Chapter 4 social psychology

Which of the following statements is consistent with research findings on the impact of physical attractiveness?

A) Physically attractive people are more likely to be hired for managerial positions

In the process of self presentation, a person who "acts the part" may alter his or her self-image via the process of

A) Self-perception

Which of the following statements about people who have high levels of testosterone is FALSE?

A) They are more likely to smile to achieve their goals.

Which of the following is FALSE regarding the nonverbal behavior of those with higher status?

A) They tend to look at others while listening but look away while talking

When are people more likely to be concerned with appearing competent?

A) after a recent failure

Which of the following is a strategy for conveying status and power?

A) basking in reflected glory

After their football team has won a game, fans are more likely to wear items displaying team logos. This is an example of

A) basking in reflected glory.

The process of presenting our associations with successful, high-status others or events is called

A) basking in reflected glory.

People may distance themselves from unsuccessful, low-status others in a process known as

A) cutting off reflected failure.

Linda possesses a strong desire to perform effectively because she realizes that this will boost her public self-image. Linda is especially likely to

A) engage in self-promotion.

Basking in reflected glory is a self-presentational tactic to

A) enhance one's likability. B) enhance one's apparent competence. C) enhance one's apparent status. D) all of the above

According to your text, in some societies, tribal leaders do the following to move up the status hierarchy

A) hold potlatches. B) give away valuable goods. C) destroy valuable goods. D) all of the above Answer: D

Imagine that you are visiting a graduate school to which you have applied. You would be more likely to engage in self-presentation during your visit

A) if you believe the people who recruited you see you as not very qualified for their program.

Modesty was discussed in the text as a self-presentation tactic to increase a person's

A) likability.

Katrina expresses liking for Lina and often pays her compliments. Katrina's strategies are likely motivated by her desire to appear

A) likable.

Paulette wishes to obtain a favor from her professor, so she praises him over the phone. At the same time, however, she also makes faces and rolls her eyes for the benefit of her roommates who are witnessing her conversation. According to your text, Paulette is attempting to

A) manage the multiple audience dilemma

The ________ refers to situations in which an individual needs to present different images to different observers, often at the same time.

A) multiple audience dilemma

The text defines self-promotion as an attempt to get others to

A) see us as competent.

As described in your text, people who engage in ________ withdraw effort or create obstacles to successes in order to maintain public and private self-images of competence.

A) self-handicapping

Which of the following is NOT a self-handicapping strategy?

A) telling others that you lack skill/competence

In one study described in the text, students were asked to wear a Barry Manilow t-shirt during conversation with other students. The study demonstrated the spotlight effect by showing that

A) those wearing the shirt overestimated the likelihood other students would notice their t-shirt.

Fred engages in self-promotion by always dressing professionally, appearing busy, constantly talking on his cell phone, and mentioning all the famous people he knows. Fred appears to be utilizing the strategy of

A) using the trappings of competence.

People become more concerned with strategic self-presentation under all of the following conditions EXCEPT

A) when they are low in self-monitoring.

People are more likely to display status and power

A) when valuable new resources are available.

People are more likely to engage in self-handicapping behavior when they

A) wish to avoid appearing incompetent. B) are male rather than female. C) have fragile self-esteem. D) all of the above Answer: D

Researchers comparing the self-presentation tactics of women and men have observed that

A) women are more motivated to be liked than are men.

Researchers comparing the self-presentation tactics of women and men have observed that in social situations

A) women smile more than men.

Define basking in reflected glory and cutting off reflected failure, and state what purpose they serve.

Answer: Basking in reflected glory is the process of presenting our associations with successful, high-status others and events. Cutting off reflected failure is the process of distancing ourselves from unsuccessful, low-status others or events. Both serve the purpose of helping individuals to convey status and power.

Although ingratiation strategies can provide benefits, some of them also have potential risks. What are some potential risks of ingratiation strategies such as flattery and projecting modesty?

Answer: Flattery: it may be seen as insincere, especially by third parties. Modesty: if people know that you are successful, they may believe your modest statements; people may see you as low in self-esteem or lacking self-insight; if seen as insincere, people may see you as arrogant and smug.

Describe the three goals of self-presentation as well as one strategy for achieving each of them.

