Social Psychology Final Exam

Which of the following contrasts controlled processing and automatic processing

d) Controlled processing is systematic and effortful, whereas automatic processing is fast and relatively effortless.

*30.)* Which of the following study questions could absolutely NOT be explored using experimentation due to ethical reasons?

d) How do individuals cope when their spouse dies?

SHORT ANSWER: Explain the difference between automatic processing and controlled processing of information.

*Automatic processing* of information: is nonconscious, unintentional, and involuntary - It requires relatively little effort on our part *Controlled processing*: requires greater effort and is conscious - Automatic processing frequently relies more heavily on schemas and heuristics, while controlled processing tends to rely more heavily on rational thinking and logical processes.

SHORT ANSWER: Describe what is meant by mood-dependent memory, and give an example

- Mood-dependent memories are memories that are influenced by our moods - Mood may serve as a retrieval cue, making it easier to retrieve memories when we are in the same mood as we were when the memories were first stored - If I remember a particular research talk when I was in a good mood, I'm more likely to remember that research talk when I am in a similarly good mood

SHORT ANSWER: Describe the impact of schemas on memory. Explain how this may influence social thought.

- Schemas: act as a filter bc they call our attention to some information and away from other information - ensures that information consistent with our schemas is more likely to enter the memory system - Inconsistent information may be remembered, but will be marked with a "tag" to indicate that it is exceptional information - Schemas guide our recall of information and the use of remembered information - information that is consistent with our schemas is more easily recalled & used than information inconsistent w/ our schemas - These effects are more pronounced with well-developed schemas & when individuals are facing a heavy cognitive load - The effect of schemas on memory may influence social thought directly by influencing the memories we record/retrieve by creating self-fulfilling prophecies

SHORT ANSWER: Briefly describe how the availability heuristic affects our judgments or decisions. This heuristic appears to be used for two different kinds of judgments. What two "rules" are to be found in our use of the availability heuristic and for what two kinds of judgments are they likely to be used?

- The availability heuristic: is a cognitive rule of thumb that is based on the ease of bringing information to mind - If something is easier to bring to mind, then we think that it must be important, and that we should use it to make a judgment/decision - ease of use is not the only way in which this heuristic is employed. MORE likely to use the ease-of-use rule for judgments involving feelings, whereas we tend to rely more on an "amount-of-info" rule when our judgment or decision is being based on information or facts.

SHORT ANSWER Explain what affective forecasts are, provide an example of an affective forecast, and comment on the accuracy of affective forecasts

Affective forecasts: predictions of how we would feel about an event we have not experienced - EXAMPLE: if a person imagined that he/she would dislike being in the military, WITHOUT experiencing such an event, then that person has an affective forecast on that event - Research indicates that affective forecasts are often inaccurate.

SHORT ANSWER: Compare and contrast the representative heuristic and the availability heuristic

Both heuristics are simple rules for making complex decisions/ drawing inferences in a rapid and efficient manner - The representative heuristic: involves making a decision based on how similar something is a to a given group - The availability heuristic: involves making a decision based on how easy it is to bring certain information to mind.

SHORT ANSWER Define counterfactual thinking and provide an example of this bias.

Counterfactual thinking: imagining what might have been given a particular situation/outcome - EXAMPLE: if a student received a low grade on a test and then thought of an imaginary outcome that could have occurred had he or she studied more, then that student is engaging in counterfactual thinking

*51.)* SHORT ANSWER: Briefly discuss the impact of rapidly changing technology on social behavior.

Global Correct Feedback: The Internet, cell phones, and computers are continually changing the ways in which people engage in social behavior, from how frequently we communicate and in what medium, but also with whom we are able to communicate. Online dating and social networking has changed how people meet, but perhaps the basic findings regarding attraction will hold even if the medium has shifted. The answer might also discuss how increased multicultural exposure might lead more media-exposed cultures to influence cultures who are less frequently presented or exposed to media. Some online mediums such as user-presented news, wikis, and YouTube videos may allow for a broader representation of a cultural practice, but this is limited by class to those who have access.

