chapter 13 Flashcards
) The guidelines for how to behave in social contexts are called
social norms.
Doni enters an elevator and stands in it facing the back instead of turning around to
face the elevator door. Doni is violating
a social norm.
Some behaviours, such as cursing and wearing revealing clothing are acceptable in
some social contexts, but are considered unacceptable in other situations, such as in a
business office. Which of the following explains why this is the case?
Many social norms are specific to a social context.
Drill instructors in the military often yell at new recruits and try to humiliate them. In
contrast, this behaviour would never be tolerated from a kindergarten teacher, who is
expected to be patient and nurturing. The behaviour of both drill instructors and
kindergarten teachers are examples y
social roles.
Daniel’s friends would probably describe him as easy going and a bit of a jokester.
However, after becoming a police officer, Daniel feels that he is expected to be serious
and strict. Daniel is feeling pressure to conform his behaviour to the ______________ of
police officer.
social role
While __________ are general rules that apply to members of a group, ___________
are guidelines that apply to specific positions within the group.
social norms; social roles
In the Stanford Prison Study, male college students agreed to participate in a two-week
experiment to discover what would happen when they took on the roles of prisoners and
guards. The researchers found that
within a short time the prisoners became distressed and panicky, developing emotional
symptoms and stress-related illnesses.
What does the Stanford prison study tell us about the relationship between social roles
and behaviour?
When people are placed in social roles with a lot of power, their behaviour often
changes to fit their new role.
The Stanford Prison Study demonstrates how a person’s _______________ affects
behaviour.
social role
What actual event could have been predicted based on the results of Zimbardo’s
classic prisoner study at Stanford University?
the events at Abu Gharib prison in Iraq
When individuals find themselves in new situations where they are uncertain of how
to behave, they often copy the behaviours of others, a strategy known as
mimicry.
) Wilhelm doesn’t follow sports, but he agrees to go to a football game with a friend.
Because he is unfamiliar with the rules, Wilhelm watches the other spectators around him
carefully to see when they clap, stand, cheer, and boo and then copies their behaviour.
Which strategy is Wilhelm using?
mimicry.
The chameleon effect occurs when individuals
unconsciously copy the behaviour of those around them for no apparent reason.
Ginger’s new roommate tends to wink a lot at the end of sentences to indicate that she
is joking. After living together for a few weeks, Ginger unconsciously begins to wink
when she makes a joke. This is an example of
the chameleon effect.
According to your textbook, one of the situations that produces more mimicry than
others is when an individual
wants to make a good impression.
In general, when an individual mimics aspects of the behaviour of another, the
imitator tends to be ___________by the imitated person.
viewed favourably
Imitating the behaviour of one individual is called _____________, whereas
changing your behaviour to fit in with a group is called _____________.
mimicry; conformity
Which of the following is true about conformity?
Conformity is often a conscious decision.
You get on an elevator. Everyone is facing to the right. You turn and also face to the
right. This is an example of
conformity.
In the experiments conducted by Solomon Asch, what was the main task that subjects
had to perform?
selecting line sizes
Solomon Asch set up an experiment in which eight people were shown a 10-inch line
and then had to choose the line that matched it in length from a choice of three other
lines. Through this experiment, Asch was studying
conformity.
If you’re like ___ percent of participants in the original Asch study, you would
conform to the incorrect norm on at least once during testing.
. 75
When an individual, who is part of a larger group, puts forth less effort than other
group members, ________ occurs.
social loafing
You and your group have had four weeks to complete a group project for your
economics class. You are now four days away from the due date, and you and one other
group member have been putting in all of the time and effort. The other two members
come occasionally to group meetings and do the minimal work required. This unfortunate
situation is known as
social loafing.
A group member is more likely to engage in social loafing if he or she believes that
his or her performance will not make a difference to the group’s performance.
What is the term for an improvement in performance caused by the perception that
others are watching?
social facilitation
Marco has been running each afternoon trying to beat his college’s record for the 400-
metre sprint. Despite all his practising, he hasn’t been able to come in under his usual
time. There’s a big fan turnout for the track meet on Saturday against the rival school and
Marco not only beats the old record, but far surpasses it. Marco’s behaviour illustrates
social facilitation.
Social facilitation is most likely to occur when individuals
have mastered the task they are performing.
