Deck 15: Applying Social Psychology to Personal Relationships

Question 1

Suppose you view yourself as a 6 on a 10-point scale of physical attractiveness.Research suggests that in selecting a long-term partner,you most likely would choose a person who is a(n)______.

A) 4
B) 6
C) 8
D) 10

Answer 1

6

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT true concerning research on regret?

A) Research on regret shows that people's greatest regrets in life involve mistakes.
B) Research on regret shows that people's greatest regrets in life involve missed opportunities in close social relationships, such as missing out on time with family or cheating on a romantic partner.
C) Research supports the importance of close social relationships for well-being and the lifelong impact of losing.
D) Research on regret shows that people's greatest regrets in life involve missed opportunities in nonsocial domains, such as work or school.

Answer 2

Research on regret shows that people's greatest regrets in life involve missed opportunities in nonsocial domains, such as work or school.

Question 3

Which is NOT true of Back,Schmukle,and Egloff's (2008)study on the relationship between proximity and friendship?

A) Students in a first-year psychology course were randomly assigned seats in the classroom and instructed to introduce themselves to the other students in their row.
B) One year later, the students were contacted again and asked to rate the intensity of their current friendships with the other students in the class.
C) Their research highlighted the weak effects of proximity in friendship formation.
D) Even a full year after the initial seating arrangement, participants rated students who were randomly assigned to sit beside them as closer friends than students who did not sit nearby.

Answer 3

Their research highlighted the weak effects of proximity in friendship formation.

Question 4

The physical attractiveness stereotype means that

A) physically unattractive people are unlikely to get promoted at work
B) physically attractive people are generally better employees than are physically unattractive people
C) physically attractive people are perceived to have positive qualities while unattractive people are perceived to have negative qualities
D) physically attractive people are perceived to have negative qualities while unattractive people are perceived to have positive qualities

Question 5

In an experiment by Van Straaten,Engels,Finkenauer,and Holland (2009),university students (both attractive and less attractive)conversed with an opposite-sex confederate whose physical attractiveness also was varied (high versus low).The study found that

A) attractive men showed more approach behavior with attractive women
B) both attractive men and women showed more approach behavior with attractive members of the opposite sex
C) attractive women showed more approach behavior with attractive men than with less attractive men
D) none of these

Question 6

According to the authors of Chapter 15 ("Personal Relationships"),the most consistent lesson of social psychology and the one that is widely illustrated in the chapter is

A) the interactive role of the person and the environment
B) that human beings are social creatures
C) that people must learn to be vigilant about making cognitive errors in their interpersonal relationships
D) the strong influence of situational variables on people

Question 7

Concerning the topic of personal relationships,which of the following is true?

A) Maslow (1970) regarded belongingness as one of the two most important needs, even more important than safety needs.
B) The beginning of Chris and Lee's relationship (opening vignette) lay in their perceived similarity.
C) Increased exposure to another person tends to increase preexisting positive feelings but strangely not preexisting negative feelings.
D) One of the reasons familiarity promotes positive feelings is that we tend to view familiar others as similar to us.

Question 8

Mathew never has met Brenda Sue but wants her to become attracted to him.Therefore,he begins to spend time in places that Brenda Sue frequents (e.g.,gym and coffee shop)and to take advantage of opportunities to engage in mutual eye contact.Mathew is applying ______,which he read about in his social psychology text.

A) the primacy effect
B) the familiarity effect
C) environmental enrichment
D) the power of the person

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the physical attractiveness stereotype?

A) The physical attractiveness stereotype plays into political decisions.
B) Research shows that uninformed voters are more likely to vote for attractive political candidates than unattractive candidates.
C) Research shows that informed voters are more likely to vote for attractive political candidates than unattractive candidates.
D) People considered unattractive can be passed over for job advancement and, in legal proceedings, can even be assumed to be more capable of criminal behavior.

Question 10

According to the text,your choice of a trait in each of the following pairs may be used to gauge your ______: strong or kind,intelligent or generous,friendly or brave,helpful or artistic,and popular or sympathetic.

A) strength of character
B) social orientation
C) level of integrity
D) degree of personal control

Question 11

The ______ refers to the tendency for physical and psychological nearness to increase interpersonal liking.

A) primacy effect
B) proximity effect
C) secondary effect
D) familiarity effect

Question 12

The ______ refers to the tendency to be especially influenced by information that is presented first.

A) primacy effect
B) proximity effect
C) secondary effect
D) familiarity effect

Question 13

At a party,you notice a very attractive stranger who is speaking with some other people,and you figure the stranger probably possesses the kinds of personal qualities that you value in others.In this scenario,your perceptions and thinking suggest the operation of the ______.

