Deck 3: Perceiving Individuals

Question 1

Lana is afraid that she will be rejected by others, and this fear is frequently accessible in her mind. Given this information, what might Lana be more likely to remember after meeting John for the first time?

A) How surprisingly kind he was to her.
B) How funny he was.
C) How he doesn't get along with his parents very well.
D) How he ignored a phone call from one of his friends.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Maureen usually hates to go on roller coasters, but she really enjoyed riding the "Thriller" roller coaster at the amusement park. In fact, she has now gone on this roller coaster 5 times. According to Kelley's (1967) covariation model, distinctiveness in this example is ________, and consistency is ________.

A) high; high
B) low; high
C) high; low
D) low; low

Answer 2

A

Question 3

When a perceiver revises his or her initial belief about the cause of a behavior because there is another viable cause, the perceiver has engaged in __________ .

A) superficial processing
B) the self-fulfilling prophecy
C) discounting
D) subliminal priming

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Marcus, a movie director, just received a compliment from an attractive young woman. At first, he thought that the compliment was sincere, but then he realized that the young woman was a struggling actress. Marcus then decided that the compliment was fake. The process that Marcus just engaged in is known as _______ .

A) the mere exposure effect
B) discounting
C) the self-fulfilling prophecy
D) superficial processing

Question 5

Which of the following statements about the correspondence bias is true? People often fall prey to the correspondence bias because…

A) interpreting behavior is often quite difficult.
B) characterizing the person rarely occurs automatically.
C) using causal reasoning to correct first impressions is often difficult.
D) causal reasoning often occurs automatically.

Question 6

In a study by Gilbert et al. (1988), participants watched a video of a female behaving in a nervous and anxious manner. In which condition were participants more likely to engage in discounting?

A) When the participants knew of a situational cause of the female's behavior.
B) When the participants thought the female was discussing mundane events.
C) When the participants were distracted and knew of a situational cause of the female's behavior.
D) When the participants were distracted and thought the female was discussing mundane events.

Question 7

Upon first meeting Jeremy, Abe thought that he was really arrogant. Based on that first impression, Abe also concluded that Jeremy must be rude, materialistic, and selfish. This pattern of associations that Abe made about Jeremy's traits is known as _________ .

A) an implicit personality theory
B) the perseverance bias
C) the mere exposure effect
D) discounting

Question 8

Why do perceivers often place more weight on negative information rather than positive information?

A) Negative information is surprising
B) Negative information is unexpected
C) Negative information is more informative
D) All of the above

Question 9

According to your text, in which of the following situations would the motivation for accuracy in forming a first impression be highest?

A) Elsa wants to introduce her new acquaintance to her best friends.
B) Nicola learns that the person she is about to meet has been diagnosed with depression.
C) Lloyd is told that he will be working cooperatively on a project with an individual who has been sober for 2 years.
D) All of the situations above will motivate the perceivers to form accurate impressions.

Question 10

Participants in a study by Klein and Kunda (1992), evaluated the trivia knowledge of a man higher when they expected to be his partner and lower when they expected to be his competitor. These results were used to support which of the following motives?

A) The motivation for accuracy
B) The motivation for valuing me and mine
C) The motivation to undo biases
D) The motivation to integrate multiple traits

Question 11

Janine just offered to babysit her favorite teacher's one-year old daughter. According to Harold Kelley (1967), which of the following factors offers the best explanation for Janine's helpful behavior?

A) Janine is a helpful person
B) The teacher is Janine's favorite
C) Janine wants a good grade on her next exam
D) All of the above

Question 12

In the study by Taylor and Fiske (1975), six participants watched a conversation between two people. Each participant had a slightly different view of the two people. Based on what you know about salience, what did the results of this study show?

A) The participants attributed a greater causal role to the male speaker.
B) The participants attributed a greater causal role to the more dominant speaker.
C) The participants attributed a greater causal role to the person they were directly watching.
D) The participants attributed a greater causal role to the person they were not directly watching.

