Deck 5: The Self: Understanding Ourselves in a Social Context

Question 1

Which of the following is the best example of the self-control function of the self?

A)making a good first impression
B)justifying why you spent so much money on your new cell phone
C)thinking about what kind of person you really are
D)making a plan about how to study and succeed academically

Answer 1

making a plan about how to study and succeed academically

Question 2

Gordon Gallup (1977)briefly anesthetized chimpanzees and painted an odorless red dye on their heads.When they awoke and looked in the mirror,the chimps immediately reached to touch their brows and ears where the dye was.These findings suggest that chimps

A)develop a sense of self-recognition comparable to that of two-year-old humans.
B)have a complex,multifaceted sense of self.
C)are capable of developing a sense of self-esteem.
D)possess a self-concept much like a human's.

Answer 2

possess a self-concept much like a human's.

Question 3

The self-concept refers to the

A)content of the self.
B)act of thinking about ourselves.
C)tendency for people to remember information about themselves better than about others.
D)evaluation of one's personal worth.

Answer 3

content of the self.

Question 4

The act of thinking about ourselves best defines

A)self-schema.
B)self-concept.
C)self-awareness.
D)self-esteem.

Question 5

Consider the following self-description: "It's important to me to make others happy.I work hard to cooperate with others,and seldom get into arguments.My friends are more important to me than my professional success." A(n) ____ is most likely to have provided such a self-description.

A)teacher living in Berlin,Germany
B)professor living in Minneapolis,Minnesota
C)executive living in Tokyo,Japan
D)writer living in Paris,France

Question 6

Which of the following would be most likely to reach to touch a spot of red dye when seeing his or her reflection in a mirror?

A)a one-year-old human infant
B)an adult chimpanzee
C)an adult sloth
D)an infant rhinoceros

Question 7

William James (1842-1910)distinguished between "self as known" and "self as knower." Self as known reflects ____,whereas self as knower reflects ____.

A)thoughts and beliefs about ourselves; the active processing of information
B)the active processing of information; thoughts and beliefs about ourselves
C)self-awareness or consciousness; thoughts and beliefs about ourselves
D)self-awareness or consciousness; the self-concept

Question 8

Complete the analogy about functions of the self.Self-presentation: putting your best foot forward:: ____: formulating and organizing what we know about ourselves.

A)self-knowledge
B)self-justification
C)self-efficacy
D)self-control

Question 9

The authors of your text describe Masako Owada's decision to give up her career and marry the crown prince of Japan.Many Americans viewed her decision as to the result of coercion and sexism.How do many Japanese view her decision?

A)the same ways Americans view the decision
B)as a show of support to the feminist movement
C)as a natural consequence of being connected and obligated to others
D)as part of her greater goal to promote her own career by obtaining the power of being royalty

Question 10

The "me" of William James is to ____ as the "I" is to ____.

A)self-esteem; self-concept
B)self-concept; self-awareness
C)self-concept; self-esteem
D)self-awareness; self-concept

Question 11

The authors of your text explain four functions of the self.Which of the following is not one of these four functions?

A)self-control
B)self-presentation
C)self-esteem
D)self-justification

Question 12

Psychologists who have studied the development of self-concept over the lifespan have found that the self- concept starts out ____ and gradually becomes ____ with increasing age.

A)extremely positive; more realistic
B)concrete; more abstract and complex
C)extremely negative; more positive
D)individually focused; socially focused

Question 13

When Daphne goes on an interview,she does her best to make a good impression and put her best foot forward.Which function of the self is exemplified in this situation?

A)self-knowledge
B)self-justification
C)self-presentation
D)self-control

Question 14

Whereas Americans have a proverb,"The squeaky wheel gets the grease," Japanese have a proverb.that states "The nail that stands out gets pounded down." These two different proverbs mirror social-psychological research that has demonstrated that people in Asian cultures

A)are more authoritarian than Americans.
B)are more likely to defer to authority than are Americans.
C)have a more interdependent concept of self than do Americans.
D)do not hold differentiated self-concepts.

Question 15

When asked to finish a sentence beginning "I am...," respondents from Asian countries are more likely to mention ____,because they grew up in a(n) ____ culture.

