Chapter 8: Flashcards
A meeting of 10 politicians is being held regarding a new policy. Seven out of the 10 politicians previously voted against similar policies, the rest of them have neutral views on this policy. Which outcome is most likely?
a. The bill will be opposed in a 7 to 3 votes.
b. Each politician will oppose the bill more strongly than previously.
c. The bill will be approved by the majority.
d. Those who previously opposed the bill will be more neutral than before.
B - Each politcian will oppose the bill more strongly than previously.
This is because group polarization makes people develop more intense opinions, and groupthink will make the populations groups align more. SO therefore, the 7 people will sway the neutrals.
Define group polarization:
When people who share a similar viewpoint discuss a topic, their viewpoints will become more extreme.
Define group think:
The desire for group harmony and avoidance of conflict, that leads to a smaller population of two opinions shifting to agree with the more popular one.
What is social facilitation?
When people tend to perform better when in front of other people, because they know they are being watched.
What is social loafing?
When an individual makes less effort in a group setting, than when working independently.
What is anomie?
A condition in which an individual may feel a sense of normlessness, often associated with being anonymous or groupthink mentalities.
The deindividuation that commonly occurs during riots and other violent crowd behavior is most likely related to:
a. Groupthink.
b. Anomie.
c. Social loafing.
d. Social facilitation.
Anomie.
Define peer pressure:
The influence of peers on an individual’s behavior, that results in a change of behavior.
One study found that when students began to reprimand each other for talking inappropriately, the behavior decreased greatly in the students who would do so. This is an example of:
a. Peer pressure.
b. Groupthink.
c. Social facilitation.
d. Obedience.
a - peer pressure
Define obedience:
A direct change in an individual’s behavior as a response to an order from an authority figure. This can not be done be peers.
Which of the following circumstances is most likely to result in prolonged cognitive dissonance?
a. A divorced and lonely man is told by family members that there is “someone for everyone”.
b. A meat-eater decides to avoid eating meat for a finite time period.
c. A person believing a falsehood is conclusively proven incorrect.
d. After innumerable failed submissions, an artist’s work is accepted by an art gallery.
A divorced and lonely man is told by his family members that there is “someone for everyone”.
Cognitive dissonance is the result of balancing contradictory beliefs. Here, being told “there is someone for everyone” contradicts his belief that he is alone.
Cognitive dissonance:
The result of balancing contradictory beliefs.
Which of the following is a possible consequence of anomie?
a. Excessive individualization.
b. Social isolation.
c. Social inequality.
d. A and C.
c. A, B, and C.
A, B, and C.
A receiver is connected to a family’s television that records the family’s viewing habits for use in determining ratings on television programs. The family is aware that they are being watched, and has since started watching more educational shows. This behavior is an example of:
a. Demand characteristics.
b. the Hawthorne effect.
d. Observational error.
c. Systematic error.
The Hawthrone effect - Subjects alter their behavior because they are aware that it is being observed for study.
Systematic error refers to:
Errors in measurement.
Observational error is:
The difference between a measured value and its true value.
Define demand characteristics:
When participants of a study guess what the hypothesis of the research is, and then chaneg their behavior to align with the hypothesis.