Question 13

Rudman and Borgida (1995) had male participants watch a series of either sexist or non-sexist television commercials and then had them interview a female student. The researchers found that men who watched sexist commercials:

A) Sat closer to the female students and asked her more inappropriate questions.
B) Remembered more about the female student's answers than about her appearance.
C) Rated the female student as more competent, but less friendly.
D) Were later rated by the female students as being more respectful toward them.

Question 14

Which of the following is the best example of a correspondent inference?

A) Kim was told that Marty was a prankster.
B) Alex asked Mary out on a date and she said 'yes.'
C) Nicholas watched someone slip and fall and decided that that person was clumsy.
D) Jim was running late for a meeting because he got stuck in traffic, but he assumed his associate wouldn't mind.

Question 15

According to Jones and Davis (1965), when are correspondent inferences justified?

A) When the individual is forced to behave in a certain way.
B) When the motivation behind someone's behavior is not clear.
C) When the behavior is typical or expected.
D) When the behavior has unique effects that other behaviors do not.

Question 16

In which of the following scenarios would making a correspondent inference be most justified?

A) When Elise met her roommate's parents for the first time, she was her usual friendly self.
B) Jeannine is close to her family but decided to move away from them to attend college.
C) Marc was told to be on his best behavior at the fancy dinner.
D) All of the above

Question 17

The study by Jones and Harris (1967) in which participants read either pro- or anti-Castro essays, provided support for which theory?

A) The correspondence bias
B) The primacy effect
C) The perseverance bias
D) The self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 18

The correspondence bias has been found to be limited by:

A) Consideration of the situation
B) Culture
C) Distance in time or space
D) All of the above

Question 19

Correspondent inferences are often a result of _______ processing, whereas forming an impression based on a consideration of a wide range of information is often a result of _______processing.

A) superficial; systematic
B) systematic; superficial
C) deliberate; delayed
D) delayed; deliberate

Question 20

Laurie is deciding which car to purchase. She would like a car with good gas mileage, at least 2 cup holders, and 4-wheel drive. With so many options to choose from, Laurie has been thinking long and hard about which car to buy. According to the text, which two characteristics are needed to help Laurie make this decision in a systematic way?

A) Advice from a trusted source and money
B) Mere exposure and salience
C) Motivation and ability
D) Discounting and status

Question 21

Marcie's best friend, who is usually kind, was just rude to Marcie. Marcie believes that her friend must be having a bad day. This judgment by Marcie about why her friend was rude to her is known as:

A) The self-fulfilling prophecy
B) A causal attribution
C) Superficial processing
D) The primacy effect

Question 22

When perceivers make quick decisions based on a single salient characteristic, they are utilizing _______ processing. In contrast, when perceivers think carefully about a decision and integrate multiple factors into their decision, they are utilizing _______ processing.

A) primacy; recency
B) recency; primacy
C) superficial; systematic
D) systematic; superficial

Question 23

When Jason first met Susan, he thought she was a manipulative person. According to the primacy effect, how will Jason's impression of Susan be impacted after several encounters in which Jason sees Susan behave in a kind way?

A) Jason will still see Susan as being slightly manipulative
B) Jason will no longer see Susan as manipulative
C) Jason will see Susan as a kind and generous person
D) Jason will be most influenced by his most recent impressions of Susan's behavior

Question 24

Joey has been studying for his final in his psychopathology class. He has learned a lot in this class, but it often makes him sad to learn about all of the different psychological disorders and how they affect people. Imagine that, while studying for this final, Joey is introduced to a new student who just transferred to his school. Explain how accessibility might influence Joey's impression of this new student.

Question 25

First, briefly describe correspondent inferences and illustrate with an example from your own life. According to Jones and Davis (1965), correspondent inferences are justified when three conditions hold true. Briefly describe these three conditions and relate each condition to the example you just provided. Was your correspondent inference justified? What other factors may have explained the behavior from your example?

