Deck 71: Social Psychology: Social Influence

Question 1

The tendency for people to change their behavior just because other people are nearby is known as

A)compliance.
B)conformity.
C)mere presence.
D)indirect obedience.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The process of changing your behavior in response to another person who has little or no social power or authority is known as

A)mere presence.
B)compliance.
C)conformity.
D)obedience.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The five major forms of social influence listed in order of intensity from gentlest to strongest are

A)social learning,attribution,persuasion,conformity,and indoctrination.
B)mere presence,conformity,social learning,persuasion,and obedience.
C)mere presence,conformity,compliance,obedience,and coercion.
D)observational learning,classical conditioning,operant conditioning,and indoctrination.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

According to Norman Triplett's experiment,if you are riding a bicycle and another rider pulls up beside you,you will be more likely to speed up due to

A)social compliance.
B)social facilitation.
C)indirect obedience.
D)conformity.

Question 5

The strongest of the five forms of social influence is

A)obedience.
B)coercion.
C)compliance.
D)group conformity.

Question 6

If you were sitting alone in your dorm room,picking your nose,and a stranger entered the room,you would probably stop picking your nose due to which form of social influence?

A)compliance
B)conformity
C)mere presence
D)indirect obedience

Question 7

In the sidewalk experiment,various numbers of people stood on a busy New York City street and,on cue,began looking at a sixth-floor window across the street.Soon many of the people walking on the street stopped and looked up at the window.This experiment illustrates

A)groupthink.
B)social influence.
C)the fundamental attribution error.
D)cognitive dissonance.

Question 8

According to Norman Triplett's experiment on social facilitation,if you are riding a bicycle and another rider pulls up beside you,you will be more likely to

A)speed up.
B)slow down.
C)ignore the other rider.
D)speak and try to maintain his or her pace.

Question 9

When people interact,they almost always affect each other's behavior.This illustrates social

A)influence.
B)diffusion.
C)reciprocity.
D)exchange.

Question 10

Conformity,obedience,and compliance are all examples of

A)social influence.
B)social learning.
C)persuasion.
D)coercion.

Question 11

The process of spontaneously changing your behavior to match that of others in a group is called

A)norming.
B)compliance.
C)conformity.
D)obedience.

Question 12

Although coercion is the strongest form of social influence,which of the following would be the strongest of the remaining four listed?

A)conformity
B)compliance
C)obedience
D)mere presence

Question 13

Which of the following is considered the gentlest form of social influence?

A)mere presence
B)coercion
C)compliance
D)conformity

Question 14

Changes in a person's behavior induced by the presence or actions of others is known as

A)social influence.
B)the actor-observer bias.
C)ethnocentrism.
D)social exchange.

Question 15

In 1898,the first published social psychology experiment was on the topic of

A)compliance and was conducted by William James.
B)conformity and was conducted by Solomon Asch.
C)social facilitation and was conducted by Norman Triplett.
D)obedience and was conducted by Stanley Milgram.

Question 16

The process of changing your behavior in direct response to the demands of an authority is known as

A)norming.
B)compliance.
C)conformity.
D)obedience.

Question 17

If you change your behavior because you are forced to by another person,you are experiencing the strongest form of social influence,which is called

A)obedience.
B)coercion.
C)compliance.
D)group conformity.

Question 18

Changing one's behavior just because other people are nearby is the gentlest form of social influence and is called

A)obedience.
B)conformity.
C)passive compliance.
D)mere presence.

Question 19

The tendency to perform better when in the presence of others is known as

A)social compliance.
B)social facilitation.
C)indirect obedience.
D)conformity.

Question 20

In the sidewalk experiment,various numbers of people stood on a busy New York City street and,on cue,began looking at a sixth-floor window across the street.Soon many of the people walking on the street stopped and looked up at the window.Which of the following factors tended to sway the most people to stop and look up at the window?

