Deck 1: Introducing Social Psychology

Question 1

When explaining topics such as dating and mating, evolutionary psychologists consider how natural selection might

A) predispose our attitudes.
B) change our attitudes.
C) account for similarities in our attitudes.
D) reinforce our attitudes.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Theories help social psychologists _____ their observations and _____ their hypotheses.

A) test; organize
B) organize; test
C) objectify; refute
D) refute; objectify

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Variable X is correlated with Variable Y. Which of the following could explain this correlation?

A) X causes Y.
B) Y causes X.
C) A third variable causes or influences both X and Y.
D) All of these are possible explanations.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

An important factor in survey research is how closely the sample reflects the population under study. This is referred to as sample

A) fairness.
B) strategy.
C) size.
D) representativeness.

Question 5

In Boyatzis' (1995) study of the influence television has on aggressive behavior in children, the results indicated that the viewers of "Power Rangers" committed ____ aggressive acts per two-minute interval compared to those children who did not watch this program.

A) slightly less
B) significantly more
C) about the same number of
D) significantly less

Question 6

The use of deception in social-psychological research occurs when the researchers require _____ in their study.

A) realistic experimentation
B) televised reality
C) mundane realism
D) experimental realism

Question 7

Provide an example of an experimental research study on studying and grades. Be sure to indicate what the independent and dependent variables are.

Question 8

Those who consider under-the-skin (i.e., biological) and between the skins (i.e., social) influences on topics such as love and hate are referred to as

A) social biologists.
B) social neuroscientists.
C) social sociologists.
D) social anthropologists.

Question 9

A theory

A) is an agreed-upon statement.
B) summarizes and explains facts.
C) cannot be tested.
D) is less than fact.

Question 10

You are interested in finding out the effect that crowding has on people's moods. You conduct a study in a psychology research lab using two types of participants - participants who have to wait in a crowded waiting room before completing a measure of their mood, and participants who wait in an empty room before completing the same measure. Which type of research did you conduct?

A) correlational research
B) experimental research
C) laboratory research
D) both experimental and laboratory research

Question 11

Suppose you ask all the students who are failing a class if they believe the course is too difficult, and you find that they indeed think it is. Although you have conducted a basic survey, the results of it are limited because of your sample

A) fairness.
B) strategy.
C) size.
D) representativeness.

Question 12

The results of Boyatzis' (1995) research indicated that _____ can be one cause of children's aggressive behavior.

A) sugar consumption
B) poor impulse control
C) a lack of parental guidance
D) television viewing

Question 13

You are participating in a social-psychological research experiment, and the researcher reads the instructions to you and the other participants so that each of you hear exactly the same instructions. By standardizing the instructions, the researcher is attempting to control the

A) dependent variable.
B) experimental outcome.
C) demand characteristics.
D) framing effect.

Question 14

Distinguish between random sampling and random assignment. Provide an example of each.

Question 15

Myers points out that our social behavior is shaped by

A) our intelligence and learning.
B) our personal preferences.
C) how we were nurtured by our parents.
D) other people, our attitudes and personality, and our biology.

Question 16

A _____ is an integrated set of principles that can explain and predict observed events.

A) theory
B) hypothesis
C) fact
D) correlation

Question 17

Your psychology professor tells you that she is collecting data on the amount that students study and their grades (i.e., she is asking each student to report how many hours he/she studies each week, so that she can determine if there is a relationship between hours spent studying and grades). Which type of research is this?

A) correlational research
B) experimental research
C) controlled research
D) hypothetical research

Question 18

If you ask conservative, liberal, independent and green party voters their opinions of political candidates, rather than just conservative voters, you are attempting to ensure that your sample is

A) fair.
B) large enough.
C) representative.
D) None of the above.

Question 19

Which of the following was the dependent variable in Boyatzis' (1995) research study on the effects of television viewing on children?

A) lying to parents
B) aggressive behavior
C) poor academic performance
D) early sexual promiscuity

Question 20

_____ occurs in research when participants are misinformed or misled about the method and purposes of the study.

A) Nonrandom sampling
B) Nonrandom assignment
C) Deception
D) Demand Characteristics

Question 21

Provide an example of a demand characteristic that could unintentionally alter the results of an experimental research study.

