Question 1

According to cognitive dissonance theorists, when people attempt to vent their aggressive impulses by harming another person, they are more likely to engage in later acts of aggression because

Accepted Answer

A)  arousal caused by dissonance is misinterpreted as frustration. 
B)  dissonance is reduced by derogating the victim, increasing the odds of later aggression. 
C)  frustration is mistaken for dissonance. 
D)  "blowing off steam" increases the arousal caused by dissonance, yielding more aggression.

Question 2

Capital punishment has served as a(n) ________ deterrent to those who consider commission of such crimes. This is evidenced by the ________ in the rate of capital crimes when the death penalty is enforced.

Accepted Answer

A)  excellent; decrease 
B)  poor; decrease 
C)  excellent; increase 
D)  poor; lack of change

Question 3

Dehumanizing an enemy (e.g., referring to Germans as "Krauts" or Japanese as "Nips" or "Japs" during World War II or referring to Vietnamese as "gooks" during the Vietnam War) can contribute to further aggression and even wartime atrocities by

Accepted Answer

A)  increasing frustration. 
B)  reducing our ability to empathize. 
C)  increasing cognitive dissonance. 
D)  increasing inhibitions.

Question 4

Explain the role of social conditions in changing the Iroquois tribe from peaceable people to fierce warriors.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain the role of social conditions in...

Question 5

Mr. Jenkins was backing out of his driveway and accidentally hit his neighbor (whom he dislikes) as he was biking by. Why isn't this act aggressive?

Accepted Answer

A)  Because no psychological harm was done. 
B)  Because Mr. Jenkins wasn't angry at the time. 
C)  The neighbor was defenseless. 
D)  It was unintentional.

Question 6

Researchers have found that humans kill members of their own kind at ________ rate ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the same; as bonobos 
B)  a lower; than bonobos 
C)  a higher; than chimpanzees 
D)  the same; as chimpanzees

Question 7

Which of the following statements is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  When women commit acts of overt aggression, they are more likely to feel guilt or anxiety over it than men do. 
B)  Although gender differences exist in aggression in general, women are as likely to murder their husbands as men are to murder their wives. 
C)  The gender difference in aggression tends to show up in everyday situations when nothing special is going on. 
D)  Cross-cultural comparisons show that men tend to be more aggressive than women in virtually every culture examined.

Question 8

Who would be more likely to expect an apology?

Accepted Answer

A)  Samantha, who is French 
B)  Alexander, who is English 
C)  Lukas, who is Canadian 
D)  Ian, who is Australian

Question 9

Bonobos are a close primate relative to humans, sharing 98 percent of human DNA. Bonobos are particularly interesting to use when studying aggression because they are

Accepted Answer

A)  highly aggressive primates who are known to brutally attack one another. 
B)  led by a male hierarchy. 
C)  very peaceful and led by a female hierarchy. 
D)  the only other animal with the hormone testosterone.

Question 10

In Bandura's famous "Bobo" doll study, he had some children watch a woman aggress against an inflated doll, while other children did not watch an aggressive act. Bandura found that the children who watched someone beat up the doll were later

Accepted Answer

A)  just as likely as the control-group children to aggress against a similar doll. 
B)  less likely than control-group children to behave aggressively against a similar doll. 
C)  more likely than control-group children to behave aggressively against a similar doll. 
D)  likely to behave more aggressively in general.

Question 11

In an experiment presented in the text, researchers first frustrated children by stopping a great movie and taking away their candy, and then observed the children during free play. He found that children ________ were ________ aggressive than the others.

Accepted Answer

A)  who were taught constructive ways to relate; less 
B)  with short attention spans; more 
C)  who saw the prosocial movie; less 
D)  who saw the whole movie; more

Question 12

________ is to aggression as ________ is to cooperation.

Accepted Answer

A)  Cognitive dissonance; empathy 
B)  Dehumanization; empathy 
C)  Rewards; punishment 
D)  Self-justification; self-affirmation

Question 13

Which of the following is true about whether or not punishing aggression reduced aggressive behavior?

Accepted Answer

A)  Punishing aggressive behavior reduces its frequency. 
B)  Using aggression to punish aggressive behavior models aggression and may inspire imitation. 
C)  The mere threat of severe punishment for aggressive behavior reduces its frequency. 
D)  Punishing aggressive behavior has no effect on its occurrence.

Question 14

Well-controlled laboratory experiments and field studies have revealed that alcohol consumption contributes to aggression by

Accepted Answer

A)  increasing testosterone. 
B)  reducing social inhibitions and restraints. 
C)  increasing hostility. 
D)  decreasing frustration tolerance.

Question 15

In a field experiment (Baron ,1976) to study drivers' responses to a car that hesitated when a stoplight turned green, the researcher found that when a confederate hobbled across the street on crutches in front of the lead car in the intersection, fewer drivers behind the lead car honked their horns. According to this research, why was that? Drivers at the rear

Accepted Answer

A)  were given a situational attribution for the lead driver's hesitation. 
B)  felt empathy for the confederate, which inhibited their aggression. 
C)  were distracted by the sight of a person on crutches. 
D)  forgot all about their own troubles.

Question 16

Olweus (1991) was able to curtail bullying in a Norwegian school system by training administrators and teachers to be vigilant and to make timely and reasonable interventions. Part of the strategy to reduce bullying involved

Accepted Answer

A)  swiftly and severely punishing children for any signs of bullying behavior. 
B)  helping the children persuade themselves about better ways to interact with one another. 
C)  taking responsibility away from parents for teaching their children about bullying. 
D)  avoiding any intervention until the bullying became physical.

Question 17

In a primitive tribe, Shantu fights with the other young men his age to impress the young ladies. As it turns out, several young women are attracted to him because he seems to be able to protect them and is rising in social status. In essence, Shantu's aggression can be explained in evolutionary terms as a display of

Accepted Answer

A)  jealousy. 
B)  dominance. 
C)  brutality. 
D)  fertility.

Question 18

Why is empathy training a good antidote to aggression? Empathy makes it

Accepted Answer

A)  harder to derogate our victims. 
B)  easier to think about the consequences of our actions. 
C)  easier to reduce cognitive dissonance. 
D)  harder to reduce cognitive dissonance.

Question 19

You are marketing a department store. Based on results of research about people's memory for products and services advertised during different types of television programs, which program should you direct your advertising dollars to?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Sopranos (a violent drama series) 
B)  Sex and the City (a sexually explicit drama series) 
C)  Howard Stern (a sexually explicit talk show) 
D)  Candid Camera (a neutral "reality" show)

Question 20

Researchers measured the physiological arousal of heavy TV viewers and light TV viewers when they came into the lab to watch a violent boxing match. Results of their study reveal that

Accepted Answer

A)  exposure to violence increases arousal. 
B)  heavy TV viewers seem desensitized to violence. 
C)  mindless viewing of violence leads to decreased arousal. 
D)  light TV viewers quickly habituate to violence.

Exam 12: Aggression: Why Do We Hurt Other People Can We Prevent It