PSY360 Chapter 8-9 Practice Questions

Among the following, who is a compliance professional?

A political fund-raiser

At school, Carl falls down the stairs and badly sprains his ankle. When will Carl most likely receive help?

Before school starts when only one other student is in the hallway.

Which of the following explains why a positive mood can decrease the probability of responding in prosocial ways?

Being in a good mood can lead us to interpret emergency situations as not really serious.

Mark and Cynthia are writing out checks to donate to their alma mater. First, Mark says he's going to donate $5,000, and then Cynthia indicates she might be able to donate more than that. Mark then decides he too could contribute more than $5,000. What is this called?

Competitive altruism

SooHee wants to open her own bakery. She will need at least $50,000 dollars for equipment and a year's worth of rent for a retail space on Main Street in her town. Instead of getting a loan through her bank, SooHee creates a website that asks people she knows, along with strangers, to contribute to her dream of opening a bakery. Each $5 donation can be redeemed for a muffin once the bakery opens. What process is SooHee taking advantage of?

Crowdfunding

Emily is out for a leisurely drive and has just witnessed the car in front of her on the highway slow to a stop and pull off to the side of the road. The driver got out of the vehicle and lifted the hood. She is very adept at fixing cars and there are not too many other cars on the road. After considering helping for a bit, Emily continues to drive past the stranded motorist. Why?

Emily is concerned the driver might be setting up a trap or trick.

Who mostly benefits from crowdfunding?

Entrepreneurs and communities

Janelle wants to begin hosting her own podcast focused on community events. She will need some money to purchase recording equipment and create a small studio in her house. She is thinking of reaching out to other community members to ask for their financial support. Which of the following websites should Janelle use?

Kickstarter

Which of the following is a form of unintentional social influence?

Modeling

Your friend Gretchen is notoriously rude to her partner. She never says anything nice or complimentary and frequently embarrasses her partner in front of others. Gretchen calls and leaves a very distressed message for you letting you know that her partner has dumped her and she really needs someone to talk to about it. Will you call Gretchen back?

No, because you feel Gretchen is responsible for her own predicament.

Mrs. Taunton is a teacher at a middle school in New York City. One day, her students are acting very boisterously. Mrs. Taunton quickly raps a ruler on the desk and says, "Be quiet!" Which type of social influence caused the students' behavior to change?

Obedience

If people help in order to receive praise from others, then what would be expected under cover of darkness?

People would be less likely to help others.

Quentin has never liked his coworker, Ryan. One day, he notices that Ryan is called into the manager's office, and he can overhear the manager chastising Ryan for his months of low sales numbers. Quentin takes pleasure in this fact. Quentin is experiencing

Schadenfreude.

Danya is in a really bad mood after receiving a low score on an exam. She mopes, complains, and is curt with her friends. Later in the day, Danya goes to volunteer at a local homeless shelter. Why would she do this?

She knows that helping others will make her feel better.

Many atrocities have been committed because of a gradual escalation in the scope of commands given from a person in authority. This factor is closely related to which compliance technique?

The foot-in-the-door technique

A professor, two students, and the president of the student government are all on an elevator. When one of the students passes out, who is most likely to be seen as having the responsibility to help?

The professor

A possible reason why authority figures can be so successful in getting obedience for horrific tasks is that they

allow the obedient person to escalate their tasks very gradually.

One day you are out biking on a relatively deserted trail. You see a fellow cyclist on the side of the trail with the bike's wheels in the air. When will you be most likely to help?

When you know a great deal about bikes and work at a bicycle repair shop

Jenny, a 5-year-old child, may be MOST likely to exhibit helping behavior after playing ________ video game.

a prosocial

Norman is in a group where he strongly believes that his judgment is correct, but he does not want to appear different. A possible way he may deal with this situation is to

alter his perception of the information provided so that he can feel comfortable with conforming to the group influence.