Question 22

A researcher is interested in studying how attitudes toward homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals are a function of one's geographical location in the United States. This researcher is likely a

A) social psychologist.
B) personality psychologist.
C) sociologist.
D) anthropologist.

Question 23

The difference between facts and theories is that

A) facts explain theories.
B) theories explain facts.
C) facts are ideas.
D) theories are statements.

Question 24

Which of the following is a disadvantage of correlational research?

A) It involves important variables in natural settings.
B) It provides ambiguous interpretations of causes and effects.
C) It assists in reading newspapers and magazines.
D) It takes place in a laboratory.

Question 25

Ann Landers' 1984 survey of women readers' opinions about romantic affection and sex was probably

A) not valid because it did not include men.
B) flawed because it was not representative of the population.
C) worthless because the sample size was too small.
D) as valid and informative as other, more "scientific" surveys.

Question 26

Which of the following was the independent variable in Boyatzis' (1995) research study on the effects of television viewing on children?

A) aggressive behavior
B) poor academic performance
C) television viewing
D) early sexual promiscuity

Question 27

The cues in an experiment that tell the participants what behavior is expected are called

A) subliminal messages.
B) demand characteristics.
C) deception tactics.
D) confounding variables.

Question 28

Explain the ethical requirements of social-psychological researchers.

Question 29

_____ is most likely to rely upon experiments to investigate a topic.

A) social psychologist
B) sociobiologist
C) sociologist
D) anthropologist

Question 30

A testable proposition that describes a relationship which may exist between events is a

A) statement.
B) bias.
C) correlation.
D) hypothesis.

Question 31

The study by Carroll, Smith and Bennett (1994) that is described in the text examined the link between socioeconomic status and health using grave markers. Which type of research was this?

A) correlational research
B) experimental research
C) controlled research
D) hypothetical research

Question 32

In 1936, the news magazine Literary Digest obtained the opinions of over two million Americans regarding the presidential election. The results suggested that Landon would win in a landslide over Franklin D. Roosevelt. A few weeks later, FDR won in a landslide. The results of the survey were not valid, and this was due to

A) a lack of random assignment.
B) a sampling bias.
C) confounding variables.
D) a lack of experimental control.

Question 33

The variable being measured in an experiment, so-called because it may depend on manipulations of another variable, is called the ______ variable.

A) experimental
B) control
C) independent
D) dependent

Question 34

When participating in a psychology research experiment, you are told that the purpose of the study is to find out if tall people are more prejudiced that short people. Because you want to behave accordingly, you agree with questions on a survey of prejudice more so than you would otherwise. Your behavior in this study is a result of

A) your true attitudes.
B) your repressed attitudes.
C) the demand characteristics of the experiment.
D) the sampling method of the experiment.

Question 35

Explain how values can affect the study of social psychology.

Question 36

Social representations are

A) value commitments within a culture.
B) intuitive ideas that prove to be true.
C) socially shared beliefs, including our assumptions and cultural ideologies.
D) stereotypes that are rooted in racism rather than in reality.

Question 37

Which one of the following is one of the purposes of a hypothesis according to the text?

A) Hypotheses allow us to test a theory.
B) Hypotheses provide explanations for research results.
C) Hypotheses prove theories.
D) Hypotheses communicate the results of research studies.

Question 38

Carroll, Smith and Bennett (1994) found that the height of graveyard markers in a Glasgow cemetery was positively correlated with

A) gender.
B) race.
C) affluence.
D) longevity.

Question 39

There is an example discussed in the text about how the meat lobby rejected a new U.S. food labeling law which required declaring meat as "30 percent fat" rather than "70 percent lean, 30 percent fat". This is an example of how ____ may influence human decisions and expressed opinions.

A) framing of questions
B) personal biases of workers
C) interviewers' food politics
D) response options

Question 40

An experimenter exposed participants to different room temperatures to determine their effects on aggression. Aggression was the

A) independent variable.
B) dependent variable.
C) control variable.
D) confounding variable.

