Deck 3: The Social Self

Question 1

Bill has an older brother named Dan.Both Bill and Dan are physics professors.According to Frank Sulloway's research on the effects of birth order,Bill should

A) conduct more research.
B) be more demanding of his students.
C) be more open to "off-the-wall" or "revolutionary" theories.
D) be more physically attractive.

Answer 1

be more open to "off-the-wall" or "revolutionary" theories.

Question 2

According to Festinger's (1954)social comparison theory,people often form judgments about their traits and abilities by comparing themselves with others.According to the theory,this process is most likely to occur when

A) the people around them are judgmental and unkind.
B) people have a clear and detailed self-concept.
C) the people around them have superior traits and abilities.
D) people have no objective standard by which to judge themselves.

Answer 2

people have no objective standard by which to judge themselves.

Question 3

Research on gender and the self-concept indicates that as compared to men,women are more likely to

A) experience confusion over how they should define themselves.
B) view themselves as unique and different from others.
C) define themselves in terms of social characteristics and relationships.
D) notice their own internal responses, such as increases in physiological arousal.

Answer 3

define themselves in terms of social characteristics and relationships.

Question 4

Ahmed tends to think of himself as a very creative and confident person.What kind of self-construal is Ahmed demonstrating?

A) an independent self-construal
B) an interdependent self-construal
C) a promotion-focused self-construal
D) a prevention-focused self-construal

Question 5

A belief about what another person thinks of you is called a

A) self-schema.
B) reflected self-appraisal.
C) self-handicap.
D) working self-concept.

Question 6

According to research,self-construals vary within a culture.Which of the following American men is most likely to have an independent self-construal?

A) John, who is a middle-class teacher
B) George, who is a lower-class factory worker
C) Paul, who is an upper-class businessman
D) Richard, who is a middle-class office manager

Question 7

At his first therapy session,Curtis discusses his relationship history.He describes each romantic partner,what the relationship was like,why it ended,and what he took away.This tale that he weaves for his therapist conveys his

A) working self-concept.
B) self-schema.
C) narrated self.
D) reflected self-appraisal.

Question 8

The part of our self-knowledge that is conscious to us at any given time is called the

A) self-concept.
B) collective self-concept.
C) working self-concept.
D) distinctive self-concept.

Question 9

________ is useful in developing our self-concept,but it can lead us to lose some self-esteem,at least temporarily.

A) Upward comparison
B) Downward comparison
C) Self-affirmation
D) Self-aggrandizement

Question 10

Consider the following finding from a study in which U.S.schoolchildren were asked to describe themselves: "Forty-four percent of children who were born outside of the United States mentioned their country of origin when describing themselves,whereas only 7 percent of those born in the United States mentioned their place of birth." This finding best supports the ________ hypothesis.

A) contrasting traits
B) self-perception
C) social comparison
D) distinctiveness

Question 11

Members of which of the following tend to have interdependent self-construals?

A) New Zealand
B) many African cultures
C) many Northern European cultures
D) the United States

Question 12

The proverb,"The squeaky wheel gets the grease," reflects which type of self-construal?

A) independent
B) interdependent
C) communal
D) distinctiveness

Question 13

Barbara just received a B on her test.She learns that one of her friends got an A on the same test,and another friend got a C.Later that night,Barbara tells her roommate that she did "really well" relative to other people in the class.According to social comparison theory,Barbara appears to have engaged in ________ comparison.

A) upward
B) downward
C) promotional
D) prevention

Question 14

Self-schemas are

A) wishes and aspirations people have for themselves.
B) objective standards that people use to learn about their own abilities, attitudes, and personality traits.
C) beliefs about the roles, obligations, and duties people assume in groups.
D) knowledge-based summaries of our beliefs and feelings about the self in particular domains.