Answer: Goals: appearing likable, appearing competent, conveying status and power.

Describe the three goals of self-presentation. Then, for each, provide one detailed example of how YOU sought to achieve each of these goals, and explain which particular strategy YOU used in your attempt to achieve them.

Answer: Goals: appearing likable, appearing competent, conveying status and power.

Define ingratiation and describe two strategies that people use to ingratiate themselves.

Answer: Ingratiation is an attempt to get others to like us. The four strategies are: expressing our liking for others; creating similarity; making ourselves physically attractive; projecting modesty.

Explain the multiple audiences dilemma and give an example.

Answer: It is the situation in which a person needs to present different images to different audiences, often at the same time.

Describe two of the examples provided in the textbook of interactions between the person and the situation. What goals did they serve?

Answer: Multiple audiences, appearing likable; competence checks, appearing competent; interpersonal cycle of self-promotion, appearing competent; different strategies for different audiences, conveying status and power.

Explain the paradox of self-handicapping and how it is a strategy for appearing competent.

Answer: Self-handicapping is the behavior of withdrawing effort or creating obstacles to one's future success. It can serve as a means for appearing competent because the person has a ready made excuse for possible poor performance

Define self-monitoring. Would someone high or low on self-monitoring be more likely to act differently across situations? Why?

Answer: Self-monitoring: the tendency to be chronically concerned with one's public image and to adjust one's actions to fit the needs of the current situation. People who are high on selfmonitoring act more inconsistently because they adjust their self-presentation to fit the situation

Define the spotlight effect and provide an example of how it works.

Answer: The tendency for people to think that others are paying much closer attention to them than they really are.

Describe one reason that people self-present, and give an example.

Answer: Three possible reasons: obtain desirable resources from others; to construct a self image; they help others know how we expect to be treated.

Describe three gender differences in the use of ingratiation tactics.

Answer: Women tend to use them more; women tend to smile more; women are more likely to adjust their opinion to match the opinions of others; women are more concerned with their physical appearance than are men; women present themselves more modestly than men.

Describe the self-presentational dilemma faced by aspiring women.

Answer: Women who present their status and power are frequently disliked by both men and women. Therefore, women must take care not to be too task-oriented, too domineering, or too assertive.

According to the textbook, why is Hillary Clinton so widely disliked?

Answer: Women who present their status and power are frequently disliked by both men and women. Therefore, women must take care not to be too task-oriented, too domineering, or too assertive. Clinton unabashedly displays her status and power, shows confidence in her own competence, and is often blunt and to the point.

Who among the following individuals would be most likely to act modestly?

B) Chunyan, who is talking to her friends from Korea

Which of the following is TRUE regarding our ability to detect deception (lying) in others?

B) People are not very accurate when attempting to detect lying by intimates, but may become

The polygraph method of detecting lying rests on which of the following assumptions?

B) People become physiologically aroused when lying.

Which of the following is TRUE of self-handicapping behavior?

B) People engage in self-handicapping behavior when they doubt that previous achievements accurately reflect their personal abilities and efforts.

Which of the following is TRUE about ingratiation in the business world?

B) Persons who ingratiate themselves to their superiors tend to be paid more than those who do not ingratiate themselves

Oren has just met some new people and he wants to get them to like him. Based on the information presented in your text, which of the following tactics would you recommend to Oren?

B) Point out some minor/unimportant weaknesses in himself.

Which of the following is NOT discussed in the text as a motive for engaging in self-presentation

B) To conserve mental effort

Who among the following individuals would be most likely to behave in a friendly, ingratiating way?

B) a female

The desire to perform effectively because gaining mastery is challenging and interesting is called

B) achievement motivation.

People use the strategy of "staging performances" in order to

B) appear competent.

You are working on a project as a research assistant for a psychology professor. Which of the following would make you LESS successful in getting the professor to like you?

B) avoid eye contact

Nicole has just met some new people in her dorm. During a discussion of campus issues, she modifies her opinions so that they match those of her new friends. The most likely reason Nicole did this is that

B) creating similarity is a successful ingratiation strategy.

The text discusses which of the following as a strategy for conveying status and power?

B) cutting off reflected failure

Anger is sometimes used to display one's

B) dominance.

Individuals who are shy tend to

B) focus on preventing unfavorable public images, rather than on acquiring favorable public images.

