Deck 19: Psychology and Environmental Sustainability: Conservation Psychology

Question 1

Environmental psychologists are MOST likely to study

A) the benefits of natural environments.
B) noise and crowding.
C) people's perceptions of natural settings.
D) attitudes about sustainability.

Answer 1

noise and crowding.

Question 2

Those who study the potential impact of a catastrophic environmental event,like Hurricane Katrina,have noted that people in which of these situations are very likely to be MOST devastated?

A) people in poor communities
B) people living on islands
C) those living in densely populated areas
D) all of the above

Answer 2

all of the above

Question 3

What is the significance of Hurricane Katrina to the study of ecological psychology?

A) it provides an example of how leadership is crucial to effective group action
B) it is thought of as a forewarning of how horrific storms and other natural phenomena may get as global warming worsens
C) it shows how people affected by an environmental catastrophe react
D) a and c

Answer 3

it is thought of as a forewarning of how horrific storms and other natural phenomena may get as global warming worsens

Question 4

John lives in a country where individuals have the largest ecological footprint in the world,consuming far more resources than is sustainable.John is a citizen of which country?

A) United States
B) Russia
C) Nigeria
D) Brazil

Question 5

Which of the following is TRUE of the years 1995 through 2006?

A) India and China began serious efforts to curb green house gases.
B) Presidents Clinton and Bush ratified the Kyoto protocol which requires nations to reduce greenhouse emissions.
C) These years were 11 of the 12 warmest years since 1850 when global temperature measurement began.
D) Whale and dolphin species rebounded from record low populations.

Question 6

__________________ is known as the subdiscipline of psychology concerned with the study of how individuals are affected by,and interact with,their physical environments.

A) Environmental psychology
B) Resource problem-solving
C) Survival cognition
D) Phylogenetic nurturance

Question 7

Inefficient use of which of the following is a major culprit in wasting energy resources (estimated at 43% of the energy Americans use)?

A) cars
B) appliances
C) homes
D) all of the above

Question 8

Joe Bob lives in Las Vegas,Nevada.He gets his drinking water from this source,which of late has been experiencing major droughts.

A) Lake Tahoe
B) Mono Lake
C) Great Salt Lake
D) Colorado River

Question 9

Gases such as carbon dioxide and methane contribute to

A) the greenhouse effect.
B) antisocial personality characteristics.
C) psychosis.
D) perceptual problems.

Question 10

Which of the following is the correct definition of the ecopsychology term carrying capacity?

A) the maximum number of any specific population that a habitat can support
B) the measure of how much water a dike or levee is capable of holding
C) the term that describes the fecundity of any particular sexually mature female
D) how adept any particular leaf-cutter ant is at transporting vegetation to its colony

Question 11

_________________________ is a measure of how fast a person (or population)consumes resources and generates waste in comparison to how fast nature (the habitat)can absorb the waste and replenish the resources.

A) Environmental sustainability
B) Ecological validity
C) Ecological footprint
D) Personal consumption index

Question 12

Which of the following is TRUE of the plant and animal species on earth?

A) speciation continues to occur at a rapid rate leading to greater biological diversity on earth
B) the number of species that exist now is the same number that existed at the beginning of this planet's history
C) approximately 20-30% of plant and animal species are at greater risk of extinction due to global warming
D) animals, but not plants, are adaptable enough to overcome the threats to their survival posed by global warming

Question 13

The U.S.possesses ______% of the world's population and consumes ________% of the world's commercial energy resources.

A) 30; 30
B) 25; 15
C) 10; 15
D) 5; 25

Question 14

________________ is the study of the interactive relationships between humans and the rest of nature,with a particular focus on how to enhance conservation of natural resources.

A) Environmental psychology
B) Ecological psychology
C) Conservation psychology
D) Wilderness psychology

Question 15

The U.S.has one fourth of the population of _____________ but uses more than twice the oil.

A) India
B) Russia
C) China
D) Indonesia

Question 16

A symptom of growing industrialization around the globe and the greenhouse effect is the finding that the level of this gas in the earth's atmosphere is at its highest level in 650,000 years.

A) carbon monoxide
B) carbon dioxide
C) sulfur dioxide
D) nitric acid

Question 17

The first peer-reviewed ecological psychology journal Ecopsychology published its first volume in this year.

