Deck 13: B: Social Psychology

Question 1

In the Stanford Prison Study,male college students agreed to participate in a two-week experiment to discover what would happen when they took on the roles of prisoners and guards.The researchers found that

A)within a short time the prisoners became distressed and panicky,developing emotional symptoms and stress-related illnesses.
B)about five percent of the guards became tyrannical,giving the prisoners electric shocks when they were slow in obeying.
C)90 percent of the guards tried to be "tough but fair" and demanded that the tyrannical guards lighten up on the prisoners because it was only an experiment.
D)the study was conducted in an unused wing of a real prison;therefore,the realistic atmosphere enhanced the role behaviour of prisoners and guards.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What actual event could have been predicted based on the results of Zimbardo's classic prisoner study at Stanford University?

A)the prison break at Attica prison in New York
B)the events in Waco,Texas,in which followers of a cult were killed by government agents
C)the events at Abu Gharib prison in Iraq
D)the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11,2001

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Drill instructors in the military often yell at new recruits and try to humiliate them.In contrast,this behaviour would never be tolerated from a kindergarten teacher,who is expected to be patient and nurturing.The behaviour of both drill instructors and kindergarten teachers are examples of

A)social roles.
B)conformity.
C)obedience.
D)social norms.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The guidelines for how to behave in social contexts are called

A)social cognitions.
B)social roles.
C)social norms.
D)conformities.

Question 5

Ginger's new roommate tends to wink a lot at the end of sentences to indicate that she is joking.After living together for a few weeks,Ginger unconsciously begins to wink when she makes a joke.This is an example of

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

Question 6

The chameleon effect occurs when individuals

A)unconsciously copy the behaviour of those around them for no apparent reason.
B)try to avoid social situations by disappearing into the background and avoiding being noticed.
C)pretend to occupy a social role that is not their own.
D)change the colour scheme of their clothing to match the clothing of those of the most popular people in their group.

Question 7

In general,when an individual mimics aspects of the behaviour of another,the imitator tends to be ___________by the imitated person.

A)viewed unfavourably
B)ignored
C)viewed favourably
D)asked to stop

Question 8

The Stanford Prison Study demonstrates how a person's _______________ affects behaviour.

A)social role
B)values
C)beliefs
D)past experience

Question 9

Some behaviours,such as cursing and wearing revealing clothing are acceptable in some social contexts,but are considered unacceptable in other situations,such as in a business office.Which of the following explains why this is the case?

A)Social norms only apply to social contexts with written guidelines for behaviour,for example,the workplace.
B)Many social norms are specific to a social context.
C)Social norms vary from person to person and are not related to the social context.
D)Social norms only exist for major societal issues,such as theft and murder;there are no social norms for trivial behaviours such as cursing or appropriate dress.

Question 10

Wilhelm doesn't follow sports,but he agrees to go to a football game with a friend.Because he is unfamiliar with the rules,Wilhelm watches the other spectators around him carefully to see when they clap,stand,cheer,and boo and then copies their behaviour.Which strategy is Wilhelm using?

A)groupthink.
B)parodying.
C)mimicry.
D)obedience.

Question 11

You get on an elevator.Everyone is facing to the right.You turn and also face to the right.This is an example of

A)obedience.
B)comparison.
C)attribution.
D)conformity.

Question 12

While __________ are general rules that apply to members of a group,___________ are guidelines that apply to specific positions within the group.

A)conformity rules;obedience rules
B)obedience rules;conformity rules
C)social roles;social norms
D)social norms;social roles

Question 13

Daniel's friends would probably describe him as easy going and a bit of a jokester.However,after becoming a police officer,Daniel feels that he is expected to be serious and strict.Daniel is feeling pressure to conform his behaviour to the ______________ of police officer.

A)norm
B)prejudice
C)groupthink
D)social role

Question 14

When individuals find themselves in new situations where they are uncertain of how to behave,they often copy the behaviours of others,a strategy known as

A)mimicry.
B)obedience.
C)groupthink.
D)parodying.

Question 15

In the experiments conducted by Solomon Asch,what was the main task that subjects had to perform?

A)pretend they were prison guards
B)selecting line sizes
C)plunge their hands into buckets of water that were either ice cold or scalding hot
D)deliver electric shocks to helpless victims

Question 16

Doni enters an elevator and stands in it facing the back instead of turning around to face the elevator door.Doni is violating

A)her gender role.
B)a social role.
C)a social norm.
D)a stereotype.

Question 17

What does the Stanford prison study tell us about the relationship between social roles and behaviour?

