PSY 3201- Social Psychology Final

A cult in the 1950s believed that the world was coming to an end very soon. Researcher Leon Festinger and his colleagues studied this cult by joining the group and pretending to share these beliefs. Which research method were they using?

Ethnography

You belong to a study group that your math instructor assigned you to at the beginning of the semester. Your group's task is to solve several problems every week. Which type of group would lead to optimal performance?

a group that isn't all that cohesive

When Elvira looks at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel for the first time and sees the gorgeous art, she is awestruck, and even moved to tears by the beauty of it. Her affectively based attitude is a result of __________.

a sensory reaction

Katarina meets a young man who has long unwashed hair, saggy pants, multiple facial piercings, and many tattoos. Katarina applies a schema from her past experience and immediately categorizes this young man as __________.

a slacker

Jotham is the president of his college residence hall, and he is therefore expected to act in a respectable, dignified manner when he attends campus functions. Which social psychological phenomenon does this illustrate?

a social role

Instead of considering every single brand and variety of pasta sauce at the grocery store, most people make quick decisions about which one to purchase. This is an example of how people use __________.

judgmental heuristics

Sheila is considered to be very attractive by both men and women. Which physical feature is she MOST likely to have?

large eyes

Winnie is 18 years old and has an 8-year-old brother, Boris. If they are both asked to answer the question "Who am I?" Winnie is likely to answer it in __________ terms than Boris will.

less concrete

Oliver is participating in a research study of implicit attitudes. He was an overweight child but is a healthy-weight adult. If his results are similar to those of the participants in an experiment conducted by Laurie Rudman and her colleagues, he will have a __________ implicit attitude about overweight people.

more positive

Many "reality TV" shows place a group of people in a common situation (such as on a remote island, confined to a house, or in a locale with limited resources) and then record what happens. In this regard, reality TV shows are most like __________ research in social psychology.

observational

Chloe debated for a long time about whether to take a psychology or a sociology course, both of which looked interesting. She finally chose the psychology course. Now, because she is experiencing __________, she raves about the psychology course to her friends.

postdecision dissonance

Reggie is headed out on a blind date. The friend who set him up told Reggie that his date was valedictorian of his graduating class. As Reggie is conversing, he begins to question his own understanding of math when his date tells him that 1+1=3. His perception that his date is correct, even though it goes against what he understands, is due to __________.

priming

You wrongly assume that because of Marcia's short hair, unshaved legs, and liberal views she is a political activist. Your (incorrect) assumption was based on applying the __________.

representativeness heuristic

When you meet your new roommate for the first time, he is wearing glasses, listening to classical music, and reading a copy of The New York Review of Books. You think, "Well, maybe rooming with an intellectual this year will be good for me." You instantly categorized your roommate as an intellectual on the basis of your __________.

schemas

Dr. Nash wants to conduct research on partner abuse. Why would Dr. Nash be unwise to use observational methods for this topic?

Abuse is usually something that occurs privately.

Adriana is experiencing cognitive dissonance regarding her attitudes and behaviors related to healthy eating. Which example accurately describes a situation that would produce this dissonance?

Adriana believes in the importance of eating right, yet she sees the 72-ounce soda she chose for her lunch.

During a nap, 4-month-old Amelia has a red dot painted on her forehead. When she awakes, researchers place her in front of a mirror. Compared to the others, which response is LEAST likely to happen when Amelia looks into the mirror?

Amelia reaches up to her forehead to touch the red dot that has appeared there.

According to the tenets of self-perception theory, which audience member would report that they really loved attending a taping of Late Show with Stephen Colbert?

André, whose hands stung from clapping so much

Which collection of individuals constitutes a group?

Casey, Koko, and Charlotte are working together to complete a project for their Religious Studies class

A researcher wants to determine if there is any relationship between car color and the tendency to run through stop signs at intersections. The best method to address this question is __________.

correlational

Richard Nisbett conducted research pointing to regional differences in the propensity to aggress. Based on his findings, which of these men would be more likely to beat up another man who called his wife "ugly"?

Dusty, who lives in Texas

Which example best describes an incident of aggressiveness?

Gregory puts oil on the floor in the hope that his coworker comes through the door and immediately slips and falls.