*52.)* SHORT ANSWER: Define the multicultural perspective in social psychology and explain why it is an important consideration.

Global Correct Feedback: The multicultural perspective recognizes the potential effect that various social and cultural dimensions, such as age, race, gender, socioeconomic status, and others, may have on behavior. These factors may directly or indirectly influence self-identity, which has a direct effect on social behaviors.

SHORT ANSWER: Explain how terror management relates to the concept of the supernatural

Terror management: efforts to come to terms with the certainty of death and its implications. - One kind of thinking that helps with terror management is the belief that supernatural powers outside of humans' understanding and control can influence humans' lives - Research indicates that when humans are reminded of their own mortality, beliefs in the supernatural are strengthened

Sabiha is left-handed and prefers left-handed men. She is going to be introduced to Wilbur. Left-handers comprise about 10 percent of the population. She has been truthfully informed that Wilbur is either a left-handed Chinese psycholinguist or a left-handed used car salesman from the Midwestern region of the United States. If Sabiha makes good use of base rates, which of the following outcomes should she expect?

Wilbur is a used car salesman from the Midwestern region of the United States who also happens to be left-handed

SHORT ANSWER: List and describe the three basic processes of social cognition

The three basic processes of social cognition are attention, encoding, and retrieval. - Attention: information we notice - Encoding: the processes we use to store noticed information in memory - Retrieval: how we recover information from memory in order to use it

Matt has never been to a professional baseball game, but he has a strong conviction that he wouldn't enjoy going to one. This prediction is known as a(n) ________.

a) affective forecast

*31.)* Which core value for social psychologists requires a commitment to gathering and evaluating information about the world in as careful, precise, and error-free a manner as possible?

a) Accuracy

Which of the following individuals is exhibiting behaviors or thoughts consistent with priming?

a) After finishing a romantic novel, Natalie passionately embraces her boyfriend and tells him how much she loves him

Jack recently had a job interview that seemed to go exceedingly well by all objective standards. However, Jack noted that his interviewer seemed to be in a bad mood that day. To what extent should Jack be concerned about the latter piece of information?

a) He should be aware that he will likely be viewed less favorably by the interviewer than if the interviewer was in a good mood.

*37.)* Jim is 28, single, and a freelance writer who works from his apartment. Throughout high school, college, and graduate school, Jim felt happy and engaged with life, but he has recently felt more and more unhappy and detached. According to social psychology research, what short-term solution should Jim take to improve his happiness?

a) He should join one or more groups.

Which of the following is an example of controlled processing?

a) Learning to ride a bike

Gabriel and Jim were involved in a car accident and they both suffered a broken bone. Gabriel told Jim, "Hey, at least we only broke a few bones—we could've died!" Jim's response to Gabriel was, "Yes, but I'm now thinking about how I can be a better driver so that I never get in an accident again." Gabriel's statement reflects a(n) ________ counterfactual thought and Jim's response reflects a(n) ________ counterfactual thought

a) downward; upward

"Seeing the world through rose-colored glasses" refers to the ________ bias.

a) optimistic `

If you would like for your student government to pass a bill putting more lights along major walkways, how could you use ease of retrieval to persuade them?

b) Ask them to think of 2 instances in which the lack of lighting made them or someone they know feel fearful while walking on campus after dark

Which process of social cognition refers to the information we notice?

b) Attention

*35.)* Which of the following describes the modern view of social psychology?

b) Behavior and thought are intimately and continuously linked.

*38.)* Elaine is researching how insults influence activity in certain parts of the brain. To do this, she uses fMRI to view the brain activity of patients who are presented with a variety of subtle and obvious insults spoken by both men and women. Which of the following best describes Elaine's field?

b) Social neuroscience

Which of the following is a downside of schemas?

b) They can remain unchanged in the face of contradictory information.