Question 41

You are participating in a psychology research experiment and the researcher invites you to return after the experiment to learn more about it and to explore your feelings about it. This is called

A) informed consent.
B) debriefing.
C) demand characterization.
D) Experiment framing.

Question 42

According to the text, values enter the work of social psychology when researchers

A) collect data for their studies.
B) present the results of their studies.
C) summarize their studies.
D) choose the topics of their studies.

Question 43

According to the text, a good theory should effectively summarize a _____ range of observations about human behavior.

A) wide
B) small
C) limited
D) practical

Question 44

According to the text, the postal code areas of Scotland that have the least overcrowding, and the least amount of unemployment, also have the

A) greatest longevity.
B) least longevity.
C) greatest loneliness.
D) least loneliness.

Question 45

Research on the wording of survey questions suggests that

A) how questions are framed can influence how they are answered.
B) how questions are framed have very little influence on how they are answered.
C) wording is an unimportant element of survey research.
D) framing the questions differently will not influence the results.

Question 46

An experimenter exposed participants to different room temperatures to determine their effects on aggression. The room temperatures were the

A) independent variable.
B) dependent variable.
C) control variable.
D) confounding variable.

Question 47

_____ is an ethical principle requiring that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate.

A) A demand characteristic
B) Deception
C) Mundane realism
D) Informed consent

Question 48

Hastrof Cantrol (1954) found that Princeton students identified twice as many Dartmouth violations as Dartmouth students did when each watched the game. This emphasizes

A) humans' tendency to prejudge reality based on expectations.
B) humans' inability to be objective when watching sports.
C) football players' brutality.
D) None of these.

Question 49

The analogy used in the text to describe what happens when old theories are discarded employs a discussion of how

A) old cars are kept as antiques.
B) old cars are replaced by newer and better models.
C) new cars are often not built as well as older models.
D) new cars are frequently more fuel efficient than older models.

Question 50

According to the text, studies have shown that in Britain, occupational status is _____ correlated with longevity.

A) positively
B) negatively
C) inversely
D) not

Question 51

Research indicates that survey results often depend on the

A) number of questions asked.
B) gender of the surveyer.
C) gender of the respondent.
D) wording and order of the questions.

Question 52

Two essential ingredients in a social-psychological experiment are

A) deception and payment for participation.
B) the use of surveys and the use of deception.
C) framing and biases.
D) control and random assignment.

Question 53

A major requirement of the ethical principles of social-psychological research is that the researcher

A) use random sampling and assignment.
B) protect participants from harm and significant discomfort.
C) refrain from using any deception in the research design.
D) ensure that all participants know what is expected of them.

Question 54

According to the text, social psychology is defined as the scientific study of how people

A) motivate, persuade and hurt one another.
B) think about, influence and relate to one another.
C) manipulate, use and betray one another.
D) conform, help and form attitudes about one another.

Question 55

The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next is referred to as

A) nationality.
B) race.
C) social representations.
D) culture.

Question 56

Research done in natural, real-life settings outside the laboratory is referred to as

A) correlational research.
B) experimental research.
C) laboratory research.
D) field research.

Question 57

A serious shortcoming of a correlational study is that it cannot

A) predict one variable from another.
B) determine when there is a lack of a relationship between two variables.
C) identify which variable causes the other variable.
D) None of the above.

Question 58

The experimental factor that a researcher manipulates in a study is called the ______ variable.

A) control
B) independent
C) dependent
D) correlational

Question 59

The process of assigning participants to the conditions of an experiment such that all persons have the same chance of being in a given condition is referred to as

A) random sampling.
B) random assignment.
C) random surveying.
D) representativeness.

Question 60

Deception in an experiment is

A) unethical.
B) always required.
C) used only if it is essential and justified.
D) useful in affecting subjects' willingness to participate.

Question 61

The attributions a person makes for his or her spouse's acid remark depends upon the happiness of the marriage. What concept does this portray?