Question 15

Vazire and colleagues conducted a series of studies to evaluate who we believe knows us best,ourselves or close others,and whether our beliefs are accurate.The results showed that

A) we tend to believe close others know us best, and indeed close others do a better job predicting our behavior than we do.
B) although we tend to believe that close others know us best, we do a better job predicting certain aspects of our behavior than close others do.
C) we tend to believe that we know ourselves best, and indeed we do a better job predicting our behavior than close others do.
D) although we tend to believe that we know ourselves best, close others do a better job predicting certain aspects of our behavior than we do.

Question 16

Ji-Min thinks of herself as outgoing,a big sister,a runner,and intelligent.These are aspects of Ji-Min's

A) self-schema.
B) self-appraisal.
C) social-self.
D) self-esteem.

Question 17

Dan McAdams writes about and does research on the "narrated self," which consists of

A) our personality traits.
B) our independent or interdependent self-construals.
C) the story we tell about our social self.
D) how other people describe our social self.

Question 18

Frank Sulloway's (1996,2001)research on the relationship between birth order and personality shows that

A) younger siblings tend to be more agreeable than older siblings.
B) older siblings tend to be less honest than younger siblings.
C) younger and older siblings are equally open to novel ideas and experiences.
D) older siblings tend to be less achievement oriented than younger siblings.

Question 19

According to Cooley's concept of the looking-glass self,we learn about ourselves through

A) completing different kinds of personality tests.
B) our beliefs about what other people think of us.
C) our parents telling us what we like and dislike and what we are good at.
D) deep reflection about our behaviors, preferences, and attitudes.

Question 20

Although Emil generally thinks of himself as both a good student and a good son,while visiting with his mother over the holidays he is thinking more about being a good son.That this good son aspect of his identity is more on his mind when he is with his mom illustrates the idea of

A) the ought self.
B) the actual self.
C) self-schemas.
D) the working self-concept.

Question 21

Luisa generally feels good about who she is.However,she just received a low grade on her chemistry midterm,so she is currently feeling badly about herself.Luisa has________ and ________.

A) a positive actual self; a negative ought self
B) a negative actual self; a negative ought self
C) high trait self-esteem; low state self-esteem
D) high state self-esteem; low trait self-esteem

Question 22

People strive for stable and accurate beliefs about the self.This motivation is emphasized by ________ theory.

A) self-verification
B) self-determination
C) self-validation
D) self-presentation

Question 23

Different theories make different predictions about the source of a person's self-esteem.For example,sociometer theory argues that self-esteem depends on ________,whereas the contingencies of self-worth account argues that self-esteem depends on ________.

A) social acceptances versus social rejection; success versus failure in important life domains
B) success versus failure in important life domains; social acceptance versus social rejection
C) being independent; maintaining social harmony
D) maintaining social harmony; being independent

Question 24

Gene is given a questionnaire that has statements like these printed on it: "I take a positive view of myself" and "I feel that I have a number of good qualities." He is asked to indicate how much he agrees with such statements.This questionnaire is meant to measure Gene's

A) self-consciousness.
B) identity cues.
C) self-esteem.
D) self-discrepancies.

Question 25

Who is likely to be the most defensive in response to negative feedback on a class paper?

A) Marta, who has unstable high self-esteem
B) Ye-Jun, who has stable high self-esteem
C) Aleksi, who has unstable low self-esteem
D) Maya, who has stable low self-esteem

Question 26

Research supporting self-verification theory has shown that people

A) selectively attend to information that is consistent with their self-views.
B) want to be seen as mysterious and, therefore, hide their true selves from others.
C) maintain acceptance by conforming to others' expectations.
D) verify the accuracy of their self-knowledge through introspection.

Question 27

Researchers have found that people are less likely to display defensive biases (such as taking credit for a success and denying credit for a failure)if they previously engaged in which of the following?

A) self-regulation
B) self-verification
C) self-affirmation
D) self-presentation

Question 28

Which of the following statements about culture and self-esteem is the most accurate?

A) People from Western cultures are more likely to say or do things to enhance other people's self-esteem (compared to people from Asian cultures).
B) The Japanese praise each other for their achievements more often than Americans do.
C) People from Asian cultures generally feel worse about themselves than people from Western cultures.
D) Americans utter many more self-complimentary statements during conversations (compared to Japanese individuals).