Tracy encounters a member of a certain political group whose views and attributes are inconsistent with her schemas about that group. Due to a strong perseverance effect, what is the MOST likely conclusion that Tracy will make?

b) Tracy will continue to believe that most members of that group fit her schemas

Arlene walks into the room her husband has just painted. She immediately dislikes the color. Arlene has experienced ________.

b) an automatic evaluative reaction

*39.)* The tendency for one event to be associated with changes in another event is known as ________.

b) causation

*33.)* Sasha is a Ph.D. candidate in social psychology. She is researching the role that a good sense of humor plays in securing a mate and is planning on honing this research into a dissertation that focuses on humor's influence on reproductive success. Sasha is engaged in the study of ________.

b) evolutionary psychology

Karen has always felt that if she looks at the back of a person's head, she can cause that person to turn around and look at her. This is an example of ________ thinking.

b) magical

On the walk to work yesterday, Randall was nearly run over by a bus. While the bus barely touched him, he was knocked off his feet and suffered many bruises and a concussion. Randall hasn't considered himself to be religious in many years, but after the accident he felt an increased sense of religiously and spirituality. Randall's increased religiosity is a form of ________.

b) terror management

Sarah recently went to a party even though she was in a very poor mood. At the party, she met a man named Alan, an architect from San Diego. In one month's time, Sarah will more easily remember these details if she ________.

b) tries to recall them while in a negative mood

*46.)* Which of the following best explains the difference between a theory and a hypothesis?

c) A theory makes predictions about observable events, whereas a hypothesis tests predictions made.

Bob and Joe are given the task of dividing $10 between them. Bob initially makes an offer to divide the money such that he takes $7 for himself and gives Joe $3. If you were looking at an MRI scan of Joe's brain, what would you see?

c) Activity in both the limbic system and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex because both emotion and rationality are involved.

Which of the following is a benefit of automatic processing?

c) It allows us to deal with problems when our attention is directed elsewhere.

When people deal with uncertainty in a situation by using something they know as a starting point and then modifying their thinking from there, they are using the ________ heuristic.

c) anchoring and adjustment

Which of the following effects describe how moods strongly determine which information in a given situation is noticed and entered into one's memory?

c) mood congruence effect

*32.)* Eric is a social psychologist who is respected in his field. However, his colleagues are often apprehensive of challenging Eric's strongly held ideas, even when they know that Eric's ideas are laden with errors, because Eric has been known to get upset when he has to question his assumptions. Eric struggles with maintaining the core value of

c) open-mindedness.

*50.)* Generally, deception used in an experiment is usually mild and is known as ________ deception.

c) passive

*26.)* 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 ________.

c) random assignment ensures that any changes in the dependent variable are caused only by changes in the independent variable

Research indicates that there are two distinct systems that interact in complex ways during cognitive processes. The two systems are those involving ________.

c) reason and emotion

*19.)* Suppose smoking and drinking alcohol are found to be correlated at +.65. We can conclude that ________.

c) smoking is probably related to drinking

One way that schemas influence social thought is by ____

d) acting as a filter to direct our attention towards some information and away from other information

*24.)* 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 ________.

d) amount of stuttering that occurs

Jordan recently won third place in his city's creative writing contest, even though he hasn't written creatively in years and he submitted a story he wrote years ago. He thinks to himself, "If only I had been working on my writing this whole time, I might have won first place." This is an example of ________ thinking.

d) counterfactual

*28.)* 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 ________.

d) the attitude survey

The fact that we can make judgments and evaluations about different aspects of the world in either a controlled, reflective way or an automatic way suggests ________.

d) we have two systems for evaluating the social world which may be located in different areas of the brain

*9.)* The evolutionary perspective on social behavior suggests that ________.