Question 26

Ross has just gotten a new job as a manager at a company and Rachel has just been hired as a secretary at the company. Both graduated at the top of their classes in high school, and both are expected to be successful in their careers. Explain how the correspondence bias will influence the impressions others form of Ross and Rachel at work. Is there any way to limit the effect of the correspondence bias in this situation?

Question 27

Explain the difference between superficial and systematic processing and illustrate each with a real world example. When will people be more likely to engage in each type of processing?

Question 28

A number of social psychological concepts play out every day in the courtroom. Explain how salience, cultural background and belief perseverance each impact juror decision making.

Question 29

Briefly describe the study by Gilbert et al. (1988) in which participants watched a video of a woman behaving in a nervous fashion. Explain how both the correspondence inference and discounting are seen in this study.

Question 30

Describe how the motivation for accuracy and the motives for connectedness and valuing me and mine influence the impressions we form of others. In which situation might the latter two motives outweigh the motivation for accuracy? Try to provide examples of each type of motive from your own life.

Question 31

Upon meeting Shandra for the first time, Dennis is struck by how open she is to trying new things. Time and time again, Shandra has amazed Dennis with her willingness to try new foods, visit new and exotic destinations, and meet new people. After knowing her for a few years, Dennis was surprised to learn that Shandra thought of herself as being very timid in certain situations. How might Dennis's impression of Shandra be influenced by the primacy effect and the perseverance bias?

Question 32

You've heard that members of a certain sorority are rude. Describe how the self-fulfilling prophesy may influence your interactions with a member of this sorority.

Question 33

It is clear that people form impressions of others after observing their behavior, but people also form impressions in other ways. Briefly describe how mere exposure as well as physical and virtual environments can influence the impression people form of others.

Question 34

Imagine that you are a detective trying to determine "whodunit." Using the research described in your text, what cues should you focus on when trying to determine if your suspect is lying? Which nonverbal cues should you avoid using? If your partner suggests that you use a polygraph to aid in your detection of deception, would you agree? What are the pros and cons of using polygraph tests?

Question 35

Lee Ross and his colleagues (1984) asked participants to observe the performance of a decision maker who either performed quite well or poorly on a task. The participants then learned that the performance feedback was randomly determined and had no relationship to the decision maker's actual performance. The results showed that participants' impressions of the decision maker's ability were:

A) Changed so that those who thought the decision maker performed poorly now estimated that the decision maker had greater ability.
B) Changed so that those who originally thought that the decision maker performed well estimated that the decision maker had less ability.
C) Updated to take into account the new information.
D) Still influenced by the original (now-discredited) feedback information

Question 36

Research has shown that, in a courtroom, jurors have a difficult time disregarding inadmissible evidence. This finding provides support for which concept?

A) The perseverance bias
B) The mere exposure effect
C) The self-fulfilling prophecy
D) Discounting

Question 37

The process by which people create impression-consistent behavior is known as _______ .

A) The perseverance bias
B) The mere exposure effect
C) The self-fulfilling prophecy
D) Discounting

Question 38

Lisa has heard from others that Kristin has a great sense of humor. When meeting Kristin for the first time, Lisa asks Kristin to tell her about a funny interaction that Kristin had with a mutual friend. Lisa leaves the interaction thinking that Kristin is one of the funniest people she has ever met. This interaction between Lisa and Kristin provides a good example of which concept?

A) Subliminal priming
B) The self-fulfilling prophecy
C) The mere exposure effect
D) Systematic processing

Question 39

In pioneering research by Rosenthal and Jacobsen (1968), students who were identified as 'bloomers' actually performed better at the end of the semester. Which of the following aspects of this study is false?

A) The students identified as 'bloomers' were randomly assigned.
B) The teachers had higher expectations of the 'bloomers'.
C) The teachers spent more time with the students identified as 'bloomers'.
D) The teachers treated the 'bloomers' exactly the same as the other students.

Question 40

Imagine that two people are meeting for the first time. In which of the following scenarios would the self-fulfilling prophecy be least likely to occur?

