Cultural Psychology Exam 1

Which of the following is NOT a plausible response to the argument that cultural evolution is somehow different from biological evolution? A. Biological evolution does not choose what has a selective advantage to pass on. B. Cultural evolution can occur faster than biological evolution. C. Cultural evolution allows for more ideas to be transmitted. D. Cultural evolution allows for more ways of transmission than biological evolution.

A. Biological evolution does not choose what has a selective advantage to pass on.

Why do motivations for self-consistency appear weaker among East Asians than among Westerners? A. In the West, self-consistency correlates more strongly with subjective well-being and with being liked by others than it does in East Asia. B. Westerners who are consistent earn more money than those who are not. C. Motivations for self-consistency are not weaker among East Asians than among Westerners. D. East Asians tend to complete self-report scales with more extreme opinions than do Westerners. E. East Asian parents tend to punish their children when they act consistently.

A. In the West, self-consistency correlates more strongly with subjective well-being and with being liked by others than it does in East Asia.

Army recruits are assigned randomly into specific sleeping quarters, where they do a lot of socializing during break time and at night. The political and religious attitudes of the recruits were surveyed before they were assigned sleeping quarters, and then again after several weeks of training. The generals found that the recruits' political and religious ideas tended to form clusters based on sleeping quarters. Which of the following can best explain this situation? A. People in close quarters and contact tend to influence each other. B. Small differences lead to large effects. C. Useful ideas spread more easily. D. Minimally intuitive ideas are more transmittable. E. Early conditions have disproportionate influences.

A. People in close quarters and contact tend to influence each other.

American and Chinese children were recruited for a study. All children were either thirteen years old or five years old. They were first told that a child was happy every day the past week; then they were asked to predict the likelihood that the child would be happy tomorrow. To analyze the data, researchers matched 13-year-old American children's responses to those of the 13-year-old Chinese children. The same was done with the 5-year-old children's responses. Which of the following would be most likely to occur with this analysis? A. The difference in predicted likelihood between Chinese and American children is much greater for the 13-year-olds than for the 5-year-olds. B. Everyone would equally likely predict that the child would continue to be happy tomorrow. C. Everyone would equally likely predict that the child would be much less happy tomorrow. D. The difference in predicted likelihood between Chinese and American children has a consistent magnitude throughout the age groups. E. Chinese children would predict that the child would continue to be happy tomorrow; American children would predict that the child would be much less happy tomorrow.

A. The difference in predicted likelihood between Chinese and American children is much greater for the 13-year-olds than for the 5-year-olds.

All cultures congratulate their members' achievements to make them feel good about themselves, but some cultures are much more willing to do this than others. According to Norenzayan and Heine, what is this an example of? A. functional universal B. accessibility universal C. existential universal D. nonuniversal

A. functional universal

You are chatting with a stranger in a coffee shop. Every time you ask him something about himself, he talks about associations to which he belongs and clubs he has joined. He rarely talks about his own attributes. Which of the following best describes him? A. interdependent view of self B. low in self-awareness C. individualistic D. incremental theory of self

A. interdependent view of self

It is not at all unusual for the officers at Police Station 54 to observe their colleagues using confrontational interview techniques. Even though they do not personally like the technique, many officers believe that the practice is widely approved of by others and expected of them. This is an example of A. pluralistic ignorance. B. conformity. C. the autokinetic effect. D. a contemporary legend. E. fundamental attribution error.

A. pluralistic ignorance.

As the incoming CEO of a company where people of different ethnicities work in the same workspace, you have been given the task of creating a positive and friendly work environment. This means that people of different ethnicities should have trust in the company and have positive emotions toward each other. To do so, you plan to give a speech. According to the textbook, which of the following is the ideal approach to take in that speech? A. "Company parties every Friday night!" B. "Every race brings a different piece of the puzzle that, together, will help us accomplish great things." C. "Treat everyone the same—as a friend—to make this workplace a friendlier place." D. "There are no racial differences here—only one human race."

B. "Every race brings a different piece of the puzzle that, together, will help us accomplish great things."

Which of the following is an example of ethnocentrism? A. "Some cultures are better than others—that is a fact." B. "Those people from Culture X are weird. Rather than using forks to eat like we do, like people are supposed to, they like to pick things up using sticks to eat." C. "I grew up eating fish raw, but people from Culture X like to eat fish cooked. Different countries just have different food preferences." D. "We should be more tolerant of different ethnicities, and make that the key goal of the company."