d) we inherit tendencies or predispositions to behave in certain ways

*4.)* Based on his estimate of how long it would take him to complete his midterm essay, Armando told his instructor he would turn in the paper on Tuesday, but he 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

*1.)* Social psychologists focus their attention mainly on individuals because ________.

our actions are performed by and thoughts occur in the minds of individuals

*3.)* One reason that social scientists put their faith in the scientific method is that the scientific method ________.

produces more conclusive evidence than other methods

*2.)* Kim knows she needs to go take summer courses, but worries about leaving her new boyfriend for three 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

*56.)* SHORT ANSWER: What is meant by open-mindedness, and why is it important in the field of social psychology?

- open-mindedness: a commitment to changing one's views if existing evidence suggests that these views are inaccurate - important: because social psychology's theories and evidence for assumptions are always being expanded and refined. Having an open mind and a willingness to change strongly held views is necessary for social psychologists contributing to an ever-expanding body of research.

*61* One way to manage information overload is to make use of ________.

a) mental shortcuts, such as heuristics

*45.)* Frameworks for explaining various events or processes are known as ________.

a) theories

*59.)* SHORT ANSWER: Explain the steps a researcher would take in building a theory.

(1) a researcher would propose a theory on the basis of existing evidence (2) use the theory to make hypotheses about observable events (3) the researcher would test the hypotheses through actual research [ like experimentation & surveys] (4) if the results are consistent with the theory, then the theory's accuracy is increased. if the results are not consistent with the theory, then the researcher modifies the theory & conducts additional tests (5) the theory is accepted as accurate or rejected as inaccurate.

*60.)* SHORT ANSWER: Define deception as it relates to social psychology and provide an example of its use.

- Deception involves efforts by researchers to withhold or conceal information about the purposes of a study from participants - EXAMPLE: if a researcher is investigating how the volume of music affects drinking speed at bars, he or she would likely withhold the purpose of the study from participants because, if told, they may purposefully monitor and scrutinize their own behavior.

*58.)* SHORT ANSWER: Define systematic observation and naturalistic observation and explain how these two techniques are both similar and different.

- Systematic observation: involves carefully observing behavior as it occurs by taking accurate measurements of a particular behavior among people - Naturalistic observation: type of observation that is conducted in natural settings rather than in a controlled environment - Both techniques are used to study social behavior & involve the researcher carefully observing behavior as it occurs - However, systematic observation is not always carried out in natural settings, whereas naturalistic observation ALWAYS is.

*53.)* SHORT ANSWER: Explain what is meant by a correlation; give a couple of examples.

- correlation: statistical indication of how strongly two variables are related - can range from -1.0 to +1.0 - A correlation of 0 indicates that there is *no relationship* between two variables - one thats -1.0 or +1.0 indicates a stronger relationship - a positive correlation (greater than 0) indicates that, as values for one variable increase, so do values for the other variable - a negative correlation (less than 0) indicates that as values for one variable increase, values for the other variable decrease. - for example, attractiveness is positively correlated with dating activity (as attractiveness levels increase, people tend to date more) - football team errors are negatively correlated with winning: as the numbers of errors increase, the ratio of wins to losses decreases - extremely useful for making predictions - correlations by themselves cannot be used as indicators of causality

*54.)* SHORT ANSWER: What is meant by informed consent?

- informed consent exists when participants are given as much information as possible about the procedures to be followed in an experiment before they agree to participate.

*57.)* SHORT ANSWER: Discuss the relationship between social behavior and social thought and how social psychologist's views on these topics have changed over time.

- social behavior: refers to how people act in social situations - social thoughts: refer to how people attempt to make sense of the world and to understand themselves and others - Social behavior and social thought are intimately and continuously linked: we cannot understand a person's behavior without taking into account his or her thoughts, memory, intentions, emotions, attitudes, and beliefs. - In the past, there were two distinct groups of social psychologists: (1) those who studied behavior (2) those who studied thought Now, however, social psychologists take both into account.