A)group membership; interdependent
B)the ought self; independent
C)actual self; authoritarian
D)the ideal self; less oppressive

Question 16

Consider the following self-description: "I have blue eyes and brown hair.I have two sisters.I hate vegetables,but I love ice cream." Such a self-description was most likely provided by the typical

A)two-year-old child.
B)eight-year-old child.
C)adult.
D)high school student.

Question 17

The development of our sense of self is partly influenced by the culture in which we grow up.For example,in Western cultures,people tend to have an ____ view of the self,whereas in non-Western cultures,people tend to have an ____ view of the self.

A)independent; interdependent
B)interdependent; independent
C)intrinsic; extrinsic
D)extrinsic; intrinsic

Question 18

Assume that when exposed to a mirror,chimpanzees will use the mirror to aid in grooming (e.g.,to pick food from their teeth)and to entertain themselves by making faces.The chimps' behavior before the mirror would suggest that

A)mammals have a sense of self.
B)many animals are curious and social.
C)like humans,mammals are self-aware.
D)these great apes have a sense of "self."

Question 19

Molly is eighteen years old,and has an eight-year-old brother,Joe.If they are both asked to answer the question,"Who am I?" Molly is likely to answer the question in ____ terms than Joe.

A)more concrete
B)less concrete
C)more physical
D)less abstract

Question 20

Barbara replies to her therapist: "How do I see myself? Well,I'm socially anxious,insecure,relatively intelligent,and terribly shy." Barbara's response reflects her

A)self-concept.
B)stream of consciousness.
C)self-esteem.
D)looking-glass self.

Question 21

There are gender differences in how men and women define themselves.Men are more likely to identify with ____,whereas women are more likely to identify with ____.

A)few close relationships; larger groups
B)larger groups; few close relationships
C)family members; friends
D)positive events; negative events

Question 22

Participants in a study by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Thomas Figurski (1982)wore beepers for a week.When the beeper sounded at random intervals,participants wrote down what they were thinking about.Participants were less likely to be thinking about ____ than about ____.

A)work; themselves
B)themselves; nothing at all
C)work; leisure activities
D)home and chores; other people

Question 23

The psychological differences between men and women can be characterized as

A)small-their similarities outweigh differences.
B)unpredictable-in some ways,men are from Mars and women are from Venus.In other ways,they are exactly the same.
C)nonexistent-there are no such things as gender differences.
D)large-differences outweigh similarities.

Question 24

Participants in a study by Csikszentmihalyi and Figurski (1982)wore beepers for a week.When the beeper sounded at random intervals,participants wrote down what they were thinking about.Which of the following thoughts was most likely to have been recorded by their participants?

A)"I wasn't particularly thinking about anything."
B)"I wish I were a more patient person."
C)"My favorite TV program is on tonight."
D)"I'm hungry."

Question 25

Women tend to have more ____ interdependence,and men tend to have more ____ interdependence.

A)relational; collective
B)relational; autonomous
C)collective; autonomous
D)collective; relational

Question 26

____ refers to the process of looking inward and examining our thoughts,feelings,and motives.

A)Self-actualization
B)Introspection
C)Self-enhancement
D)Self-examination

Question 27

"My happiness depends on the happiness of those around me" and "I enjoy being unique and different from others in many respects" are two items from Ted Singelis's (1994)scale,which was designed to measure individual differences in

A)self-esteem.
B)cooperation and competition.
C)private and public self-consciousness.
D)independence and interdependence.

Question 28

People who are high in "relational interdependence"

A)have more friends.
B)belong to more social groups.
C)focus more on their feelings about close relationships.
D)have more interactions with relatives.

Question 29

According to the authors of your text,introspection is not an especially useful source of information about the self because people

A)actually spend very little time thinking about themselves.
B)cannot be at once the observer and the object observed.
C)are driven by unconscious self-enhancing motives.
D)know that introspection uses up valuable cognitive resources.

Question 30

The authors of your text discussed a study where American and Japanese students were asked questions about their actual and their ideal selves.Participants were either in front of a mirror or not.What were the results of the study?

A)All participants rated their ought selves closer to their ideal selves when talking to a friend.
B)All participants rated their actual selves closer to their ideal selves when in front of a mirror.
C)The mirror influence Japanese students' ratings,but not those of American students.
D)The mirror influenced American students' ratings,but not those of Japanese students.

