CHAPTER 1 SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY: THE SCIENCE OF THE SOCIAL SIDE OF LIFE {test bank}
A framework that reflects basic concepts, as well as statements about the relationships between these concepts, is known as ________.
a theory
The evolutionary perspective on social psychology suggests that ________.
we inherit tendencies to behave in certain ways
Which of the following values would indicate the "strongest" correlation?
-.72
Social Psychology embraces ________ as core scientific values.
Accuracy, objectivity, skepticism, and open-mindedness
________ research involves making careful observations in an attempt to identify relationships between variables, but without changing or controlling any aspect of the variables being studied.
Correlational
Which of the following study questions could absolutely NOT be explored using experimentation due to ethical reasons?
How do individuals cope when their spouse dies?
________ processes represent those factors and processes which influence thought, feelings or behaviors and of which we are either not aware or only dimly aware.
Implicit
________ in social psychology refers to the belief that one should obtain and evaluate information in a manner that is as free from bias as possible.
Objectivity
________ is the area of psychology that studies the interplay between brain events and thought, emotion and behavior.
Social neuroscience
Which is NOT an advantage of using surveys to collect information?
Surveys can be used to determine causal relationships between variables.
Variables are said to be confounded when ________.
a factor that is not systematically varied exists and may have an effect on an experiment's outcomes
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 difficult 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 hypothesis is ________
a person's mood has an effect on how helpful that person is likely to be
Sue is conducting an experiment in which she is trying to determine the influence of staring at a speaker on how much different speakers stutter. Sue sends people to a speech class with instructions to stare for varied amounts of time at the speaker. The dependent variable is the ________.
amount of stuttering that occurs
As a scientific discipline, social psychology strives for ________.
an objective understanding of behavior
Recent research on implicit processes demonstrate that such processes ________.
are quite influential in our social behavior and thought
Social psychologists are primarily interested in understanding the many factors and conditions that shape the social ________ and ________ of individuals.
behavior; thought
A "causal relationship" means that ________
changes in one variable causes changes in another variable
A correlation exists between two variables when ________.
changes in the two variables are related to each other
Radha is from India and is Jana's friend. In making a judgment about Radha's reason for being late for coffee, Jana may infer that Radha was late because she had a confusing day, or Jana may decide that Radha doesn't really have much respect for her schedule. This is best explained as an example of a
cognitive process
The ways we think about other people and the things we remember about them may have an effect on our behavior. These thoughts and memories are examples of ________.
cognitive processes
Why take a scientific approach? Part of the answer lies in the ________ nature of proverbs, axioms, maxims and the like.
contradictory
The divorce rate in the United States has changed dramatically since the 1950s. This change may be explained in part by the effect that ________ have on behavior.
cultural beliefs
The social rules concerning how individuals should behave in specific situations are known as ________.
cultural beliefs and norms
A multicultural perspective is recognized as increasingly important to research in social psychology because ________.
cultural factors such as race or ethnicity help determine self-identity
The system of shared meanings, perceptions, and beliefs held by persons belonging to the same group is known as ________.
culture
People from different ________ may react differently in many social situations.
cultures
The basic goal of any theory is ________.
explanation
In experimental research, one variable is measured. This variable is known as the ________.
dependent variable
Random assignment of research participants to experimental conditions means that ________.
each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to each experimental condition
People tend to become more irritable and aggressive when the weather is hot and humid. This fact is an example of the effects of ________ on social behavior.
environmental variables
The ________ perspective on social psychology suggests that we inherit tendencies to behave in certain ways.
evolutionary
Despite some variation, there appear to be universal mating preferences for certain physical features. This fact suggests that these attractiveness features are influenced by ________.
evolutionary factors
Based on a(n) ________, a child, early in life, is more likely to look like ________.
evolutionary perspective; its father
The branch of psychology that seeks to examine the potential role of genetic factors in different aspects of human behavior is known as ________.
evolutionary psychology
Even though there is no single "best" method of research, the ________ method is generally preferred by social psychologists.
experimental
Researchers who systematically change one variable in order to determine what effect this has on another variable are using ________.
experimental methods
The extent to which experimental results can be generalized to real-life situations is a question of an experiment's ________.
external validity
In experimental research, one variable is systematically changed. This variable is known as the ________.