Which of the following is a decision-making problem in which group members avoid
arguments and strive for agreement?
groupthink
Which of the following statements is most likely to contribute to groupthink?
”I’m sure we all agree on this.”
________ can occur when individuals who are part of a group focus on preserving
group solidarity at the expense of considering all possible alternatives or even failing to
use rational thought in the process.
Groupthink
) A group of chemists, who have been working together on a new diet pill for the last
four years, meet to discuss their new drug. Over the years, they have all come to respect
each other and have formed a close bond. Upon discussing the effectiveness and safety of
the diet pill, many members of the group found themselves agreeing with most of the
comments that were made. Somewhere along the way, no one seemed to pay much
attention to the fact that some of the subjects in the clinical trials of that drug became ill.
It seemed that because nobody wanted to disrespect anyone else, the topic of ill subjects
was dropped. What psychological phenomenon occurred here?
roupthink
Complying with instructions or orders from an individual who is in a position of
authority is called
obedience.
What did Milgram study
obedience to authority
_______ found that normal people in normal times will often follow orders to hurt
innocent people.
Stanley Milgram
Before Stanley Milgram conducted his study on obedience, he asked a number of
psychiatrists and psychologists how many people would go all the way to the highest
voltage under the instructions of the authority. Milgram found that
The experts greatly underestimated how many participants would inflict what they
thought were dangerous amounts of shock.
About _______________ of all participants in Milgram’s study administered the
highest level of shock to the learner.
. 65%
When Milgram and his team set up several variations of his original study, they found
that people were more likely to disobey when
a confederate acting as another teacher refused to comply.
William is a police officer who is instructed by a superior officer to beat a subject in
order to obtain a confession. According to research done on obedience, William is more
likely to disobey this order if
William sees another police officer refuse to continue beating the subject.
A social psychologist has been invited to give a community lecture on the importance of Milgram's research. He asks a social psychology class for suggested titles. Which of the following titles might they suggest as the most appropriate?
quot;Do Not Underestimate the Power of Perceived Authority”
Which statement best describes an important finding of Milgram’s classic research?
People will easily obey an authority figure and do harm to others.
_____________ occurs when members of a group discuss characteristic attitudes of
their group and, as a result, their views become stronger.
Ingroup bias
The phenomenon of ________________ explains why meetings between proponents
and opponents of an idea often ends with participants having more extreme opinions on
the issue than they did before the meeting.
ingroup bias
When we experience an unpleasant state of tension between two or more conflicting
thoughts, we are experiencing
cognitive dissonance.
Whenever a person has two contradictory cognitions at the same time, a state of
_____________ exists.
cognitive dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is
a state of tension that occurs when a person simultaneously holds two cognitions that
are psychologically inconsistent.
) When an individual’s attitudes do not match up with his/her behaviours, ________ is
likely to occur.
cognitive dissonance
Even though Jane thought it was wrong to take from others, she didn’t want to be
rejected by her peers, so she began shoplifting along with them. Jane probably
experienced ___________ when she stole.
cognitive dissonance
Representative Jansen, a U.S. congresswoman, believes in the reproductive rights and
welfare of women but voted to ban late-term abortions. Jansen feels very uneasy about
the conflict between her beliefs and her behaviour. She is most likely experiencing
cognitive dissonance.
When she is not at the bar, Jayla preaches to everyone about the dangers of smoking.
However, she does smoke an occasional cigarette when she is at the bar with her friends,
although at those times she feels somewhat frustrated by her own smoking behaviour.
Jayla is likely experiencing ________ when she smokes.
cognitive dissonance
In 1954, Marian Keech convinced her followers that aliens from planet Clarion had
sent her a message that the world was coming to an end on December 21, but that they
could be saved. When the world did not come to an end, Mrs. Keech and many of her
followers reduced cognitive dissonance by
deciding that their efforts had been justified and had spared the planet
Darnel believes very strongly that large corporations are evil and are destroying
America. One day, however, a large corporation releases a new tablet computer that
Darnel runs out to buy. When asked about his purchase of a product made by a large
corporation, Darnel says, “Well, I suppose not all corporations are evil.” Darnel’s change
in attitude is likely an attempt to
reduce cognitive dissonance.