B. "Those people from Culture X are weird. Rather than using forks to eat like we do, like people are supposed to, they like to pick things up using sticks to eat."

Which of the following depicts an evoked culture? A. Males from a village in the West Indies find thick lips to be attractive because thick lips evoke the most physiological arousal from males in the village. B. A culture uses the possession of meat as a status symbol due to the abundance of vegetation. C. A culture promotes harmony with the environment to appease the gods. D. Hockey players learn from the media that it is cowardly to fight wearing helmets. E. Tribe members learn from recent fatalities not to eat red salamanders.

B. A culture uses the possession of meat as a status symbol due to the abundance of vegetation.

How does cultural distance differ from cultural fit? A. The two are different ways of communicating the same concept. B. Cultural distance refers to culture-culture matching of variables, whereas cultural fit refers to person-culture matching of variables. C. Cultural fit refers to culture-culture matching of variables, whereas cultural distance refers to person-culture matching of variables. D. Cultural fit refers to cultures that endorse an assimilative acculturation strategy. E. Cultural distance refers to cultures that endorse a separation acculturation strategy.

B. Cultural distance refers to culture-culture matching of variables, whereas cultural fit refers to person-culture matching of variables.

Given the current research on personality and acculturation, you can predict that A. Jaedong, who is introverted, will fare worse early on in the acculturation process, whereas his friend Sehoon, who is extraverted, will fare worse over the long run. B. Jaedong, who is introverted, will acculturate more successfully in an introverted country than Sehoon, who is extraverted. C. Jaedong, who is extraverted, will acculturate more successfully than his friend Sehoon, who is introverted. D. Jaedong, who is extraverted, will proceed through a more severe period of culture shock on the acculturation curve compared with his friend Sehoon, who is introverted. E. Jaedong, who is introverted, will acculturate more successfully than his friend Sehoon, who is extraverted.

B. Jaedong, who is introverted, will acculturate more successfully in an introverted country than Sehoon, who is extraverted.

According to Jared Diamond, why were the germs brought by the Spaniards so much deadlier to the Incans than the Incan germs were to the Spaniards? A. The Spaniards had developed cleaner habits than the Incans. B. The Spaniards had lived in close proximity to domesticated animals for much longer than the Incans. C. The large Eurasian continent allowed the Spaniards to be exposed to a larger variety of germs than the relatively smaller South American continent of the Incans. D. The Incans lived closer together, so the Spanish germs were transmitted far more easily. E. The Spanish diet contained more antibiotic agents than the Incan diet.

B. The Spaniards had lived in close proximity to domesticated animals for much longer than the Incans.

East Asia is at a similar latitude to a region with many easily domesticated plants and animals. These early conditions benefit East Asian cultures such that they propelled these cultures to prosperity today. What is this scenario an example of? A. proximal causes B. distal causes C. transmitted culture D. evoked culture E. epidemiology of ideas

B. distal causes

The "terrible twos" is a developmental stage that (see textbook p. 187-188) A. is an existential universal. B. is a nonuniversal. C. signals adolescent rebellion later in life. D. is an accessibility universal. E. is a functional universal.

B. is a nonuniversal.

Varun is a Fijian immigrant to Canada. After observing him over time, his friends felt like he was not really participating in Canadian culture, nor did he seem to have much to do with his Fijian roots. Which of the following best describes Varun? A. L-shaped curve B. marginalization strategy C. culture shock D. adjustment E. separation strategy

B. marginalization strategy

Cross-cultural research on math achievement at school reveals that A. East Asian teachers teach more hours per day on average than American teachers. B. Americans spend more hours on math homework per week than do East Asians. C. Americans are more satisfied with their math performance than are East Asians. D. the cultural differences in math achievement are pronounced in elementary school but largely disappear by the time of high school graduation. E. East Asian children perform better than American children on arithmetic but not trigonometry.

C. Americans are more satisfied with their math performance than are East Asians.

Which of the following statements about ethnocentrism is true? A. It is when a person can use multiple cultural standards by which to judge behaviors. B. It suggests an understanding that one takes a purely objective perspective when examining cultural differences. C. It means that behaviors that do not seem normal tend to be viewed as less desirable. D. It is necessary for clearer definitions of what constitutes a cultural group.