Question 31

Earl wants to understand his self-concept better,so he sits quietly by himself and thinks about who he is and what his values and attitudes are.What is Earl engaging in?

A)self-awareness
B)self-conceptualization
C)introspection
D)meditation

Question 32

Based on information from the "beeper study" conducted by Csikszentmihalyi and Figurski (1982)(in which participants were asked to report their thoughts at random intervals),which of the following thoughts is a person most likely to have?

A)research project
B)food
C)self
D)"no thoughts"

Question 33

Participants in a study by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Thomas Figurski (1982)wore beepers for a week.When the beeper sounded at random intervals,participants wrote down what they were thinking about.Which of the following statements about their findings is false?

A)The thing people were most likely to be thinking about was work.
B)People spent about a quarter of their time thinking about themselves.
C)People were quite likely to indicate that they were not thinking about anything.
D)People were quite likely to be thinking about chores,leisure,and how they spend their time.

Question 34

There are some striking gender differences in men's and women's views of the interdependent self.The authors note that such gender differences are

A)only true in Japan.
B)attributed to biological differences between men and women.
C)far fewer than are similarities between men and women.
D)only found in adults,never children.

Question 35

According to social psychological research on gender differences in the definition of self,which person below is least typical of his or her gender?

A)Brad,whose fraternity provides a key sense of identity
B)Marsha,who cares more about her husband and child than about her job
C)Tom,whose girlfriend provides the most important and positive emotional events in his life
D)Linda,who considers her best friends her family

Question 36

When people in Western culture learn about the interdependent view of the self and people in Asian cultures learn of the independent view of the self,what is the typical reaction?

A)"Of course,they are so similar,it's easy to understand."
B)Many decide to change their view of self and "convert" to the view held by the other culture.
C)Many wish to promote a vision of a unified intradependent view of the self.
D)Many have difficulty understanding how the others could view the world in such a way.

Question 37

Ted Singelis (1994)administered his independence and interdependence questionnaire to students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.He found that Asian-American students agreed more with such statements as "It is important to me to respect decisions made by the group" and "My happiness depends on the happiness of those around me" than did Caucasian-American students.These findings suggest that

A)the self-concept is more complex in Western cultures.
B)there is a genetic component to the self-concept.
C)one's culture influences one's self-concept.
D)Hawaii can be thought of one of the few cultures that shapes the self-concept of its inhabitants.

Question 38

The fact that people do not spend much time thinking about themselves-and that when they do,they are often unable to find the reasons for feelings and behavior-are two reasons why ____ can be considered a source of faulty information about the self.

A)meditation
B)self-actualization
C)self-perception
D)introspection

Question 39

When we are in a state of ____,we evaluate or compare our current behavior against our internal standards and values.

A)self-awareness
B)self-centeredness
C)self-perception
D)distraction

Question 40

All things considered,which of the following people would be most likely to disclose personal feelings,focus on psychological intimacy,and cooperate with a small number of close others?

A)Bridgette,who grew up in Bossier City,Louisiana
B)Jason,who wants to become a priest
C)Brad,who just broke up with his girlfriend
D)William,who is motivated to have a realistic self-concept

Question 41

It's Halloween,but you don't want to be running back and forth to answer the door.To avoid any "tricks," you decide to leave a large container of candy on the porch.You've just read about self-awareness theory,and you have a hunch about how to keep greedy trick-or-treaters from taking more than their fair share of the candy.You decide to

A)install a one-way mirror to catch and punish offenders,and to make an example of them.
B)place a large mirror behind the candy,so that children can see themselves as they approach.
C)set up a tape-recorder that plays songs about cooperation and giving.
D)place a picture of the Wicked Witch of the West behind the candy to warn them of what will happen if they take too much.

Question 42

According to the authors of your text,feelings like love or sadness are often difficult to explain because

A)humans are incredibly self-serving.
B)we are unaware of many of our basic mental processes.
C)environmental stimuli override internal signals.
D)they are frequently the result of social interactions.

