development
D) registering the research study

Question 18

Testability refers to the idea that a good theory is capable of being ______.

A) studied
B) quantified
C) disproved
D) published

Question 19

The majority of social psychological theories are constructed by

A) inferring general principles from observing specific instances
B) modifying already existing theories in psychology
C) developing specific concepts from general principles
D) mixing theories

Question 20

One function of a theory is to provide direction.This function is most related to the ______ component of the scientific process.

A) creating a research study
B) hypothesis testing
C) theory development
D) observation

Question 21

In the theory of reasoned action and theory of planned behavior,behavioral intention refers to

A) what a person thinks will be the likely outcome of a behavior
B) a person's attitude toward a certain behavior and subjective norms
C) whether or not someone intends to engage in a certain behavior
D) attitude strength

Question 22

______ is said to exist when two cognitions are psychologically inconsistent with each other.

A) Belief hypocrisy
B) A subjective norm
C) Cognitive dissonance
D) Cognition change

Question 23

The theory of planned behavior suggested new relationships among phenomena such as behavioral control and behavioral intentions.This served which function of a theory?

A) description
B) organization
C) direction
D) intervention

Question 24

Elliot Aronson modified Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory in his proposal of self-consistency dissonance theory.The main idea of Aronson's modification is

A) some people's personalities cause them to be reliably consistent or inconsistent
B) some people are prone to higher degrees of dissonance than others in certain situations
C) people experience dissonance when they act in ways they see as reflecting poorly on themselves
D) some people do not experience dissonance at all

Question 25

Ajzen (1985)developed the theory of planned behavior based on his analysis of experiments that tested which of the following theories?

A) the theory of subjective norms
B) the theory of reasoned action
C) social cognitive theory
D) stages of change model

Question 26

The theory of planned behavior allowed researchers to better understand conflicting results from prior research.This served which function of a theory?

A) description
B) organization
C) direction
D) intervention

Question 27

You have decided to buy a new car and narrow your choice down to two equally attractive alternatives.You finally decide on one,but when you get home you start to worry about whether you made the best decision.According to Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory,what will you most likely do?

A) Go back to the car dealership, and get the other car instead.
B) Try to distract yourself from the conflicting thoughts.
C) Ask a trusted friend for her opinion.
D) Decide that the car you chose was clearly the better of the two.

Question 28

In the theory of planned behavior,volitional control refers to

A) the amount of influence a person thinks he or she has over a behavior
B) the degree to which a person believes he or she can modify his or her past behavior
C) whether the person believes she or he can control the attitudes of other people
D) the person's perception of the likely outcome of the behavior

Question 29

Postdecisional dissonance is said to occur

A) after you realize you have made a bad decision
B) when you had to choose between two attractive alternatives
C) when you are unable to make up your mind about something
D) if you make a decision without weighing the facts

Question 30

In terms of the functions of a theory,cognitive dissonance theory is one of the best social psychological theories with regard to

A) organizing what psychologists know about human consistency
B) providing direction for research
C) developing interventions
D) providing insight into reactions to natural disasters such as earthquakes

Question 31

The theory of planned behavior allows researchers to better understand why some people download music illegally and then figure out ways to curb that behavior.This serves which function of a theory?

A) description
B) organization
C) direction
D) intervention

Question 32

In a situation in which you have put a high degree of effort into attaining a goal that you then come to feel may not have been worth all of the effort,according to cognitive dissonance theory,you are most likely to

A) reevaluate the amount of effort you put in, and judge it to be less than it really was
B) reevaluate the goal you attained, and convince yourself it was, in fact, worth it
C) decide to put less effort into attaining goals in the future
D) decide to put in no effort into your next activity

Question 33

In a situation where you tell a lie with very little external justification,according to cognitive dissonance theory you are most likely to

A) feel guilty because lying is wrong
B) apologize and tell the truth to reduce feelings of guilt
C) tell the truth the next time you are in a similar situation to make up for lying in the past
D) convince yourself you weren't really lying by changing your opinion regarding what you did lie about

Question 34

Ajzen (1985)decided to extend the theory of reasoned action by introducing which of the following variables?

A) subjective norms
B) behavioral control
C) behavioral intention
D) attitude

Question 35

According to cognitive dissonance theory,which of the following is NOT an example of a potential dissonance situation?

