Deck 43: A: Social Thinking

Question 1

The text defines social psychology as the scientific study of how people ________ one another.

A) understand, feel about, and behave toward
B) think about, influence, and relate to
C) observe, understand, and communicate with
D) understand, predict, and control

Answer 1

think about, influence, and relate to

Question 2

Feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in particular ways to objects, people, and events are called

A) roles.
B) norms.
C) attitudes.
D) attributions.

Answer 2

attitudes.

Question 3

In explaining our own behavior or the behavior of those we know well, we often resort to

A) deindividuation.
B) social facilitation.
C) social loafing.
D) situational attributions.

Answer 3

situational attributions.

Question 4

The fundamental attribution error is most likely to lead observers to conclude that unemployed people

A) are victims of discrimination.
B) are irresponsible and unmotivated.
C) have parents who provided poor models of social responsibility.
D) attended schools that provided an inferior education.

Question 5

Rhonda has just learned that her neighbor Patricia was involved in an automobile accident at a nearby intersection. The tendency to make the fundamental attribution error may lead Rhonda to conclude

A) "Patricia's brakes must have failed."
B) "Patricia's recklessness has finally gotten her into trouble."
C) "Patricia's children probably distracted her."
D) "The road must have been wet and slippery."

Question 6

Students who were told that a young woman had been instructed to act in a very unfriendly way for the purposes of the experiment concluded that her behavior

A) reflected her personal disposition.
B) was situationally determined.
C) demonstrated role playing.
D) illustrated normative social influence.

Question 7

Reversing the perspectives of actor and observer reduces ________ among observers.

A) self-disclosure
B) cognitive dissonance
C) superordinate goals
D) the fundamental attribution error

Question 8

People are especially likely to demonstrate the fundamental attribution error in cultures that value

A) individualism.
B) sexual stereotyping.
C) the reciprocity norm.
D) superordinate goals.

Question 9

Magazine computer ads seldom feature endorsements from Hollywood stars or great athletes. Instead, they offer detailed information for consumers to develop more positive opinions about the company's products. This advertising strategy best illustrates

A) the reciprocity norm.
B) central route persuasion.
C) normative social influence.
D) deindividuation.

Question 10

To analyze how people explain others' behavior, Fritz Heider developed

A) cognitive dissonance theory.
B) social exchange theory.
C) attribution theory.
D) self-disclosure theory.

Question 11

You would probably be LEAST likely to commit the fundamental attribution error in explaining why

A) you failed a college test.
B) a classmate you don't know was late for class.
C) your professor gave a boring lecture.
D) the college administration decided to raise next year's tuition costs.

Question 12

The tendency for observers to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal dispositions on another's behavior is called

A) the bystander effect.
B) the fundamental attribution error.
C) deindividuation.
D) the mere exposure effect.

Question 13

Poverty and unemployment are likely to be explained in terms of ________ by political liberals and in terms of ________ by political conservatives.

A) personal dispositions; situational constraints
B) normative influence; informational influence
C) situational constraints; personal dispositions
D) informational influence; normative influence

Question 14

Opinion change resulting from incidental cues such as a speaker's attractiveness illustrates

A) informational social influence.
B) peripheral route persuasion.
C) superordinate goals.
D) social facilitation.

Question 15

A dispositional attribution is to ________ as a situational attribution is to ________.

A) normative influence; informational influence
B) high ability; low motivation
C) personality traits; assigned roles
D) politically liberal; politically conservative

Question 16

Compared with the explanations we give for the actions of strangers, our explanations for our own behavior are more likely to refer to

A) stereotypes.
B) superordinate goals.
C) situational influences.
D) mirror-image perceptions.

Question 17

One explanation for the fundamental attribution error involves observers'

A) diffusion of responsibility.
B) limited visual perspective.
C) social-responsibility norm.
D) mirror-image perceptions.

Question 18

Which of the following individuals is LEAST likely to cheat on his income tax returns?