A) physical attractiveness stereotype
B) secondary effect
C) matching effect
D) proximity effect

Question 14

Walster,Aronson,and Abrahams (1966)invited first-year students to a Welcome Week dance and informed them that a computer would pair them up on the basis of personal data.Once the dance was over,which factor predicted whether participants wanted to see their "dates" again?

A) how similar the participants felt they were to their dates
B) the physical attractiveness of the dates
C) the self-esteem of the participants
D) the family background of the participants

Question 15

Schachter (1959)conducted a classic experiment in which participants anticipated they soon would receive electric shocks.This experiment suggested that high fear

A) increased the participants' liking for each other
B) decreased the participants' liking for each other
C) increased the participants' tendencies to affiliate
D) decreased the participants' tendencies to affiliate

Question 16

Which of the following most closely reflects environmental spoiling?

A) when a person overdoes the amount of contact with someone with whom he or she is trying to develop a relationship
B) when a person's attempts to get to know an attractive other are frustrated by the presence of social barriers to interaction
C) when a person's negative attitude about someone becomes even more negative due to increased contact with the individual
D) when a person's attempts to get to know an attractive individual are undermined by the fact that the individual has many attractive acquaintances

Question 17

The most likely explanation for the fact that Andrew King's two best friends in the second grade are Brandon Johnson and Cory LaFlair resides in the ______.

A) proximity effect
B) familiarity effect
C) perception that they are similar to him
D) teacher expectancy effect

Question 18

Which term below describes the general expectation that a physically attractive person has positive qualities while an unattractive person has negative qualities?

A) the matching phenomenon
B) physical attractiveness stereotype
C) primacy effect
D) familiarity effect

Question 19

A friend of yours notices that a very attractive student frequently sits in one area of the library.Hoping for a chance to get to know the student,your friend begins to study in the same area.Your friend is (probably unwittingly)applying the ______.

A) primacy effect
B) proximity effect
C) secondary effect
D) familiarity effect

Question 20

One infant attachment style identified by Ainsworth,Blehar,Waters,and Wall (1978)involved infants who appeared as though they were not concerned with the absence or presence of their mothers.The name given to this style was ______.

A) secure attachment style, confident
B) secure attachment style, robust
C) insecure attachment style, avoidant
D) insecure attachment style, anxious/ambivalent

Question 21

With respect to attachment styles,which is NOT true?

A) Distinctive patterns of infantile attachment appear to continue into adulthood.
B) One of the two major risks we face in developing closeness with others is becoming too emotionally and psychologically entangled.
C) Characteristics such as being needful of closeness and worried about abandonment reflect the preoccupied adult attachment style.
D) Characteristics such as self-reliant and independent reflect the dismissing adult attachment style.

Question 22

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet,the attraction of the potential lovers was intensified by the disapproval of significant others.Research suggests that if significant others in your life disapprove of your romantic partner,

A) the disapproval will indeed intensify your relationship with your romantic partner
B) the disapproval will compromise your relationship with your romantic partner
C) the disapproval will have no effect your relationship with your romantic partner
D) the disapproval will weaken your relationship with those who disapprove

Question 23

As reported in Chapter 15 ("Personal Relationships"),one of the results of the T-shirt study by Gross (1983)was that the printed material on the T-shirts seemed to undermine the selection influence of ______.

A) physical attractiveness
B) attachment styles
C) familiarity
D) personal traits

Question 24

Occupied,fearless,and insecure are three of the four adult attachment styles described.

Question 25

Which is NOT true of Manning's (2014)study about online dating?

A) He found that participants wanted to find a romantic partner who had a mixture of both positive and negative characteristics.
B) Manning concluded that including certain information in an online ad (such as a desire for an attractive or financially stable partner) is off limits because it makes the writer appear desperate or as though he or she doesn't know how to "play the [dating] game."
C) The results of this study suggest that looking for a romantic partner online may be similar to other forms of online "shopping."
D) Manning found that many pertinent sought-after characteristics were not specifically stated in the online ads.

Question 26

The proximity effect refers to the tendency for physical and psychological nearness to increase interpersonal liking.

Question 27

Which is NOT true of Cacioppo and colleagues' (2013)study of online dating?

A) Approximately one third of participants indicated that they had met their spouse online.
B) Participants who met online reported feeling slightly more satisfied with their marriages and were slightly more likely to still be married than participants who met through traditional venues like work or school.
C) Their findings show that relationships that begin online are shorter and end quickly because people often feel less comfortable expressing their true selves to others online.
D) Their findings revealed that people who meet online end up in more satisfying marriages because they have access to a larger "pool" of potential dates to choose from, resulting in more compatible matches.