A)People who are naturally aggressive and authoritarian seek out social roles that allow them to behave in this way.
B)"Good" people will refuse to behave according to the norms of a social role if they are required to be harsh or abusive to other people.
C)When people are placed in social roles with a lot of power,their behaviour often changes to fit their new role.
D)Inmates naturally take on different social roles in a prison,with some becoming aggressive and authoritarian,while others become passive and submissive.

Question 18

Imitating the behaviour of one individual is called _____________,whereas changing your behaviour to fit in with a group is called _____________.

A)mimicry;conformity
B)conformity;mimicry
C)obedience;conformity
D)conformity;obedience

Question 19

Which of the following is true about conformity?

A)Conformity is often a conscious decision.
B)Conformity is always caused by the desire to be liked by others.
C)Conformity cannot be studied in the laboratory.
D)People tend to be less likely to conform when responses are made publically.

Question 20

According to your textbook,one of the situations that produces more mimicry than others is when an individual

A)is hanging out with old friends.
B)is not interested in how others perceive them.
C)dislikes the person they are imitating.
D)wants to make a good impression.

Question 21

Social facilitation is most likely to occur when individuals

A)have had relatively little practice.
B)are alone.
C)are novices.
D)have mastered the task they are performing.

Question 22

What did Milgram study?

A)the authoritarian personality
B)bystander apathy
C)the effects of watching violence on television
D)obedience to authority

Question 23

If you're like ___ percent of participants in the original Asch study,you would conform to the incorrect norm on at least once during testing.

A)45
B)55
C)65
D)75

Question 24

William is a police officer who is instructed by a superior officer to beat a subject in order to obtain a confession.According to research done on obedience,William is more likely to disobey this order if

A)the superior officer is in the room with William and the suspect.
B)another senior officer agrees that William should beat the subject.
C)the suspect asks William to stop.
D)William sees another police officer refuse to continue beating the subject.

Question 25

When Milgram and his team set up several variations of his original study,they found that people were more likely to disobey when

A)the experimenter wore a white lab coat instead of street clothes.
B)a confederate acting as another teacher refused to comply.
C)a second experimenter agreed the experiment should continue.
D)the experimenter appeared to be an authority figure.

Question 26

You and your group have had four weeks to complete a group project for your economics class.You are now four days away from the due date,and you and one other group member have been putting in all of the time and effort.The other two members come occasionally to group meetings and do the minimal work required.This unfortunate situation is known as

A)social facilitation.
B)groupthink.
C)social loafing.
D)social referencing.

Question 27

Complying with instructions or orders from an individual who is in a position of authority is called

A)mimicry.
B)conformity.
C)groupthink.
D)obedience.

Question 28

When an individual,who is part of a larger group,puts forth less effort than other group members,________ occurs.

A)cognitive dissonance
B)social loafing
C)conformity
D)the bystander effect

Question 29

A group of chemists,who have been working together on a new diet pill for the last four years,meet to discuss their new drug.Over the years,they have all come to respect each other and have formed a close bond.Upon discussing the effectiveness and safety of the diet pill,many members of the group found themselves agreeing with most of the comments that were made.Somewhere along the way,no one seemed to pay much attention to the fact that some of the subjects in the clinical trials of that drug became ill.It seemed that because nobody wanted to disrespect anyone else,the topic of ill subjects was dropped.What psychological phenomenon occurred here?

A)social facilitation
B)group polarization
C)groupthink
D)social loafing

Question 30

_______ found that normal people in normal times will often follow orders to hurt innocent people.

A)Solomon Asch
B)Kurt Lewin
C)Carolyn Sherif
D)Stanley Milgram

Question 31

A group member is more likely to engage in social loafing if he or she believes that

A)the other group members are trying very hard.
B)his or her performance will not make a difference to the group's performance.
C)the group will receive a large reward for good performance.
D)his or her effort is critical to the overall performance of the group.

Question 32

Which of the following is a decision-making problem in which group members avoid arguments and strive for agreement?

A)deindividuation
B)social loafing
C)obedience
D)groupthink

Question 33

What is the term for an improvement in performance caused by the perception that others are watching?

A)social loafing
B)social idleness
C)social facilitation
D)social productivity

Question 34

Which of the following statements is most likely to contribute to groupthink?

A)"Let's hear some differing opinions."
B)"What do you think?"
C)"I'm sure we all agree on this."
D)"We need to look at all of the evidence."

Question 35

About _______________ of all participants in Milgram's study administered the highest level of shock to the learner.