Ron and Elaine are walking down the street when they see someone helping an old man across the road. On the next block, they see a woman having difficulty in trying to get across the street. Elaine says, "We'd better give her a hand." The woman who initially helped the old man

acted as a prosocial model.

One of the factors associated with compliance is social validation. This is because we

are in need of being correct, and one way to do so is to emulate the behaviors of others whom we see as similar to ourselves in some way.

Frank is a young musician who sometimes earns extra money by playing guitar on a downtown street corner during lunch hour. He sometimes puts a dollar and a few coins in his open guitar case before he starts playing. Frank does this because he

believes the presence of the money will act as a model for prosocial behavior for his audience.

Even though there is a sign that clearly says "Park closes after 9 P.M.," Mary says to herself, "What a silly sign! I just want to walk around here; I'm not a 'bad guy'" and proceeds to walk in the park. Mary's behavior is ________ with normative focus theory since she ________.

consistent; is disobeying an injunctive norm that she does not see as related to her own actions

David sees a homeless person and thinks that "this guy has no one to blame but himself." Thus, David appears to believe that this homeless man's misfortunes are

controllable.

Jenna saw in the paper that a department store was having a "One-Day Closeout of Winter Dresses" sale. If she goes to that sale and buys something, she will be a victim of the

deadline technique.

One of the key findings from Stanley Milgram's studies was that pressures to obey are

difficult to resist even if they involve harming another person.

While walking down Madison Avenue, Thomas smelled smoke. Soon, Thomas saw flames leaping out of a third story apartment window. In a flash, Thomas saw another man run into the burning building and emerge, only a minute later, with a young girl in his arms. Witnessing this made Thomas feel hopeful about humans and our ability to help each other. Thomas felt

elation.

Raphael helps Lisa carry her groceries up the stairs. Lisa comes by 15 minutes later and says, "Thank you. The frozen food would have melted if you hadn't helped me." Because of her response to his help, Raphael is motivated to help others later. This scenario is MOST consistent with the

empathic joy hypothesis.

Steven sees an emergency and then his empathy is aroused; he then provides help simply because the victim needed help and it felt good to provide help. This example illustrates the

empathy-altruism hypothesis.

Samantha is watching a movie on TV. The story is about a young boy who had lost his brother in a traffic accident. Samantha says that she knows just how the boy feels and even guesses many of the character's lines before he says them. This situation illustrates the type of perspective-taking involved with

feeling empathy for—and identifying with—a fictional character.

Emily, who is always slightly depressed, helps a little boy find his mom at the mall. Emily is surprised to find her mood has improved. This is likely because

helping a person often relieves a negative mood.

A New York City taxi cab driver once intervened and stopped what he perceived to be a mugging in progress—even though it actually was a group of actors performing a scene for a television sketch. The taxi driver probably intervened due to

his feelings of empathy.

Suppose you are taking a friend to a party. The invitation specified that the party would begin at 6:00. When you arrive at your friend's apartment at 5:45 to pick her up, she tells you she won't be ready to leave before about 6:30 and comments that "Nobody arrives on time, anyway." Your friend is following a(n)

implicit social norm.

Marian, who is wearing a distinctive and pleasant perfume, has dropped all of the contents of her purse and is in need of assistance. The fact that she is wearing perfume should

increase her likelihood of receiving help.

Three college friends went swimming in a local creek, ignoring both a No Trespassing sign and a No Swimming sign. These friends were violating

injunctive norms.

Jack has agreed to purchase a new car for $18,000. However, just before he gets ready to sign the contract, the salesman tells Jack that the sales manager will not approve the amount allowed for his trade-in, and that the contract will have to be higher, probably around $19,000. Jack has just been the victim of the

lowball technique.

Frank hires a handyman to install drywall in a room he's renovating. Frank has always wanted to know how to do this himself, so he watches much of the work the handyman does and takes notes on the supplies needed and the procedures followed. The following year, Frank installs drywall in another room by himself. Frank was able to do this due to

modeling.

