Question 1

A shared system for remembering information that allows groups to demonstrate more efficient memory than individuals is known as

Accepted Answer

A)   semantic memory.
B)   transactive memory.
C)   process loss.
D)   facilitative memory. B

Question 2

Consider a study in which researchers created groups of relatively prejudiced and unprejudiced high school students and asked them to respond to issues concerning racial attitudes, both before and after discussion of these issues. Following the group discussions, you would expect that

Accepted Answer

A)   both groups would become more prejudiced.
B)   both groups would become less prejudiced.
C)   those who were relatively unprejudiced would become less prejudiced and those who were relatively prejudiced would become more prejudiced.
D)   those who were relatively unprejudiced would become more prejudiced and those who were relatively prejudiced would become less prejudiced. C

Question 3

The leaders of the Republic of Heavyhandedness believe that, because they can punish anyone who disagrees with their policies, residents will not dare to challenge those policies. The Republic of Heavyhandedness thus believes in the efficacy of

Accepted Answer

A)   social loafing.
B)   social comparison.
C)   entrapment.
D)   threat capacity. D

Question 4

The fact that members of an organization who blow the whistle on problematic practices are often treated harshly by the rest of the group illustrates the power of group

Accepted Answer

A)   roles.
B)   norms.
C)   storming.
D)   development.

Question 5

Sheila and Peter are invited to a masquerade party. At the party, people start insulting and pushing around Parker, another guest at the party. Given the research on deindividuation, which of the following is most likely false ?

Accepted Answer

A)   If Sheila was dressed as a nun and Peter was dressed as a priest, their costumes would decrease the likelihood that they would behave aggressively toward Parker.
B)   If there was a loud band playing that made the floor shake, Sheila and Peter would be more likely to behave aggressively toward Parker.
C)   If Sheila and Peter were dressed in costumes in which they could not be recognized, Peter would likely behave more aggressively toward Parker than Sheila would.
D)   If Sheila and Peter believed that at the end of the party all the guests would have to reveal their true identities, they would be less likely to behave aggressively toward Parker.

Question 6

Rashid is considering employing a computerized group decision support system to increase the quality of decision-making in his company. This may work because

Accepted Answer

A)   the anonymity of computer mediated discussions increases reliance on information processing heuristics.
B)   there is no risk of evaluation apprehension in computer mediated discussions.
C)   the probability of process loss will be increased as multiple people attempt to speak at the same time.
D)   computer mediated discussions tend to reduce biased information sampling.

Question 7

Two competing companies in a small individualistic town are hooked up to the Internet through the same wiring. Each has the capacity to sever the connection, which would reduce the ability of both companies to communicate via e-mail with their clients, and thus impede their work. Of the following choices, research on dilemmas suggests that the two companies

Accepted Answer

A)   will be negatively affected if they are unaware of their ability to sever the connection.
B)   will probably each sever the connection, leading to the worst outcome for both companies.
C)   would be affected more negatively if only one company could sever the connection.
D)   are less likely to sever the connection than if they were in a collectivist culture.

Question 8

The distraction-conflict explanation for social facilitation suggests that

Accepted Answer

A)   the "tunnel vision" brought about by the presence of others always leads to decreased performance.
B)   concern about being evaluated by others can distract people who perform in front of others.
C)   loud noises and bright lights can lead to the same social facilitation effects as can the presence of other people.
D)   performance in the presence of others actually improves for a difficult task.

Question 9

Following group discussion, group decisions tend to _____ the positions of the individuals comprising the group.

Accepted Answer

A)   be more conservative than
B)   be more risky than
C)   reflect the average of
D)   be more extreme than

Question 10

Group polarization may, in part, stem from

Accepted Answer

A)   an increase in dominant responses under conditions of high arousal.
B)   lack of group cohesiveness.
C)   deindividuation of group members.
D)   the desire to distinguish one's group from other groups.

Question 11

Explain how the presence of others affects performance on easy and hard tasks, and give three explanations to account for these effects.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain how the presence of others affects...

Question 12

Which of the following is a strictly informational social influence explanation for group polarization?

Accepted Answer

A)   Social comparison theory
B)   Self perception theory
C)   Persuasive arguments theory
D)   None of these.

Question 13

Sam, Diane, and Frasier are members of a team competing in a test of general knowledge. Any team member can answer the moderator's questions. The team's task can be described as

Accepted Answer

A)   additive.
B)   conjunctive.
C)   disjunctive.
D)   collective.

Question 14

Gardner and Knowles (2008) asked participants to complete tasks in front of a picture of a favorite TV character and found that

Accepted Answer

A)   social facilitation occurs in such a situation, even though no other actual people are present.
B)   social facilitation could still occur, but only when the character was a human one.
C)   social facilitation effects are dependent on the presence of real people in a situation.
D)   participants became less apprehensive regarding their performance.

Question 15

Which of the following would be an effective way for a leader to reduce the possibility of groupthink?

Accepted Answer

A)   Express her opinion only after other group members have voiced their opinions.
B)   Emphasize that the group decision must be a unanimous one.
C)   Take a more directive role in the group discussion.
D)   Appoint a few people in the group to act as "mindguards."

Question 16

Three people in the same place at the same time, but not interacting with one another are best described as a

Accepted Answer

A)   social group.
B)   minimal group.
C)   collective.
D)   conjunctive group.

Question 17

Hendrika owns a small aerospace company and wants to make sure that she recognizes the signs of groupthink if it crops up in her group meetings. She should be especially concerned that groupthink may be occurring if the group exhibits

Accepted Answer

A)   coalition formation.
B)   social loafing.
C)   divergent thinking.
D)   closed-mindedness.

Question 18

According to Zajonc's model of social facilitation, the three steps in determining the influence of the presence of others on performance are

Accepted Answer

A)   arousal, dominant response, and task difficulty.
B)   relaxation, elimination of apprehension, and task difficulty.
C)   construal, arousal, and attribution.
D)   social comparison, attribution, and justification.

Question 19

According to research by Nibler and Harris (2003), which of the following groups is most likely to experience better performance when group members feel free to disagree with one another?

Accepted Answer

A)   A group of friends in China
B)   A group of friends in the U.S.
C)   A group of strangers in China.
D)   A group of strangers in the U.S.

Question 20

An informational social influence explanation for group polarization is ________; a normative explanation for the phenomenon is ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   mindless conformity; biased sampling
B)   persuasive-arguments; social comparison
C)   social comparison; biased sampling
D)   mindless conformity; persuasive-arguments

Exam 8: Group Processes