A) 1979
B) 1989
C) 1999
D) 2009

Question 18

Which of the following aspects of the human species lends hope that we may be able to avert environment disaster?

A) bipedal posture
B) opposable thumb
C) capacity for rapid behavioral change
D) lack of pronounced ocular ridges

Question 19

If everyone lived like North Americans or Western Europeans do,we would need at least ___________ planets to support our lifestyles!

A) 20
B) 10
C) 5
D) 3

Question 20

Global climate change is likely to lead to increases in all of the following EXCEPT

A) stress disorders.
B) malnutrition.
C) schizophrenia.
D) disease.

Question 21

Although many of her friends are vegetarians,Jane is still partial to eating meat.Jane may not be aware that it has been estimated that ranching practices require _________ gallons of water to produce one hamburger.

A) 100
B) 600
C) 1000
D) 5000

Question 22

Steve buys a lot of things that his favorite movie star uses.Steve may be using the defense mechanism of

A) rationalization
B) projection
C) reaction formation
D) identification

Question 23

The bystander effect may contribute to climate change because

A) people deny climate change is real.
B) climate change effects are too obvious.
C) climate change activates injunctive norms.
D) climate change is ambiguous.

Question 24

When a person's actions based on self-interest upsets an environmental system,it is known as a _________ dilemma.

A) common
B) ecological
C) risk
D) public goods

Question 25

Researchers in social psychology study norms of behavior.They distinguish between two types of norms-______________ which let others know what is expected or approved of,and _________________ which are what most people do in a certain situation.

A) injunctive; descriptive
B) emulative; illustrative
C) inferential; hackneyed
D) approbative; tacit

Question 26

Joireman,Van Lange,and Van Vugt (2004)studied consumers' automobile-related behaviors and found that having a "____________ orientation" was more predictive of environmentally responsible behavior than was having a "prosocial orientation" (that would typically predict taking the selfless route in a social dilemma). 

A) economically-based
B) future
C) family
D) community-based

Question 27

North Americans dispose of approximately ________ pounds of garbage per day.

A) 2
B) 4.5
C) 12.8
D) 18.4

Question 28

Durning (1992)made which of the following observations regarding citizens of the United States?

A) we are addicted to consumer goods
B) we are resistant to new automotive technologies
C) we consume roughly 100 pounds of raw materials each day
D) we are far ahead of third-world countries in the use of alternative energies

Question 29

Which of the following constitutes the biggest drain on the earth's carrying capacity?

A) overpopulation
B) petroleum consumption
C) overconsumption of consumer goods
D) logging of old-growth forests

Question 30

Rick highly values personal wealth and he does little to help the environment.It is likely that Rick is high in _________ values.

A) egocentric.
B) biocentric.
C) ecocentric.
D) geocentric.

Question 31

Which of the following 'R's' did Miller (2007)add to the three 'R's' of environmentalism (reduce,reuse,recycle)to explain that there was another way to ward off environmental threats?

A) relay
B) reply
C) resist
D) refuse

Question 32

When someone says "I have to drive because the bus schedule is too inconvenient," even though they know that cars contribute significantly to air pollution and climate change they are employing which of the following Freudian defense mechanisms?

A) rationalization
B) projection
C) reaction formation
D) displacement

Question 33

Using a psychoanalytic interpretation of the current environmental crisis,which of the following is crucial to the understanding of how we can know about the facts regarding the crisis and yet do little or nothing about its onset?

A) psychosexual development
B) defense mechanisms
C) structural model of the mind
D) role of the unconscious

Question 34

Pirog and Benjamin (2003)determined that the food that we eat typically travels approximately ______ miles to reach our plates because Americans often eat foods that are out of season.

A) 50
B) 100
C) 500
D) 1500

Question 35

Which of the following types of dilemmas identified by Gardner & Stern (2002)occurs when individuals do not contribute their fair share to a pooled resource?

A) commons
B) risk
C) public goods
D) ecological

Question 36

A discrepancy between one's immediate personal interests and the long term interests of the larger group is known as a

A) social discrepancy.
B) decision reinforcer.
C) social dilemma.
D) person-environment split.

Question 37

When people perceive in others what they fail to recognize in themselves,it is known as

A) denial.
B) projection.
C) rationalization.
D) identification.

Question 38

Schultz,et al (2005)found that individuals who are __________ are more likely to take pro-environmental action without the need for any operant manipulation.