*55.)* SHORT ANSWER: How are informed consent and debriefing used together to offset the possible harm caused by intentional deception on the part of social researchers?

Although some details may be left out and the purpose of the experiment may be concealed in some situations, informed consent is used to give participants as much information as possible about the experimental procedures to be followed during an experiment. - After the experiment is concluded: debriefing is used to explain any aspects of the experiment that were omitted during: ~ the informed consent phase ~ the purpose of the experiment ~ the reasons for any deceptions The combination of informed consent and debriefing serves to provide safeguards for research participants AND to mitigate any negative effects of deception during the procedure.

Jason is undergoing treatment for depression. His therapist has encouraged Jason to remember as many details as possible about times when Jason was not feeling depressed. Jason is having difficulties remembering a time when he was not depressed. This is probably because of the effects of ________.

a) mood-dependent memories

Molly and Emily are members of a girls' basketball team who are responsible for helping to organize fundraising efforts for their team. Molly is extremely motivated to complete this task; in contrast, Emily only shows a mild interest in completing the required task. Which of the following statements BEST summarizes the likelihood that Molly and Emily will complete their tasks?

a) Molly's motivation will likely cause her to predict that she will finish her task quickly; however, this will have no effect on whether she actually completes her task quicker than Emily.

*5.)* Which of the following categories is NOT one of the five categories mentioned in the text regarding factors affecting social interaction?

a) Perceptual processes

Five students are preparing to take a mid-term exam in Political Science. Going in to the exam, who would be most likely to suffer from the overconfidence barrier?

a) This is Ronald's first political science course and first semester of college

Shortly before being interviewed for a job she really wants, Meredith finds that the human resources director was involved in a minor traffic accident during lunch. Should Meredith be concerned that the traffic accident may have a negative influence on the outcomes of the job interview?

a) Yes, research indicates that even experienced interviewers are influenced by their current moods.

*22.)* 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. Afterward, 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) a person's mood has an effect on how helpful that person is likely to be

*6.)* 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) a social cognitive process

*11.)* A multicultural perspective is recognized as increasingly important to research in social psychology because ________.

a) a variety of cultural factors such as race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability help determine self-identity

*34.)* Thom's mental state is very affected by the weather. During the summer, he readily admits that he feels happier and more carefree. During the winter, when it is cold and gets darker earlier, Thom feels irritable and occasionally depressed. Thom's thoughts and behavior are impacted by ________.

a) environmental variables

Zoë is in a fairly good mood. Consequently, we should expect her to show a(n) ________ in her use of ________.

a) increase; heuristics

*41.)* Yelena is researching the effect of volume on people's social interactions. She invites participants to play a card game that requires the cooperation of members of a group. There is music playing in the background. With each game, she adjusts the volume of the music. She keeps the lighting, the number of participants, and the length of the games the same. The volume of the music is the ________.

a) independent variable

Maria is driving her children to school. She is watching the road carefully and following a series of detour signs. One of her children in the back seat of the car is telling her a story, and on the radio a weather report is playing. Maria is trying to listen to her child's story, but she finds that she is unable to concentrate on what the child is saying. Maria is experiencing

a) information overload.

*48.)* Which of the following is a safeguard that most social psychologists agree must be in place in order to use temporary deception?

a) informed consent

Carl watches a documentary about a man who survived after being stranded on an island. Not long after, his wife asks him if he wants to go hiking or go to the library. Carl chooses hiking. This is an example of ________.

a) priming

Bill's wife informs him that they will be attending the opera. Bill has never been to the opera, but he immediately has a mental image of he and his wife sitting in an ornate theater and wearing formal eveningwear. Bill is drawing up a(n) ________.