independent variable
The variation referred to by evolutionary psychologists is that ________.
individual members of any given species differ from each other in many ways
In one study, when participants encountered a person who was ________ on both warmth and competence, neural circuitry that normally responds to the presence of a human being ________.
low; was not activated, as if the person were not human
The dependent variable is defined as the variable that is ________.
measured by the experimenter
When research results are not consistent with a theory, the researcher's next step usually involves ________.
modifying the theory and collecting additional data
A researcher is interested in the relationship between courtship behaviors and physical characteristics of people. If the researcher should establish that there is a correlation of +.37 between physical attractiveness and dating frequency, we can conclude that ________.
more attractive people date more often than less attractive people
Research has, in adults, documented a negative correlation between 1) obesity, and 2) participation in physically demanding leisure activities. One possible interpretation of these results is that ________.
obese people tend to exercise less than non-obese people
The process of giving participants as much information as possible about experimental procedures to be used before the participants agree to participate is known as ________.
obtaining informed consent
One advantage of knowing the correlation between two variables is that ________.
one variable can then be used to predict another
Social psychologists focus their attention mainly on individuals because ________.
our behavior is influenced by the actions of other individuals in social situations
There are two important ethical issues involved in the use of deception in research. These issues include the possibility of harming research participants by the deception and ________.
participants may come to mistrust researchers in the future
The procedure that ensures that participants are not assigned to an experimental condition on the basis of any individual characteristics is called ________.
random assignment
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
Social psychology is the ________ field that seeks to understand the nature and causes of individual behavior and thought in social situations.
scientific
Suppose smoking and drinking alcohol are found to be correlated at +.65. We can conclude that ________
smoking is probably related to drinking
The branch of psychology that seeks to understand the nature and causes of individual behavior and thought in social situations is ________.
social psychology
In order to determine whether people have a strong or weak preference for the color of their cookware, a company wants to collect information from many of its past customers. If the number of past customers is very large, the company may want to consider using ________ methods
survey
The process of carefully observing behavior as it occurs is known as ________.
systematic observation
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
The focus of social psychology is on ________.
the behavior and thoughts of individuals
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 independent variable is ________.
the level of anxiety induced in the participants
One reason that social scientists put their faith in the scientific method is that ________.
the scientific method produces more conclusive evidence than other methods
Kim knows she needs to go take summer courses, but worries about leaving her new boyfriend for 3 months. She wonders, will "absence make the heart go stronger" be true, or is "Out of sight, out of mind" more applicable. This is an example of ________.
the unscientific nature of conventional wisdom
Suppose a company asked its workers "Now that you have received a raise, how satisfied are you with your job?," and found out that 87% indicated they were "very satisfied" or "satisfied." A major concern of this study would likely be ________.
the way the question was asked
Researchers were recently surprised to learn that the correlation between the type of clothing people wear when they are not at work and the type of jobs they hold is approximately zero. Based on this, we can conclude that ________.
there is no relationship between the types of clothing worn in non-work settings and the type of work
In one study, 3-month-old African infants who had grown up with mainly African people, or who had grown up with a mixture of both African and Caucasian people, were shown photos of both African people and Caucasian people. While the infants from the first group spent more time looking at photos of Africans, the second group showed no such preference, demonstrating that ________.
there was an implicit influence for attraction to the photos of persons reflecting the racial make-up of those with whom they had grown up
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 independent variable is ________.
type of feedback, praise or criticism, given to the participants
Recent neuroscience research has demonstrated that prejudice actually has two underlying dimensions, ________ and ________, with each dimension having a low or high value.
warmth; competence
The majority of research participants who learn that they have been deceived in an experiment seem to react ________.
without negative feelings
The way a question is phrased may sometimes influence the way people respond to the question. In survey research, this is known as the issue of ________
wording
The planning fallacy is ________.
a tendency for individuals to believe that projects will take less time than they actually do
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?" It is possible that Cristinel's behavior is due to ________.
the moon as an environmental influence
A researcher worked with members of a political action committee (PAC) to survey potential voters by telephone before an election. PAC members conducted the poll themselves while the researcher tabulated the results. The poll asked which candidate people plan to vote for in the upcoming election. Which of the following may present problems for the accuracy of the results?