Question 29

That we often see ourselves as better,stronger,or faster than we really are best reflects

A) the better-than-average effect.
B) positive illusions.
C) self-affirmation.
D) self-verification.

Question 30

According to self-verification theory,people with negative self-views tend to remember ________ feedback more.In contrast,people with positive self-views tend to remember ________ feedback more.

A) negative; positive
B) positive; negative
C) inaccurate; accurate
D) accurate; inaccurate

Question 31

When is the better-than-average effect most likely to occur?

A) when people use objective, concrete measures of performance to assess their abilities
B) when people assess their abilities on ambiguous traits that can be construed in different ways
C) when men are rating their performance compared to women
D) when people are rating themselves on negative traits

Question 32

According to the contingencies of the self-worth account of self-esteem (Crocker and Wolfe,2001),a person's self-evaluations

A) are stable across situations and time.
B) depend on success and failure in important life domains.
C) are learned through principles of classical conditioning.
D) are a direct result of parenting styles.

Question 33

According to the sociometer hypothesis,

A) self-esteem is an internal, subjective index of the extent to which people feel included or excluded by others.
B) people are social animals and thrive on conflict and dominating others.
C) people use reflection and social comparison processes to maintain a positive self-image.
D) people strive for accurate beliefs about the self in order to form adaptive judgments and decisions.

Question 34

Researchers have studied whether college students' beliefs about their academic talents relate to self-esteem and well-being in college.Results show that students who ________ at the start of college experienced ________ in self-esteem and well-being over the following four years.

A) had self-enhancing beliefs; declines
B) did not have self-enhancing beliefs; declines
C) experienced self-discrepancies; declines
D) experienced self-discrepancies; increases

Question 35

Although doing his job well is an important aspect of Jim's self-concept,he is just not good at his job.Correspondingly,he is starting to feel bad about himself.According to ________ ,Jim will feel better about himself if he gets a new job that he is good at.

A) self-verification theory
B) sociometer hypothesis of self-esteem
C) principle of self-handicapping
D) contingencies of the self-worth account of self-esteem

Question 36

When Josue thinks about how good he is at baseball,he recalls that time he hit three home runs in a row.When Josue thinks about how good his best friend Tom is at baseball,he remembers that Tom averaged just one home run per game throughout the season.Josue's thinking contributes to which of the following?

A) self-enhancement
B) self-discrepancy
C) self-presentation
D) self-affirmation

Question 37

Recall that Steve Heine and colleagues compared how Canadian and Japanese students responded to positive or negative feedback after taking a creativity test.After the feedback,participants took a second creativity test.The results showed that

A) overall, the Japanese tended to score better on both creativity tests.
B) regardless of feedback type, the Japanese tended to score worse on the second creativity test (compared to the Canadians).
C) Canadians worked longer on the second creativity test after receiving positive feedback than after receiving negative feedback.
D) the Japanese worked longer on the second creativity test after receiving positive feedback than after receiving negative feedback.

Question 38

Research shows that state self-esteem can be influenced by

A) odors.
B) complex weather patterns.
C) ambient light levels.
D) momentary mood states.

Question 39

The better-than-average effect refers to the finding that people

A) tend to assume others are better than they themselves at difficult tasks.
B) tend to think that they are above average.
C) who are better than average are happier.
D) who are better than average are actually more modest about their abilities.

Question 40

Sara's best friend just told her that she does not want to hang out any more.Sara's self-esteem plummets.She then calls three other good friends to see if they want to get dinner together.They say yes and Sara feels better about herself.Sara's feelings and behaviors reflect which psychological theory?

A) self-evaluation maintenance model
B) self-verification theory
C) self-discrepancy theory
D) sociometer hypothesis

Question 41

The statement "From now on,I'm going to take vitamins everyday" is a(n)________,whereas the statement "I will always take my vitamins after drinking my morning coffee" is a(n)________.

A) promotion focus; prevention focus
B) prevention focus; promotion focus
C) implementation intention; goal intention
D) goal intention; implementation intention

Question 42

Regarding implementation intentions,which of the following statements is the LEAST accurate?