a) schema

Blair watches the newscast each evening, with its usual diet of fires and other accidents. She often eats at Herby's Fried Snacks, a restaurant located in a brick building, despite the fact that her eating there has resulted in bad indigestion several times. She avoids the well-respected Korean restaurant because the Korean restaurant is in a wooden building. Blair's eating habits are probably being guided by ________.

a) the availability heuristic

*7.)* 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 ________.

a) the moon as an environmental influence

Amanda has lost some money she needs for next semester's tuition. While betting on red, the roulette wheel has come up with five blacks in a row. To try to get her money back, Amanda is now doubling up her bet each time on red, believing that red will come up soon. She bases her belief on the (roughly) 50/50 odds of red and black occurring over a large number of spins of the wheel. Amanda's strategy appears to be based on ________.

a) the representativeness heuristic

*44.)* Rafael is concerned with the idea of inherent morality and wants to research ethical indicators present in toddlers and babies. He knows that many other social psychologists have also been concerned with this topic, so Rafael focuses on analyzing previously published research on this topic in order to find repeating patterns among results and also to see if there are any gaps in the body of research. Rafael is focused on ________.

a) the survey method

One evening, after seeing a ________ at the Cineplex, you are on your way home. You drive into a store parking lot, where another driver grabs a parking place you had spotted and were waiting for. You perceive the behavior as very ________.

a) violent movie; aggressive

*14.)* 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 ________.

a) way the question was asked

People often forecast that they will feel ________ when reading about a large-scale tragedy compared to a smaller tragedy. However, findings indicate that people who actually read about such tragedies ________.

a) worse; feel the same regardless of the size of the tragedy

*8.)* In addition to social cognition and behavioral approaches, research on ______ has helped social psychologists develop a greater understanding of how people form impressions, choose to help others, and even comply with requests.

b) emotions

*27.)* 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 ________.

b) essay

Juanita finds that she has been given too much information about different new cars and their relative merits and drawbacks. She is having a difficult time making a decision about which car to buy because she cannot process all the information she has gathered. This is an example of ________.

b) information overload

*43.)* Which type of variable intervenes between an independent variable and changes in social behavior?

b) mediating

*29.)* When research results are not consistent with a theory, the researcher's next step usually involves ________.

b) modifying the theory and collecting additional data

*15.)* 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 ________.

b) more attractive people date more often than less attractive people

*18.)* Research of adult populations has documented a negative correlation between 1) obesity and 2) participation in physically demanding leisure activities. One possible interpretation of these results is that ________.

b) obese people tend to exercise less than non-obese people

Jonathan continues to buy Orange computers even though his colleagues and friends have informed him that there are newer, better, and cheaper types of computers on the market. Which heuristic is affecting Jonathan?

b) status quo

*20.)* 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 ________.

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

*17.)* 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 ________.

b) students born into wealthier families are more likely to complete college than students born into poorer families

*12.)* 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.

b) survey

*25.)* Professor Garcia 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 Garcia then measures the cancer patients' self-reported level of depression. The independent variable in this hypothetical study is ________ and the dependent variable is ________.

b) the type of diary kept, if any; the self-reported level of depression

*16.)* 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 ________.

b) there is no relationship between the types of clothing worn in non-work settings and the type of work that people do

*13.)* 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?

c) All of these may present problems for the accuracy of the results

*40.)* Paul is researching the prevalence of sexist or demeaning language aimed at women and its use across different neighborhoods. To do this, he spends an hour in different neighborhoods and covertly follows his research assistant as she walks down the sidewalk 10 feet ahead of him. When sexist or demeaning language is used, Paul fastidiously records it in his notebook. What technique is Paul using to come to his conclusions?

c) Controlled observation

Greg has just stopped his car to allow a funeral procession to pass by. The cars in the procession all have stickers from his alma mater and are similar to the car he is driving. At this point, he realizes that he too will certainly die at some point. Based on the concept of terror management, which of the following is Greg likely to do next?

c) Reconfirm his belief in supernatural powers.

