Chapter 12 Psych

Vince has always believed children deserve the best prenatal care available. During a class
discussion, he hears the first of several speakers express negative attitudes toward spending tax
money on prenatal care for the poor. When it is his turn to speak, he voices an opinion more in
keeping with the previous speakers. Vince’s behavior is an example of
a) compliance.
b) persuasion.
c) conformity.
d) obedience.

c Conformity involves going along with the group despite one’s real opinion. Compliance would be the case if someone had asked him to voice an opinion in keeping with the previous speakers. In this case, Vince did it on his own as a result of internal pressure to conform.

Which of the following researchers conducted a series of studies on conformity that involved having a
subject judge the length of three lines after a group of confederates all reported an obviously incorrect
answer?
a) Jane Elliot
b) Stanley Milgram
c) Philip Zimbardo
d) Solomon Asch

d Asch conducted the well-known studies on conformity. Milgram studied obedience in his famous studies with electrical shock.

____________ occurs when people begin to think that it is more important to maintain a group’s
cohesiveness than to objectively consider the facts.
a) Groupthink
b) The lowball technique
c) Obedience
d) Social loafing

a Groupthink describes the thought processes that can dominate a group of individuals.

All of the following are causes for groupthink EXCEPT
a) the belief that the group can do no wrong.
b) the belief that the group is invulnerable.
c) the belief that opposition to the group is unsound.
d) openness to differing opinions.

d Groupthink results in lack of differing opinions. Believing that the group can do no wrong is actually a cause for groupthink

At the supermarket, a demonstrator gives away free samples of a new pizza. He also gives each
taster a coupon worth $1 off his or her grocery bill. This manufacturer is depending on the social
process of ________ to increase sales.
a) norm of reciprocity
b) deindividuation
c) group polarization
d) social facilitation

a The norm of reciprocity involves the tendency of people to feel obligated to give something in return after they have received something. Social facilitation is an increase in performance caused by greater arousal.

Selena is trying to get her boyfriend to wash the dishes for her. To start with, she asks her boyfriend
to cook dinner for her. When her boyfriend refuses, she asks, "Well, will you at least wash the
dishes then?" To which he readily agrees. Selena has just used the
a) foot-in-the-door technique.
b) door-in-the-face technique.
c) lowball technique.
d) that’s-not-all technique.

b The door-in-the-face technique involves asking for a large request that you know will be refused followed up by a smaller request, which many people then agree to

Changing one’s behavior due to a direct order of an authority figure is referred to as
a) compliance.
b) obedience.
c) conformity.
d) persuasion.

b Obedience involves changing your behavior due to an order from "above," while conformity involves changing your behavior to better "fit in" with others around you

Imagine 100 individuals are asked to take part in a replication of Milgram’s famous study on
obedience. How are these 100 people likely to respond?
a) The majority would administer 450 volts as instructed.
b) The majority would immediately realize the use of deception and leave.
c) Most of the women would refuse to obey, whereas almost all of the men would obey.
d) Most of the participants would work together to force the experimenter to end the experiment.

a The Milgram experiment has been repeated at various times, in the United States and in other countries, and the percentage of participants who went all the way consistently remained between 61 and 66 percent. In addition, few differences between males and females have been found

A teacher decides against assigning group projects in which all group members get the same grade.
What social psychological phenomenon might the teacher be concerned about?
a) conformity
b) social loafing
c) social influence
d) social facilitation

b The teacher knows that some students will slack off if they are not being evaluated for their individual performance, due to a phenomenon known as social loafing.

Ashley has practiced her drum routine over and over. When she gets up to play it at the recital in
front of 100 people, she performs it better than she ever has. Her improved performance is an
example of
a) social compliance.
b) persuasion.
c) social facilitation.
d) social impairment.

c Social facilitation is the term for the positive effect on one’s performance caused by the perception that others are watching.

Which of the following is the best example of the behavioral component of an attitude?
a) Bea feels recycling is a great concept.
b) Bob is upset when he hears a corporation plans to build a polluting plant near his home.
c) Bill struggles to understand the arguments both sides present in a debate over a new
manufacturing plant.
d) Betty writes a letter to her senator asking for support of a law making corporations responsible for the pollution they cause.

d Writing is an action, or behavior. The fact that Bill struggled to understand indicates that what he is doing is cognitive.