Amu lives in an isolated area and in a very close-knit hunter-gatherer community. The community hunts and farms together and must do so to survive. If Amu suddenly becomes aggressive toward other community members, how is he likely to be treated?

He will be shunned and perhaps even cast out of the community.

Morrie interviewed for a job that was perfect for him. He received a call today telling him that he did not get the job. What is Morrie most likely to do now, based on the principles of cognitive dissonance?

He will put a spin on the news that will help him feel better.

Milo, a Canadian, just won his race. He is likely to show pride, but it is a more complicated emotion to express than primary emotions and includes body movement in addition to facial expression. How is Milo going to express pride?

Head tilted back, arms up

Mr. Jenkins was backing out of his driveway and accidentally hit his neighbor (whom he dislikes) as he was biking by. Why isn't this act aggressive?

It was unintentional.

If an architect were to capitalize on functional distance, and design an apartment building in which all tenants had an equal chance of taking advantage of the propinquity effect, the building would have which of the following features?

It would be circular, with elevators, laundry facilities, and mailboxes equidistant from all tenants.

Aldo comes home much later than expected from a party, and he can automatically tell that his husband Jerry is mostly angry, a little concerned, and a bit relieved that Aldo is back safely. However, Jerry has only glanced at Aldo without saying a word. The basis for Aldo's conclusions is MOST likely __________ .

Jerry's nonverbal communication, such as facial expressions, distance, or posture

The presence of others will facilitate performance for __________. Correct answer:

Longines, who is washing his car as his neighbor's watch

Which example BEST illustrates interdependence?

Martia, a member of a social service group, makes a convincing argument for the group to expand their services to include children.

Which situation would produce feelings of cognitive dissonance?

Mary firmly believes in equal opportunity in the workplace; Mary rigged a job posting to get her cousin hired.

If Timmy gets punished every time he plays with matches, Timmy may develop a negative attitude toward matches. What would best explain Timmy's negative attitude toward them?

Operant conditioning

A researcher is interested in the changing nature of sex roles in contemporary society. If she were to employ an archival analysis, what would she be most likely to do?

Record how boys and girls have been portrayed in children's books over some well-defined time period

Professor Chadwick is young and looks even younger than his years. He dresses in jeans, grubby tennis shoes, and Hawaiian print shirts. One day in the hallway, he strikes up a conversation with a student. During the conversation, the student begins to complain about the poor teaching of the faculty in the department and about the bad things she's heard about the course that Professor Chadwick teaches. Needless to say, when the student finds out she was actually talking to a professor, she feels embarrassed and avoids Professor Chadwick in the future. What is the moral of this story?

Schemas may make us efficient processors of social information, but sometimes at a cost in accuracy.

Nora has been blind since birth and has never seen a smile, frown, or furrowed brow. At age three, how capable would she be of expressing emotions through her facial expressions?

She would be able to express all six basic emotions about as well as sighted people.

Your text offers several challenges that evolutionary psychology has not been able to address. Which situation would also challenge evolutionary rationales for helping behavior?

Susan runs out into a busy freeway to save a wounded animal.

A meta-analysis examined a number of studies investigating the importance that men versus women placed on the physical attractiveness of potential partners. Based on that analysis, which person is LEAST likely to be influenced by physical attractiveness?

Susan, whose attitudes are measured

If you wanted to reduce the dissonance caused by wanting to lose weight but seeing a huge plate of food you took from the buffet line, what would be an effective strategy?

Tell yourself that this is a one-time, special occasion

Compared to the others, who would be more likely to express a feeling of shame publicly?

Tran, a man from a collectivist culture

Based on research investigating similarity and liking, who would Russ (a liberal philosophy major) be most likely to become friends with?

Trisha, a college Democrat and philosophy major

You attend a party even though you dislike meeting new people and tend to be very shy. While there, you approach a young woman who is standing alone in the corner trying not to make eye contact with anyone. You begin talking to her about how you dislike the discomfort of meeting new people and that parties drain your energy. She totally agrees with everything you say, confirming that you both see eye-to-eye on a lot. You find, at the end of the evening that you like this young woman. According to social psychologists, why is this so?

We tend to like people who share our own attitudes.

Evolutionary psychologists would have the most trouble explaining which incident?

