Question 1

Research suggests that having excessively high levels of optimism

Accepted Answer

A)   is beneficial for romantic relationships
B)   can be detrimental to psychological and physical health
C)   is beneficial for psychological health only
D)   is beneficial for physical health only B

Question 2

Differentiate between internal and external attributions.

Accepted Answer

Internal attributions occur when individuals attribute events that happen to them internally-that is,to self-related causes.In contrast,external attributions occur when individuals attribute such events externally-that is,to things that are outside of themselves and often out of their control,such as luck or other people.

Question 3

The authors of Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life")emphasize which two concepts,in particular,as central to understanding the roles of optimism and pessimism in people's lives?

Accepted Answer

A)   goal-related thinking and self-fulfilling prophecy
B)   outcome expectancies and self-fulfilling prophecy
C)   outcome expectancies and goal-directed thinking
D)   goal-directed thinking and goal-directed behavior B

Question 4

Describe,in detail,what is meant by balance as tempered view and balance as contextual sensitivity.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe,in detail,what is meant by balance as...

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT true of positive psychology?

Accepted Answer

A)   It focuses on optimal human functioning and the positive side of life more generally.
B)   It includes the study of how social phenomena, such as institutions, help to promote positive outcomes.
C)   It focuses on how well-being can be promoted through interventions at various levels of the social environment.
D)   It focuses on how well-being can be promoted through testing at a specific level of the built environment.

Question 6

Aspinwall and Taylor's (1992)research with university students provided evidence that optimism leads students to engage in effective coping strategies that,in turn,contribute to

Accepted Answer

A)   better school performance and higher career aspirations
B)   lower dropout rates and higher career aspirations
C)   better school performance and better psychological adjustment
D)   lower dropout rates and better psychological adjustment

Question 7

Which is NOT one of the four broad themes that Hart and Sasso (2011)identify as defining the subject matter of positive psychology?

Accepted Answer

A)   goodwill and altruistic concern
B)   subjective happiness and life satisfaction
C)   developmental processes of self-actualization and personal growth
D)   resilience and positive coping under adverse conditions

Question 8

Attribution retraining interventions are coaching exercises that involve disputing pessimistic causal attributions (i.e.,maladaptive attributions)and replacing them with optimistic attributions (i.e.,adaptive attributions).

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

In attribution retraining,which attribution for a good grade on an assignment should be targeted for change?

Accepted Answer

A)   luck
B)   hard work
C)   ability
D)   effort

Question 10

Define hope,and identify the two ways of thinking that give rise to hope.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Define hope,and identify the two ways of...

Question 11

Which is true? Synder describes agency thinking as

Accepted Answer

A)   a blending of willpower and commitment
B)   knowing what steps are needed to achieve one's goals
C)   seeing many workable routes to one's problem
D)   a blending of willpower and a sense of mastery

Question 12

Which is true with regard to the optimism-pessimism self-assessment inventory in Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life")?

Accepted Answer

A)   Moderate optimism is signified by a score in the 50-75 range.
B)   The inventory is inclusive in terms of the domains that are covered.
C)   Some degree of measurement validity was established in its development.
D)   Respondents can learn if their profile is a mixed one or not.

Question 13

In his learned optimism theory,Seligman (2011)emphasizes which factor in explaining whether or not a person becomes an optimist?

Accepted Answer

A)   thinking patterns regarding future events that are displayed by significant role models
B)   reinforcement value of negative and positive events experienced
C)   habitual ways of explaining why events occur in one's life
D)   thinking patterns regarding current events that are displayed by significant role models

Question 14

The authors of Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life")emphasize two theories regarding the processes underlying optimism and pessimism.Which is one of the theories?

Accepted Answer

A)   Seligman's (2008)  learned helplessness theory
B)   Carver and Scheier's (2009)  expectancy theory
C)   Bandura's social learning theory
D)   theory of planned behavior

Question 15

"I received a good mark because I got lucky on this one exam" is NOT an example of a(n)______ attribution.

Accepted Answer

A)   external
B)   internal
C)   unstable
D)   specific

Question 16

Which set of attributions best characterizes the optimist who has just been awarded her company's organizational citizenship award?

Accepted Answer

A)   external, unstable, specific
B)   internal, unstable, global
C)   internal, stable, global
D)   external, stable, specific

Question 17

In the field of positive psychology,self-help techniques that are aimed at helping people to upgrade their well-being are referred to as ______.

Accepted Answer

A)   positive psychology coaching
B)   life strategies coaching
C)   behavioral retraining
D)   well-being boosting

Question 18

The authors of Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life")use the term ______ to pertain to the study of the relevance of social psychology to understanding positive well-being.

Accepted Answer

A)   positive psychology
B)   practical social psychology
C)   remedial social psychology
D)   positive social psychology

Question 19

Describe what is meant by defensive pessimism.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe what is meant by defensive pessimism....

Question 20

Barry becomes very upset when the high school nurse informs him that his body mass index shows that he borders on being obese.Barry explains to the nurse that the reason for being overweight is that he has grown up in a home in which meals routinely consist of very large portions of high calorie foods.Barry's explanation entails which set of attributions?

Accepted Answer

A)   internal, stable, global
B)   internal, unstable, specific
C)   external, unstable, global
D)   external, stable, specific

Exam 17: Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life: Balancing Optimism and Pessimism

Research suggests that having excessively high levels of optimism

Differentiate between internal and external attributions.

The authors of Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life") emphasize which two concepts,in particular,as central to understanding the roles of optimism and pessimism in people's lives?

Describe,in detail,what is meant by balance as tempered view and balance as contextual sensitivity.

Which of the following is NOT true of positive psychology?

Aspinwall and Taylor's (1992) research with university students provided evidence that optimism leads students to engage in effective coping strategies that,in turn,contribute to

Which is NOT one of the four broad themes that Hart and Sasso (2011) identify as defining the subject matter of positive psychology?

Attribution retraining interventions are coaching exercises that involve disputing pessimistic causal attributions (i.e.,maladaptive attributions)and replacing them with optimistic attributions (i.e.,adaptive attributions).

In attribution retraining,which attribution for a good grade on an assignment should be targeted for change?

Define hope,and identify the two ways of thinking that give rise to hope.

Which is true? Synder describes agency thinking as

Which is true with regard to the optimism-pessimism self-assessment inventory in Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life") ?

In his learned optimism theory,Seligman (2011) emphasizes which factor in explaining whether or not a person becomes an optimist?

The authors of Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life") emphasize two theories regarding the processes underlying optimism and pessimism.Which is one of the theories?

"I received a good mark because I got lucky on this one exam" is NOT an example of a(n) ______ attribution.

Which set of attributions best characterizes the optimist who has just been awarded her company's organizational citizenship award?

In the field of positive psychology,self-help techniques that are aimed at helping people to upgrade their well-being are referred to as ______.

The authors of Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life") use the term ______ to pertain to the study of the relevance of social psychology to understanding positive well-being.

Describe what is meant by defensive pessimism.