Which of the following is not a factor that influences attitude formation?
a) direct contact with an individual
b) DNA inherited from your parents
c) instructions from your parents
d) observing someone else’s actions

b Attitude formation is believed to occur solely through the learning process and is not considered to be something that is inherited biologically.

Kerry’s positive attitude toward China, even though she has never been there, seems to be related to
the fact that her mother is Chinese and talks about China all the time with Kerry. Which method of
attitude formation is involved in this example?
a) direct contact
b) direct instruction
c) interaction with others
d) classical conditioning

c The fact that Kerry’s mother talks about China all the time with Kerry and is Chinese indicates that her attitude is the result of interaction with her mother.

Which communicator would likely be most persuasive?
a) an attractive person who is an expert
b) a moderately attractive person who is an expert
c) an attractive person who has moderate expertise
d) a moderately attractive person who has moderate expertise

a Attractiveness and expertise have been shown to increase persuasiveness.

_____________ describes the situation in which people attend to the content of a message.
a) Central-route processing
b) Cognitive dissonance
c) Social facilitation
d) Peripheral-route processing

a In central-route processing, an individual pays attention to the content of the message, whereas in peripheral-route processing, an individual focuses on details other than the main content of the message.

Which of the following was a finding in the classic study by Festinger and Carlsmith (1959)?
a) Those who got $1 to perform a boring task said the task was more interesting than did
those who got $2.
b) Those who got $20 to perform a boring task said the task was more interesting than did
those who got $1.
c) Paid groups said the task was less boring than did nonpaid groups.
d) Women performed the tasks for less money than men.

a The group that got paid less used cognitive dissonance to justify their poor pay for telling a lie.

. Which of the following represents an example of cognitive dissonance?
a) A boy learns how to ride a bicycle without the training wheels.
b) A father tells his daughter that he will really only be proud of her if she gets all A’s like
she did last semester.
c) A student stays up all night to study for an upcoming exam.
d) A woman argues that it is morally wrong to kill animals for food becomes upset when she
is asked to explain why she is wearing a leather belt and leather shoes.

d Cognitive dissonance is an emotional disturbance that occurs when a person’s actions don’t match his or her statements.

What is the term for the process of developing an opinion about another person?
a) social interaction
b) stereotyping
c) impression formation
d) interpersonal judgment

c Although stereotyping may be a component of impression formation, it is not the term for the process of developing an opinion about another person.

Toni sees a picture of the new international exchange student and notices that the student looks
happy, so Toni automatically assumes that he is also friendly. This automatic assumption about the
student’s personality is an example of
a) central-route processing.
b) implicit personality theory.
c) cognitive dissonance.
d) discrimination.

b Implicit personality theory represents the automatic associations a person makes about personality traits that are assumed to be related.

The process of explaining one’s own behavior and the behavior of other people is called
a) stereotyping.
b) attribution.
c) central-route processing.
d) cognitive dissonance .

b An attribute is an explanation for a person’s behavior. Stereotypes are preconceived ideas about a group of people.

"Look, Officer, I didn’t see the stop sign back there because the sun was in my eyes." The police
officer responds, "You were not paying attention." How would a social psychologist describe this
situation?
a) Both individuals were making fundamental attribution errors.
b) Both individuals were making situational attributions.
c) The driver was making a dispositional attribution; the officer was making a situational
attribution.
d) The driver was making a situational attribution; the officer was making a dispositional attribution.

d The driver attributed his error to something in his situation, the sun; whereas the officer attributed the driver’s error to something internal to him, his lack of attention.

While watching the TV game show Jeopardy, your roommate says, "The game show host, Alex
Trebek, knows all the answers. He must be a genius." You tell your roommate she probably would
not have said that if she had attended class the day the instructor discussed the topic of
a) social facilitation.
b) stereotyping illusions.
c) internal attribution biases.
d) fundamental attribution errors.

d Your roommate attributed something that is situational (Trebek gets the answers ahead of time) to an internal characteristic (genius). Although internal attribution bias sounds correct, it is not a term used in social psychology.

