Chapter 13 & 14

When faced with a stressor, people report that the level of stress is _____ when they perceive that _____. A) Greatest; they can control stressful events B) Greatest; they cannot control stressful events C) Lowest; they cannot control stressful events D) Lowest; the stressor is chronic and not acute

B) Greatest; they cannot control stressful events

The key function of cortisol is to: A) Induce the release of ACTH from the pineal gland. B) Increase blood glucose levels for use by the muscles. C) Decrease the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system. D) Increase blood lipid levels for use by the muscles.

B) Increase blood glucose levels for use by the muscles.

Which statement about optimism is FALSE? A) Optimism is moderately heritable. B) Levels of optimism tend to fluctuate across the lifetime. C) Optimists tend to have better cardiovascular health. D) Pessimists can be trained be become more optimistic.

B) Levels of optimism tend to fluctuate across the lifetime.

The actor-observer effect occurs primarily because people have: A) A strong motivation to protect their self-image. B) More information about the situational factors influencing their own behavior. C) More information about the situational factors influencing others. D) A strong motivation to view themselves as being better than are others.

B) More information about the situational factors influencing their own behavior.

Barrack recently obtained a stressful job in sales. He has trouble sleeping at night, has lost weight, and has no interest in sex due to his body no longer producing much testosterone. What phase of the general adaptation syndrome is Barrack experiencing? A) Exhaustion B) Resistance C) Alarm D) Collapse

B) Resistance

People clap more loudly when they are part of a small audience than when they are part of a large audience, illustrating the phenomenon of: A) The bystander intervention effect. B) Social loafing. C) Groupthink. D) The common knowledge effect.

B) Social loafing.

One commonality among different types of stressors is that they challenge you to: A) Initiate escape-related behaviors. B) Take action to eliminate or overcome it. C) Seek out social support mechanisms. D) Experience stress.

B) Take action to eliminate or overcome it.

Rats studied by Hans Selye were subjected to various prolonged stressors. A common response in the rats involved: A) Enlarged thymus glands. B) Excessive weight gain. C) An enlarged adrenal cortex. D) Shrinkage of the stomach.

C) An enlarged adrenal cortex.

After a big win, sports fans overturned cars and set fires in the street. A few people were apprehended, and they did not feel responsible for their behavior because many others also participated. The thought process of the people arrested illustrates the phenomenon of: A) Cognitive dissonance. B) Heuristic persuasion. C) Diffusion of responsibility. D) Deindividuation.

C) Diffusion of responsibility.

Coach Perez believes that Ashley's blazing fastball and wicked curveball resulted in her having the best win-loss record of any pitcher in her softball league this season. This type of attribution is called: A) Inferential. B) Distinctive. C) Dispositional. D) Situational.

C) Dispositional.

College students often develop illness as the end of the semester draws near. Based on his research, Jamie Pennebaker would suggest that colleges might reduce the number of ill students by: A) Offering stress-reduction activities such as Bring Your Pet to School Day. B) Reframing final examinations as a challenge by offering prizes to those students who score at the top of their class. C) Encouraging students keep a journal in which they record their thoughts and feelings. D) Inoculating students to difficult final examinations by increasing the rigor of the midterms.

C) Encouraging students keep a journal in which they record their thoughts and feelings.

Political candidates are eager for endorsements from movie stars and famous athletes, knowing that these endorsements will evoke emotional arousal and influence people to vote for them. This technique is termed _____ persuasion. A) Systematic B) Rational C) Heuristic D) Celebrity

C) Heuristic

Research on the effects of humor suggests that humor may produce health benefits _____ but not produce as many benefits _____. A) In African Americans; in European Americans B) When you're younger; when you're older C) In the short term; in the long term D) If you're a male; if you're a female

C) In the short term; in the long term

A salesperson who tells a car buyer that most people pay the extra money to purchase an extended warranty is making use of: A) The norm of reciprocity. B) The foot-in-the-door technique. C) Informational influence. D) The door-in-the-face technique.

C) Informational influence.

_____ appraisal refers to deciding whether or not a stimulus is stressful. A) Threat B) Secondary C) Primary D) Type A

C) Primary

The decision to pay your taxes and hope that everyone else does likewise in order to achieve a common benefit is MOST closely related to the: A) Ultimatum game. B) Foot-in-the-door technique. C) Prisoner's dilemma. D) Heuristic persuasion technique.

C) Prisoner's dilemma.

The door-in-the-face technique works because of: A) Systematic persuasion. B) Deindividuation. C) The norm of reciprocity. D) Heuristic persuasion.

C) The norm of reciprocity.

Research on cooperation has often involved using: A) Role play. B) Virtual reality. C) The prisoner's dilemma. D) The ultimatum game.

C) The prisoner's dilemma.

ACTH travels from the pituitary gland to the adrenal glands via the: A) Bloodstream. B) Sympathetic nervous system. C) Efferent nerves. D) Somatic nervous system.

A) Bloodstream.

A government that imposes harsh penalties for minor crimes is attempting to change the behavior of its citizenry by exploiting the _____ motive. A) Hedonic B) Obedience C) Approval D) Punishment

A) Hedonic

Which causal factor BEST predicts heart attacks in males? A) Hostility B) High caloric intake C) High LDL cholesterol levels D) Smoking tobacco

A) Hostility

Which technique has been shown to be MOST effective at reducing the negative automatic stereotypes of African Americans? A) Reading stories of Blacks who defy stereotypes B) Empathy training C) Mindfulness training D) Thinking about people's common humanity

A) Reading stories of Blacks who defy stereotypes

Finding a new or creative way to think about a stressor to reduce its threat is called: A) Reframing. B) Rationalizing. C) Repressing. D) Reorienting.

A) Reframing.