A) altruistic
B) paternal
C) biocentric
D) all of the above

Question 39

Every year,approximately _____________ of food is wasted in the United States.

A) 340 tons
B) 34,000 tons
C) 340,000 tons
D) 34 million tons

Question 40

All of the following are associated with attitudes toward the treatment of animals EXCEPT

A) neuroticism.
B) empathy.
C) imaginativeness.
D) aggreeableness.

Question 41

The fact that we may have difficulty imagining the risks associated with climate change because of a lack of vivid,personal experiences with melting icecaps and rising sea levels is explained by the _____________ heuristic.

A) anchoring and adjustment
B) representativeness
C) fluency
D) availability

Question 42

The average child in the United States spends _______ engaged in outdoor activities.

A) 1 hour per day
B) 30 minutes per day
C) 30 minutes per week
D) no time at all

Question 43

___________________________ is a heuristic that leads us to believe we are less vulnerable than other people to all types of risks,including environmental threats like air and water pollution or nuclear accidents,even though objectively there is no reason to think the risks are any different for one individual versus another.

A) Comparative optimism
B) Invulnerability fallacy
C) Safety-clinging
D) Disproportionate fortunes

Question 44

Which of the following was advocated by B.F.Skinner as a tool to change human behavior so that it is more consistent with a healthy environment?

A) punish activities that lead to wasteful consumption of resources
B) reinforce activities that conserve resources
C) have children observe adults engaging in conservation activities
D) all of the above

Question 45

Natural environments can alleviate stress by activating the _______________ providing recovery from the fight or flight response by reducing blood pressure and heart rate (Hartig,et al.,2003).

A) endorphins
B) THC receptors
C) hypothalamus
D) parasympathetic nervous system

Question 46

Research suggests that children show strong moral prohibitions against pollution

A) only when it harms humans.
B) only when it harms animals.
C) when it harms either humans or animals.
D) neither when it harms humans nor animals.

Question 47

The average child sees ________ television advertisements per year.

A) 1,500
B) 10,000
C) 20,000
D) 40,000

Question 48

According to Faber Tayler et al.,what is the relationship between symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and passive time spent in green settings?

A) no study exists
B) positive correlation
C) negative correlation
D) no relationship

Question 49

Techniques such as rewarding bus ridership with valuable tokens or praising people for redicing their energy consumption are examples of _________ techniques for improving the environment.

A) social
B) behavioral
C) cognitive
D) anthropological

Question 50

____________ is a term used to describe how people intuitively perceive,categorize,and think about living things.

A) Anthropocentric
B) Folkbiology
C) Availability heuristic
D) False consensus

Question 51

___________________ is our tendency to perceive the views of those on the opposing side of a partisan debate as more extreme than they really are.

A) group polarization
B) false polarization
C) ethnocentrism
D) stereotyping

Question 52

Katie never bothers to recycle her soft drink cans.She tells herself that she doesn't need to recycle because no one else does it.Katie appears to be demonstrating

A) identification.
B) comparative optimism.
C) the false consensus effect.
D) the imaginary audience.

Question 53

When people change their views on an issue because of an overall increase in negative feelings,they are applying the _________ heuristic.

A) affect
B) comparative
C) false consensus
D) availability

Question 54

Environmental catastrophes can cause

A) antisocial personality disorder.
B) post traumatic stress disorder.
C) hypothymic disorder.
D) dyslexic disorder.

Question 55

Cialdini (2003)argued against the use of environmental campaigns that emphasize 'bad' behaviors.He did so for which of the following reasons?

A) environmental advocates should focus on reinforcement of positive behaviors
B) illustrating these behaviors may establish a descriptive norm for anti-environmental behaviors
C) the damage done to the earth and our environment is already so drastic that it is better to use the funding on preparing for the next catastrophe
D) the money could be better used in ads that focus on modeling of the appropriate behaviors

Question 56

From the perspective of cognitive psychology,environmentally destructive behavior is maintained by

A) defective problem solving.
B) cognitive biases.
C) environmental influency.
D) denial.

Question 57

Sara is out for a walk with her son when she picks up a piece of litter.When they see another piece of litter,her son picks it up.Sara has used the technique known as ________ to teach her son to pick up litter.