A)90%
B)25%
C)50%
D)65%

Question 36

A social psychologist has been invited to give a community lecture on the importance of Milgram's research.He asks a social psychology class for suggested titles.Which of the following titles might they suggest as the most appropriate?

A)"Obedience and Aggression Are Inborn"
B)"Do Not Underestimate the Power of Perceived Authority"
C)"Training in Ethics Can Overcome the Pull of Obedience"
D)"Make a Small Request First and the World Can Be Yours"

Question 37

Marco has been running each afternoon trying to beat his college's record for the 400-metre sprint.Despite all his practising,he hasn't been able to come in under his usual time.There's a big fan turnout for the track meet on Saturday against the rival school and Marco not only beats the old record,but far surpasses it.Marco's behaviour illustrates

A)social facilitation.
B)social compensation.
C)social loafing.
D)the bystander effect.

Question 38

Before Stanley Milgram conducted his study on obedience,he asked a number of psychiatrists and psychologists how many people would go all the way to the highest voltage under the instructions of the authority.Milgram found that

A)The experts accurately predicted that about 45 percent of the participants would inflict what they thought were dangerous amounts of shock.
B)The experts accurately predicted that about 25 percent of the participants would inflict what they thought were dangerous amounts of shock.
C)The experts greatly underestimated how many participants would inflict what they thought were dangerous amounts of shock.
D)The experts greatly overestimated how many participants would inflict what they thought were dangerous amounts of shock.

Question 39

________ can occur when individuals who are part of a group focus on preserving group solidarity at the expense of considering all possible alternatives or even failing to use rational thought in the process.

A)Social facilitation
B)Groupthink
C)Social loafing
D)Group polarization

Question 40

Solomon Asch set up an experiment in which eight people were shown a 10-inch line and then had to choose the line that matched it in length from a choice of three other lines.Through this experiment,Asch was studying

A)bystander apathy.
B)social loafing.
C)groupthink.
D)conformity.

Question 41

When an individual's attitudes do not match up with his/her behaviours,________ is likely to occur.

A)compliance
B)discrimination
C)cognitive dissonance
D)prejudice

Question 42

When she is not at the bar,Jayla preaches to everyone about the dangers of smoking.However,she does smoke an occasional cigarette when she is at the bar with her friends,although at those times she feels somewhat frustrated by her own smoking behaviour.Jayla is likely experiencing ________ when she smokes.

A)groupthink
B)cognitive dissonance
C)social facilitation
D)compliance

Question 43

Your friend asks you to borrow $50 from you.You tell him no.Then he asks for a mere $10,which you gladly give him.While you feel good to have helped him out,you may have just experienced the

A)foot-in-the-mouth technique.
B)foot-in-the-door technique.
C)door-in-the-face technique.
D)door-in-the-foot technique.

Question 44

There are two alternative pathways to persuading others.One leads us to evaluate the merits of the persuasive arguments carefully and thoughtfully.This is known as the

A)central route.
B)peripheral route.
C)afferent route.
D)efferent route.

Question 45

_____________ occurs when members of a group discuss characteristic attitudes of their group and,as a result,their views become stronger.

A)Social facilitation
B)Ingroup bias
C)Groupthink
D)Social loafing

Question 46

Which one of the following activities will NOT reduce cognitive dissonance?

A)changing the behaviour to match the attitude
B)changing the thought to justify the behaviour
C)developing new thoughts to justify the behaviour
D)continuing the behaviour in spite of the conflicting thoughts

Question 47

A local charity sends you return mailing labels and asks you to contribute whatever you can.You go ahead and send $5.A month later,you receive another request,but this time for $10,along with numerous other charities to contribute to.While you feel good that you contributed,you may be experiencing the

A)foot-in-the-mouth technique.
B)foot-in-the-door technique.
C)door-in-the-face technique.
D)door-in-the-foot technique.

Question 48

Cognitive dissonance is

A)a state of tension that occurs when a person simultaneously holds two cognitions that are psychologically inconsistent.
B)the tendency of members of a group to avoid taking responsibility for their actions because they assume that others will do so.
C)the tendency for members of a close-knit group to think alike for the sake of harmony and to suppress disagreement.
D)a belief that a statement is true just because the person has heard it repeated over and over again.

Question 49

There are two alternative pathways to persuading others.One leads us to respond to persuasive arguments on the basis of quick judgments.This is known as the

A)central route.
B)peripheral route.
C)afferent route.
D)efferent route.

Question 50

Whenever a person has two contradictory cognitions at the same time,a state of _____________ exists.