53) Which one of the following activities will NOT reduce cognitive dissonance?
a. changing the behaviour to match the attitude
b. changing the thought to justify the behaviour
c. developing new thoughts to justify the behaviour
d. continuing the behaviour in spite of the conflicting thoughts
d. continuing the behaviour in spite of the conflicting thoughts
54) ________ involves making a small request before asking for a bigger one.
. The foot-in- the-door technique
A local charity sends you return mailing labels and asks you to contribute whatever
you can. You go ahead and send $5. A month later, you receive another request, but this
time for $10, along with numerous other charities to contribute to. While you feel good
that you contributed, you may be experiencing the
foot-in- the-door technique
The ________ technique involves asking for an unreasonably large request before
asking for the small request you are hoping to have granted
door-in- the-face
) Miranda received a phone call from a telemarketer for a local charity. The
telemarketer asked for a $1000 donation. When Miranda refused, the telemarketer then
asked for $25, to which Miranda agreed. This is an example of the
door-in- the-face technique.
Your friend asks you to borrow $50 from you. You tell him no. Then he asks for a
mere $10, which you gladly give him. While you feel good to have helped him out, you
may have just experienced the
door-in- the-face technique.
There are two alternative pathways to persuading others. One leads us to evaluate the
merits of the persuasive arguments carefully and thoughtfully. This is known as the
central route.
There are two alternative pathways to persuading others. One leads us to respond to
persuasive arguments on the basis of quick judgments. This is known as the
peripheral route.
When Sam went looking for a new car, he met a beautiful saleswoman who described
the beauty of the car and the flashiness, and how good Sam would look driving it. She did
not mention the poor gas mileage, the exorbitant price, and the poor road performance.
Sam made a snap decision to buy the car from the persuasive saleswoman. Sam was
using which alternative pathway in making a decision?
the peripheral route
In social psychology, the term person perception refers to
the processes by which individuals form judgments and categorize other people.
When we first meet a person, we usually rely on clusters of knowledge and
expectations about individuals and groups called
schemas.
Which of the following is a valid conclusion from the studies discussed in your
textbook that used the thin-slice technique to investigate quick judgments about the
personal qualities of others?
Quick judgments and those made with more information are remarkably similar.
Our impressions of people form
within seconds of meeting them for the first time.
Vince believes Gerald is a jerk, so Vince ignores Gerald and does not invite him to
any of his parties. Gerald begins to be rude to Vince and talks about him behind his back.
Assuming Gerald’s behaviour is only a reaction to how Vince treated him in the first
place, this is an example of
self-fulfilling prophecy.
When a teacher singles out individuals as “good” or “bad” students,
________________ can occur because the behaviour of the teacher towards these
students can affect whether they succeed or not.
a self-fulfilling prophecy
When we attempt to explain the cause of someone’s behaviour, we are utilizing
attributions.
When a person assigns causes to another individual’s behaviour and assumes that the
behaviour is due to that individual’s personal characteristics, a(n) ________ is made.
internal attribution
A(n) ________ attribution is made when we blame an individual’s behaviour on the
situation; a(n) ________ attribution is made when we blame the individual’s behaviour on
his or her personality or other personal characteristics.
external; dispositional
When driving down the highway, Caesar could not help but notice the young-looking
teenager who seemed to be driving in a reckless manner. He immediately assumed that he
was one of those defiant, careless, and irresponsible teens who really did not deserve a
licence. Caesar just made a(n)
internal attribution.
Gianna was coming home from work and could not help but notice the young woman
who seemed to be driving in a reckless manner. She immediately wondered if the girl was
in an emergency or if something important was going on to make her drive like that.
Gianna just made a(n)
external attribution.
Wendy is walking down the street when she suddenly falls down and lands squarely
on her backside. A group of girls standing about 50 feet away start laughing hysterically,
telling each other what a klutz Wendy is. The unsympathetic girls in this group are
making a(n) __________ attribution to explain why Wendy fell down.
dispositional
When half of his class earned Ds and Fs on the midterm exam, Professor Bush came
back to the next class and delivered a stern lecture about their effort. He admonished the
class for failing to meet their obligations, for being lazy, and for not taking their studies
seriously. These attributions, which were all __________ attributions, did not really give
any consideration to the fact that the students may have had other reasons for failing the
exam that were beyond their immediate control.
internal
The __________ attribution error is a phenomenon in which people make an
attribution based on character, while simultaneously ignoring situational factors
fundamental
The tendency to give too much emphasis to personal factors when accounting for
other people’s actions is called
the fundamental attribution error.