A) Social behavior is a function of what we believe.
B) Social behavior is a function of the objective situation.
C) Social behavior is a function of how a situation is construed.
D) Social behavior is a function of both the objective situation and how it is construed.

Question 62

Socially shared beliefs are widely held ideas and values, which include our assumptions and cultural ideologies. This is a definition of

A) nationality.
B) race.
C) social representations.
D) culture.

Question 63

Asking students to come to a laboratory at 3 p.m. in order to participate in a study on university students' usage of cellular phones is an example of what type of research?

A) correlational research
B) experimental research
C) laboratory research
D) field research

Question 64

Myers' discussion of the relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement concludes that

A) self-esteem causes academic achievement.
B) academic achievement causes self-esteem.
C) both self-esteem and academic achievement are likely caused by a third variable.
D) None of the above.

Question 65

The author of the text reported that two-thirds of social psychology experiments

A) are done in the field.
B) take place in a laboratory.
C) involve surveys.
D) are correlational.

Question 66

Putting participants in one of two conditions by flipping a coin illustrates

A) random sampling.
B) sampling bias.
C) random assignment.
D) representative sampling.

Question 67

Regarding social-psychological research, Myers warns that we must be cautious about

A) the use of random assignment.
B) inferring cause and effect from experiments.
C) the types of subjects used.
D) generalizing from the laboratory to life.

Question 68

Imagine you are approached by a large dog. You assume the dog is unfriendly, so you start screaming at it to go away. The dog assumes you want to hurt it, so it defends itself by biting your ankle. This is an example of a

A) self-fulfilling belief.
B) self-aggrandizing belief.
C) self-debilitating belief.
D) self-worth belief.

Question 69

Myers discusses how Maslow's description of "self-actualized" people was based on a sample he personally selected. Had he selected other people to describe, his ensuing list of self-actualization characterizations may have been different. This is an example of how values can influence

A) data.
B) results.
C) concepts.
D) methodology.

Question 70

Standing in the campus courtyard with a clipboard to record your observations of university students' usage of cellular phones is an example of what type of research?

A) correlational research
B) experimental research
C) laboratory research
D) field research

Question 71

Correlational research allows us to

A) infer cause and effect.
B) make predictions.
C) uncover independent variables.
D) control variables.

Question 72

A study of _____ women, by Gortmaker and colleagues (1993), found that these women were less likely to be married and less likely to earn high salaries than women in a comparison group.

A) racial minority
B) sexual minority
C) obese
D) disabled

Question 73

Random sampling helps researchers _______, while random assignment helps researchers _______.

A) who are conducting correlations; who are conducting surveys
B) infer cause and effect; generalize to a population
C) generalize to a population; infer cause and effect
D) determine cause and effect; develop correlations

Question 74

You have just participated in a research study that required you to choose which picture you preferred among several pairs. At the end of the study, the researcher explained that she was trying to identify correlations between age, gender, and racial groups when making preferences. The researcher's disclosing of the true purpose of the study is part of the ____ process.

A) debriefing
B) deception
C) informed consent
D) experimental honesty

Question 75

Which of the following topics was NOT listed in the text as an example of what social psychologists study?

A) love
B) conformity
C) intelligence
D) attitudes

Question 76

You ask your academic advisor what to major in, as you can't seem to decide. She suggests psychology, however it is important to remember that this answer likely reflects her

A) training.
B) education.
C) belief that you would make a good psychologist.
D) values.

Question 77

The study of naturally occurring relationships among variables is referred to as

A) correlational research.
B) experimental research.
C) laboratory research.
D) field research.

Question 78

Time-lagged correlations, according to the text, are an advanced correlational technique that can reveal the _______ variables or events, such as achievement and self-esteem.

A) relationship between
B) differences between
C) sequence of
D) None of the above.

Question 79

The finding that obese women earned lower salaries than women in a non-obese comparison group was the result of which type of research study?

A) experiment
B) correlation
C) laboratory
D) field

Question 80

_____ helps researchers generalize to a population.

A) Random sampling
B) Random assignment
C) Random surveying
D) None of the above.