The empathy-altruism hypothesis suggests that at least some prosocial behavior is

motivated solely by the desire to help someone in need, even if unpleasant or dangerous situations are involved.

James, a 17-year-old high school student, has just moved to a new city and enrolled in a new school. At his old school, there were strong social norms against teenagers smoking cigarettes. At his new school, however, several of his new friends regularly smoke and say to him, "C'mon, don't be a jerk, have one of mine." As a result, James is likely to begin smoking because of the

normative social influence.

Allen is running late for his social psychology class. He is hurrying across campus and is thinking about the instructor's reaction to his tardiness on an exam day. He passed by a small group of students clustered around someone who is lying on the ground, clutching his chest and gasping for breath. Allen did not stop to help because he simply was not aware of what was happening at the time. This failure to engage in prosocial behavior was probably due to Allen's

not paying attention to the situation.

Wayne and Cheryl were at a restaurant eating dinner when he noticed a faint smell of smoke coming from the air conditioning vent. No one else in the busy restaurant seemed to be concerned about the odor, and Wayne was not sure if it was the result of an electrical problem or of food scorching in the kitchen. Wayne's uncertainty, combined with the observation that others were not taking action, means that Wayne will probably

not take any action in the situation.

Oscar is alone resting on a beach when he notices someone who appears to be floundering in the ocean. Since he does not know how to swim, Oscar realizes that he cannot help this individual himself. This example illustrates that people

often decide that they cannot help when they do not know what to do.

On the street, a passerby notices Jeanette's bruised eye and asks if she is okay. Jeanette said that her boyfriend hit her, and the man said he was sorry to hear that but continued on his way. Later, Jeanette's best friend, Ellen, notices that Jeanette's bruise. When Jeanette tells her what happened, Ellen offers to provide help. This example best illustrates that

people are much more inclined to help a close friend than a stranger.

Jason is the owner of a furniture store in a small Southern town. He donated several hundred mattresses to the Red Cross immediately after hearing about the devastation caused in a neighboring state by a hurricane. He was motivated to do so by his desire to help others, by thoughts of the income tax deduction he could take, and by the recognition his store would receive from his act of charity. This is an example of

prosocial behavior.

Erin has been living with her boyfriend for a year. During that time, Erin has heard her boyfriend and his family make many negative comments about Asians. When her boyfriend's family is around, Erin also occasionally makes negative comments about Asians, even though she doesn't believe these comments are based in facts. This situation best represents the distinction between ________ and ________.

public conformity; private acceptance

Your best friend Natalie has recently warned you against giving anyone you don't know well a ride home from a party. Recently, you attended a party and spent the whole night reminiscing with other friends about fun times you had all shared with Natalie. Later, a stranger approaches you and asks for a ride home; because your relational schema is activated, you will most likely

refuse to give the stranger a ride.

One way to help people become more resistant to commands from authorities that may lead to destructive behaviors is to

remind people that they—not the authorities—are responsible for any harm done.

Zosha and three of her friends have just watched a new movie. As they walk out of the movie, Zosha's friends are talking about how much they enjoyed the movie and how good the actor's portrayal was. If one of her friends then asks Zosha how she liked the movie, she is likely to say that

she also enjoyed the movie.

Walter has just watched the news of Hurricane Irene, including an interview with a man who is standing in knee-deep water in his basement. Walter decides to go to the store and on his way sees a stranded motorist. The empathy-altruism model predicts that Walter will

stop and try to help because he can understand how it feels to be stranded.

Walter has just watched the news of Hurricane Irene, including an interview with a man who is standing in knee-deep water in his basement. Walter decides to go to the store, and on his way sees a stranded motorist. The negative state relief model predicts that Walter will

stop and try to help in order to alleviate his own negative feelings.