A bank loan officer thinks people who speak with an accent are lazy; consequently, he refuses to
grant them loans. The loan officer’s belief is an example of _______. His refusal to grant them loans
is an example of __________ .
a) discrimination; prejudice
b) stereotyping; attribution
c) attribution; stereotyping
d) prejudice; discrimination

d Prejudice is an unsupported, often negative belief about all people in a particular group, whereas discrimination is an action taken that is based on this belief. In this case, the action is the refusal to grant loans

The part of a person’s self-concept that is based on his or her identification with a nation, culture, or
ethnic group or with gender or other roles in society is called
a) the fundamental attribution error.
b) self-serving bias.
c) ethnocentrism.
d) social identity.

d Social identity refers to a person’s identity with his or her social group. Ethnocentrism is the process of viewing the world from your own viewpoint and failing to see alternative perspectives.

Which of the following does NOT represent an effective method for reducing prejudice?
a) establishing a jigsaw classroom
b) bringing diverse groups of people into contact with each other
c) learning about people who are different from you
d) establishing equal status contact between different groups of people

b Simply bringing groups together normally does not reduce prejudice unless all the members of the group have equal status and power in the group.

We tend to ___ attractive people more than we do less attractive people.
a) like
b) dislike
c) ignore
d) hate

a Social psychologists have found that we tend to like attractive people more than unattractive people.

When opposites attract it is said that they have __________ characteristics.
a) proximal
b) complementary
c) rewarding
d) reciprocal

b Things that "complement" each other tend to be opposites. The term proximity refers to nearness.

Which of the following was NOT a component of Robert Sternberg’s theory of love?
a) intimacy
b) lust
c) passion
d) commitment

b Sternberg’s theory of love includes the three components of intimacy, passion, and commitment.

Behavior that is intended to hurt or destroy another person is referred to as
a) empty love.
b) prejudice.
c) aggression.
d) dissonance.

c Aggression describes a type of behavior, whereas prejudice refers to a person’s attitude

The fact that a social role can lead to an increase in aggressive behavior points to __________ as a
major contributor to aggression.
a) biology
b) the environment
c) DNA
d) chemical influences

b The impact of the social role points to learning and the influence of the surrounding environment on an individual’s aggressive behavior.

What term refers to helping behavior that is performed voluntarily for the benefit of another person,
with no anticipation of reward?
a) altruism
b) collectivism
c) interdependence
d) humanitarianism

a Altruism is defined as helping others for no personal benefit. Humanitarianism means almost the same thing as altruism but is not the term social psychologists use for the helping behavior that is performed voluntarily for the benefit of another person, with no anticipation of reward.

In a crowded mall parking lot, dozens of people hear a female voice yell, "He’s killing me!" Yet, no
one calls the police. What is the reason for the lack of action, according to Darley and Latané?
a) People are too busy to respond.
b) Most people "do not want to become involved."
c) The fight-or-flight response is not activated when others are in danger.
d) There is a diffusion of responsibility

d According to Latané and Darley most people say they do want to become involved, however often diffusion of responsibility occurs. Diffusion of responsibility is what occurs as each person thinks someone else will call for help (i.e., take responsibility).

In Latané and Darley’s classic 1969 study, they found that __________ of the participants reported
the smoke in the room when the two confederates in the room noticed the smoke but then ignored it.
a) all
b) three-fourths
c) one-half
d) one-tenth

d About one-tenth of the participants reported smoke when the confederates in the room noticed the smoke but did nothing about it. This number was much higher when the participants were in the room alone

All of the following are decision points in helping behavior EXCEPT
a) noticing.
b) defining an emergency.
c) taking responsibility.
d) diffusion of responsibility

d Diffusion of responsibility stops a person from helping and is not considered a decision point.

aggression

behavior intended to hurt or destroy another person

altruism

prosocial behavior that is done with no expectation of reward and may involve the risk of harm to oneself.

attitude

a tendency to respond positively or negatively toward a certain person, object, idea, or situation

attribution

the process of explaining one’s own behavior and the behavior of others.

attribution theory

the theory of how people make attributions.

bystander effect

referring to the effect that the presence of other people has on the decision to help or not help, with help becoming less likely as the number of bystanders increases

central-route processing

type of information processing that involves attending to the content of the message itself

cognitive dissonance

sense of discomfort or distress that occurs when a person’s behavior does not correspond to that person’s attitudes

companionate love

type of love consisting of intimacy and commitment

compliance

changing one’s behavior as a result of other people directing or asking for the change.