A)a larger influencing group
B)a smaller influencing group
C)a better-dressed influencing group
D)a younger influencing group

Question 21

When Harry met Sally,they fell in love and were not shy about expressing their love for each other openly around campus.They soon noticed that other students were staring at and laughing at them.Within a couple of weeks,they had toned down their public displays of affection.Harry and Sally discovered that most basic of all group norms,which is to

A)comply.
B)conform.
C)obey.
D)adhere to groupthink.

Question 22

In a classic study on social facilitation that involved college students shooting pool at a student union,it was found that when being watched by others,the less confident,average pool players

A)decreased their accuracy.
B)improved their accuracy.
C)showed no change in their pool shooting ability.
D)became extreme showmen and took risky shots,many of which did not pay off.

Question 23

Acceptable behavior in most situations is defined by society,as a whole,through the broadest set of

A)norms.
B)comparison levels.
C)group structures.
D)standardization levels.

Question 24

Who is best known for his research on conformity?

A)Solomon Asch
B)Zick Rubin
C)Stanley Schachter
D)Philip Zimbardo

Question 25

Larrian has just started her new job as a college professor.She has bought a new professional wardrobe of tailored suits to wear.When she starts her job,she notices that almost all professors are dressed more casually and are wearing "comfortable" shoes.The first few days she is teaching,she gets compliments on her wardrobe,but after a few weeks,she gets asked "if her feet hurt" or "doesn't she get hot in the jacket." Larrian soon finds that she is
Taking the jacket off and has now started wearing lower heeled shoes.Larrian most likely made this change due to

A)cognitive dissonance.
B)conformity.
C)obedience.
D)groupthink.

Question 26

When we bring our behavior into agreement with the actions,norms,or values of others in the absence of any direct pressure,we are exhibiting

A)conformity.
B)compliance.
C)obedience.
D)adaptation.

Question 27

In a classic study on social facilitation that involved college students shooting pool at a student union,it was found that when being watched by others,good pool players who were confident in their pool playing

A)became very self-conscious,and their pool-playing suffered significantly.
B)improved their accuracy.
C)showed no change in their pool shooting ability.
D)became extreme showman and took risky shots,many of which did not pay off.

Question 28

The teacher decides to let your class get in groups of four to complete the homework.Your effort on this group task will be less than the effort you would have expended if the task had been completed as individual homework. This illustrates the principle of

A)mere presence.
B)group conformity.
C)social loafing.
D)social facilitation.

Question 29

The teacher decides to let your class get in groups of four to complete the homework.If you are like most people,your effort on this group task will be

A)greater than the effort expended on an individual assignment.
B)less than the effort expended on an individual assignment.
C)the same as would be expended on an individual assignment.
D)erratic and more unpredictable than on an individual assignment.

Question 30

In a classic study that involved college students shooting pool at a student union,it was found that when being watched by others,good players who were confident in their pool playing improved their accuracy,while the less confident players decreased their accuracy.This experiment illustrates the principle known as

A)social facilitation.
B)social compliance.
C)indirect obedience.
D)group conformity.

Question 31

In a study on social loafing,people played tug-of-war while blindfolded.Compared to when they thought they were pulling alone,people showed which of the following behaviors when they thought they were pulling as part of a group?

A)They pulled harder.
B)They made less of an effort to pull.
C)They did not vary the amount of effort they exerted.
D)They were erratic in the amount of effort exerted.

Question 32

You are a very good school teacher,who is confident in your teaching ability.One day,you are instructing your class when you spy the principal standing outside the door watching you.According to social facilitation theory,the principal being present is likely to

A)improve your teaching performance.
B)decrease in your teaching performance.
C)not change your teaching performance.
D)lead to you becoming indigent that the principal would just stand silently outside the door rather than coming in to the classroom and making his or her presence known.

Question 33

A degree of uniformity is necessary if we are to interact comfortably with others and to anticipate their behaviors in schools and businesses and when driving on the highways.This degree of uniformity is due to

A)mututal affiliation.
B)passive compliance.
C)harmless stereotyping.
D)conformity.

Question 34

The tendency of people to work less hard when part of a group than when they are solely responsible for their work is known as

A)groupthink.
B)passive compliance.
C)social loafing.
D)mere presence.