C. It means that behaviors that do not seem normal tend to be viewed as less desirable.

Amy's daughter, Sophia, is going to be an architect. In order to increase her creativity, Amy wants Sophia to live temporarily in a few other countries for a year in each place, living among the citizens, before starting her job. Based on research on the relationship between multiculturalism and creativity, will Amy's plan for Sophia work? A. No, Sophia would count as a sojourner, and the creativity of sojourners does not benefit from intercultural contact. B. No, Sophia is prone to experiencing L-shaped curves, making it difficult for her to benefit from her experience. C. Yes, because this plan will lead to greater integrative complexity, which partially leads to higher levels of creativity. D. No, because if there is a poor cultural fit between Sophia and potential host cultures, then she would be too unhappy to gain creativity. E. Yes, because these experiences will lead to greater levels of networking, which is associated with creativity.

C. Yes, because this plan will lead to greater integrative complexity, which partially leads to higher levels of creativity.

A key difference between "cultural" psychologists and "general" psychologists is that: A. general psychologists believe that people everywhere are born with similar brains, whereas cultural psychologists believe that people are born with different kinds of brains in different cultures. B. general psychologists believe that experiences shape the mind, whereas cultural psychologists believe that experiences do not shape the mind. C. cultural psychologists believe that the mind is interdependent with context and content, whereas general psychologists believe that the mind is independent of context and content. D. general psychologists study people whose culture has been statistically controlled for.

C. cultural psychologists believe that the mind is interdependent with context and content, whereas general psychologists believe that the mind is independent of context and content.

Whereas _____________ describe(s) explanations using factors that occurred a long time ago, _____________ describe(s) explanations using factors that have direct and immediate effects. A. evoked culture; transmitted culture B. vertical transmission; horizontal transmission C. distal causes; proximal causes D. direct causes; indirect causes E. biological evolution; cultural evolution

C. distal causes; proximal causes

People from all cultures use umbrellas, but in some cultures umbrellas are used only to block rainwater, whereas in other cultures umbrellas are used only to block the sun. The use of umbrellas across cultures would thus be classified as a(n) A. functional universal. B. accessibility universal. C. existential universal. D. nonuniversal.

C. existential universal.

Takeshi discovers a lot of tips and tricks to give him an easier time playing his favorite computer game, which he proceeds to tell all of his gaming buddies. Which of the following does this best illustrate? A. emotional ideas spread more easily B. the autokinetic effect C. horizontal transmission D. pluralistic ignorance E. vertical transmission

C. horizontal transmission

If I told you that Jamie, an African American from New York (i.e., a member of a visible cultural minority within the United States), experienced identity denial yesterday, this means that, of the following situations, he experienced A. his mother making him food that his grandmother used to make. B. a man asking to see Jamie's ID when he went to the liquor store. C. someone of European descent not believing that Jamie was born in New York, insisting that he must have been born somewhere in Africa. D. a woman doubting whether Jamie actually likes watching movies. E. his African American friend insisting that they listen to some German rock music.

C. someone of European descent not believing that Jamie was born in New York, insisting that he must have been born somewhere in Africa.

Which of the following people is the best example of blending? A. Loni is able to jump back and forth between her Hawaiian heritage cultural views and her Texan host cultural views. B. Dongraegu has embraced both the cultural values of his Korean heritage culture as well as those of his Canadian host culture. C. Bjorn is from a Swedish town where many people immigrate, leading to a very multicultural atmosphere. D. Sarah gained a much more interdependent self-construal after spending the last ten years in China, albeit less than that shown by the Chinese. E. JŸrgen has decided to accept the cultural values of his American host culture to fit in better, disregarding values from his German heritage culture.

D. Sarah gained a much more interdependent self-construal after spending the last ten years in China, albeit less than that shown by the Chinese.

What is a proximal cause for why a small group of Spaniards was able to conquer the Incan empire? A. The Spaniards lived closer to livestock for thousands of years, unlike the Incans. B. The Incans had few species of cultivatable plants in contrast to the Spaniards. C. The Eurasian continent stretches largely from east to west, whereas the Americas stretch largely from north to south. D. The Spaniards had better weapons than the Incans. E. The Spaniards had more domesticated animals than the Incans.