When Garth was on a ship going down at sea, he let everyone else be saved ahead of him, even though everyone on the ship was a complete stranger to him.

Your best friend, Winona, may or may not visit New York this weekend. According to the theory of planned behavior, which information would be most useful in helping you predict whether Winona will actually travel to New York?

Winona's attitude about traveling

In Cirque du Soleil, performers include highly choreographed acrobats, dancers, actors, and gymnasts. In order to perform their best, these performers should be __________.

a cohesive group.

Alexis has a subtle "Mona Lisa" smile that is much harder to detect than an obvious toothy grin. Assume that before you met Alexis, a mutual friend described her as warm and friendly. The first time Alexis smiled at you, if you were to rely on your schema, you would probably conclude that she is __________.

a friendly person

"We will not talk about other members behind their backs, and we will never divulge one another's secrets to anyone, inside or outside this group." This statement reflects __________.

a group norm

"Live fast and die young, that's what I always say," Rosie pronounces, as she stuffs down three more Ding-Dong snack cakes and opens another pint of high-fat ice cream. Rosie knows that her diet is unhealthy and harmful, of course. To reduce her dissonance, Rosie is __________.

adding a cognition that is consonant with her problem behavior

André is not at all familiar with a mayoral candidate's stand on the issues or with any proposed policies, but André likes "his" candidate and plans to vote for him anyway. This example illustrates that people's attitudes toward politicians are often __________.

affectively based

Marla has revised her will to ensure that upon her death, all of her functioning organs (corneas, liver, kidneys, heart) will be used to help transplant patients. She's told no one about her actions, and expects nothing in return. This is an example of __________ behavior.

altruistic

Pietro's expression when Jana saw him at lunch was difficult to decode. One part of his face displayed one emotion and another part of his face displayed a different emotion. Pietro was demonstrating __________.

an affect blend

Larry was driving his car on the road when he saw a person fall through the ice on a nearby pond. He stopped his car and crawled on his stomach on the ice out to the person who had fallen through. He helped save the person from the icy water and certain death. This is considered __________.

an altruistic act

Professor Yarnofsky wonders whether recent acts of airline terrorism have made the public more fearful of airline flight. He secures records of the amount of flight insurance that people have purchased via machines at the airport, and compares the records of insurance purchases before the last hijacking to purchases after the last hijacking. Professor Yarnofsky has employed a(n) __________ research method.

archival

Julie is really interested in Alvin. She flirts with him at lunch a few times, leaves notes on his desk, and finally asks him out for a drink on Friday. Julie's behavior is __________.

assertive

If you stand in the checkout line of any discount store, you'll see a very odd assortment of items on display: disposable razors, batteries, ballpoint pens, playing cards, trail mix, phone chargers, and so on. Retailers call these items "impulse buys," meaning that although people may not have come to the store looking for cards, pens, or trail mix, when they see them near the checkout, they'll buy them. An attitude researcher might say that people buy these items because __________.

attitudes toward these items may be highly accessible

Cyndi bets a tidy sum that her university polo team will defeat Brandex University in the upcoming championships. If Cyndi is like most people, after making the bet, cognitive dissonance will lead her to __________.

become even more likely to believe that her university will win

Because of the availability heuristic, Jayne and her husband are most likely to exaggerate the likelihood of risk to their children caused by ____________.

being kidnapped

According to the evolutionary psychology notion of kin selection, Piotr is most likely to help his __________.

brother Ralph

Pierre is about to start a new job. Given that he wants to make lots of new friends, he should choose the office that is located __________.

by the vending machines

In Karim's family, it is required that cell phones be locked in a drawer during dinner time. However, in Marco's family, cell phones are encouraged to be brought to the table and used extensively during dinner. This example illustrates that norms __________.

can differ across different groups of people

Claude had an unpleasant experience during his last visit to Dallas, Texas. He was approached by two men with strong Texas accents who wielded sharp knives, roughed him up, cracked a rib, and stole all his money. Ever since Claude was mugged, he has taken an instant dislike to anyone who speaks with a Texas twang. Claude's negative attitude toward Texas accents is most probably a result of __________.

classical conditioning

Susan carefully rinses her mouth with an unpleasant-tasting mouthwash every day. One day, Susan reads an article reporting credible dental research that indicates that mouthwash is completely ineffective and that mouthwash may even be related to tooth decay. The discomfort that Susan experiences in response to this information is called __________.