Rachel attends a New Year's Eve party with her friends. They are having fun at the party, dancing and drinking champagne. At one point during the party, a woman that Rachel doesn't know asks her if she wants to go into another room and try some cocaine with her. Instinctively, Rachel's first thought is "what would my mother think if she knew about this?" Rachel can't bear the thought and declines. Her decision is due to

symbolic social influence.

Two aspects of empathy are ________ and ________.

taking another's perspective; sympathizing with another person

All of the following individuals would likely be considered a "compliance professional" EXCEPT a(n)

telephone operator.

One reason that people are willing to obey persons in authority who order them to engage in destructive behaviors is that

the authority figure relieves those who obey of responsibility for their actions.

While walking through Central Park, Mark sees a man being attacked and mugged. There are many people around the scene, and many of these people are holding phones. Mark is concerned for the man but ultimately does nothing. Mark's actions can be explained by the concept of

the diffusion of responsibility.

Karen knows that her neighbors often struggle to make ends meet. She sometimes offers to babysit for free because she can easily afford to do so and feels good that she can help in this small way. This example most clearly illustrates

the empathic joy hypothesis.

In Asch's classic experiment, a standard-setting line was first presented to small groups of people, followed by the presentation of three comparison lines of different lengths. In one condition, three accomplices, posing as students, chose an incorrect answer before the subject could respond. Frequently, the subject would then also select an incorrect response. This result illustrates

the influence of group pressure to conform.

When an auto dealer offers you an extra option as a "closer" for a deal, the dealer is using

the that's-not-all technique.

Which of the following strategies has been shown to contribute to sharp reductions in destructive obedience?

Reminding individuals that they, rather than authorities, are responsible for any harm produced

After seeing a commercial for sneakers supposedly designed by the basketball star Michael Jordan, Dave decides to rush out and buy a pair. Dave has been influenced as a result of the compliance principle of

authority.

Ada had missed the notes for several classes and asked Rob for the notes for one day. Rob gave the notes to Ada, who copied them and then asked Rob for a week's worth of notes. Because of the ________, Rob is highly likely to give Ada the notes.

foot-in-the-door technique

When confronted with the that's-not-all technique, we should always remember that the person making the request

is using a strategy that will make gaining comliance more likely.

One way in which symbolic social influence may work is by allowing the psychological presence of others to trigger goals with which the other persons are associated. This may, in turn, influence our

performance on tasks and our commitment to reaching these goals.

One reason that people are willing to obey persons in authority who order them to engage in destructive behaviors is that

persons in authority often possess visible signs of their status that remind us of the social norm for obedience to authorities.

Two years ago, Ursula loaned Katie $300 even though the two women didn't know each other very well. Now, Ursula has approached Katie to ask if Katie can loan her $200. Katie says yes. Katie's compliance rests on the principle of

reciprocity.

Marla and Tim are watching a documentary on television about the kidnapping of children. At one point during the documentary, during a scene in which a dramatization shows the reaction of a father when he learns of his daughter's kidnapping, Marla looks over at Tim and notices that he is crying. Tim's emotion is due to

social contagion.

Suppose Roger, a religious fundamentalist, is told that three individuals—a gay man, an unwed mother, and a college student—are in need of aid due to employment problems. Roger would be MOST likely to believe that aid should go to

the college student.

James and Wanda just bought a house, and moved into a new, upscale neighborhood. One of their friends, who lives down the street from them, has installed a hot tub in her rock garden and has pointed out all the advantages of having one. James and Wanda are debating whether to install a rock garden with a hot tub in their new home. Their decision may be strongly influenced by the ________ influence of their friend.

informational social

In several variations on Asch's classic experiment, a standard-setting line was first presented to small groups of people, followed by the presentation of three comparison lines of different lengths. In one condition, two of three accomplices, posing as students, chose an incorrect answer before the subject could respond. The third accomplice sometimes chose a correct response and sometimes chose a more incorrect response. Under these conditions, respondents were more likely to choose the correct response. These results suggest

it becomes easier to resist conformity pressure once unanimity of the group is broken.