Module 44

Mark was pretty aggressive when he was in his early 20's. At the drop of the hat he became angry and was quick to act violently. Now Mark is 60 years old and is much calmer than he was back then. What happened?

His testosterone levels have decreased

_____ is an unjustifiable, usually negative, attitude toward a group and its members.

Prejudice

Based on the information presented in the text, what is the most likely outcome experienced by children who frequently play violent video games?

They are more likely to engage in aggressive and delinquent behaviors.

Nineteen-year-old Tom has spent five hours a day playing violent video games since he was eight years old. According to research on the effects of violent video game usage, one can predict that Tom will likely:

display desensitization to violent images, as shown by blunted brain responses on an fMRI

High rates of violence are most common among those who experience minimal levels of:

father care

Studies have revealed diminished activity in the ________ of violent criminals.

frontal lobes

Recently Tanya has been caught in heavy traffic when traveling to and from work. This situation has caused her to arrive to work late and arrive home at a much later time than normal. When she comes home, she slams the front door and tends to yell more at her children and husband over things that are rather insignificant. This behavior can best be explained by the:

frustration-aggression principle

The presence of sex-selective abortions in Asian countries is an example of:

gender prejudice

Pit bulls have a reputation for aggressive behavior, are frequently involved in dog fighting, and have acted aggressively toward people. This demonstrates:

genetic influences on aggression

Janie is amazed how Jim can recognize and identify people who are of Asian ethnic groups while she really struggles with this type of identification. One can assume from this example that Jim:

has more experience interacting with Asian people

People with whom a common identity is shared is an:

ingroup

In the United States in the late 1980s, most Democrats believed inflation had risen under Republican president Ronald Reagan when in fact it had declined. This was likely a result of:

ingroup bias

Kelly is a Republican and Carlos is a Democrat. Both believe that the members of their own political party are more fair-minded and trustworthy than members of any other party. This belief best illustrates:

ingroup bias

The tendency to favor one's own group, the group with whom a person shares a common identity, is called:

ingroup bias

This is the tendency to favor one's own group.

ingroup bias

Nestor belongs to the cross-country ski club at his college but is not a member of the downhill ski club. In terms of basic social categories, the members of Nestor's cross-country ski club are the _____ and the members of the downhill ski club are the _____.

ingroup; outgroup

The social group to which a person belongs is called the _____, and the social group to which a person does not belong is called the _____.

ingroup; outgroup

The jury deliberated on the rape case for more than eight hours. Some of the jurors commented that the rape victim had a history of going out to various bars and had been dressed too provocatively. These jurors said that by looking like that, she had been asking to be assaulted. Their opinion is best explained in terms of the:

just-world phenomenon

The tendency to believe that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get is called the:

just-world phenomenon

Bullying younger children earns Diego the attention and respect of many classmates. As a result, his bullying behavior increases. This most clearly suggests that his aggression is a(n):

learned response.

Which of the following is a social-cultural influence on the expression of aggressive behavior?

minimal paternal involvement in the lives of children

Although the leaders of two nations admit to a buildup of their own military forces, each sees the actions of the other country as unreasonable and motivated by evil intentions. This situation best illustrates:

mirror-image perceptions

Those perceived as different or apart from one's group are their:

outgroup

This is an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group.

prejudice

Negative attitudes toward another group of people are referred to as _____ and are based on a mixture of beliefs called _____.

prejudice; stereotypes

The _____ theory proposes that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame.

scapegoat

Studies imply that people exhibit heightened levels of prejudice when they are economically frustrated. This offers support for the:

scapegoat theory

Aggressive behavior in males has been linked with low levels of _____ and high levels of _____.

serotonin; testosterone

The text proposes that categorization, one of the roots of prejudice, arises from the mind's desire to:

simplify the world

Marty enjoys watching violent action movies and television shows on most evenings, as well as listening to music with violent lyrics. When faced with real-life conflict, he tends to respond with aggressive behavior because he believes that he needs to "act like a man." According to social psychologists, his beliefs may be caused by _____, which are mental files for how to act.

social scripts

Thomas enjoys watching violent pornography. When he goes out with a woman, he expects her to be submissive to his sexual demands; when he is turned down he becomes violent. Research done by social psychologists suggests that his beliefs are caused by _____, which are mental files for how to act.

social scripts

Which of the following can be defined as a cluster of characteristics that are associated with all members of a specific social group, often including qualities that are unrelated to the objective evidence that define the group?

stereotype

Shortly after learning he did not make it onto his high school football team, Alex vandalized the team's locker room and broke several of the school's windows. His behavior is best explained in terms of:

the frustration-aggression principle

When the temperatures go up in the summer, the rates of violent crimes increase. This is best explained in terms of:

the frustration-aggression principle

Marcus was upset because his boss, who had promised him a raise, decided not to give him the raise and to give it to a rival of Marcus instead. Marcus told his wife that he believed "what comes around goes around" and that both will "get theirs." This is an example of:

the just-world phenomenon

While visiting the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp shortly after World War II, one German civilian is said to have remarked, "What terrible criminals these prisoners must have been to receive such treatment." This reaction is best explained in terms of:

the just-world phenomenon

The tendency to recall faces of one's own race more accurately than faces of other races is called:

the other-race effect

The tendency to recall faces of one's own race more accurately than faces of other races is referred to as:

the other-race effect

Those perceived as different or apart from one's ingroup are referred to as:

the outgroup

After the attacks on the United States in 2001, some Americans boycotted Arab-American stores and lashed out at any Middle-Eastern person they saw. This behavior is best explained in terms of:

the scapegoat theory

Why do many high school students form cliques (jocks, gamers, skaters, gangsters, freaks, geeks)?

the urge to distinguish enemies from friends

Twenty Wallonians were arrested for nonviolent crimes, whereas 20 Pireaneans were arrested for violent crimes. The tendency to judge that more crimes were committed by Pireaneans than by Wallonians best illustrates the power of:

vivid cases.

_____ can be defined as any physical or verbal behavior that is intended to hurt or destroy.

Aggression

Prejudice is a negative _____; discrimination is a negative _____.

attitude; behavior

Discrimination is a negative _____, whereas prejudice is a negative _____.

behavior; attitude

Discrimination is to _____ as prejudice is to _____.

behavior; attitude

Prejudice contains

both actions and beliefs

Prejudice contains:

both beliefs and emotions.

Seven-year-old Marcus's parents use harsh physical punishment and verbal intimidation to control his behavior. Studies have shown that if his parents continue this type of discipline, Marcus is more likely to:

demonstrate delinquent behavior in the future