A) Colleen has been led to believe that Amy is an introverted person, but Amy strongly feels that she is an extroverted person.
B) Libby thinks that Erin is a cold person, and Erin is unaware of this belief.
C) Brian doesn't really care what Ben thinks of him.
D) The self-fulfilling prophecy is likely to occur in all of the above situations.

Question 41

Which of the following statements about how we process inconsistent information about others is FALSE?

A) People spend more time thinking about unexpected behaviors and less time thinking about expected behaviors.
B) People spend more time thinking about expected behaviors and less time thinking about unexpected behaviors.
C) People are better able to remember inconsistent behaviors that they try to explain.
D) People are better able to remember consistent behaviors that they try to explain.

Question 42

Eleanor is an attractive, baby-faced woman and Tom is a tall man of average looks. Based on the research reviewed in your text, compare and contrast how both Eleanor's and Tom's appearance might influence them a) in a dating context and b) in the workforce.

Question 43

One way that people communicate without words is through nonverbal communication. Briefly describe 3 forms of nonverbal communication. Next, if you are traveling to a country where you don't speak the language, which nonverbal cues could you use to communicate with the people from this country?

Question 44

The self-fulfilling prophecy may exert its influence in a number of domains. Describe one study that demonstrates that people are unaware of how their own expectations can influence others in an interview situation and another study that shows how the self-fulfilling prophecy impacts students.

Question 45

Participants are asked to look at pictures of unfamiliar political candidates. Unbeknownst to them, before half of these pictures another picture of a smiling face is subliminally primed, whereas before the other half of the pictures a picture of a frowning face is subliminally primed. Based on your knowledge of accessibility and priming, how should the participants rate the pictures of the political candidates?

A) Candidate pictures that were preceded by a smiling face should be rated higher than candidate pictures that were preceded by a frowning face.
B) Candidate pictures that were preceded by a frowning face should be rated higher than candidate pictures that were preceded by a smiling face.
C) The ratings of the candidates will not be different because human participants are not influenced by subliminal primes.
D) The more attractive candidate will receive higher ratings, regardless of the subliminal prime.

Question 46

Compared to individuals seen repeatedly in the same situation, perceivers form more complex impressions of individuals that they see in many different contexts.

Question 47

People are most likely to make causal attributions when they have limited time and energy.

Question 48

People are more likely to perceive an individual as having a greater impact on a discussion when they are looking at that individual directly, rather than viewing them from behind.

Question 49

According to Kelley's covariation model, people are most likely to attribute behavior to something about the actor when consensus and distinctiveness are low, but consistency is high.

Question 50

After reading newspaper headlines of a murder, Americans were more likely to call the suspect a "psycho," whereas Chinese perceivers were more likely to blame the suspect's environment.

Question 51

Perceivers are able to change their correspondent inferences if another viable cause of the behavior becomes apparent.

Question 52

When forming a first impression, people are influenced more by positive information than by negative information.

Question 53

Being accurate is the only motive that drives people to spend time thinking about and processing information about others.

Question 54

Basing an impression of another on one single attribute is an example of superficial processing.

Question 55

Billy's impression of Cynthia was most heavily influenced by his initial impression of her. This is an example of the primacy effect.

Question 56

Maria has spent a lot of time deliberating about where to go to school. She has considered costs, living arrangements, and majors. Given her thorough, effortful consideration of this issue, it is clear that Maria is engaging in superficial processing.

Question 57

The correspondence bias is more prevalent in Western, as opposed to Eastern, cultures.

Question 58

Once formed, it is impossible to ever change a well-established impression.

Question 59

Research shows that impressions formed on-line tend to be quite accurate.

Question 60

Maria has spent a lot of time deliberating about where to go to school. She has considered costs, living arrangements, and majors. Given her thorough, effortful consideration of this issue, it is clear that Maria is engaging in superficial processing.

Question 61

Individuals can accurately predict a professor's end-of-semester evaluations after only observing a 30-second, silent video of their lecture.

Question 62

People are generally quite good at telling when someone is lying to them.

Question 63

Research shows that polygraph tests can accurately detect when someone is lying.

Question 64

The more you see something, the more you like it.