A)groupthink
B)justification of effort
C)cognitive dissonance
D)self determinism

Question 51

The ________ technique involves asking for an unreasonably large request before asking for the small request you are hoping to have granted.

A)foot-in-the-door
B)door-in-the-face
C)low-ball
D)bait-and-switch

Question 52

The phenomenon of ________________ explains why meetings between proponents and opponents of an idea often ends with participants having more extreme opinions on the issue than they did before the meeting.

A)social facilitation
B)groupthink
C)ingroup bias
D)social loafing

Question 53

Miranda received a phone call from a telemarketer for a local charity.The telemarketer asked for a $1000 donation.When Miranda refused,the telemarketer then asked for $25,to which Miranda agreed.This is an example of the

A)foot-in-the-door technique.
B)door-in-the-face technique.
C)low-ball technique.
D)bait-and-switch technique.

Question 54

________ involves making a small request before asking for a bigger one.

A)The foot-in-the-door technique
B)The door-in-the-face technique
C)The low-ball technique
D)The bait-and-switch technique

Question 55

Even though Jane thought it was wrong to take from others,she didn't want to be rejected by her peers,so she began shoplifting along with them.Jane probably experienced ___________ when she stole.

A)the fundamental attribution error
B)reactance
C)central route change
D)cognitive dissonance

Question 56

When we experience an unpleasant state of tension between two or more conflicting thoughts,we are experiencing

A)a self-fulfilling prophecy.
B)obedience.
C)the fundamental attribution error.
D)cognitive dissonance.

Question 57

In 1954,Marian Keech convinced her followers that aliens from planet Clarion had sent her a message that the world was coming to an end on December 21,but that they could be saved.When the world did not come to an end,Mrs.Keech and many of her followers reduced cognitive dissonance by

A)deciding that the aliens had been pulling a practical joke on them.
B)deciding that their efforts had been justified and had spared the planet.
C)trying to bring about the end of the world on their own by encouraging the U.S.President to start World War III.
D)using logical analysis to realize that they had been mistaken.

Question 58

Representative Jansen,a U.S.congresswoman,believes in the reproductive rights and welfare of women but voted to ban late-term abortions.Jansen feels very uneasy about the conflict between her beliefs and her behaviour.She is most likely experiencing

A)fundamental attribution.
B)cognitive resolution.
C)cognitive dissonance.
D)the fundamental attribution error.

Question 59

Which statement best describes an important finding of Milgram's classic research?

A)Individuals easily conform to group norms.
B)The presence of other people makes aggression more likely.
C)People will easily obey an authority figure and do harm to others.
D)Agreeing to a small request makes it more likely you will agree to a big request.

Question 60

Darnel believes very strongly that large corporations are evil and are destroying America.One day,however,a large corporation releases a new tablet computer that Darnel runs out to buy.When asked about his purchase of a product made by a large corporation,Darnel says,"Well,I suppose not all corporations are evil." Darnel's change in attitude is likely an attempt to

A)reduce cognitive dissonance.
B)avoid making the fundamental attribution error.
C)avoid group polarization.
D)use the door-in-face technique.

Question 61

In social psychology,the term person perception refers to

A)a set of beliefs about a group of people.
B)the emotional concern one individual has for another's well-being.
C)the act of attributing an individual's behaviour to some intrinsic quality or personality trait.
D)the processes by which individuals form judgments and categorize other people.

Question 62

Wendy is walking down the street when she suddenly falls down and lands squarely on her backside.A group of girls standing about 50 feet away start laughing hysterically,telling each other what a klutz Wendy is.The unsympathetic girls in this group are making a(n)__________ attribution to explain why Wendy fell down.

A)situational
B)negative
C)positive
D)dispositional

Question 63

A(n)________ attribution is made when we blame an individual's behaviour on the situation;a(n)________ attribution is made when we blame the individual's behaviour on his or her personality or other personal characteristics.

A)external;situational
B)internal;external
C)external;dispositional
D)dispositional;situational

Question 64

When a teacher singles out individuals as "good" or "bad" students,________________ can occur because the behaviour of the teacher towards these students can affect whether they succeed or not.

A)the fundamental attribution error
B)a self-fulfilling prophecy
C)thin slicing
D)scapegoating

Question 65

When we first meet a person,we usually rely on clusters of knowledge and expectations about individuals and groups called

A)norms.
B)deliberative thoughts.
C)schemas.
D)attributions.