Question 43

One evening after work,Barbara arrives home in a very bad mood.Noticing this,her husband James asks her why she seems so angry and upset.Barbara hadn't thought about her mood before James mentioned it,and now she thinks hard about what has caused her to be so sullen.She decides that it was because she was hungry and tired,and she tells James so.Barbara is ____ her behavior.

A)constructing a causal theory about
B)making an excuse for
C)attempting to discount
D)overjustifying

Question 44

Tim Wilson,Pat Laser,and Julie Stone (1982)asked participants to keep journals of their daily moods and of other variables,such as the weather and how much sleep they got the night before.When asked,many participants reported the amount of sleep the night before was correlated with their moods.When information recorded in the journals was subjected to more systematic statistical analysis,it was found that amount of sleep was not related to participants' self-reported moods.This is most likely because participants

A)relied on causal theories about the relation between mood and sleep.
B)underreported the amount of sleep they actually got.
C)were distracted when they wrote in their journals.
D)were in a bad mood from having to keep the journal.

Question 45

As Tiffany looks at the picture of her deceased grandfather on the mantle,she recalls how the last thing she said to him was,"Can't you move a little faster? I'm in a rush." She feels uncomfortable thinking about her behavior.According to self-awareness theory,what is Tiffany most likely to do?

A)distract herself by dusting the mantle
B)justify her actions by blaming her grandfather
C)punish herself by giving up chocolate
D)focus on her past behavior so that she will remember always to be more patient

Question 46

The authors of your text describe the history behind a clever experiment conducted by Richard Nisbett and Tim Wilson (1977).Lacking inspiration when trying to design the experiment,the researchers decided that noise outside their office door was distracting them.In a flash of insight,they decided to use noise as a distraction in their experiment,and predicted that distracting noises would influence participants' judgments,even though they didn't know they were distracted by the noise.Results of the actual experiment showed that although participants' ratings of a film were not affected by distracting noises,participants erroneously thought they were.This anecdote provided by your authors demonstrates that

A)researchers and participants sometimes share incorrect causal theories.
B)people often know more about the causes of their behaviors than they can explain to researchers.
C)Richard Nisbett knows how to operate a power saw.
D)noise is not distracting enough in social psychology experiments.

Question 47

All of the following statements about self-awareness are true except

A)self-awareness can foster adherence to moral standards.
B)people always find self-focus aversive.
C)self-focus leads people to attend to discrepancies between their behavior and their standards.
D)people attempt to escape aversive self-awareness through activities such as drinking and watching television.

Question 48

The authors of your text suggest that East Asians tend to have their self-awareness less influenced by the presence of mirrors or video cameras than Westerners because

A)they pay less attention to contextual cues.
B)they only pay attention to social cues,not physical ones.
C)they tend to be more chronically self-aware.
D)they introspect more readily.

Question 49

If a self-awareness theorist was to design a department store that would discourage shoplifting,what would he or she do?

A)hire more undercover security
B)place mirrors near merchandise that is likely to be stolen
C)post signs that say,"Shoplifters will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law"
D)provide rewards to shoppers who report shoplifters

Question 50

In a study conducted by Heine and his colleagues (2008),they found that compared with participants who were placed in front of a mirror to complete a questionnaire, ____ who were not in front of a mirror tended to report higher actual/ideal self discrepancies.

A)East Asians
B)Westerners
C)women
D)men

Question 51

Jake and Martin are standing at the counter of the convenience store,and Jake-who has just failed his psychology exam-is animatedly telling Martin that the exam was unfair and that his professor is unreasonable.As he takes his change,Jake sees his image on the security camera.This causes him to wonder whether he actually studied enough for the exam.Jake's self-scrutiny in this situation would be predicted by

A)self-awareness theory.
B)self-perception theory.
C)self-esteem theory.
D)self-verification theory.

Question 52

Richard Nisbett and Tim Wilson (1979)had participants watch a film either with or without distracting noises in the background.Results of their experiment demonstrated that

A)participants erroneously believed that noise affected their evaluations of the film.
B)background noise had a huge effect on the ratings of the film.
C)participants had highly accurate perceptions about the effect of distracting noises.
D)participants were unable to concentrate on the film.

Question 53

In a study conducted by Heine and his colleagues (2008)in which participants completed questions about actual/ideal self discrepancies, ____ reported similar levels of discrepancy regardless of whether they were in front of a mirror or not.