A) Jake, who loves his country
B) Jonas, who admires personal honesty
C) Mikhail, who positively values paying his full income tax
D) Fabio, who cares little about personal wealth

Question 19

A tendency to overestimate the extent to which a stranger's violent behavior stems from his or her aggressive personality best illustrates

A) the frustration-aggression principle.
B) the mere exposure effect.
C) the fundamental attribution error.
D) deindividuation.

Question 20

Recognizing the powerful impact of social influence on others' behaviors is most likely to minimize

A) passionate love.
B) social facilitation.
C) the mere exposure effect.
D) the fundamental attribution error.

Question 21

When no weapons of mass destruction were found following the U.S. invasion of Iraq, some Americans revised their memories of the main rationale for going to war. The text author suggests that we can best explain why people changed their memories in terms of

A) social exchange theory.
B) equity theory.
C) the two-factor theory.
D) cognitive dissonance theory.

Question 22

The tendency for initial compliance with a small request to facilitate subsequent compliance with a larger request is known as the

A) mere exposure effect.
B) fundamental attribution error.
C) reciprocity norm.
D) foot-in-the-door phenomenon.

Question 23

Our attitudes about another person are MOST likely to influence the way we treat that person if our attitudes are

A) negative.
B) positive.
C) unconscious.
D) stable.

Question 24

Studies of role playing most directly highlight the effects of

A) group size on social loafing.
B) personal anonymity on deindividuation.
C) an audience on social facilitation.
D) actions on attitudes.

Question 25

After giving in to her friends' request that she drink alcohol with them, 16-year-old Jessica found that she couldn't resist the pressure they exerted on her to try cocaine. Her experience best illustrates

A) ingroup bias.
B) the mere exposure effect.
C) the foot-in-the-door phenomenon.
D) the bystander effect.

Question 26

Cognitive dissonance theory emphasizes that we seek to reduce the discomfort we feel when we become aware that

A) our attitudes and actions clash.
B) our efforts to achieve a goal have been blocked.
C) we have overestimated the impact of personal dispositions on behavior.
D) other's pursuit of their self-interest can harm our well-being.

Question 27

Cognitive dissonance theory is most helpful for understanding the

A) mere exposure effect.
B) fundamental attribution error.
C) foot-in-the-door phenomenon.
D) bystander effect.

Question 28

During a test, Abe impulsively copied several answers from a nearby student's paper. He felt very uncomfortable about having done this until he convinced himself that copying answers is not wrong if classmates are careless enough to expose their test sheets. Which theory best explains why Abe adopted this new attitude?

A) frustration-aggression theory
B) attribution theory
C) social exchange theory
D) cognitive dissonance theory

Question 29

In the years immediately following the introduction of school desegregation in the United States and the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, White Americans expressed diminishing racial prejudice. According to the text author, this best illustrated the impact of

A) groupthink on deindividuation.
B) actions on attitudes.
C) bystanders on altruism.
D) group polarization on stereotypes.

Question 30

In atrocious situations such as Zimbardo's simulated prison, some people succumb to the situation and others do not. This best illustrates the

A) just-world phenomenon.
B) reciprocity norm.
C) mere exposure effect.
D) interactive influence of persons and situations.

Question 31

A life insurance salesperson who takes advantage of the foot-in-the-door phenomenon would be most likely to

A) emphasize that his company is one of the largest in the insurance industry.
B) promise a free gift to those who agree to purchase an insurance policy.
C) ask customers to respond to a brief survey of their attitudes regarding life insurance.
D) address customers by their first names.

Question 32

Our attitudes are more likely to guide our actions when we

A) experience a sense of deindividuation.
B) feel incompetent or insecure.
C) can easily recall our attitudes.
D) are exposed to normative social influence.

Question 33

Feeling responsible for behavior that violates our conscience is most likely to contribute to

A) the bystander effect.
B) cognitive dissonance.
C) the fundamental attribution error.
D) group polarization.

Question 34

To "brainwash" captured American soldiers during the Korean war, Chinese communists made effective use of the

A) just-world phenomenon.
B) bystander effect.
C) frustration-aggression principle.
D) foot-in-the-door phenomenon.