conformity

changing one’s own behavior to match that of other people

consumer psychology

branch of psychology that studies the habits of people in the marketplace.

cult

any group of people with a particular religious or philosophical set of beliefs and identity

diffusion of responsibility

occurring when a person fails to take responsibility for actions or for inaction because of the presence of other people who are seen to share the responsibility

discrimination

treating people differently because of prejudice toward the social group to which they belong

dispositional cause

cause of behavior attributed to internal factors such as personality or character

door-in-the-face technique

asking for a large commitment and being refused, and then asking for a smaller commitment.

elaboration likelihood model

model of persuasion stating that people will either elaborate on the persuasive message or fail to elaborate on it, and that the future actions of those who do elaborate are more predictable than those who do not

equal status contact

contact between groups in which the groups have equal status, with neither group having power over the other.

foot-in-the-door technique

asking for a small commitment and, after gaining compliance, asking for a bigger commitment.

fundamental attribution error

the tendency to overestimate the influence of internal factors in determining behavior while underestimating situational factors.

groupthink

kind of thinking that occurs when people place more importance on maintaining group cohesiveness than on assessing the facts of the problem with which the group is concerned

group polarization

the tendency for members involved in a group discussion to take somewhat more extreme positions and suggest riskier actions when compared to individuals who have not participated in a group discussion

implicit personality theory

sets of assumptions about how different types of people, personality traits, and actions are related to each other.

impression formation

the forming of the first knowledge that a person has concerning another person

in-groups

social groups with whom a person identifies; "us."

interpersonal attraction

liking or having the desire for a relationship with another person

jigsaw classroom

educational technique in which each individual is given only part of the information needed to solve a problem, causing the separate individuals to be forced to work together to find the solution

lowball technique

getting a commitment from a person and then raising the cost of that commitment.

norm of reciprocity

assumption that if someone does something for a person, that person should do something for the other in return.

obedience

changing one’s behavior at the command of an authority figure

out-groups

social groups with whom a person does not identify; "them."

peripheral-route processing

type of information processing that involves attending to factors not involved in the message, such as the appearance of the source of the message, the length of the message, and other noncontent factors

persuasion

the process by which one person tries to change the belief, opinion, position, or course of action of another person through argument, pleading, or explanation

prejudice

negative attitude held by a person about the members of a particular social group

prosocial behavior

socially desirable behavior that benefits others

proximity

physical or geographical nearness

realistic conflict theory

theory stating that prejudice and discrimination will be increased between groups that are in conflict over a limited resource

reciprocity of liking

tendency of people to like other people who like them in return

romantic love

type of love consisting of intimacy and passion.

self-fulfilling prophecy

the tendency of one’s expectations to affect one’s behavior in such a way as to make the expectation more likely to be occur.

situational cause

cause of behavior attributed to external factors, such as delays, the action of others, or some other aspect of the situation

social categorization

the assignment of a person one has just met to a category based on characteristics the new person has in common with other people with whom one has had experience in the past

social cognition

the mental processes that people use to make sense of the social world around them.

social cognitive theory

referring to the use of cognitive processes in relation to understanding the social world

social comparison

the comparison of oneself to others in ways that raise one’s self-esteem

social facilitation

the tendency for the presence of other people to have a positive impact on the performance of an easy task.

social identity

the part of the self-concept including one’s view of self as a member of a particular social category.

social identity theory

theory in which the formation of a person’s identity within a particular social group is explained by social categorization, social identity, and social comparison.

social impairment

the tendency for the presence of other people to have a negative impact on the performance of a difficult task.

social influence

the process through which the real or implied presence of others can directly or indirectly influence the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of an individual

social loafing

the tendency for people to put less effort into a simple task when working with others on that task.

social psychology

the scientific study of how a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior are influenced by the real, imagined, or implied presence of others

social role

the pattern of behavior that is expected of a person who is in a particular social position

stereotype vulnerability

the effect that people’s awareness of the stereotypes associated with their social group has on their behavio

stereotype

a set of characteristics that people believe is shared by all members of a particular social category.

that’s-not-all technique

a sales technique in which the persuader makes an offer and then adds something extra to make the offer look better before the target person can make a decision