Question 35

Solomon Asch's classic experiment (in which subjects judged a "standard" line and "comparison" lines)showed that

A)subjects yielded to group pressure in only ten percent of the critical test trials.
B)subjects were not nervous or upset about making judgments different from the group.
C)75 percent of the subjects yielded to group pressure at least once.
D)when tested alone only five percent of the subjects made errors of judgment.

Question 36

Comparing hairstyles,habits of speech,dress,eating habits,and social customs in two or more cultures makes it clear that the members of each society tend to

A)affiliate with only those who follow cultural expectations.
B)obey social restrictions.
C)conform to social norms.
D)apply direct pressure to others to passively comply to expected behaviors.

Question 37

You are practicing your guitar alone in your dorm room when your roommate and another student from down the hall walk in and motion for you to keep going.If you are confident in your musical skill,you are more likely to perform better with these two people present,according to the principle of

A)social facilitation.
B)social compliance.
C)indirect obedience.
D)group conformity.

Question 38

In a study in which people played tug-of-war while blindfolded,it was found that people tended to pull harder if they thought they were competing alone and pulled less hard when they thought others were on their team.This study illustrates

A)groupthink.
B)passive compliance.
C)social loafing.
D)determinal conformity.

Question 39

All groups have unspoken rules of conduct,which establish acceptable behavior in most situations,and are called

A)norms.
B)comparison levels.
C)group structures.
D)standardization levels.

Question 40

In a study on social loafing,people played tug-of-war while blindfolded.Compared to when they thought they were pulling in a group,people showed which of the following behaviors when they thought they were pulling alone?

A)They pulled harder.
B)They made less of an effort to pull.
C)They did not vary the amount of effort they exerted.
D)They were erratic in the amount of effort exerted.

Question 41

Which of the following was NOT part of the Asch experiment that involved the judgment of standard and comparison lines?

A)the use of accomplices who purposely judged the lines incorrectly
B)the use of trials in which the subjects judged the lines without other people being present
C)the use of three lines for each trial of the experiment
D)the use of two groups of subjects,one that judged the lines correctly in all cases and the other that judged the lines incorrectly in all cases

Question 42

Rewards and punishments,such as approval or disapproval,administered by groups to enforce conformity among members are,collectively,referred to as

A)groupthink.
B)group sanctions.
C)coercion.
D)indoctrination.

Question 43

A person is more likely to conform if he or she

A)has high needs for structure or certainty.
B)has a high degree of self-confidence.
C)lives in a culture that emphasizes individuality.
D)has all of these characteristics.

Question 44

In determining whether a person will conform to the group,which of the following factors is more important than the number of people in the group?

A)unanimity
B)cohesion
C)proximity
D)comparison level

Question 45

A person is less likely to conform if he or she

A)has low needs for structure or certainty.
B)is anxious and low in self-confidence.
C)lives in a culture that emphasizes group cooperation.
D)is concerned with the approval of others.

Question 46

Harry and Sally's public displays of love were met with staring,"rolling of eyes," and "heavy sighs" by their friends and by strangers,too.Harry and Sally soon conformed to the expectations of the others due to

A)group discrimination.
B)groupthink.
C)group sanctions.
D)social facilitation.

Question 47

Dave thought he had selected a "cool tie" to wear to work.However,after a few giggles and a "rolling of the eyes" from several coworkers,Dave went to his office and took off the tie.These reactions of the coworkers would be referred to as

A)stereotyping.
B)groupthink.
C)group sanctions.
D)the actor-observer bias.

Question 48

Threats of ridicule or rejection for nonconformity are referred to,collectively,as

A)coercive unanimity.
B)group authority.
C)legitimate power.
D)group sanctions.

Question 49

Regarding group sanctions,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)Group sanctions involve being rewarded with acceptance for conformity and being rejected for nonconformity.
B)The more important the group membership is to a person,the more he or she will be influenced by other group members.
C)The risk of being rejected can be a threat to one's sense of personal identity.
D)Because the groups in Asch's experiemnt were only temporary groups,group sanctions had no effect on the participants' tendency to conform.

