Question 1

The principal of a local elementary school plans to implement a "Reading for Cash" program, whereby children would be given cash rewards for reading. Before investing in this plan, the principal asks for your assessment. Because ________ tend to ________, you would probably tell her that the program would not be an effective way to increase interest in reading.

Accepted Answer

A)  external rewards; reduce any inherent intrinsic interest 
B)  external rewards; increase any inherent intrinsic interest 
C)  any forms of encouragement; reduce intrinsic motivation 
D)  intrinsic interests; weaken over time regardless of incentives

Question 2

Why would cognitive attributional processes be involved in helping us label emotions?

Accepted Answer

A)  All arousal has a cognitive component. 
B)  All arousal is social in origin. 
C)  In many situations, there is more than one plausible cause for arousal. 
D)  Extreme arousal short-circuits rational cognitive processes.

Question 3

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.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

At the amusement park, Keon's heart begins beating rapidly and his palms begin to sweat. He reasons that since he is next in line for a ride on a roller coaster, he must be feeling exhilarated. This sequence of events in which Keon first perceives his arousal and subsequently labels it is consistent with the

Accepted Answer

A)  two-factor theory of emotion. 
B)  predictions of self-verification theory. 
C)  theory of self-monitoring. 
D)  theory of the looking-glass self.

Question 5

Attempting to get others to see you as you want to be seen is the definition of

Accepted Answer

A)  social comparison. 
B)  self-awareness. 
C)  looking-glass self. 
D)  impression management.

Question 6

While riding a harrowing roller coaster, Jim notices that the person sitting next to him is extremely attractive and he resolves to get her phone number when the ride is over. Jim is probably doing this because he is

Accepted Answer

A)  misattributing his arousal from the roller coaster ride to sexual attraction. 
B)  inferring a social compatibility based on mutual interest. 
C)  correctly inferring, based on introspection, that he is attracted to this person. 
D)  a real go-getter.

Question 7

Recall that Dutton and Aron (1974) had an attractive female confederate approach men either on a high, narrow, swaying suspension bridge, or else on the other side of the bridge where they were sitting. In thinking about processes of misattribution of arousal, which group of men was more likely to call the confederate later and ask her for a date?

Accepted Answer

A)  Those who had rested for a while. 
B)  Those who were approached on the bridge. 
C)  Both groups were equally likely to call because the confederate was so attractive. 
D)  Men from neither group called the confederate because they misattributed the arousal to anxiety.

Question 8

According to the authors of your text, which of the following is considered crucial to the development of the self-concept?

Accepted Answer

A)  introspection 
B)  intrinsic motivation 
C)  self-perception 
D)  social contact

Question 9

________ posits that we learn about our own abilities and attitudes by comparing ourselves to other people.

Accepted Answer

A)  The notion of the looking-glass self 
B)  Social comparison theory 
C)  Self-verification theory 
D)  Esteem enhancement theory

Question 10

Mrs. Hill has decided to provide her first-grade students with gold stars to reward them for reading. She has decided to use performance-contingent rewards. To do this, she will give gold stars

Accepted Answer

A)  to children each time they spend ten minutes reading. 
B)  only to those children who can read a passage without mistakes. 
C)  to the children and take one star away after each mistake they make when reading. 
D)  only when children decide to read during free time.

Question 11

All of the following except ________ are ways of giving praise that can enhance a child's intrinsic motivation.

Accepted Answer

A)  praising children for their effort on a hard task 
B)  praising children for their effort on an easy task 
C)  making children feel they are competent 
D)  making children feel that they did the task on their own initiative

Question 12

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.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 13

Which person is not making a downward social comparison?

Accepted Answer

A)  Alan, who lost one leg in an accident, comparing himself to the driver, who was killed 
B)  David, who loses his job, but gets a severance package with six months' salary, comparing himself to a colleague at another company who lost his job and received three months' severance 
C)  Steven, who compares his driving skills today with those that he had when he was in high school 
D)  Marty, who compares his coordination after contracting multiple sclerosis with that which he had before the disease

Question 14

Kevin just got a low grade on his term paper. If Kevin has a ________ mindset, he would be most likely to give up and reduce his efforts in the class, feeling as though he is just "a bad writer."

Accepted Answer

A)  fixed 
B)  growth 
C)  pessimistic 
D)  sensitive

Question 15

According to the authors of your text, ________ explains why providing young children large rewards for reading (e.g., money, prizes) might actually backfire and convince them that they don't really like reading as much as they thought at first.

Accepted Answer

A)  the overjustification effect 
B)  self-perception processes 
C)  reasons-generated attitude change 
D)  intrinsic motivation theory

Question 16

A coach wants to motivate his soccer team to score more often by using a reward system. Based on what you read about preserving intrinsic motivation, how is it best for him to reward his team?

Accepted Answer

A)  task-contingent rewards 
B)  performance-contingent rewards 
C)  negative reinforcement 
D)  verbally (that is, yelling at them for poor performance, praising them for a good job)

Question 17

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 18

The increase in the use of first person pronouns (e.g., I, me) is proposed as evidence of

Accepted Answer

A)  people's worry about the economy. 
B)  decline of romance in love songs. 
C)  increased thinking about ourselves. 
D)  decline in goal orientation.

Question 19

Because they convey information to people that they are good at an activity, ________ are not likely to reduce intrinsic interest in that activity.

Accepted Answer

A)  performance-contingent rewards 
B)  task-contingent rewards 
C)  negative critiques 
D)  instances of insincere praise

Question 20

Athletes like Michael Jordan and Mia Hamm feel that they aren't great athletes, but that they became great through effort and hard work, and that they can continue to grow through effort. What type of mindset does this best exemplify?

Accepted Answer

A)  optimism 
B)  fixed 
C)  overjustification 
D)  growth

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