Question 65

People can form accurate impressions of another person after viewing their living space, even if they've never met them in person.

Question 66

When judges ask jurors to disregard inadmissible information, the jurors are able to do so, thereby rendering a completely impartial verdict.

Question 67

The self-fulfilling prophecy can be reduced by "considering the opposite."

Question 68

Which of the following statements about polygraph tests is true?

A) They can accurately detect both guilt and innocence.
B) A great deal of evidence supports the use of polygraphs in the court of law and for employment purposes.
C) Polygraphs sometimes detect that people are guilty, when in fact they are innocent.
D) Most scientists support the use of polygraph tests.

Question 69

In a study by Moreland and Beach (1992), female confederates were asked to attend a large lecture course a varying number of times. At the end of the semester, the students saw pictures of the females and gave their impressions of them. The results of the study showed that:

A) The students liked the females who were more extroverted.
B) The students liked the females who were more attractive.
C) The students liked the females who sat in the front row.
D) The students liked the females who they saw more often.

Question 70

Imagine that you have a crush on another student in one of your classes. How could you use what you know about mere exposure to get that special someone to like you?

A) Make sure to do your hair and wear your nicest clothes every day.
B) Try to sit next to this person in class so he or she sees you every day.
C) Bump into this person once on campus and tell him or her all of the things you have in common.
D) Have your friend pass this person a note and ask him or her to circle 'Yes' or 'No' to indicate his or her liking for you.

Question 71

Observations of which of the following environments have been shown to lead to accurate impressions of others?

A) Dorm rooms
B) Facebook
C) Single-person offices
D) All of the above

Question 72

Tom is a 6 foot tall basketball player and his friends consider him to be quite friendly and outgoing. In which situation would Tom's behavior be most salient?

A) When he is on the basketball court.
B) When he is joking around with his friends.
C) When he is rude to a salesclerk.
D) When he is helping an old lady cross the street.

Question 73

Which of the following is characteristic of automatic thinking?

A) It is spontaneous
B) It is effortful
C) It is conscious
D) It is slow

Question 74

Nancy noticed that Jamal got an A+ on his calculus text. Nancy concluded that Jamal must be really smart. Nancy drew this conclusion about Jamal because getting good grades and being smart are ________ in her mind.

A) automatic
B) associated
C) discounted
D) superficial

Question 75

Harold Kelley's (1950) experiment in which students were led to believe that a guest lecturer was either a cold or warm person provided evidence for what type of accessibility?

A) Accessibility of sexism
B) Accessibility from recent activation
C) Accessibility from frequent activation
D) Accessibility from concurrent activation

Question 76

Based on the research by Higgins, Rholes, and Jones (1977), in which scenario will Donald be perceived as most reckless?

A) Participants were asked to memorize words related to recklessness and then they read about Donald studying for an exam.
B) Participants were asked to memorize words related to recklessness and then they read about Donald going white-water kayaking.
C) Participants were asked to memorize words related to adventurousness and then they read about Donald studying for an exam.
D) Participants were asked to memorize words related to adventurousness and then they read about Donald going white-water kayaking.

Question 77

Which of the following cues is the best to use when trying to determine whether or not someone is lying?

A) Tone of voice
B) Facial expression
C) What the person is saying
D) All of the above.

Question 78

The study by Ambady and Rosenthal (1993), in which participants watched brief clips of teachers giving a class lecture, showed which of the following?

A) Participants were not able to accurately predict the teachers' end-of-semester course evaluations.
B) Participants who watched a silent, hour long video of a professor's lecture were able to predict the professor's end-of-semester course evaluations.
C) Participants who watched a silent, 30-second long video of a professor's lecture were able to predict the professor's end-of-semester course evaluations.
D) Participants who watched an hour long video, with sound, of a professor's lecture were able to predict the professor's end-of-semester course evaluations.

Question 79

The self-fulfilling prophecy only occurs when perceivers are aware of the expectations they hold about another person.

Question 80

The self-fulfilling prophecy is weakened when one wants to make the interaction go smoothly.