A) Implementation intentions follow an if-then format.
B) Implementation intentions heighten your attention to the cue of interest.
C) Implementation intentions require conscious effort.
D) Implementation intentions link a specific situation to a desired behavior.

Question 43

Looking ten years ahead,Lola dreams of being a celebrated writer.According to self-discrepancy theory (Higgins,1987),Lola is reflecting on her ________ self.

A) unattainable
B) ought
C) actual
D) ideal

Question 44

The self-enhancement motive seems to better predict ________ responses to feedback,whereas the self-verification motive seems to better predict ________ responses.

A) emotional; cognitive
B) cognitive; emotional
C) behavioral; cognitive
D) cognitive; behavioral

Question 45

Which of the following statements best reflects self-affirmation theory?

A) People are motivated to see themselves in a positive light, and they construe the world in ways that support this need.
B) People see themselves as better than others particularly on traits that can be viewed in many different ways.
C) People maintain feelings of worth after an identity threat by focusing on how great they are in a different life area.
D) People want others to confirm their self-views, and this is true whether those views are positive or negative in valence.

Question 46

The set of processes by which people initiate,alter,and control their behavior in the pursuit of their goals is called

A) self-discrepancy.
B) self-enhancement.
C) self-verification.
D) self-regulation.

Question 47

Tiara is worried about bad things happening.She tries not to do poorly in her classes and avoids getting into fights with her boyfriend.Tiara is ________ focused.

A) prevention
B) promotion
C) ought
D) ideal

Question 48

Recall Tory Higgins's argument that people compare their "actual selves" with other "selves" and that these comparisons have important motivational implications.Which of the following is NOT among the selves to which Higgins refers?

A) optimal
B) ideal
C) ought
D) actual

Question 49

Nadir wants to lose weight and decides to cut back on his calorie intake.This is proving difficult,given that his coworker Niya often shares brownies in their office's common area.Nadir tries to think of the brownies as a threat to his long-term health goals,rather than as a delicious,gooey treat.He is construing this temptation in which one of the following ways?

A) at a low-level
B) at a high-level
C) in concrete terms
D) in hot terms

Question 50

Candice is not doing very well in her art class but wishes she were a great artist.According to research on self-presentation,when she goes on social networking sites,what is she likely to convey about her artistic abilities?

A) that she is, in fact, a good artist
B) that she is not very good at art
C) that she is not interested in art at all
D) that her best friend is an artist

Question 51

How are self-monitoring and self-handicapping related?

A) They are both forms of social comparison.
B) They are both forms of impression management.
C) They are both forms of self-affirmation.
D) They are both forms of self-verification.

Question 52

________ facilitate(s)goal achievement by linking goal-directed behaviors to specific situational cues.

A) Implementation intentions
B) Goal intentions
C) Delay of gratification
D) Construal shifting

Question 53

Ryan begins his 20-page sociology paper at about 5 p.m.on the night before the paper is due.At around 6 p.m.,Gary requests a favor that will take several hours.Ryan grants the favor and ends up leaving himself just a few hours to complete the paper.Later,when friends ask Ryan about his paper grade,he says,"I got a D because I was helping Gary all night instead of writing." This scenario exemplifies a self-presentation process called

A) self-handicapping.
B) self-fulfilling prophecy.
C) overjustification.
D) self-promotion.

Question 54

Experimental evidence on self-discrepancy theory shows that being induced to think that your actual self resembles your ________ self increases ________.

A) ideal; anxiety
B) ought; guilt
C) ought; sensitivity to negative outcomes
D) ideal; sensitivity to positive outcomes

Question 55

Adina has low self-esteem.She always feels uncomfortable in social situations.According to research on self-verification theory,with whom would Adina most likely choose to be friends?

