Ch. 11 Psych

Which of the following statements is true of stereotype threat?

A person who experiences stereotype threat is well aware of stereotypical expectations for him or her as a member of a group.

Tom has left home and is attending college in a city far away from home where he doesn't know anybody. According to the principle of proximity, Tom will be most likely to make friends with

Bill, his roommate.

Which of the following is a similarity between the cognitive dissonance theory and self-perception theory?

Both theories suggest that behavior can change attitudes.

Dave is a handsome and famous celebrity. He has been dating Gabriela, a beautiful and popular actress, for the past two months, but he doesn't feel strongly committed to their relationship. Recently, Dave has been working on a new movie and several women have expressed their interest in getting to know him better. Dave is now contemplating whether he should stay with Gabriela or explore the more tempting alternatives. According to the investment model, what will Dave probably do next?

He will probably break up with Gabriela and give in to the temptation of dating other women.

Which of the following is true of agreeableness in the context of prosocial behavior?

It is related to greater volume in the posterior cingulate cortex.

Which of the following statements is true of the concept of risky shift?

It is the tendency for individuals to more willingly endorse riskier decisions when in a group than when they are alone

In the context of psychological factors in conformity, which of the following best describes informational social influence?

It refers to the influence people have on an individual because the individual wants to be right.

Which of the following statements is true of the frustration-aggression hypothesis?

It states that frustration always leads to aggression.

Which of the following conclusions was drawn from the Stanford prison experiment conducted by Zimbardo?

People are more likely to be evil when personal responsibility is removed.

In the context of social behavior, which of the following best explains why the bystander effect occurs?

People tend to look to the behavior of others for cues about what to do.

_____ involves strong components of sexuality and infatuation, and is often predominant in the early part of a love relationship.

Romantic love

You watch as Emma stumbles and drops her books in the hall. If you commit the fundamental attribution error when assessing Emma, how would you explain her behavior?

She is a clumsy person.

Which of the following statements is true of social comparison?

Social comparison helps identify distinctive characteristics of a person and helps in building an identity.

Which of the following is true of majority and minority influence in a group?

The minority in a group cannot win through normative pressure.

Which of the following statements about research on the "beautiful is good" stereotype is FALSE?

There is little truth to the "beautiful is good" stereotype. Attractive people do not really possess the positive characteristics of the stereotype.

According to the self-perception theory of attitudes, what do individuals do to make inferences about their attitudes?

They perceive their behavior.

Cindy recently played in a softball game in which she misplayed a ground ball for an error. Later, in the same game, she made a great catch on a very difficult play. According to the self-serving bias, she would attribute her error to _____ and her good catch to her _____.

a bad bounce/good fielding skills

In the context of research in the area of physical attractiveness, which of the following faces will most likely be rated as most attractive?

a composite of multiple faces that have been digitally blended to produce an "average" face

Based on Claude Steele and Eliot Aronson's research on stereotype threat, we should be especially concerned about instructions for standardized tests if they

ask for race/ethnic information before the test starts.

According to the self-perception theory,

behaviors can cause attitudes.

Allison is at a workshop where a presenter is attempting to persuade people to make a rather risky but potentially profitable financial investment. The arguments for investing appeal to logic and reason. After slowly and carefully considering the presenter's arguments, Alison finds that this person's idea sounds compelling and decides to invest. This example best demonstrates the

central route to persuasion.

According to the cognitive dissonance theory, when attitudes and behavior conflict, individuals tend to reduce cognitive dissonance by

changing their attitudes to fit the behavior.

When people try to confront Alfred about drinking too much alcohol, he replies, "Drinking may be harmful to my health, but I'll die having a good time." This statement made by Alan illustrates his attempt to reduce

cognitive dissonance

Hugh bought a new calculator at Staples for $125. One week later, he saw an ad from Walmart showing the same calculator on sale for $65. Hugh said to himself, "I'm glad I got my calculator at Staples; the ones at Walmart are probably defective. I don't mind having paid more for mine." Hugh's statement reflects

cognitive dissonance reduction.

Sherif's Robbers Cave study showed that perceptions of the out-group are affected by

competitive and cooperative activities.