Question 50

The power of group sanctions even in temporary groups was illustrated in the experiment by

A)Solomon Asch.
B)Stanley Milgram.
C)Robert Cialdini.
D)David Buss.

Question 51

Studies of conformity indicate that people are more apt to be influenced by others if they

A)lack self-confidence.
B)have high needs for certainty and structure.
C)belong to a culture that emphasizes group cooperation.
D)exhibit any of these characteristics.

Question 52

You are in a group in which you hold an opinion different from the majority.As the discussion continues,you now note that one other member of the group also disagrees with the majority opinion.Compared to when you were the sole dissenting opinion,the additional person who also disagrees with the group

A)will tend to increase your tendency to conform.
B)will tend to decrease your tendency to conform.
C)will have no effect on your tendency to conform.
D)may increase or decrease your conformity depending on the total number of members in the group.

Question 53

Regarding the studies of conformity,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)The size of the majority makes a difference in whether the person conformed,but a surprisingly small difference.
B)A lack of unanimity,that is,having at least one person in your corner,can greatly reduce pressures to conform.
C)The more important group membership is to a person,the more he or she will be influenced by other group members.
D)Since the groups in Asch's experiments were temporary,sanctions were informal,and rejection had no lasting importance,so fewer than half of the participants conformed to the group opinion regarding the lines.

Question 54

Regarding Solomon Asch's classic experiment on conformity,which involved the "judging of lines," which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)Actors playing "student subjects" gave the wrong answer on about a third of the trials to create group pressure.
B)Subjects conformed to the group on about one third of the critical trials.
C)Of those subjects tested,less than half yielded to group pressure at least once.
D)Subjects who were tested alone erred in less than one percent of their judgments.

Question 55

Solomon Asch's classic experiment (in which subjects judged a "standard" line and "comparison" lines)was actually conducted to study

A)social perception.
B)social roles.
C)cohesiveness.
D)conformity.

Question 56

A person is more likely to conform if he or she

A)has low needs for structure or certainty.
B)has a high degree of self-confidence.
C)lives in a culture that emphasizes group cooperation.
D)is not concerned about the approval of others.

Question 57

Group sanctions may include all of the following EXCEPT

A)attribution and social facilitation.
B)rejection or formal exclusion.
C)laughter or staring.
D)social approval or disapproval.

Question 58

Solomon Asch's classic experiment (in which subjects judged a "standard" line and "comparison" lines)showed that subjects yielded to group pressure in about what proportion of the critical test trials?

A)one-tenth
B)one-fifth
C)one-third
D)one-half

Question 59

Studies of conformity indicate that people are more apt to be influenced by others if they

A)are concerned about the approval of others.
B)have low needs for certainty and structure.
C)belong to a culture that emphasizes individuality.
D)have a great deal of self-confidence.

Question 60

Groups reward their members for conformity with

A)unanimity and power.
B)power and authority.
C)legitimacy and recognition.
D)approval and acceptance.

Question 61

In decision-making,the presence of which of the following can lead to deadlock and delay the group taking necessary action?

A)too many alternatives
B)the fundamental attribution error
C)group cohesiveness
D)the low-ball effect

Question 62

A compulsion by decision makers to maintain each other's approval,even at the cost of critical thinking and good judgment,is called

A)the halo effect.
B)expert power.
C)groupthink.
D)cognitive dissonance.

Question 63

Which of the following persons analyzed a series of disastrous decisions made by government officials and came to the conclusion that many such fiascoes are the result of groupthink?

A)Irving Janis
B)Stanley Milgram
C)Solomon Asch
D)Philip Zimbardo

Question 64

When people exhibit compliance,they are bending to the request

A)of a person who has little or no social power over them.
B)of a person who is a powerful authority.
C)in order to fit into a particular group.
D)because of the power of groupthink.