In which scenario would perceived control over events be the LOWEST? A) A college student who just received a subpar grade on her midterm examination B) A young child living in an abusive household C) A quarterback at the beginning of a championship game D) A person struggling with the decision to end or continue a romantic relationship

B) A young child living in an abusive household

Biofeedback has proven to be a useful technique for: A) Increasing aerobic capacity and lowering blood pressure. B) Achieving relaxation and decreasing chronic pain. C) Decreasing symptoms of depression. D) Increasing resistance to infection.

B) Achieving relaxation and decreasing chronic pain.

The general adaptation syndrome occurs in three stages, which are, in order: A) Reaction, alarm, and exhaustion. B) Alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. C) Reaction, alarm, and collapse. D) Resistance, alarm, and exhaustion.

B) Alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

Sexually active female college students who do not use birth control tend to judge their likelihood of getting pregnant in the next year as _____ the likelihood of the average sexually active female college student becoming pregnant. A) About the same as B) Considerably lower than C) Considerably higher than D) Slightly higher than

B) Considerably lower than

When a vacuum cleaner salesman persuades a potential customer to let him vacuum the living room for free, he is likely to increase his chances that he will make a sale. The salesman is using the _____ technique. A) Face-in-the-door B) Foot-in-the-door C) Door-in-the-face D) Foot-in-the-mouth

B) Foot-in-the-door

In the ultimatum game, a person who feels that she is being cheated by another player usually will: A) Not punish the other player but begin to cheat herself. B) Forego her monetary prize to punish the other player. C) Punish the other player only if doing so does not jeopardize her monetary prize. D) Not punish the other player because doing so results in forfeiting her winnings.

B) Forego her monetary prize to punish the other player.

In one study, healthy volunteers who reported experiencing little stress, acute stress, or chronic stress were exposed to a cold virus by having it swabbed in their noses. Which statement accurately describes the results of this study? A) Most volunteers caught the cold, regardless of stress levels. B) More volunteers who had just experienced an acute stressor caught the cold than did volunteers who reported chronic stress. C) Volunteers who reported chronic stress were most likely to catch the cold. D) Most volunteers who had experienced acute and chronic stress caught the cold.

C) Volunteers who reported chronic stress were most likely to catch the cold.

After years of denial, David finally admitted to himself, his family, and his friends that he has a drinking problem. This example illustrates which step of rational coping? A) Exposure B) Understanding C) Identification D) Acceptance

D) Acceptance

Social behavior has evolved primarily: A) As a means to consolidate resources in the hands of the most genetically fit. B) As a by-product of evolutionary increases in prefrontal cortex volume. C) In species with language capacities. D) Because it aids in survival and reproduction.

D) Because it aids in survival and reproduction.

The single BEST predictor of aggression is: A) Culture. B) Age. C) Social class. D) Biological sex.

D) Biological sex.

In choosing a long-term mate for a monogamous relationship: A) Culture largely determines which sex is more selective. B) Women are more selective than are men. C) Men are more selective than are women. D) Both sexes are equally selective.

D) Both sexes are equally selective.

A stressful event people believe they can handle is termed a _____, whereas a stressor that would overwhelm a person is termed a _____. A) Primary stressor; secondary stressor B) Secondary stressor; primary stressor C) Threat; challenge D) Challenge; threat

D) Challenge; threat

According to the covariation model of attribution, dispositional attributions occur when an action is: A) Consistent, distinctive, and nonconsensual. B) Inconsistent, not distinctive, and nonconsensual. C) Consistent, distinctive, and consensual. D) Consistent, not distinctive, and nonconsensual.

D) Consistent, not distinctive, and nonconsensual.

Which factor is NOT a defining characteristic of companionate love? A) Concern about one another B) Affection toward one another C) Mutual trust D) Feeling of euphoria

D) Feeling of euphoria

Which statement has NOT been suggested as a reason the French are less obese than are Americans? A) Time spent eating a meal is longer in France than it is in the United States. B) Activity level in France is greater than it is in the United States. C) Portion sizes are smaller in France than they are in the United States. D) Foods eaten in France contain less fat than those in the United States.

D) Foods eaten in France contain less fat than those in the United States.

_____ occurs when another person's behavior provides information about what is appropriate. A) The norm of reciprocity B) Heuristic persuasion C) Diffusion of responsibility D) Normative influence

D) Normative influence

Instead of leaving $1 in a singer's tip jar, Kyle feels obligated to drop in at least $5 because the jar is full of $5 and $10 bills. His feeling to spend more than what he otherwise would is due to: A) Obedience. B) Systematic persuasion. C) The norm of reciprocity. D) Normative influence.

D) Normative influence.

A couple has just started to date. In light of Dutton and Aron's (1974) suspension bridge study results, which activity might increase their attraction to each other? A) Sunbathing on a beach at the ocean B) A picnic in the woods C) Traveling on an airplane D) Playing a game of co-ed flag football

D) Playing a game of co-ed flag football

Evaluating other people positively or negatively based on their group membership illustrates: A) Discrimination. B) Hypothesis-confirming bias. C) Group polarization. D) Prejudice.

D) Prejudice.

Lee was recently fired from his job. To deal with this stress, Lee moved to another state, stopped communicating with friends from his previous job, and obtained employment in a completely different field. Lee's behavior illustrates _____ coping. A) Ineffective B) Passive C) Repressive D) Rational

D) Rational

People exposed to chronic stress experience _____ telomere length and _____ telomerase activity. A) Shorter; higher B) Longer; higher C) Longer; lower D) Shorter; lower

D) Shorter; lower

An error associated with stereotyping is that people tend to _____ the variability within a category and _____ the variability between categories. A) Judge accurately; underestimate B) Overestimate; underestimate C) Overestimate; judge accurately D) Underestimate; overestimate

D) Underestimate; overestimate