Which of the following is most likely to reduce the kinds of group biases that exist in face-to-face groups? A. crowd psychology

crowdsourcing

Ralph just started taking guitar lessons last week. Jimmie has been playing guitar for almost 20 years. According to the concept of social facilitation, performing in front of an audience of strangers and friends tonight is likely to _____ Ralph's performance and _____ Jimmie's performance.

decrease/enhance

June is usually very quiet, but she recently discovered a different side of herself. During Mardi Gras, she found herself swept up in the festivities, doing the things that the other party-goers were doing. These were not behaviors that she would have ever considered engaging in on her own. Social psychologists would most likely attribute June's behavior to

deindividuation.

Equity is a strong predictor of relationship satisfaction

during the early but not later stages of a relationship.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

effects show the potential power of stereotypes and other sources of expectations on human behavior.

Andrew openly criticizes the Asian Americans in his neighborhood. He says that the presence of these "outsiders" has led to an increase in the crime rate in the United States. Others in his neighborhood do not agree with him. His openly shared racist attitude is an example of

explicit racism.

A person on campus walks up to you and asks if you would be willing to wear a ribbon to show support for her cause. Though the ribbon is a bit unattractive, it is small so you agree to wear it. After agreeing to this request, the solicitor then asks you if you would be willing to make a donation of $15. This example best demonstrates the

foot-in-the-door technique.

. You come to a conclusion that Carla is a naturally anxious woman. You ignore the fact that Carla is currently taking finals and working 40 hours per week. You are demonstrating the

fundamental attribution error.

One explanation for the effects of deindividuation in groups is that groups

give people anonymity.

Katie, who is moderately liberal, attends a very liberal college. After four years at this college, Katie is likely to become more liberal as a result of

group polarization.

You are watching golf and see Tiger Woods scowl. You would be making the fundamental attribution error if you assumed that

he has an angry and volatile personality.

The elaboration likelihood model

identifies two ways to persuade: a central route and a peripheral route

In a study based on Tajfel's theory of social identity, Cathy is randomly assigned to Group A, and Sara is randomly assigned to Group B. When asked to award money to other study participants, both Cathy and Sara award money only to members of their own groups. This behavior is predicted by Tajfel's theory and best exemplifies

in-group favoritism.

Rosalie was invited to a black-tie dinner at the Ritz Carlton. She's never been served a 10-course meal before, so she's unfamiliar with the social etiquette regarding silverware selection. Since Rosalie is in a foreign environment, she gets through the night by watching others who appear to know what they are doing. For each course, she follows their selection of silverware. Rosalie is guided by

informational social influence.

Jack and John were recently dumped by their girlfriends. Jack believes that his girlfriend broke up with him because she is selfish and unhappy, whereas John believes that his girlfriend broke up with him because she had to attend to a family emergency and could not make a commitment right now. Jack is making a(n) _____ about his girlfriend's behavior, whereas John is making a(n) _____.

internal attribution/external attribution

Central route persuasion

involves engaging someone thoughtfully with a sound, logical argument.

In the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion, the central route

is more persuasive when people have the ability and the motivation to pay attention.

According to research on aggressive behavior, which of the following personality factors is mostly associated with aggression?

low levels of conscientiousness

In the context of persuasion strategies, the door-in-the-face technique involves

making the biggest pitch first.

Joyce has the potential to be an honor student but frustrates her teachers because of her actions. Rather than working to succeed, she tends to "dummy down" to act more like the students that she hangs out with. She has at times answered questions incorrectly in class on purpose to be more like her friends. Joyce's behavior is due to

normative social influence.

Robert, a nine-year-old boy, loves watching wrestling on TV. Last night, he used several of the aggressive wrestling moves on his little brother. Which of the following theories best explains William's behavior?

observational learning

A man who slaps his wife during an argument is most likely exhibiting

overt aggression.

The factor that differentiates Jerry Burger's recreated Milgram's study from the original Milgram's experiment is that, in Burger's study

participants were never allowed to go higher than 150 volts.

Despite evidence to the contrary, Denise thinks she is smarter than most of the people in her class. Denise's unfounded attitude about herself is an example of a(n)

positive illusion.

In the context of group decision making, which of the following is a symptom of groupthink?

pressure for unanimity

Festinger's social comparison theory

provides an important rationale for how individuals come to know themselves.

According to the social facilitation effect, the presence of others is likely to

reduce performance on difficult tasks

Social psychologists believe that _____ is particularly strong during the early stages of a relationship, and that _____ increases as the relationship grows and matures.

romantic love/affectionate love

In the context of group decision making, groupthink can be prevented by

selecting an impartial leader.

Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobsen conducted a study in 1968. The researchers told grade-school teachers that five students were likely to be "late bloomers"—that these students had high levels of ability that would likely emerge over time. In reality, the students had been randomly selected by the researchers. Nonetheless, a year later, the researchers found that teachers' expectations for the "late bloomers" were reflected in student performance—the academic performance of the "late bloomers" was beyond that of other students. The results from this study demonstrate which of the following concepts?

self-fulfilling prophecy

Parents warn a new babysitter that their son, Dennis, is very aggressive and mischievous. As a result of this initial expectation, the babysitter starts calling Dennis "Dennis the Menace," and he behaves in ways that elicit aggressive and mischievous behaviors from Dennis. This example best demonstrates the phenomenon called

self-fulfilling prophecy.

Juanita returned home after being away for several years. When she saw her father, whom she thought she disliked, she hugged him and cried. Based on her crying when she saw him, she determined that she must like him more than she thought. This is most consistent with the of attitudes

self-perception theory

"Am I as popular as Cathy?" This question is an example of gaining self-knowledge through the process of

social comparison.

You are studying in a quiet but crowded library when you suddenly start coughing. You soon notice others doing the same thing. This is an example of

social contagion.

Melissa and John have been happily married for 30 years because they have ensured that they have no opportunities to fight. Both of them have jobs so they contribute proportionately to the household income, and they equally share all other responsibilities. Melissa and John's happy marriage can best be explained by the

social exchange theory.

Dr. McCall found that class projects were of poorer quality when students worked in groups compared to when each student did an individual project. This difference is best explained by the phenomenon of

social loafing

Individuals who have positive illusions about the self

tend to show high levels of psychological well-being.

Social loafing refers to the

tendency for people to exert less effort when working in groups than when working alone.

The advertising committee for a politician is going door to door and asking people to put a big, ugly election sign on their lawn. If the people refuse, they ask them if they would consider putting a smaller sign on the lawn. The staff is using

the door-in-the-face technique.

Although Jeff frequently exceeds the speed limit by at least 10 mph, he justifies his behavior by erroneously thinking that most other drivers do the same. This belief best illustrates

the false consensus effect.

Lily does not approve of abortion. She is shocked when she finds out how many people in her state hold pro-choice attitudes. This is an example of

the false consensus effect.

According to _____, people who have first agreed to a small request tend to comply later with a larger request.

the foot-in-the-door technique

John is selling magazine subscriptions and chocolates. He asks you whether you are interested in buying some chocolates for $1 and you say yes. When you go to get the money to pay for the chocolates and return to the door, John asks you if you would also like to buy a $25 subscription to a variety of magazines. Even though you don't read magazines, you agree to buy a magazine subscription. This is an example of

the foot-in-the-door technique.

Which theory of attraction suggests that long-term relationships are likely to continue when both partners are committed and put a lot into the relationship and when there are few attractive tempting alternatives around?

the investment model

Susan drives by an unusually colorful apartment building each day on her way to and from work. Initially, she does not think much of the structure and has a mild dislike for it. However, after several months of commuting, she starts to like the apartment building and is even considering renting an apartment there. This change in Susan's feelings about the building best demonstrates

the mere exposure effect.

Psychologists believe that the social facilitation effect occurs because

the presence of other individuals arouses us.

Whenever Claudia gets an A on her psychology exam, she believes it was due to the fact that she is an intelligent, hard-working student. However, when she receives a C on an exam, she blames the instructor's ineffective teaching style and poor choice of test questions. Claudia's behavior is an example of

the self-serving bias.

Rob and Deandra are members of a football team. Their self-esteem is greatly affected by their team's performance. They tend to compare their team with that of the opponents in order to improve their self-image. Which of the following theories best explains this scenario?

the social identity theory

From the perspective of the investment model of close relationships, long-term relationships are most likely to continue when

there are few tempting alternatives for the partners.

Cognitive dissonance theory states that in order to reduce dissonance, individuals

try to align their attitudes and behavior.

Attribution theory

views people as motivated to discover the underlying causes of their behavior as part of their effort to make sense of the behavior.

The bystander effect is most likely to occur

when someone is witnessing an emergency and there are several other people present.