cognitive dissonance

Crystal rushes into a store, needing to pick up some orange juice. She quickly picks the deepest orange-colored juice that states "Not from concentrate" and is the cheapest. She is basing her decision on a(n) __________.

cognitively based attitude

Sheila fancies herself an outgoing extrovert. She smiles a lot and gestures dramatically as she talks. This example best illustrates the use of nonverbal behavior to __________.

communicate personality traits

One evening after work, Soon Yi arrives home in a very bad mood. Noticing this, her husband, Louie, asks her why she seems so angry and upset. Soon Yi hadn't thought about her mood before Louie mentioned it, and now she thinks hard about what has caused her to be so sullen. She decides that it was because she was hungry and tired, and she tells Louie so. Soon Yi is __________ her behavior.

constructing a causal theory about

Achmed is considering buying a new car. He has narrowed his choices down to two models. On a sheet of paper, he begins writing down the positive characteristics of each car and the negative characteristics of each car. He will be using this list to help guide his final decision. In this example, Achmed is demonstrating __________.

controlled thinking

Larry sees a group of people weeping, with frowns on their faces and their eyes turned down. Larry __________ their expressions to understand that they are feeling sadness.

decodes

In a small band of hunters and gatherers, Shantu fights with the other young men his age to impress the young women. As it turns out, several young women are attracted to him because he seems to be able to protect them and is rising in social status. In essence, Shantu's aggression can be explained in evolutionary terms as a display of __________.

dominance

A researcher hired by a department store wants to examine whether manipulating the room temperature to be hotter as opposed to cooler affects sales of air conditioners. The best method for answering this question would be __________.

experimental

After a long day at school, you get home, log on to social media, and find three messages from friends, checking on you. You smile and laugh in delight that your friends have shown they care. Your nonverbal behavior in this example is helping you __________.

express your emotions

Leandro tends to be happy when in relationships with others. However, right now, he's away from home and the absence of meaningful relationships is leading to __________.

feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, and helplessness

Whereas American people have the proverb "The squeaky wheel gets the grease," Japanese people have a proverb that states, "The nail that stands out gets pounded down." These two different proverbs mirror social-psychological research that has demonstrated that people in Asian cultures __________.

have a more interdependent concept of self than do Americans

A negative correlation means that __________.

high values of one variable are associated with low values of the other

Xiao runs over to Martino and shouts, "I hate you" while pushing Martino to the ground. This is an example of ___________ aggression.

hostile

Wilma is asked about her attitude toward Zoroastrians, and she replies, "I'm not sure; I couldn't tell you." She is later observed passing the Zoroastrians Against Prejudice (ZAP) kiosk in the mall and donating $5 to their cause. What kind of attitude does Wilma likely hold about Zoroastrians that influenced her behavior?

implicit

"My happiness depends on the happiness of those around me" and "I enjoy being unique and different from others in many respects" are two items from Ted Singelis's scale, which was designed to measure individual differences in __________.

independence and interdependence

Ada runs over to Winnie and grabs the ball from her hands so that she can have it. This is an example of __________ aggression.

instrumental

Andrea asks her friends to spread a nasty rumor about her opponent for the office of class president to attempt to damage his reputation in the days before the election. This is an example of __________.

instrumental aggression

Pablo had always gotten much satisfaction out of caring for his brothers and sisters when they were sick. A few months ago, Pablo's father convinced him to take a job at a hospital as a nurse's aide so that he could earn money doing what he enjoyed. Now that Pablo has been working at the hospital for a while, he no longer enjoys caring for sick people as much as he did before he took the job. One reason for Pablo's attitude change may be that the job has undermined his __________ for helping others.

intrinsic motivation

Ruthie and Ernesto are in the same accounting class, they live in the same wing of their dormitory, and they usually both study at the campus coffeehouse in the morning before class. Over time, Ruthie and Ernesto become attracted to each other. Which force is most likely at work here?

propinquity

Allen volunteers to visit the homes of AIDS patients because those visits help him forget about his own problems. This is an example of __________behavior.

prosocial

Julianna likes to contribute to worthy charities because she can help others and, at the same time, get a tax deduction. Julianna is engaging in __________.