Question 65

You are buying an appliance,and the salesperson tells you that the "smart thing to do" is to get an extended warranty on the appliance.Although you really don't want this warranty,you reluctantly agree to it.You have just exhibited

A)obedience.
B)conformity.
C)compliance.
D)pseudostupidity.

Question 66

Compliance involves people

A)bringing their behavior into harmony with the norms of a group.
B)conforming to the demands of an authority.
C)deliberately attempting to change the attitudes or beliefs of others.
D)bending to the requests of others who have little or no social power or authority.

Question 67

To a large extent,the "groupthink" phenomenon described by Irving Janis can be considered a powerful example of

A)conformity pressures.
B)group structures.
C)social exchange effects.
D)proxemic indoctrination.

Question 68

When a small group of people will not tolerate alternative views and comes to maintain their own viewpoint due to misguided loyalty at the cost of critical thinking,this situation is referred to as

A)groupthink.
B)bystander apathy.
C)cognitive dissonance.
D)social facilitation.

Question 69

In which of the following are group members hesitant to "rock the boat," question sloppy thinking,or tolerate alternative views with this self-censorship leading these group members to believe they agree more than they actually do?

A)social faciliation
B)bystander apathy
C)cognitive dissonance
D)groupthink

Question 70

When a person with little or no authority makes a direct request of you and you "give in" and bend to this request, you have exhibited

A)obedience.
B)conformity.
C)compliance.
D)coercion.

Question 71

Which of the following recommendations would prevent groupthink?

A)Focus on subjective evaluation and interpretation.
B)Have the leader state personal preferences before the discussion begins.
C)Focus on the facts,without bias.
D)Make it clear that group members will not be held accountable for their decisions.

Question 72

In Paco's group,all three of the other members disagree with his idea for the spring festival.In Taurus's group,four out of five of the other members disagree with Taurus's idea,while in Margo's group,six out of eight group members disagree with her idea.Based on research findings,which person is most likely to conform to the majority group opinion?

A)Paco
B)Taurus
C)Margo
D)none of these people will conform because the groups are too small.

Question 73

Which of the following has been blamed as a contributing factor in the Columbia space shuttle disaster,the loss of the Mars Climate Orbiter,the invasion and occupation of Iraq,and other international crises?

A)the halo effect
B)cognitive dissonance
C)groupthink
D)social facilitation

Question 74

The real danger of "groupthink" is that it

A)is contagious.
B)occurs in large diverse groups.
C)disrupts coordinated efforts at group problem solving.
D)leads to a suspension of critical thinking.

Question 75

All of the following are strategies to prevent groupthink EXCEPT

A)stating the problem factually.
B)making it clear that group members will be held accountable for decisions.
C)keeping the group small so a consensus can be reached more easily.
D)encouraging second-chance meetings to rethink important decisions.

Question 76

Which one of the following suggestions for group leaders would NOT prevent groupthink?

A)Invite someone in the group to play devil's advocate.
B)State your personal preference at the beginning of the meeting.
C)Make sure group members know that they will be held accountable for the decisions.
D)Have a "second chance" meeting to re­evaluate important decisions.

Question 77

According to the text,which of the following is a recommended technique for overcoming groupthink?

A)Set a strict time limit for decision-making.
B)Encourage the leader to state his or her position at the beginning of the discussion.
C)Define each member's role as that of critical evaluator.
D)Postpone criticism of suggested solutions until consensus has been reached.

Question 78

Having too many alternatives has what effect on group decision-making?

A)deadlock
B)groupthink
C)conformity
D)compliance

Question 79

The core of groupthink involves

A)misguided loyalty,in which group members are hesitant to "rock the boat" or question sloppy thinking.
B)the halo effect,in which group members tend not to question the ideas of the physically attractive.
C)the fundamental attribution error,in which there is a tendency of the group members to look to external causes.
D)cognitive dissonance,in which there is an uncomfortable clash between ideas and behaviors within a group.

Question 80

While social pressures are indirect in situtions involving conformity,the social pressures are direct and involve bending to the requests of another person who has little or no social power or authority in situations.

A)compliance
B)obedience
C)coercion
D)mere presence