A)Westerners
B)East Asians
C)men
D)women

Question 54

From the perspective of self-awareness theory,alcohol abuse,binge eating,and suicide are alike in that they

A)enable people who feel guilty to punish themselves.
B)are more likely to be done by people with interdependent self-concepts.
C)are coping mechanisms used by people with low self-esteem.
D)provide temporary or permanent relief from unpleasant self-awareness.

Question 55

According to Nisbett and Wilson,the best way to describe the relationship between our thoughts,feelings,and actions and our beliefs about why think,feel,and act the way we do is

A)telling more than we can know.
B)excusing all the behavior we can.
C)feeling everything we say.
D)doing everything we feel.

Question 56

According to the idea of "telling more than we can know" by Nisbett,Ross,and Wilson,one reason that introspection is sometimes not an accurate way to learn about oneself is

A)people have to be extremely self-aware to learn anything about themselves.
B)people must rely on controlled processes to effectively introspect.
C)mental processes are not observable,and therefore do not actually exist.
D)many of our mental processes occur outside our awareness.

Question 57

According to self-awareness theory,under which of the following circumstances would an individual be most highly motivated to avoid self-awareness?

A)after giving a successful presentation
B)while reading an engaging novel
C)directly after receiving a low grade on an important test
D)while helping a friend with her homework

Question 58

All of the following except ____ are likely to be used as escapes from aversive self-awareness.

A)getting drunk
B)binge-eating
C)watching television
D)doing one's makeup

Question 59

Where do many causal theories such as "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" come from?

A)introspection
B)self-perception
C)culture
D)evolution

Question 60

Heine and his colleagues (2008)compared East Asian and Western participants in levels of actual/ideal self discrepancy when they were seated in front of a mirror to complete a questionnaire.Based on the results of this study,who would you expect to be most self-aware,regardless of whether they were in front of a mirror?

A)Susan,a British woman
B)Tom,an American man
C)Yoshi,a Japanese man
D)Luke,a Canadian man

Question 61

When we introspect about the reasons underlying our attitudes or feelings,the explanations we arrive at

A)were previously suppressed,but brought to light.
B)are generally correct,assuming that the reasons are objective.
C)seem reasonable because they are easy to verbalize.
D)are self-serving,and serve to enhance self-esteem.

Question 62

Jenny is trying to decide how she feels about Garth,so she sits down and lists the reasons why she feels the way she does.By doing this,Jenny runs the risk of incurring a

A)feelings-generated attitude change.
B)reasons-generated attitude change.
C)misattribution of arousal.
D)broken heart.

Question 63

To summarize the information about "telling more than we can know," often factors that seem like they should affect us ____ and factors that seem like they should have no impact ____.

A)do not; do not
B)do not; do
C)do; do not
D)have great impact; have mild impact

Question 64

Lisa is most likely to conclude that she likes classical music when

A)she has preset her car radio to a classical music station.
B)she cannot pick up other stations on her car radio.
C)her husband chooses the stations on the car radio.
D)the car radio is broken-stuck on the classical music station-and she cannot change stations.

Question 65

____ occur(s)when people assume that their "true" attitudes match the underlying reasons that seem plausible or that are easy to verbalize in the moment.

A)Escape from self-awareness
B)Dissonance reduction
C)Overjustification effects
D)Reasons-generated attitude change

Question 66

According to research by Tim Wilson and his colleagues (1989,1992,1995),analyzing the reasons for why we feel what we do is not always the best strategy for making sense of our feelings.This is because

A)reasons that are easy to verbalize are not always the "correct" reasons.
B)self-enhancement motives are more powerful than accuracy motives.
C)we are likely to fall prey to the fundamental attribution error.
D)such introspections can feel paralyzing,and thus negatively affect our mood.

Question 67

According to studies discussed in the text,one consequence of analyzing or generating reasons for their attitudes is that people will

A)change their attitudes to bring them in line with the reasons.
B)change their list of reasons to bring them in line with their attitudes.
C)become self-aware and hold less positive attitudes.
D)alter their behaviors to correspond to their original attitudes.