All of these may present problems for the accuracy of the results.; The sample of potential voters was taken from telephone directories only.
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
37) The observation of behavior as it occurs in natural settings is known as ________.
naturalistic observation
The practice of providing participants with a full description of the purposes of a study after they have participated in the study is known as ________.
debriefing
The fundamental purpose of a theory is to ________.
explain some particular group of events or processes
Louis doesn't think he is a very worthwhile person, and spends most of his time engaged in bad business deals. Having been influenced by a(n) ________ process,
implicit;
Social psychologists sometimes conceal information about the true purpose of a study from the research participants until after the study is completed. This use of deception is justified when ________.
knowledge of the study's purpose may alter the behavior of the participants
Armando, based on his estimate of how long it would take him to complete his mid-term essay, told his instructor he would turn in the paper on Tuesday, but was late turning it in, causing his instructor to deduct a letter grade from the paper. Next time Armando makes such a promise based on a plan, he will likely ________.
make the same planning error, and be late again
A(n) ________ in social psychology ________ in the U.S.
multicultural perspective; recognizes a widening of diversity
The ________ is a tendency to believe that projects will take less time than they actually do.
planning fallacy
Some social psychologists use deception in their research in order to ________.
prevent the purpose of the research from having an effect on participants' behavior
A researcher wants to know whether writing an essay on a controversial topic will have an effect on the attitudes held by people. First, she administers an attitude survey that covers a number of topics, including electronic voting machines. She then randomly assigns subjects to write an essay either supporting or opposing electronic voting machines. One week later, she administers the same attitude survey and compares those responses to the responses from the first time the survey was administered. In this experiment, the independent variable (IV) is ________.
the essay
The evolutionary perspective on social behavior suggests that ________.
we inherit tendencies or predispositions to behave in certain ways
LaShawna meets another girl at a party who is not from LaShawna's ethnic group, and whom LaShawna judges, based on her stereotype of that group, is probably shallow and a gossip. The best description of LaShawna's judgment is that she is engaged in ________.
a social cognitive process
It is ________ to remove from research the possibility of any harm to a participant ________.
impossible; because research occasionally involves some mild distress for participants
Suppose a researcher exposes participants to one of the following three scenarios: for a 20-minute period, they hear either classical music, rock music, or no music. Afterwards, the researcher measures the general mood of the participants. The three scenarios refer to the ________ of the ________ variable.
levels; independent
The observation of behavior as it occurs in natural settings is known as ________
naturalistic observation
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. Researchers assigned participants to one of the two groups randomly because ________.
random assignment ensures that any changes in the dependent variable are caused only by changes in the independent variable
Research has shown a positive correlation between 1) socio-economic status of the family of origin, and 2) college graduation rates. Based on this information, we can conclude that ________.
students born into wealthier families are more likely to complete college than students born into poorer families
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 participants come to the laboratory where they are first given a difficult test and then either heavily praised or strongly criticized for their test performance. As it happens, the researcher has one of two research assistants, one who is a bit rude and the other more friendly, running each participant through the experimental procedure. After the praise or critical feedback, each participant is asked to help the research assistant in moving some heavy boxes into another room. The researcher observes how many boxes each participant moves in helping the research assistant. One possible confound for this experiment is ________.
the attitude of the assistant
A researcher wants to know whether writing an essay on a controversial topic will have an effect on the attitudes held by people. First, she administers an attitude survey that covers a number of topics, including electronic voting machines. She then randomly assigns subjects to write an essay either supporting or opposing the use of electronic voting machines. One week later, she administers the same attitude survey and compares those responses to the responses from the first time the survey was administered. In this experiment, the dependent variable (DV) is ________.
the attitude survey
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
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 independent variable is ________.
the level of lighting
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 hypothesis is ________.
the level of lighting will affect employee productivity
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
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 dependent variable is ________
the observed frequency of non-experiment related conversations
Professor White is studying how cancer patients are coping with their illness by giving them one of the following sets of instructions: they are to keep a daily diary and write about anything, keep a daily diary and write about how they are trying to cope with their illness, or not told to keep any diary whatsoever. After following this protocol for a month, Professor White then measures the cancer patients' self-reported level of depression. The independent variable in this hypothetical study is ________ and the dependent variable is ________.
the type of diary kept, if any; the self-reported level of depression