Question 1

Which of the following factors does NOT typically affect the magnitude of dissonance?

Accepted Answer

A)  level of commitment to an action 
B)  a person's level of self-esteem 
C)  the amount of external justification a person has for a behavior 
D)  the extent to which aversive consequences can be foreseen

Question 2

The idea that people respond less defensively to threats to one aspect of themselves if they think about another valued aspect of themselves is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

A)  self-affirmation. 
B)  self-verification. 
C)  symbolic self-completion. 
D)  projection.

Question 3

The sociometer model primarily suggests that:

Accepted Answer

A)  a basic function of self-esteem is protecting the individual from troubling thoughts and worries. 
B)  self-esteem primarily serves to maximize the person's sense of social status. 
C)  a basic function of self-esteem is indicating one's level of acceptance by others. 
D)  people who are more extraverted are concerned with self-esteem, while those who are introverted are not.

Question 4

What is a self-narrative, and why is it important? What are some of the most common kinds of self-narrative themes? If you were to tell your own life story up to this point, what would be the most prominent theme?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is a self-narrative, and why is...

Question 5

Assigning to others those traits that people fear they themselves possess is referred to as _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  symbolic self-completion 
B)  self-serving attributional bias 
C)  identification 
D)  projection

Question 6

In the induced hypocrisy paradigm:

Accepted Answer

A)  participants advocate an opinion they already believe in, and then are reminded of a time when their actions contradicted that opinion. 
B)  participants are assigned varying degrees of severe tasks in order to gain entrance to a group, and their opinions about the group are assessed. 
C)  participants are made to feel that they have freely chosen to undertake a counterattitudinal behavior. 
D)  participants are given the least external justification necessary to prevent them from engaging in an undesirable behavior.

Question 7

Extrinsic motivation refers to _____, while intrinsic motivation refers to _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  self-esteem; self-presentation 
B)  self-presentation; self-esteem 
C)  feeling that one's actions are controlled by external forces; feeling that one's actions reflect one's authentic desires 
D)  feeling that one's actions reflect one's authentic desires; feeling that one's actions are controlled by external forces

Question 8

Which conception suggests that self-esteem primarily serves as a defense against threats?

Accepted Answer

A)  self-evaluation maintenance 
B)  anxiety-buffer 
C)  sociometer 
D)  cognitive dissonance

Question 9

The phenomenon whereby people reduce dissonance by convincing themselves that what they suffered for is actually quite valuable is referred to as _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  spreading of alternatives 
B)  effort justification 
C)  induced compliance 
D)  free choice paradigm

Question 10

At a general level, what is the self-serving attributional bias?

Accepted Answer

A)  the tendency to make internal attributions for one's own behavior, and external attributions for the behavior of others 
B)  the tendency to make external attributions for one's own behavior, and internal attributions for the behavior of others 
C)  the tendency to make external attributions for bad things one does, and internal attributions for good things one does 
D)  the tendency to make internal attributions for bad things one does, and external attributions for good things one does

Question 11

Compared to younger people, older people are consistently _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  more anxious 
B)  more depressed 
C)  more active 
D)  happier

Question 12

Describe the trait of self-monitoring. What are some of the differences revealed by research between those who score low versus high in this trait?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the trait of self-monitoring. What are...

Question 13

Manute has often done well on math tests in the past. However, the latest concepts in his math course have been very difficult for him, and he is uncertain about whether he will be able to do well on the upcoming exam. All he finds himself able to think about is how a failure on the test would be harmful to his sense of himself as a math scholar. The night before the test, a friend invites Manute to go to a party. What does research on self-handicapping suggest Manute will do?

Accepted Answer

A)  go with the friend to the party only if the friend has a negative view of Manute 
B)  go with the friend to the party only if the friend has a positive view of Manute 
C)  go to the party, stay up late, and drink and smoke as much as possible 
D)  decline to go to the party, study hard for the test, and put forward his best effort

Question 14

Discuss one of two applications of ideas from cognitive dissonance theory-either the hypocrisy paradigm or the idea of minimal deterrence. How does research in these areas relate to real-world issues?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss one of two applications of ideas...

Question 15

What is the phenomenon of self-verification? What does research suggest about the consequences of this phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the phenomenon of self-verification? What...

Question 16

In a classic study conducted by Festinger and Carlsmith (1959) on cognitive dissonance, under which circumstance did subjects come to believe that a boring task was interesting.

Accepted Answer

A)  when they did not have to tell someone that they enjoyed the task 
B)  when they were paid $1 to tell someone that they enjoyed the task 
C)  when they were paid $20 to tell someone that they enjoyed the task 
D)  if they were predisposed to make a good impression on others

Question 17

A study (Staw 1974) was conducted among those who signed up for the R.O.T.C. during the Vietnam era draft years. In this study, which group of individuals became comparably better soldiers?

Accepted Answer

A)  those who would have been drafted 
B)  those who would not have been drafted 
C)  those who had to undergo a difficult initiation into the R.O.T.C. 
D)  those who had to undergo a mild initiation into the R.O.T.C.

Question 18

Basking in reflected glory refers to people's tendency to _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  associate with successful others 
B)  compare themselves to those who perform far better than them in a domain 
C)  acquire and display symbols which reinforce a self-relevant aspect 
D)  reflect on past successes in a nostalgic way

Question 19

In a study on induced hypocrisy and condom use, which participants were most likely to purchase a condom at the end of the study?

Accepted Answer

A)  those who had made a public speech advocating condom use 
B)  those who had not made a public speech advocating condom use 
C)  those who had not made a public speech advocating condom use before being reminded of a time when they did not use condoms 
D)  those who had made a public speech advocating condom use before being reminded of a time when they did not use condoms

Question 20

A life story in which a set of obstacles are overcome and ultimately lead to positive experiences is referred to as a _____, while a life story in which a state of good fortune is transformed to a state of failure or tragedy is referred to as a _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  contamination story; redemption story 
B)  redemption story; contamination story 
C)  positive self-view; negative self-view 
D)  negative self-view; positive self-view

Exam 6: The Key Self-Motives: Consistency, Esteem, Presentation, and Growth