During a job interview Sarah is invited into a room with another applicant and both are asked questions about their career prospects, experience, and so forth. According to research, Sarah will be likely to present herself

B) more favorably if the other applicant actively self-promotes herself.

According to research discussed in the text, if you try to fake a smile, the recipient might perceive it as fake because

B) people have a difficult time controlling the muscles that normally crinkle their eyes in a true smile.

According to the textbook, self-presentation is typically about

B) revealing ourselves.

If you like to put on a show, are good at acting, and try to behave in ways that will be approved of by others, you would likely score high on a test of

B) self-monitoring.

Tony isn't very concerned about his public image and doesn't expend much effort trying to make people like him. He probably would score low on a test of

B) self-monitoring.

Making excuses, claiming obstacles, staging performances, and "dressing the part" are all strategies of

B) self-promotion.

The text discusses "self-handicapping" as related to which goal of self-presentation?

B) to appear competent

The text discusses ingratiation as related to which goal of self-presentation?

B) to appear likable

According to research,

B) very few people are even minimally good at detecting strangers' lies.

Chris, who is a socially confident person, and his friend Simon, who is very shy, are checking their GRE scores. Neither of them performed very well. How will they predict they will perform in the future

C) Chris will be likely to predict better performance in the future, if he doesn't expect to retake the GRE soon

What have researchers found about the effects of expressed modesty on interpersonal attraction across cultures?

C) Immodesty, when it is truthful, is tolerated more by African Americans than by European Americans

Which of the following is an example of the spotlight effect?

C) Monica mistakenly thinks lots of people are staring at her bad haircut in the mall.

Which of the following statements about the connection between self-esteem and selfhandicapping is FALSE?

C) People with high self-esteem are more likely to self-handicap publicly, whereas people with low self-esteem are more likely to self-handicap privately.

The process through which we try to controk the imoressions peopke form of us is known as

C) Self-presentation

Which of the following individuals would be liked more if he or she expressed a taskoriented, dominant behavior?

C) a man talking to a woman

In a study on the effects of expressed modesty on interpersonal attraction, black and white students read about a student described as either a nonbragger, a untruthful bragger, or a truthful bragger. The results of the study indicated that

C) black students liked the truthful bragger more than white students did.

The following are ways college students self-handicap EXCEPT

C) by practicing more than usual.

According to research based on the Facial Action Coding System, people

C) can often detect fake smiles.

People who want to perform effectively, either because attempting to achieve is challenging and interesting or because success leads to favorable self- and public images have high

C) competence motivation

Conspicuous consumption of material resources, basking in reflected glory, and cutting off reflected failure are discussed in the text as strategies of

C) conveying status and power.

All of the following are self-promotional strategies mentioned in your text EXCEPT

C) emphasizing similarity.

Richard usually feels tense, worried, and awkward in novel social situations and with unfamiliar people. When he meets new people he finds himself thinking: "Why am I so nervous? I have no idea what I'm going to say next." Which of the following would Richard be LESS likely to do?

C) engage in active self-promotion

Hillary Rodham Clinton had been acclaimed as one of the most important politicians in the United States. She is known by many to commit much of her talents to charitable work, and to be a loving and protective mother. Nevertheless, many other people dislike her. The science of selfpresentation suggests that this is because

C) people don't like women who are dominant and assertive

Moderating our presentation and presenting different messages on different communication channels are strategies used when we need to

C) present different self-images to different audiences

Men are more likely than women to

C) present themselves as having status and power.

Which of the following is NOT an ingratiation strategy?

C) projecting high status and power

The degree to which people believe others pay attention to them is called

C) public self-consciousness.

Which of the following is NOT an ingratiation strategy

C) self-handicapping

Helena has risen fast at the marketing company. Her success is due, in part, to her extraordinary social abilities. She is extremely skillful at detecting what others want and then tailoring her behavior to fit situational demands. She is also astute in detecting deception by others and not easily manipulated by others. Based on this information, you can predict that Helena would score high on

C) self-monitoring.

Research on the consequences of self-promotion indicates that

C) self-promoting statements can backfire and undermine an impression of competence.

Which of the following behaviors would be LESS likely to convey high status and power?