When people are trying to find reasons for someone else’s behaviour, they tend to
overestimate personality traits and underestimate the influence of the situation.
Janis, an administrative assistant at a large firm, is trying to find reasons for her
boss’s hostile behaviour. She is likely to
overestimate her boss’s personality traits and underestimate the influence of the
situation.
79) The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency of people to
overestimate the role of dispositional factors in the behaviour of others.
Callie does poorly on an exam in one class but does very well on an exam in another class. She attributes her poor performance on the first exam to the fact that the professor is not a very good instructor. In contrast, she attributes her good performance on the second exam to the fact that she is a good student. This is most likely an example of
the self-serving bias.
According to the self-serving bias concept, we tend to use ______________
attributions for ourselves when we do something well, and_______________ attributions
when we fail or commit errors.
internal; external
A politician wants to be re-elected in his district. The politician knows that half the
constituents favour a political platform that focuses on climate change but wants to
influence the attitudes of the other half of the constituents. Which of the following
campaign approaches would be most likely to influence those still undecided on climate
change?
emphasizing improvement that can be made in a few months or years
a belief about the characteristics of members of a group that are applied generally to
most members of the group is known as a(n)
stereotype.
Cynthia has recently begun a career with a Jewish-based agency. Up until this point
in her life, she had not had any interaction with anyone who was Jewish. Based on the
individuals she works with, she has found them to be a very close knit group who care for
their own in the community who may need assistance. Additionally, she has found them
to be very educated and assertive. Cynthia now holds the view that all Jewish people are
the same: educated, close knit within their own group, assertive, and caring toward other
Jewish folks who need help. Cynthia’s view represents
a stereotype.
The typically negative behaviours an individual displays toward others based on
membership to a particular group is referred to as ________; the typically negative
attitudes an individual has toward others based on membership to a particular group is
referred to as ________.
. discrimination; prejudice
Aleta is looking at a stack of applications for the open position she has at her bakery.
She called all of the applicants acting as if she was asking an important question about
their application. Really, however, she wanted to know who had an accent so she could
put those applications in the ”no” pile. Aleta just engaged in
discrimination.
Hank is a Toronto Maple Leafs fan. Although he doesn’t realize it, Hank tends to
assume other Leafs fans are generally good people. This is an example of
ingroup bias.
The collection of people that we perceive as “different” than us is known as the
outgroup.
Which of the following is true about stereotypes?
Well-intentioned stereotypes based on positive characteristics can still have
undesirable consequences.
Lucy is the hiring manager for a large company. She has never said anything negative
about Hispanics, and honestly believes that everyone should be given an equal chance.
Despite this, Lucy has hired very few Hispanics, despite having many qualified
candidates. Lucy’s behaviour could be explained by
implicit prejudice.
According to some researchers, one way to measure implicit prejudice is to
use the Implicit Associations Test.
Which of the following is a critique of the Implicit Associations Test (IAT) discussed
in your textbook?
The IAT may measure knowledge about stereotypes, rather than real attitudes or
beliefs.
An environmental activitist has to choose a campaign. Which approach will work
best?
Suggesting that using less electricity will save people money and help the environment
What is the term for the approach to climate change messages that emphasizes how
specific groups will be negatively affected by climate change?
b. the social-altruisim approach
The Kitty Genovese case depicts
the bystander effect.
What term do psychologists use for the phenomenon that occurs when people are less
likely to aid a person in trouble if there are other people around who are also potential
helpers?
bystander effect
A car crash woke John from his afternoon nap. When he looked out his apartment
window, he saw several people milling around two smashed cars. He decided not to dial
911 because he assumed someone had already called. John’s reaction is an example of
the bystander effect.
At a crowded park, Kayla sees an old man clutching his heart and stumbling. If Kayla
assumes that someone else will help the old man, she is experiencing the phenomenon
known as
diffusion of responsibility.
Nabila was at a busy grocery store when she and many others saw a gentleman on the
ground. She stopped to stare and thought to herself that surely someone had already
called for help for this man. She decided that because so many people were present to see
the gentleman, help was already on the way. Nabila’s decision not to call for help can be
best explained by
the diffusion of responsibility.