D. The Spaniards had better weapons than the Incans.

Which of the following scenarios would most likely lead to Basdeo using frame-switching more than Mel? A. if Basdeo adopts a separation strategy while Mel adopts an assimilative strategy B. if Basdeo were more extraverted than Mel C. if Basdeo were more conscientious than Mel D. if Basdeo were a bicultural and Mel were a monocultural E. if Basdeo were low in bicultural identity integration and Mel were high in bicultural identity integration

D. if Basdeo were a bicultural and Mel were a monocultural

Stereotype threat occurs because A. people apply stereotypes to groups that they do not like. B. stereotypes are vulnerable to being disproved by counter-stereotypical information. C. it is damaging to a person's self-esteem if others share negative stereotypes of his or her group. D. people are at risk for sometimes acting in ways consistent with stereotypes and thereby proving the stereotype and creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. E. all believe in the content of stereotypes, even if they will not consciously admit it.

D. people are at risk for sometimes acting in ways consistent with stereotypes and thereby proving the stereotype and creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Participants are sitting in their own separate testing rooms and have been asked to write statements about what they think about themselves. After a while, a mirror magically appears on a wall in each room. Comparing their self-descriptions before and after the mirror appeared, how much do they differ? A. Participants from all cultures became more self-critical after the mirror appeared. B. American participants viewed themselves more negatively after the mirror appeared, and Japanese participants viewed themselves more positively after the mirror appeared. C. American participants viewed themselves more positively before the mirror appeared, and Japanese participants viewed themselves more negatively after the mirror showed up. D. Participants from all cultures viewed themselves more positively after the mirror appeared. E. American participants viewed themselves more negatively after the mirror appeared, and Japanese participants did not change their views after the mirror appeared.

E. American participants viewed themselves more negatively after the mirror appeared, and Japanese participants did not change their views after the mirror appeared.

Which of the following statements about the relationships between authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles is true? A. Authoritarian parenting and authoritative parenting involve similar levels of parental warmth. B. Both lead the child to be psychologically maladjusted. C. Authoritative parenting makes the child less happy than authoritarian parenting. D. Both help the child to be psychologically well adjusted. E. Authoritative parenting uses more democratic reasoning than does authoritarian parenting.

E. Authoritative parenting uses more democratic reasoning than does authoritarian parenting.

Foot-in-the-door is a persuasion technique whereby the requester makes a relatively small request of a target. Once the target says yes, the requester will make more, and incrementally more costly, requests. This works because people are motivated to be self-consistent. Your friend is a big fan of this technique, and thinks that this sales tactic is equally effective everywhere, no matter where he goes. Based on research by Cialdini and colleagues, is this true or false? A. False—susceptibility to the foot-in-the-door technique is a cultural invention B. True—there are no cultural differences in need for self-consistency, only peer-consistency C. False—the foot-in-the-door technique would work better in interdependent cultures than independent cultures D. True—susceptibility to the foot-in-the-door technique is an accessibility universal E. False—the foot-in-the-door technique would work better in the United States than in Poland

E. False—the foot-in-the-door technique would work better in the United States than in Poland

A key difference between evoked culture and transmitted culture is that A. evoked culture reflects more psychological differences, whereas transmitted culture reflects more behavioral differences. B. evoked culture spreads much quicker than transmitted culture. C. the majority of cultural differences are evoked rather than transmitted. D. evoked culture is more likely found in nonliterate societies, whereas transmitted culture is more common in literate societies. E. evoked culture is limited to a specific geographical setting, whereas transmitted culture can move across different ecologies.

E. evoked culture is limited to a specific geographical setting, whereas transmitted culture can move across different ecologies.

The finding that the prevalence of parasites in a region correlates positively with the degree that people value physical attractiveness is argued to be evidence for A. the Flynn effect. B. the ratchet effect. C. transmitted culture. D. theory of mind. E. evoked culture.

E. evoked culture.

Adolescent rebellion A. is observed in the vast majority of the world's cultures. B. may be seen in different societies, but it serves a different purpose in every culture. C. is universal, although adolescent violence is not. D. is especially pronounced in collectivistic societies. E. is more pronounced in individualistic cultural contexts.

E. is more pronounced in individualistic cultural contexts.

Pluralistic ignorance is likely to lead to A. an overall drop in IQ scores. B. rapid cultural evolution. C. intraregional cultural variation. D. accurate perceptions of the popularity of cultural norms. E. persistence of particular cultural practices.

E. persistence of particular cultural practices.

Your friend recently entered a few chess competitions, but lost them all really badly. If he has an entity theory of self, what is he most likely to do? A. chalk up the losses as being due to bad luck B.put in a lot of work to overcome his weaknesses C. question the fairness of the matches D. review video of his matches to find his mistakes E. think he has bad chess ÒgenesÓ

E. think he has bad chess ÒgenesÓ