prosocial behavior

Tanisha's family loves the Chicago Bulls. Tanisha recently moved to California and now cheers for the Los Angeles Lakers. When she goes home to Illinois, her family makes fun of her new love for the Lakers and changes the television channel whenever a game comes on. This reaction to her sporting preference is a(n) __________.

punishment

You've recently learned that eating avocados, which you love, is bad for your health. To reduce the dissonance you experience after reading this news, you would most likely __________.

question the validity of the research and the integrity of the scientists

Wing Na believes very strongly that saccharine is an unsafe sugar substitute that may even cause cancer. Even though Wing Na is diabetic, and thus should be using sugar substitutes, she often opts for sugar-laden foods and drinks to avoid saccharine. "I'll just exercise more later; the sugar isn't a big deal. I'm really being healthier by avoiding saccharine," she thinks. Wing Na's behavior and thoughts are examples of __________ in the face of cognitive dissonance.

rationalizing

Helga stops and helps Bjorn change a flat tire along the road, because she figures that one day she'll need help and someone will return the favor. This best illustrates the idea of __________.

reciprocity

Professor Rothman is interested in tracking changes in racial stereotypes in the United States. If an archival analysis is used, Professor Rothman should __________.

record how minority group members are portrayed in cartoons in New Yorker magazine from 1930 to 2020

Martin and Lewis are standing at the counter of the convenience store, and Martin, who has just failed his social psychology exam, is animatedly telling Lewis that the exam was unfair and that the professor is unreasonable. As he takes his change, Martin sees his image on the security camera. This causes him to wonder whether he actually studied enough for the exam. Martin's self-scrutiny in this situation would be predicted by __________ theory.

self-awareness

Glenda is most likely to conclude that she likes classical music when __________.

she presets her car radio to a classical music station

Rashida refuses to follow the important social norms of her group. In all likelihood she will be __________.

shunned by the other group members

You ask your brother if you can borrow his car for a date on Saturday night. Before handing over the keys, he asks in jest, "What's in it for me?" His question best reflects __________ as applied to prosocial behavior.

social exchange theory

"Don't talk during the movie" and "Cross the street at the corner or crosswalk" are examples of __________.

social norms

Professor Leiva is interested in how we show more leniency to attractive people who make bad decisions than unattractive people who make bad decisions. Professor Leiva is studying __________.

social perception

Kyle grew up in the South, where a "culture of honor" predominates. Based on research investigating the "culture of honor," Kyle would be more likely than a northerner to behave aggressively when__________.

someone insults him

Every morning at the bus stop, Carlos encounters an old woman begging for spare change. She is clearly hungry and alone. Because Carlos feels very bad for this woman and can "feel her pain," he makes a point of giving her some coins each morning that he sees her. Which theoretical approach best explains Carlos's behavior?

the empathy-altruism hypothesis

After Lyla's husband was injured in a car accident, she said, "I woke up that morning with a bad feeling in my stomach; I knew something awful was going to happen that day." Lyla is exhibiting

the hindsight bias

Arlene finds that even though she sat in the opposite corner of the classroom from Ronda during the entire term of their chemistry class, when they bump into each other at a party, she seems to like Ronda more than the strangers around. This is best explained by ____________.

the mere exposure effect

Warren believes that Tomaso is an outgoing, gregarious person. "Whom did you hang out with this weekend?" Warren asks Tomaso. "Tell me about all of the fun things that you have planned for the summer," Warren continues. Although Tomaso is usually rather quiet and reserved, he responds to Warren in an outgoing, animated manner. This is an example of __________.

the perseverance effect

Shakim is outgoing, an extrovert, and confident in who she is. She will most likely be attracted to __________.

the young woman who lives next door, who is strong and confident as well

Ginny, a student at an American university, has just arrived in Bolivia for a study year abroad. When meeting her host parents, she notices that they stand very close to her as they speak. She feels uncomfortable until she realizes that __________.

they have different cultural norms concerning the use of interpersonal distance

At the amusement park, Keon's heart begins beating rapidly and his palms begin to sweat. He reasons that since he is next in line for the roller coaster, he must be feeling exhilarated. This sequence of events in which Keon first perceives his arousal and subsequently labels it is consistent with the __________.

two-factor theory of emotion