Question 1

Which of the following is the best example of operant conditioning?

Accepted Answer

A) You notice that many of your classmates are comfortable speaking with professors after class. Even though you are usually shy, you therefore decide that you will try to speak with professors after class too. 
B) Every time you wear the poncho you purchased in Mexico, you think fondly about the time that you spent there. 
C) You ask for an extension on a paper that is due for class, your teacher says yes, and you still end up with a really good grade. This leads you to ask other teachers for extensions as well. 
D) After going to the same dentist for many years, you develop a fondness for your dentist and for the other people who work in her office.

Question 2

Religious beliefs have no psychological benefit.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

To increase the chance that a general attitude like "Helping others is a good thing" will predict a specific behavior like someone's willingness to give blood, you should ____.

Accepted Answer

A) measure their cognitive coping skills first 
B) measure the general attitude and link it to the specific behavior 
C) ask the person to think about giving blood as a helpful act when you make the request for a blood donation 
D) reduce the accessibility of the attitude

Question 4

Suppose that Rachel sold one of her stocks last week and that the value of the stock has tripled since then. What a mistake! In which of the following cases is Rachel most likely to experience cognitive dissonance?

Accepted Answer

A) If she chose to sell the stock against her stockbroker's advice 
B) If she chose to sell the stock because her friend suggested it 
C) If she chose to sell the stock because her stockbroker suggested it 
D) If she was on vacation last week and it was her husband who decided to sell the stock for her

Question 5

Research by Shelley Taylor and her colleagues on effective coping among cancer patients has suggested that all of the following are important in promoting recovery EXCEPT ____.

Accepted Answer

A) making downward comparisons with other cancer patients 
B) making upward comparisons with other cancer patients 
C) feeling that there is a "higher purpose" for one's cancer 
D) feeling that one can control one's cancer

Question 6

The tendency for people to hold on to their beliefs-even when their beliefs are discredited by compelling evidence-is known as ____.

Accepted Answer

A) cognitive dissonance 
B) belief perseverance 
C) the A-B problem 
D) cognitive stickiness

Question 7

Iris is a vegetarian, but she ate a steak last night. Because of this hypocritical behavior, Iris is likely to experience a state of discomfort known as ________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Iris is a vegetarian, but she ate...

Question 8

The ease with which an attitude comes to mind is called ________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ease with which an attitude comes...

Question 9

If the idea of effort justification is to be believed, the best way to get people to commit to a particular group is to ____.

Accepted Answer

A) make it somewhat difficult to join the group 
B) let everyone join, since only the dedicated will stay 
C) provide special benefits to those who join 
D) make it clear that joining carries responsibilities

Question 10

Comer and Laird's (1975)study told some participants that they would be doing a worm-eating task. After a short period during which the participants could contemplate worm eating, the experimenter told them there was a mistake, and that they could choose between worm-eating and weight discrimination tasks. What percent of the participants chose to stay with the worm-eating task when given a more emotionally neutral (weight discrimination)alternative?

Accepted Answer

A) 100% 
B) 80% 
C) 50% 
D) 10%

Question 11

Kevin has just moved to a new neighborhood. In his old neighborhood, everyone wore Vans and board shorts, but he notices that the kids on his new block are wearing Nikes and basketball shorts. He also notices that they tease people who are not dressed this way. Kevin immediately asks his mom to take him to the store to buy new clothes. What has taken place here?

Accepted Answer

A) attitude polarization 
B) the mere exposure effect 
C) observational learning 
D) operant conditioning

Question 12

Research has demonstrated that people are more likely to imitate behaviors if they have seen others rewarded for performing those behaviors, and less likely to imitate behaviors if they have seen others punished for performing those behaviors. This type of learning is known as ____.

Accepted Answer

A) instrumental learning 
B) social learning 
C) classical conditioning 
D) operant conditioning

Question 13

Research has demonstrated that people are more likely to imitate behaviors if they have seen others rewarded for performing those behaviors, and less likely to imitate behaviors if they have seen others punished for performing those behaviors. This type of learning is known as ________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Research has demonstrated that people are more...

Question 14

Wei-Shin was mugged while he was walking across campus alone one evening. The event left him with his wallet and identity stolen, and a broken nose and rib. Wei-Shin thinks to himself, "What kind of world is this, where someone will mug a poor college student?" Wei-Shin is having trouble coping because this traumatic event has challenged his ____.

Accepted Answer

A) attitude accessibility 
B) downward comparisons 
C) assumptive worlds 
D) attitude-behavior consistency

Question 15

According to cognitive dissonance theory, discrepancies between attitudes and behaviors produce ____.

Accepted Answer

A) unpleasant memories 
B) psychological discomfort 
C) pleasant memories 
D) psychological comfort

Question 16

In one well-known study that was conducted during an era of anti-Chinese prejudice (LaPiere, 1934), a researcher drove across the U.S. with a Chinese couple, stopping at dozens of restaurants, hotels, auto camps, and tourist homes. He was interested in knowing the percentage of establishments that would serve the couple, as well as the percentage of establishments that would SAY that they would serve the couple when contacted later. The results from this research provided some of the first evidence of ____.

Accepted Answer

A) the fact that people's stated attitudes are not always consistent with their actual behaviors 
B) post-dissonance rationalization 
C) implicit prejudice 
D) aversive racism

Question 17

The so-called A-B problem refers to the fact that there is often a weak relationship between people's ___.

Accepted Answer

A) implicit and explicit attitudes 
B) affects and behaviors 
C) attitudes and behaviors 
D) affects and cognitions

Question 18

Research on the spread of attitudes on Facebook indicates that a(n)____ fits the pattern.

Accepted Answer

A) flood 
B) contagious disease 
C) fundamentally random 
D) landslide

Question 19

Research suggests that the mere exposure effect ____.

Accepted Answer

A) is unique to humans (does not occur among other animals) 
B) occurs via the conscious system only 
C) is unique to humans (does not occur among other animals)AND occurs via the conscious system only 
D) is NOT unique to humans and does NOT occur via the conscious system

Question 20

As discussed in the text, there are a number of cognitive tendencies found among gamblers that have the effect of encouraging these people to keep gambling. One of the MOST common is the tendency to see losses as ____.

Accepted Answer

A) "near wins" (not losses at all) 
B) "par for the course" (as a certain number of losses are expected) 
C) "practice runs" (helping to improve technique in the long term) 
D) "not their fault" (special exceptions due to circumstances)

Exam 7: Attitudes, Beliefs, and Consistency