Question 66

Janis,an administrative assistant at a large firm,is trying to find reasons for her boss's hostile behaviour.She is likely to

A)ignore her boss's dispositional attributions in favour of situational attributions.
B)leap to the attribution that her boss's behaviour corresponds to work demands.
C)explore her boss's personality traits and the environmental constraints to derive an explanation.
D)overestimate her boss's personality traits and underestimate the influence of the situation.

Question 67

When Sam went looking for a new car,he met a beautiful saleswoman who described the beauty of the car and the flashiness,and how good Sam would look driving it.She did not mention the poor gas mileage,the exorbitant price,and the poor road performance.Sam made a snap decision to buy the car from the persuasive saleswoman.Sam was using which alternative pathway in making a decision?

A)the central route
B)the peripheral route
C)the afferent route
D)the efferent route

Question 68

Which of the following is a valid conclusion from the studies discussed in your textbook that used the thin-slice technique to investigate quick judgments about the personal qualities of others?

A)Quick judgments are generally more accurate than judgments based on more information.
B)Judgments based on a lot of information are generally more accurate than judgments based on "thin slices."
C)Quick judgments and those made with more information are remarkably similar.
D)Quick judgments tend to be more negative than judgments based on more information.

Question 69

Our impressions of people form

A)within seconds of meeting them for the first time.
B)after approximately 30 minutes of interaction.
C)about 1 hour after the interaction has ended.
D)very slowly over time.

Question 70

When we attempt to explain the cause of someone's behaviour,we are utilizing

A)impression management.
B)attributions.
C)the self-serving bias.
D)behaviour assignment.

Question 71

When a person assigns causes to another individual's behaviour and assumes that the behaviour is due to that individual's personal characteristics,a(n)________ is made.

A)situational attribution
B)internal attribution
C)attribution error
D)external attribution

Question 72

Callie does poorly on an exam in one class but does very well on an exam in another class.She attributes her poor performance on the first exam to the fact that the professor is not a very good instructor.In contrast,she attributes her good performance on the second exam to the fact that she is a good student.This is most likely an example of

A)the self-serving bias.
B)stereotyping.
C)deliberative thought.
D)the fundamental attribution error.

Question 73

When half of his class earned Ds and Fs on the midterm exam,Professor Bush came back to the next class and delivered a stern lecture about their effort.He admonished the class for failing to meet their obligations,for being lazy,and for not taking their studies seriously.These attributions,which were all __________ attributions,did not really give any consideration to the fact that the students may have had other reasons for failing the exam that were beyond their immediate control.

A)cooperative
B)internal
C)accusatory
D)situational

Question 74

When driving down the highway,Caesar could not help but notice the young-looking teenager who seemed to be driving in a reckless manner.He immediately assumed that he was one of those defiant,careless,and irresponsible teens who really did not deserve a licence.Caesar just made a(n)

A)situational attribution.
B)impression attribution.
C)personal attribution.
D)internal attribution.

Question 75

Vince believes Gerald is a jerk,so Vince ignores Gerald and does not invite him to any of his parties.Gerald begins to be rude to Vince and talks about him behind his back.Assuming Gerald's behaviour is only a reaction to how Vince treated him in the first place,this is an example of

A)external attribution.
B)a self-fulfilling prophecy.
C)stereotyping.
D)scapegoating.

Question 76

When people are trying to find reasons for someone else's behaviour,they tend to

A)ignore dispositional attributions in favour of situational attributions.
B)leap to the attribution that people's behaviours correspond to the context.
C)explore the personality traits and the environmental constraints to derive an explanation.
D)overestimate personality traits and underestimate the influence of the situation.

Question 77

The tendency to give too much emphasis to personal factors when accounting for other people's actions is called

A)the primacy effect.
B)defensive attribution.
C)the fundamental attribution error.
D)the just world hypothesis.

Question 78

The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency of people to

A)overestimate the role of situational factors in the behaviour of others.
B)overestimate the role of dispositional factors in the behaviour of others.
C)overestimate the role of situational factors in their own behaviour.
D)overestimate the role of dispositional factors in their own behaviour.

Question 79

The __________ attribution error is a phenomenon in which people make an attribution based on character,while simultaneously ignoring situational factors.

A)dispositional
B)negative
C)presumptive
D)fundamental

Question 80

Gianna was coming home from work and could not help but notice the young woman who seemed to be driving in a reckless manner.She immediately wondered if the girl was in an emergency or if something important was going on to make her drive like that.Gianna just made a(n)

A)internal attribution.
B)dispositional attribution.
C)external attribution.
D)impression attribution.