Social Psychology Ch.1 Quiz

Based on research regarding the preference for a good sense of humor in a romantic partner, which 0f the following were found?

A good sense of humor may signal availability or interest in the other.

Suppose a researcher found a very strong, positive correlation between how much television a child watches and their levels of aggression. Which of the following conclusions is MOST accurate?

Given that this investigation represents a correlational study, it is impossible to determine the nature of causality

In an experiment, researchers wanted to know whether changing the level of lighting in a factory would have an effect on the productivity of employees. In order to address this question, employees were randomly assigned to three separate identical work areas, but the lighting was set at a different level in each of the work areas. Then employees in all three work groups began to operate machinery that produced small electrical components. The number of components produced by each group was carefully tallied at the end of each 8-hour shift. In this example, the dependent variable is the ________.

Number of components produced

Even though there is no single "best" method of research, the ________ method is generally preferred by social psychologists.

experimental

The fundamental purpose of a theory is to ________.

explain some particular group of events or processes

The people who complete a survey must be representative of the population about which conclusions are to be drawn. This is known as the issue of ________.

sampling

Researchers believe that experiencing strong negative emotions such as fear or anxiety will increase people's need to affiliate. To test this idea, the researchers randomly assigned participants to one of two small groups. Members of Group 1 were left for 10 minutes in a room with no windows. While waiting, the lights went out for a brief period of time and the participants could hear screams from another room. Members of Group 2 were likewise left for 10 minutes in a room with no windows, but the lights were left on and no screams were heard. Researchers observed how frequently members of each group started conversations with other members of their group on non-experiment related topics. In this experiment, the hypothesis is that ________.

strong negative emotions will increase people's need to affiliate with others

A researcher thinks that a person's mood has an effect on how helpful that person is likely to be. To test this, the researcher has some research participants come to the laboratory where they are first given a test and then either heavily praised or strongly criticized for their test performance. Afterwards, participants are asked to help the researcher's assistant move some heavy boxes into another room. The researcher makes careful note of how many and which participants help with moving the boxes. In this example, the dependent variable is ________.

the extent to which participants helped the assistant

The moon is full, and Cristinel has been behaving wildly. Although sober, he's been alternately barking like a dog at strangers on the street and/or asking them, "aren't ya' just happy now?" According to your text, Cristinel's behavior could be due to ________.

the moon as an environmental influence

The evolutionary perspective on social behavior suggests that ________.

we inherit tendencies or predispositions to behave in certain ways