Question 1

In trying to make sense of the mass suicide in Jonestown, a Gestaltist would probably

Accepted Answer

A)   examine the external rewards and punishments used by Jim Jones.
B)   consult a social psychologist.
C)   ponder the subjective meaning of the act to Jim Jones's followers.
D)   ask about the traumatic events in the lives of Jones's followers. C

Question 2

The social cognition approach is based on the notion that humans are often motivated to

Accepted Answer

A)   be accurate in their perceptions and inferences.
B)   enhance their self-esteem.
C)   seek out reinforcers and avoid punishers.
D)   justify their behaviors. A

Question 3

All of the following are examples of social influence except

Accepted Answer

A)   a bully intimidates another child on the school yard.
B)   a child refrains from stealing ten dollars from his mother's purse when he imagines her anger at him.
C)   you cover your nose when you sneeze because you don't want to spread germs.
D)   you perceive the bathwater as hot when you first get in, but don't notice the heat ten minutes later. D

Question 4

Which of the following statements most reflects a social psychological point of view?

Accepted Answer

A)   I'll hire Justin to house-sit because he seems like a trustworthy type.
B)   Sara won the competition because she is a hard-working person.
C)   Fred offered to help because there was a certain someone watching whom he wanted to impress.
D)   Janet's love for Jessica is an unconscious reflection of her childhood idealization of her mother.

Question 5

Aya is eight months old, and her mother pretends her baby food is a train in order to convince her to eat it. Aya's mother is using a rather creative form of

Accepted Answer

A)   social influence.
B)   explicit values.
C)   social cognition.
D)   implicit values.

Question 6

Which question about romantic relationships is a sociologist most likely to ask?

Accepted Answer

A)   Why does absence make the heart grow fonder?
B)   Do outgoing people make better romantic partners?
C)   Is the capacity to love one of humanity's greatest achievements?
D)   Why are marriage rates decreasing in the lower socioeconomic classes?

Question 7

When we commit the fundamental attribution error, we ________ the power of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   overestimate; the situation
B)   overestimate; personal influence
C)   underestimate; personality characteristics
D)   underestimate; personal motivations

Question 8

What does social psychology have in common with folk wisdom? How does social psychology differ from folk wisdom?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What does social psychology have in common...

Question 9

The whole is different from the sum of its parts. This statement reflects a tenet of ________ psychology.

Accepted Answer

A)   cognitive
B)   Gestalt
C)   behavioral
D)   physiological

Question 10

When a psychologist discusses individual differences, she is discussing

Accepted Answer

A)   genetic variation.
B)   differences in how people respond in different situations.
C)   aspects of personality that make people differ from one another.
D)   differences within a person in how to behave publicly versus privately.

Question 11

Recall that Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) told teachers that some of their students were "bloomers." Consequently, those students actually performed better than students who were not labeled as bloomers. This finding suggests that

Accepted Answer

A)   the bloomers really were better students than their peers.
B)   the teachers were motivated to prove that the researchers were right.
C)   the teachers were motivated to reward bloomers and punish the others.
D)   teachers' expectations were powerful in influencing the bloomers' behaviors.

Question 12

Which of the following questions would be of most interest to a social cognition researcher?

Accepted Answer

A)   How does the motive to control the environment influence social behaviors?
B)   Why are people motivated to maintain their self-esteem?
C)   What factors prevent people from reasoning accurately?
D)   Why is the whole different from the sum of its parts?

Question 13

Which of the following is most likely to be studied by a social psychologist?

Accepted Answer

A)   differences in nonverbal behavior between members of different cultures
B)   the effects of social class on religious beliefs
C)   the effects of occupational segregation on income
D)   sex differences in self-concepts

Question 14

Like social psychologists, personality psychologists focus on

Accepted Answer

A)   individuals rather than collectives or institutions.
B)   the cultural context.
C)   individual differences.
D)   the power of construals to shape human behavior.

Question 15

If the self-fulfilling prophecy operates appropriately, what could be the outcome of treating your new roommate as if he/she is polite, neat, and respectful?

Accepted Answer

A)   The roommate will do what he/she wants to do anyway.
B)   The roommate will meet your expectations and behave politely and respectfully and keep his/her part of the room clean.
C)   The roommate will do exactly the opposite and be rude and messy.
D)   Your behavior will have no effect on your roommate's behavior.

Question 16

You might have heard the old Groucho Marx quip, "I wouldn't belong to any club that would have me for a member." From a self-esteem perspective in social psychology, what would be a more accurate-if less humorous-statement?

Accepted Answer

A)   "I would most want to belong to any club that would have me."
B)   "I would most want to belong to a club that made me suffer to get into it."
C)   "I wouldn't want to join any club at all."
D)   "I would most want to avoid a club that would have me."

Question 17

Both social psychologists and sociologists are interested in aggression. Compared to sociologists, which of the following questions is a social psychologist most likely to ask?

Accepted Answer

A)   What is the effect of handgun laws on homicide rates in different states?
B)   When does anger lead to aggression?
C)   Are homicide rates higher among members of the lower socioeconomic class?
D)   Do prisons deter homicide?

Question 18

Justin isn't sure if he wants to date Mary, with whom he shares many similarities, or Emma, who is very different from him. His friend says, "Opposites attract," and advises him to date Emma. But his brother says, "Birds of a feather flock together," and suggests that he pursue Mary. This best exemplifies that

Accepted Answer

A)   folk wisdom is often full of contradictions.
B)   folk wisdom is usually wrong.
C)   folk wisdom oversimplifies complex situations.
D)   common sense is an individual difference.

Question 19

Julia eats granola bars and avoids chocolate bars, even though the granola bars contain 50 percent more fat and 15 percent more sodium than the chocolate bars. According to a social cognition approach, why might that be? Julia

Accepted Answer

A)   is motivated to see herself as a healthy person.
B)   is motivated to convince her friends that she is a healthy person.
C)   failed to seek out all the relevant facts about the nutritional value of those snacks.
D)   needs to justify paying more for the granola bar.

Question 20

Jeremy is in love with Carol and views her temper as an endearing example of her "feistiness." Her coworkers, however, interpret Carol's temper as rude and insensitive. The difference between Jeremy and the coworkers illustrates the power of love to influence our

Accepted Answer

A)   construals.
B)   behaviors.
C)   influence attempts.
D)   relationships.

Exam 1: Introducing Social Psychology