A) insufficient justification
B) postdecisional dissonance
C) effort justification
D) behavioral intention

Question 36

Salespeople who employ the low-ball technique are taking advantage of the implications of ______.

A) postdecisional dissonance
B) insufficient justification
C) effort justification
D) bad taste

Question 37

A key element of cognitive dissonance theory is the proposition that people will reduce dissonance in the ______ way possible.

A) easiest
B) fastest
C) most logical
D) most socially acceptable

Question 38

Imagine that you take out the garbage at home because you believe your parents think you should be taking out the garbage,and doing this chore will help you secure the use of the family car on Friday.According to the theory of planned behavior,in this example,your perception of your parents' thoughts represents ______.

A) behavioral intention
B) attitude
C) subjective norm
D) volitional control

Question 39

With regard to research on cognitive dissonance theory,it is NOT true that research has shown that

A) there are differences in people's levels of preference for consistency
B) there are cultural differences in beliefs about the importance of attitude-behavior consistency
C) even people with a low preference for consistency have been found to change their attitudes to match their behaviors
D) only people with low self-esteem alter their attitudes to match their behaviors

Question 40

In the theory of reasoned action and theory of planned behavior,subjective norms refer to

A) what a person thinks will be the likely outcome of a behavior
B) a person's belief about what others would think about the behavior
C) whether the person subjectively feels positive or negative about the behavior
D) the extent to which people believe other people often engage in the behavior

Question 41

Social psychological theories differ based on specific characteristics; these include scope,reliability,testability,and durability.

Question 42

The theory of reasoned action is concerned with four key features: subjective norms,behavioral intention,attitude,and norms and effort justification.

Question 43

Social psychological theories,such as the theory of planned behavior or cognitive dissonance theory,serve particular functions.Name and describe the three functions of a theory.

Question 44

Name and describe the four steps involved in the scientific process.

Question 45

Aronson updated Festinger's theory of dissonance by suggesting that dissonance may arise from any situation in which there is an inconsistency between self-concept and awareness of one's behavior.

Question 46

The cognitive dissonance theory and the theory of planned behavior are minitheories that attempt to explain one way of thinking or behaving that is relevant in a number of different situations.

Question 47

The scientific process involves a continuing cycle of observation,theory development,deduction of hypotheses,and hypothesis testing.

Question 48

Social psychological theories differ based on specific characteristics,these include scope,range,testability,and parsimony.Explain each characteristic in detail.

Question 49

The foundation for the theory of planned behavior is the theory of reasoned action,proposed by Fishbein and Ajzen in 1975.Using the theory of reasoned action as a starting point,explain how this theory evolved into the theory of planned behavior.

Question 50

The theory of planned behavior was developed based on the theory of reasoned action.

Question 51

Festinger (1957)derived a number of intriguing hypotheses from cognitive dissonance theory.One dissonance-producing situation is effort justification.There are two others that have received a lot of academic attention.List the other two,and explain all three.

Question 52

Aronson (1999)disagreed with aspects of Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory,which led to the development of Aronson's self-consistency dissonance theory.Describe this theory,and explain how this differs from Festinger's.

Question 53

Cognitive dissonance theory is a well-cited social psychological theory.Describe,in detail,what this theory purports,and give an example of a situation in which cognitive dissonance may result.

Question 54

Social psychological theory serves many functions,three of which include organization,application,and scope.

Question 55

Direct tests of the theory of planned behavior confirm the predictive value of perceived behavioral control on intentions and goal attainment but suggest that the theory is more predictive for some types of behavioral intentions than others.

Question 56

At the core of Festinger's (1975)dissonance theory is the idea that humans are motivated to maintain consistency among their cognitions as psychological inconsistency makes people uncomfortable.

Question 57

The scientific process consists of a series of steps.The second step,theory development,involves the process of moving from the specific to the general,known as deduction.

Question 58

The central premise of cognitive dissonance theory is that psychological inconsistency makes people uncomfortable.The discomfort experienced is what is typically referred to as dissonance.Name two ways of reducing dissonance,and apply it to an example.

Question 59

Theory development involves the processes of induction and deduction.Describe these processes in detail.

Question 60

One area where the theory of planned behavior has provided ample direction is behaviors related to health and safety.Using the specific health-enhancing behavior of exercise,explain how the four core features of the theory of planned behavior would be applied to explain someone's decision to exercise.