C) smiling and maintaining eye contact when listening

On his first date with Ingrid, Justin is extremely nervous. He fears that she will form an undesirable impression of him, despite his best efforts. According to your text, Justin is experiencing

C) social anxiety.

Jeremy invites his boss to a banquet where awards will be given to successful journalists. Jeremy expects to receive one of the awards at the banquet, and thinks his boss will be impressed to see him be recognized by others in the field. Inviting his boss to the banquet is an example of ________ in order to ________ .

C) staging performances; appear competent

Under which situation would Olga most likely attempt to self-present?

C) when interviewing for her dream job

Self-presentation can help people obtain desirable responses. One major disadvantage, however, is that

C) when people are caught "presenting" instead of being themselves, they are perceived as untrustworthy.

Emma is the manager of the accounting department in a big company. In which of the following situations will Emma be LESS motivated to behave in an ingratiating way?

C) when she is talking to the staff of the accounting department

You notice that John, one of your classmates, often pays compliments to your friends only to get them to form a more positive impression of him. When John pays you a compliment,

C) you will probably accept his compliments as sincere and start to like him more.

An old saying goes, "Flattery will get you nowhere." What has social psychological research revealed about flattery?

D) Although we are quick to interpret as insincere the compliments people make toward others, we readily accept compliments directed toward us.

Imagine you have been working in a big company for two years and you hope to be promoted to a managerial position. According to the dramaturgical perspective, you will increase your chances of being promoted if

D) Buy an expensive brief case and wear formal clothes to work as you would do if you were a manager

Cindy is highly attractive. Which of the following statements is most likely to be FALSE about Cindy?

D) Cindy is less likely to be elected to public office.

Which of the following statements about the polygraph method of detecting lying is TRUE?

D) Fear and/or anger experienced by the individual may be interpreted as lying.

According to research on the modesty norms across cultures, which of the following people is LEAST likely to brag?

D) Hong-yi, an Asian woman

Which of the following statements about the polygraph method of detecting lying is FALSE?

D) It shows better results when the suspect does not believe in the reliability of the test.

People are likely to display status and power when all BUT which of the following occur?

D) They are in a positive mood.

Howard the politician has a multiple audience dilemma: he wants to appear to one audience as a strong fighter against terrorism but wants to appear to another audience as opposed to a recent military campaign. Which of the following strategies is NOT a successful way to manage this dilemma?

D) When making a statement to one of the audiences, give nonverbal signals indicating that he does not really believe what he is saying.

Individuals are more likely to engage in active self-promotion when they are among others who are

D) actively self-promoting.

Which of the following is a strategy that people use when confronted with the multiple audience dilemma?

D) all of the above (A) delivering different messages through different channels of communication B) presenting opinions that are a compromise between the opinions of the two different audiences C) delaying delivery of a message until there is only one audience present)

Ingratiation is

D) an attempt to get others to like us.

Reilly has separate college interviews scheduled with a Roger, an African American, and Winnie, an Asian American. To be best liked, Reilly should

D) boast truthfully to Roger, but be modest with Winnie.

Projecting modesty in order to get someone to like you can be a successful strategy, but it has its risks. Which of the following is a risk mentioned in your text?

D) both A and B (A) If you appear insincere, people will think you are arrogant. B) If you are too modest, others might think that you possess very low self-esteem or little selfinsight)

Making excuses or claiming obstacles can be successful self-promotion strategies because they follow from the

D) discounting and augmenting principles.

Evelyn has recently become a manager of a department of ten people. She is concerned whether she should adopt an assertive self-promoting style or a more modest style. As a social psychologist, you can advise her that if she actively self-promotes herself, she will be

D) disliked by both her male and female colleagues

Professionals are able to detect lies in almost every case with which of the following methods?

D) none of the above

In a study at Princeton University described in the text, women who expected to meet a Princeton senior who was athletic and unattached tended to ________ in order to make themselves appear more ________.

D) shift their opinions to match his; similar

The fear of self-presentational failure has been labeled

D) social anxiety.

Which of the following self-presentational strategies is especially useful for people seeking to convey competence?

D) staging performances

Which of the following self-presentational dilemmas are women more likely to face than men?

D) to convey status and power and to be liked at the same time

When should one avoid staging public performances?

D) when you are not very competent.