A) Kevin, who told her she's the coolest girl he knows
B) Mitchell, who told her she's kind of awkward
C) Raymond, who is high in self-monitoring
D) Lars, who is low in self-monitoring

Question 56

Travis is trying to lose weight but loves eating chips.He avoids the chip aisle whenever he is at the grocery store.However,at his friend's holiday party,there is a big bowl of chips on the table.According to research on automatic self-control by Fishbach and colleagues (2003),what is likely to happen when Travis notices the bowl of chips at the party?

A) He decides to avoid eating cookies instead of chips.
B) He realizes he loves chips too much to stop eating them.
C) He starts to think about his goal of losing weight.
D) He does not think about his goal of losing weight.

Question 57

Recall that Berglas and Jones (1978)led male participants to believe that they were going to either succeed or have difficulty on an upcoming test.Next,participants were given the chance to ingest either a performance-enhancing drug or a performance-inhibiting drug.Who preferred the performance-inhibiting drug?

A) all participants, regardless of their beliefs about success or difficulty
B) no participants, regardless of their beliefs about success or difficulty
C) participants who thought they would succeed on the test
D) participants who thought they would have difficulty on the test

Question 58

Jim tends to act in accordance with his internal inclinations,impulses,and dispositions,and he is not very well attuned to the social context in which he finds himself.Thus,Jim would score ________ on a measure of ________.

A) high; self-handicapping
B) low; self-handicapping
C) high; self-monitoring
D) low; self-monitoring

Question 59

Goffman's idea of face refers to

A) our self-schemas.
B) our self-esteem.
C) how other people think about us.
D) who we want others to think we are.

Question 60

Which type of construal would best facilitate a child's capacity to wait for the larger reward during the delay of gratification task (otherwise known as "the marshmallow test")?

A) thinking of how gooey the marshmallow will feel
B) thinking of how sweet the marshmallow will taste
C) thinking of the marshmallow as a bunny's tail
D) thinking of the marshmallow as a yummy treat

Question 61

According to Taylor,Brown,and colleagues (1988,1994,2000),positive illusions about the self are associated with higher levels of happiness and well-being.Describe two pieces of evidence in support of this prediction,as well as one piece of evidence that challenges it.

Question 62

Provide two pieces of evidence that challenge the idea that people always strive to maintain or increase the positivity of their self-views (hint: consider self-verification theory).

Question 63

Challenge the idea that one's level of self-esteem (high versus low)is the only aspect of self-esteem that relates to well-being or outcomes.

Question 64

Compare automatic and deliberate (controlled)forms of self-regulation.

Question 65

Describe potential costs of engaging in self-presentation.That is,how could attempts to maintain the favorable impression of others negatively impact our health or well-being? Give two examples.

Question 66

Describe social comparison theory.When will one engage in upward versus downward comparison?

Question 67

Describe Crocker and Wolfe's (2001)contingencies of self-worth account of self-esteem and Leary and colleagues' (1995)sociometer hypothesis.According to each theory,what is the source of an individual's level of self-esteem?

Question 68

Explain self-discrepancy theory and the various "selves" to which this theory refers.Then discuss how discrepant "selves" could influence an individual's well-being.

Question 69

The "Who Are You?" exercise asks students to write down things that describe who they are.Interesting cultural differences emerge in how students respond.Generate five responses that are characteristic of someone from an independent culture and five responses that are characteristic of someone from an interdependent culture.Then describe how these responses differ.

Question 70

Amber and Courtney are sisters.Amber is the older sibling and Courtney is the younger sibling.According to Frank Sulloway's (1996,2001)research on birth order,how might Amber's and Courtney's personalities differ? Describe the evolutionary principle that underlies these differences.

Question 71

Imagine that you are a social psychologist and a parent comes to you because he is worried that his child has low self-esteem.Based on your reading,design an intervention to boost the child's self-esteem.Describe the research and the theory that support your proposed plan.

Question 72

Describe differences in self-esteem across independent and interdependent cultures.

Question 73

Define impression management and explain how self-monitoring and self-handicapping are related to this concept.

Question 74

The general process by which we control others' beliefs about us is called

A) self-handicapping.
B) impression management.
C) self-monitoring.
D) private self-consciousness.