Deck 6: Authority

Question 1

The extreme obedience to an authority figure ordering a participant to administer dangerous shocks in Milgram's famous shock experiments goes away when

A) the orders are no longer given by an authority from a prestigious university Yale).
B) a second authority contradicts the authority ordering the shocks.
C) women are asked to administer the shocks instead of men
D) All of the above

Answer 1

a second authority contradicts the authority ordering the shocks.

Question 2

Which of the following can reliably trigger our compliance with an "authority"?

A) Titles
B) Clothes
C) Trappings
D) All of the above
E) Both a and c

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following is true regarding the effect of authority?

A) It has an effect even when the "authority" just plays an authority on television or in a movie.
B) People can accurately predict its effect on their behavior, but are affected by it anyway
C) The same message is equally effective whether it comes from someone who is obviously biased in their opinions or unbiased.
D) All of the above

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Advertisers, as well as waiters and waitresses, have found a technique for quickly increasing their trustworthiness in the eyes of an audience. It involves:

A) arguing earnestly for the virtues of their product.
B) saying how intelligent they think the audience is.
C) arguing initially against their own interests by mentioning a minor problem with their product.
D) saying how dependent they are on the audience.
E) arguing first for the virtues of their product and then mentioning a minor problem with it.

Question 5

Which of the following is false regarding the effects of size?

A) Research has demonstrated that if a man is introduced with a more impressive title, people perceive him as taller.
B) Research has demonstrated that women are significantly more likely to respond to a man's published personal ad when he describes himself as tall.
C) Research has demonstrated that after winning an election, politicians become taller in the eyes of the citizenry.
D) None of the above; all are true regarding the effects of size

Question 6

Which of the following is true regarding behavior toward motorists who fail to drive forward at a green light in economy vs. luxury cars?

A) People react more strongly to the economy car than the luxury car, and predict this is how they would behave.
B) People react more strongly to the economy car than the luxury car, but do not predict this is how they would behave.
C) People react more strongly to the luxury car than the economy car, and predict this is how they would behave.
D) People react more strongly to the luxury car than the economy car, but do not predict this is how they would behave.

Question 7

What do the studies by Milgram on shock-giving), Hofling et al. on the nurse-physician relationship), Bickman on the power of a uniform), and Doob and Gross on horn-honking at a traffic light) have in common? They all:

A) demonstrate the effect of authority influence on human behavior.
B) show that males and females react differently to authority influence.
C) show that people typically underestimate the strength of authority on behavior.
D) all of the above.
E) only a and c.

Question 8

In Milgram's original obedience study, participants drew lots to determine if they would be the Teacher or the Learner. What happened?

A) Participants were always the Learner
B) Participants were always the Teacher
C) Participants were sometimes the Learner and sometimes the Teacher, but the study only continued if they were the Teacher.
D) None of the above.

Question 9

According to Influence, in deciding whether to accept authority influence in a situation, we should ask ourselves certain questions. Which of the below is not one of those questions?

A) What can I do to become an authority here in the future?
B) Is this authority truly an expert here?
C) How truthful can I expect the authority to be here?
D) Both b and c.

Question 10

Instead of being introduced as a fellow student, John is introduced to a group of students as a professor. As a result, the students are likely to

A) be more persuaded by him
B) perceive him as taller
C) like him more
D) all of the above
E) both a and b

Question 11

Someone attempting to sell a car that is more expensive than a competitor's car, but superior in quality would be most persuasive by

A) first revealing that the car is pricier, then describing how it is superior
B) first describing how the car is superior, then revealing that it is pricier
C) only revealing that it is pricier
D) A and B would work equally well, but not C

Question 12

Which of the following is the most plausible explanation for the results of Milgram's series of studies?

A) The participants were all males, a group known for their aggressive tendencies.
B) The participants didn't recognize the potential harm that such high shock voltages could cause.
C) The participants grew up during a unique time when orders were not questioned.
D) The participants were unable to defy the wishes of the boss, the lab-coated researcher.
E) All of the above

Question 13

Which of the following is false regarding our willingness to comply with authorities?

A) It is taught in schools, at home, and by religious organizations.
B) It confers immense advantages upon a society.
C) We sometimes comply with authorities in an automatic, mindless fashion.
D) We are almost always aware of the effect that authorities have on our behavior.
E) None of the above; all are true regarding our willingness to comply with authorities.

Question 14

Influence by way of being an authority occurs when the authority's expertise is

A) closely related to the message they are conveying
B) unrelated to the message they are conveying.
C) simulated through the clothing being worn
D) A and B only
E) All of the above

Question 15

Which of the following was suggested in Influence as evidence for the automatic acceptance of authority directives in health contexts?

A) The case of the "rectal ear ache."
B) The results of the Hofling et al. study on nurses' obedience to a phoned-in prescription for giving medication to a patient.
C) The success of the Robert Young Sanka commercials.
D) All of the above.
E) Only a and b.