A) anchoring
B) reinforcement
C) modeling
D) norming

Question 58

Regarding prompts,which of the following is TRUE?

A) single prompts are more effective than multiple prompts
B) the more specific the prompt, the more effective it will be
C) children are more influenced by prompts than are adults
D) visual prompts are more effective than auditory prompts

Question 59

Studies have also demonstrated that symptoms of _____________________ can be ameliorated by "green activities" such as camping,fishing,soccer,or a simple "walk in the park" (Faber Tayler,et al.,2001).

A) mood disorders
B) phobias
C) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
D) obsessive-compulsive disorder

Question 60

By prominently placing aluminum recycling bins in areas where canned soft-drinks are consumed a business would be using ___________,which is part of the behavioral approach to environmentalism.

A) prompting
B) modeling
C) scheduling
D) reinforcing

Question 61

Gardner & Stern (2008)report that six aspects of human life most significantly and adversely affect the environment; transportation is one aspect.Which of the following does the study recommend as a way to lead a more sustainable lifestyle?

A) When driving increase speed, avoid sudden stops, and keep tires properly inflated.
B) When driving decrease speed, open windows instead of using air conditioner, and get regular tune-ups.
C) When driving decrease speed, keep tires properly inflated, and turn off the air conditioner.
D) When driving avoid sudden stops, open windows instead of using air conditioner, and allow engine to idle.

Question 62

Gardner & Stern (2008)report that six aspects of human life most significantly and adversely affect the environment; resource consumption is one aspect.Which of the following does the study recommend as a way to lead a more sustainable lifestyle?

A) Refuse to purchase anything packaged or wrapped in plastic.
B) Purchase items that are clearly labeled "eco-friendly."
C) Reuse plastic shopping bags from the grocery store in trash bins at home.
D) Inform organizations that send you junk mail that you no longer want to receive their mailings.

Question 63

Recent studies have shown that nature-based therapies

A) are similar to traditional therapies.
B) reduce clients' resiliency.
C) improve social functioning.
D) eliminate PTSD.

Question 64

Gardner & Stern (2008)report that six aspects of human life most significantly and adversely affect the environment; toxic chemicals are one aspect.Which of the following does the study recommend as a way to lead a more sustainable lifestyle?

A) Only purchase cosmetics and personal care products if their labels say "dermatologist-tested," "natural," and/or "organic."
B) Only use pesticides inside your home.
C) Replace household chemical cleansers with baking soda and vinegar.
D) Use cosmetics and personal care products that contain parabens.

Question 65

The disposal of household and industrial chemicals can cause all of the following EXCEPT

A) cancer.
B) post traumatic stress disorder.
C) neurological disorders.
D) developmental disabilities.

Question 66

Gardner & Stern (2008)report that six aspects of human life most significantly and adversely affect the environment; water use is one aspect.Which of the following does the study recommend as a way to lead a more sustainable lifestyle?

A) Take quick baths instead of showers.
B) Use the flushing rule: "If it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down."
C) Only run dishwashers and clothes-washers once a day.
D) Wash cups and plates by hand rather than putting them in the dishwasher.

Question 67

Gardner & Stern (2008)report that six aspects of human life most significantly and adversely affect the environment; home energy use is one aspect.Which of the following does the study recommend as a way to lead a more sustainable lifestyle?

A) Turn down the heat by at least a few degrees in the winter and avoid using air conditioning.
B) Turn off appliances, like computers and printers, when not in use.
C) Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.
D) all of these are recommended

Question 68

As little as _________ in a natural setting can relieve attentional fatigue.

A) 20 minutes
B) 2 hours
C) 12 hours
D) 2 days

Question 69

Attentional fatigue often co-occurs with feelings of ________,but __________ can mitigate the effects of both.

A) stress; restorative environments
B) anxiety; sleep
C) stress; sleep
D) stress; urban environments

Question 70

Gardner & Stern (2008)report that six aspects of human life most significantly and adversely affect the environment; agriculture is one aspect.Which of the following does the study recommend as a way to lead a more sustainable lifestyle?

A) Reduce your meat consumption by eating no meat one day per week, then increase to two days, and so forth.
B) Reduce your consumption of mass-produced produce by eating less fruits and vegetables once a week for a year.
C) Replace consumption of meat with fish one day per week, then increase to two days per week the following month, and so forth.
D) none of these are recommended