Question 68

Robert sits down and writes out a list of all of the reasons he is in love with Eunice.As he is trying to make his list,he finds himself writing criticisms of their relationship as well,such as "We have very little in common." His list indicates that perhaps he should break up with Eunice,yet his heart tells him they share a special connection.According to information from the text about reasons-generated attitude change,what should Robert do?

A)Listen to his heart and initial attitude-stay with Eunice.
B)Base his decision on both sets of information.
C)Use the list of logical reasons-dump Eunice.
D)Ask some friends what they would do.

Question 69

While completing a personality test,Craig comes to an item that asks him if he sees himself as shy and introverted.Craig reflects on some of his recent behavior.He reasons that since he generally does not talk much in class discussions and tends to avoid large parties,he must be shy and introverted.Which of the following strategies for self-knowledge is Craig using?

A)self-presentation
B)self-perception
C)self-verification
D)self-monitoring

Question 70

According to the text,self-perception theory is most closely related to which other theory in social psychology?

A)cognitive dissonance theory
B)self-awareness theory
C)self-esteem maintenance theory
D)attribution theory

Question 71

____ theory posits that when our attitudes or feelings are ambiguous,we infer our internal states by observing our own behaviors and the situation in which they occur.

A)Impression management
B)Introspection
C)Self-perception
D)Self-enhancement

Question 72

According to self-perception theory (Bem,1972),we infer the kind of person we are and what our attitudes are by

A)engaging in introspection about the reasons for our behaviors.
B)comparing our behaviors to our internal values and standards.
C)looking to others to see how they respond to us.
D)observing our own behaviors,just as we would observe others' behavior.

Question 73

When asked to explain our own behaviors,self-perception processes are ____ more likely to operate when our feelings are and when we ____.

A)weak or unclear; list the reasons for those feelings
B)clear; engage in introspection
C)weak or unclear; think about the situation and our behavior
D)clear; think about the situation and our behavior

Question 74

A basic tenet of self-perception theory is that we infer our feelings from our behavior when

A)the reasons for our attitudes or feelings are ambiguous.
B)the reasons for our attitudes or feelings are clear.
C)we can easily identify external reasons for our feelings.
D)we think about how others perceive us.

Question 75

Which of the following is an example of a causal theory for behavior/feelings?

A)"Haste makes waste."
B)"Two wrongs don't make a right."
C)"The squeaky wheel gets the grease."
D)"Mondays are bad days."

Question 76

Simone runs simply because it gives her pleasure to exercise outside and to leave her daily worries behind as she works up a sweat.In this instance,Simone is ____ to run.

A)extrinsically motivated
B)intrinsically motivated
C)justifying her desire
D)generating a reason

Question 77

Considering Wilson's work on reasons-generated attitude change,in which case would you expect the greatest consistency between the person's attitude and their future behavior?

A)Rhonda,who makes a list of pros and cons before changing jobs.
B)Cecilia,who goes to therapy to explore the basis of her feelings before getting engaged.
C)Alicia,who sits and daydreams about the love she feels for T.J.
D)Becca,who writes a food column explaining why she likes a particular restaurant.

Question 78

Self-perception theory argues that when our attitudes or feelings aren't clear,we often infer them by observing

A)how other people are behaving.
B)our emotional reactions.
C)our own behavior.
D)others' reactions to us.

Question 79

According to the tenets of self-perception theory,which of the following audience members would report that he or she really loved the taping of The Late Show with David Letterman?

A)Tim,who sat right in front of the flashing "applause" sign
B)Julie,who could see that Dave was looking at her
C)André,whose hands stung from clapping so much
D)Debra,whose friends nudged her to get her to applaud

Question 80

Tim has asked Robin to marry him.Robin isn't sure whether she loves him enough or whether she loves him in the right way.She talks with her sister about all the reasons why it would be wise to marry Tim,and all the reasons why it wouldn't be such a great idea.According to Wilson's theory of reasons-generated attitude change,Robin might regret it were she to base her decision on the reasons she mentioned.Why is that?

A)Her sister will unconsciously reinforce some reasons and punish others.
B)Reasons Robin generates during the conversation won't predict her long-term attitudes and feelings very well.
C)Such objective,dispassionate verbal reports will counteract the passionate feelings she has for Tim.
D)People often fall prey to post-decision regret,due to their need to justify their decisions.