Question 28

The primacy effect refers to the tendency to be especially influenced by information that is presented last.

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT a pattern of adult attachment identified by Bartholomew (1990)?

A) secure
B) fearful
C) occupied
D) dismissal

Question 30

Separation distress refers to attention focused on the lost other and extreme discomfort at that person's inaccessibility.

Question 31

Environmental spoiling refers to the effect whereby the more contact you have with an unpleasant person,the more you will like him or her.

Question 32

In applying attachment styles to your life,the authors of Chapter 15 ("Personal Relationships")state that

A) individuals should seek partners whose attachment styles complement their own styles (e.g., preoccupied and dismissing)
B) whereas moderate change in attachment styles can occur, it seldom is possible to change from an insecure attachment style to a secure one
C) early in interactions with others, individuals should be sure to communicate their attachment needs
D) later in interactions with others, individuals should be sure to communicate their attachment needs

Question 33

In individualistic cultures,where community cooperation is valued more than individual distinction,a potential mate is especially prized for practical virtues,such as possessing money and household management skills.

Question 34

In a meta-analytic review of over 100 experimental studies on the psychological effects of social exclusion (e.g.,rejection and ostracism),Blackhart,Nelson,Knowles,and Baumeister (2009)found that

A) when participants experienced an act of rejection, their emotional states did shift in a negative direction (most starting in the positive range), but their resulting emotions were not negative but were neutral or slightly positive
B) rejected people reported affective states that could be described as negative, distressed, or upset
C) rejection produced a detectable drop in self-esteem
D) rejection produced a detectable increase in self-esteem

Question 35

Proximity and familiarity are two key social psychological concepts related to attraction.

Question 36

The matching phenomenon purports that preferring a long-term partner who is similar to oneself in looks (and other qualities)reduces the chances of either rejection or dissatisfaction.

Question 37

As reported in Chapter 15 ("Personal Relationships"),compared with married people who originally met face to face,married people who originally met online are ______.

A) less physically attractive
B) more satisfied in their relationships
C) less satisfied in their relationships
D) more likely to have an Internet addiction

Question 38

In helping to encourage readers to overcome fear of rejection and to convey interest in an attractive person,the authors of Chapter 15 ("Personal Relationships")reviewed the study by Vorauer and Ratner (1996).In that study,participants had to imagine meeting an attractive person and having the interaction end with neither of them communicating interest in seeing the other again.Participants explained the failure to communicate interest by blaming

A) both their own inaction and the other person's inaction on a lack of interest
B) both their own inaction and the other person's inaction on a fear of rejection
C) their own inaction on a lack of interest and the other person's inaction on a fear of rejection
D) their own inaction on a fear of rejection and the other person's inaction on a lack of interest

Question 39

With regard to personal relationships,Gable,Gonzaga,and Strachman (2006)found in dating couples that

A) supportive reactions to negative events (e.g., showing interest, enthusiasm, and pleasure) were more strongly associated with relationship well-being and relationship endurance (no breakup) than were responses to positive events
B) supportive reactions to positive events (e.g., showing interest, enthusiasm, and pleasure) were more strongly associated with relationship well-being and relationship endurance (no breakup) than were responses to negative events
C) supportive reactions to both negative and positive events were equally strongly associated with relationship well-being and relationship endurance
D) supportive reactions to either negative or positive events were only minimally associated with relationship well-being and relationship endurance

Question 40

Which of the following is NOT an attachment style identified by Mary Ainsworth and her colleagues?

A) secure attachment style
B) avoidant attachment style
C) insecure attachment style, anxious/ambivalent
D) insecure attachment style, avoidant

Question 41

Affiliation and attraction are synonymous within social psychology,as both are associated with being drawn to another person,regardless of one's conscious wishes or circumstances.

Question 42

Explain the physical attractiveness stereotype.

Question 43

Identify three factors that influence relationship formation and satisfaction.

Question 44

In traditional Eastern societies,the goal of marriage is social order,and thus,intimate relationships are a means to preserve family unity and social order.

Question 45

Explain what is meant by social network approval,and describe its role in establishing a relationship.

Question 46

Identify and describe two factors that influence attraction.

Question 47

Explain what is meant by infantile separation distress.

Question 48

Explain the role of proximity and familiarity in establishing relationships.

Question 49

Explain the role of the primacy effect in physical attractiveness.

Question 50

The text describes a study called the T-Shirt study,which examined physical attractiveness and mate selection,among other things.Describe the findings of the study.

Question 51

Identify the four patterns of adult attachment identified in the text,and describe characteristics of each.

Question 52

Identify three attachment styles associated with infants.