Once it is activated, the status quo heuristic may have automatic effects on behavior. This can cause individuals to ________.

c) behave consistently with the schema without being aware of the reason for the behavior

Two drivers on a highway are cut off by a third driver. The first driver is startled but shrugs, thinking, "that other driver was careless, but I don't think he noticed me." The second driver is furious, thinking, "that other driver deliberately tried to run me off the road." This scenario MOST clearly illustrates how________.

c) cognition influences affect

*49.)* Renata created an experiment to observe how temperature affects social interactions. However, she did not state this purpose to participants. In fact, participants, all graduate students, were under the assumption that they were attending a campus-sponsored food and drink social gathering. Over the course of two hours, Renata drastically changed the room's temperature every 10 minutes and recorded information on how participants behaved. At the end of the two hours, Renata emerged and discussed the full nature of the experiment with the participants, including the deception she employed and why she needed to do so. At the end of the experiment, Renata employed the tactic of ________.

c) debriefing

*47.)* Arnold is a social psychologist interested in learning about people's reactions to emergencies. He creates an experiment where his research assistant, Todd, pretends to have a heart attack in the middle of a busy coffee shop. From behind a one-way glass, Arnold observes and records the reactions of the customers in the coffee shop before emerging and explaining the nature of the experiment. Arnold has used ________.

c) deception

*10.)* In one study, participants were presented with words that were either consistent or inconsistent with their strongly held values. Participants showed quite strong reactions to the value inconsistent words. This suggests that we process information we ________.

c) disagree with quickly

*42.)* Carla has just run a series of experiments involving college students as participants. The experiments were all conducted in a controlled environment on campus. Carla is now interested in whether her findings would apply to both younger and older people in neighborhoods and towns outside of the college. Carla is concerned with ________.

c) external validity

*21.)* 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 ________.

c) level of lighting will affect employee productivity

Suppose you are telling your friend about a woman you just met. You tell your friend that this person seemed very compassionate and was interested in helping others; however, you couldn't recall whether she said she was a nurse or a businesswoman. On the basis of the ________ heuristic, your friend would probably think that she is a ________.

c) representativeness; nurse

Sarah supervises a work group of six colleagues in an advertising agency. Recently, the creativity of her work group has not been as high as it should be. To help boost the group's creativity, and keeping in mind the effects of mood on cognition, Sarah might ________.

c) take steps to put her group's members in a happier mood during work hours

Norman chronically buys and sells things on eBay. He is used to establishing an anchor in negotiating his way toward some endpoint, a sales price, an agreement about delivery time, shipping costs, etc. The anchor for him is almost always a way of dealing with ________.

c) uncertainty

Eric knows that plane crashes are extremely rare and statistically unlikely. However, he avoids flying and instead drives everywhere, even though he knows the likelihood of being injured in a car accident is far more likely than in a plane accident. Eric is being affected by the ________ heuristic.

d) availability

Andrew saw a TV commercial for a new video game that he had been wanting. The game was on sale for 50% off, but the store was set to close in two hours. Andrew was 15 minutes late getting to the store and missed the sale. To ease his distress about missing the sale, Andrew reasoned that he never really had a chance to get to the store before it closed because traffic was too heavy, even though he could have taken a different, quicker route. This is an example of ________.

d) counterfactual thinking

In thinking about a major assignment that is due in one week, Jacey focuses on the tasks to be accomplished and how she thinks she will approach each task. She does not spend much time thinking about how long similar tasks have taken her in the past. As a result, Jacey is likely to underestimate the amount of time needed for the assignment. This is probably because Jacey has ________.

d) never attempted a similar type of assignment in the past

*23.)* 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 ________.

d) number of components produced

*36.)* Results of systematic research indicate that our impression of a person whom we just met is influenced by ________.

d) our mood

Heuristics exert a strong influence on our thinking in large measure because they ________.

d) reduce the mental effort needed to make judgments and decisions