Psychology/Sociology Flashcards
A researcher interested in actor-observer bias asks a group of viewer participants to watch a target participant work on a series of puzzles. Which two variables is the researcher most likely to compare in this study?
A. The viewers’ memory for the puzzles and the target’s memory for the puzzles
B. The viewers’ estimate of the difficulty of the puzzles and the target’s estimate of the difficulty of the puzzles
C. The viewers’ likelihood of accurately remembering the target’s performance and the target’s likelihood of accurately remembering his or her own performance
D. The viewers’ likelihood of attributing the target’s performance to intellect and the target’s likelihood of attributing his or her own success to intellect
D. The viewers’ likelihood of attributing the target’s performance to intellect and the target’s likelihood of attributing his or her own success to intellect
Actor/Observer Bias:
Actor - explains behavior based off of the situation
Observer - explains the actors behavior by internal stable traits
A public health video designed to promote flu shots shows a physician from a prestigious institution delivering facts about how viruses spread. The video also features data on how viruses can expose the body to serious illnesses. The video uses all of the following variables to manipulate attitudes: Explain which is which
A) the peripheral route to persuasion
B) the central route to persuasion
C) source characteristics
A) the peripheral route to persuasion - The prestige of the physician
B) the central route to persuasion - Video
C) source characteristics - the mention of the physicians affiliation with a prestigious institution is a manipulation of source characteristics
A rat receives food for pressing a lever on a variable ratio schedule. Which pattern of responding is most likely to be observed?
A. Relatively high response rate with predictable pauses after reinforcement
B. Relatively high response rate with no predictable pauses
C. Relatively low response rate with a predictable increase in responding right before reinforcement
D. Fluctuating response rate with a predictable increase in responding right after reinforcement
B. Relatively high response rate with no predictable pauses
According to the psychodynamic theory, conflict between the superego and the id leads to unconscious conflict. The ego attempts to reduce this conflict through the use of defense mechanisms. Based on this description, the unconscious conflict functions as:
a need.
negative reinforcement.
a drive.
negative punishment.
a drive.
A drive is an internal state that the individual acts to reduce
A patient experiences a debilitating depressive episode after the loss of a job. A psychologist suggests that the patient had a genetic predisposition to depression and that unemployment acted as a trigger. The psychologist is using which approach to explain the patient’s depression?
Rogers’s humanistic theory
Beck’s cognitive theory
The opponent process model
The diathesis-stress model
The diathesis-stress model
The opponent process model - cone photoreceptors are linked to 3 opposing color pairs: blue/yellow, red/green, and black/white
The dependent variable in a study of polarization is most likely to be each participant’s:
attitude toward a topic.
affinity with the group.
performance on a complex task.
contribution to a group project.
attitude toward a topic.
Which experimental procedure is most likely to result in learned helplessness?
A. Giving a participant a very intense electric shock that the participant can escape by pressing a button
B. Placing a participant in a situation where reinforcement is delivered independently of the participant’s responses
C. Giving a participant a moderate electric shock that the participant cannot escape
D. Placing a participant in a situation where a response that previously resulted in positive reinforcement no longer does
C. Giving a participant a moderate electric shock that the participant cannot escape
A researcher compares the frequency of rats’ responses when the rats are presented with one food pellet after every 10 responses to when they are presented with one food pellet every 20 responses. The independent variable in this study is:
A. response frequency.
B. quantity of primary reinforcement.
C. different fixed ratio schedules.
D. different fixed interval schedules.
C. different fixed ratio schedules.
A rat in a shuttle box is presented with a tone followed by an electric shock. It can jump over the barrier to the other side of the shuttle box where no shock is delivered. This procedure is repeated over a number of trials. The rat will be conditioned through which type of reinforcement?
A. Positive reinforcement
B. Negative reinforcement
C. Positive punishment
D. Negative punishment
B. Negative reinforcement
The answer to this question is B because when a response results in escape from an aversive stimulus, it is an example of negative reinforcement.
The sociological concept of medicalization refers to the process in which:
health care costs consume a growing percentage of a nation’s overall economic output.
the medical profession reaches a consensus and establishes norms of professional conduct.
a problem becomes described in medical terminology and treated by medical professionals.
a society’s population increases after improved medical treatments become more common.
a problem becomes described in medical terminology and treated by medical professionals.
Which statement, if assumed to be true, is most likely to indicate a health disparity?
The risk of Type 2 diabetes is lower in younger adults than in older adults.
Rates of malaria infection decrease with greater distance from the equator.
Across the life course, men are less likely to get breast cancer than women.
Higher socioeconomic status is associated with a lower incidence of stroke.
Higher socioeconomic status is associated with a lower incidence of stroke.
Health disparity is when health outcomes are associated with socioeconomic factors
Role conflict is best illustrated in which of the following scenarios?
A child is teased by peers after playing with toys and games associated with the other gender.
After caring for a sick child at home, an employee falls behind with responsibilities at work.
Parents are unable to select a treatment for their child after doctors disagree on a diagnosis.
After being hospitalized with an illness, a doctor struggles to pay for all of the medical bills.
After caring for a sick child at home, an employee falls behind with responsibilities at work.
Role conflict is when someone experiences stress due to role expectations across different social statuses.
A common source of role conflict is associated with being an employee at work and a caregiver at home.
Which statement best distinguishes ethnocentrism from cultural relativism?
Ethnocentrism refers to in-group favoritism, whereas cultural relativism recognizes an out-group bias.
Ethnocentrism assumes universal norms, whereas cultural relativism describes awareness of diversity.
Ethnocentrism emphasizes social interaction, whereas cultural relativism focuses on social institutions.
Ethnocentrism addresses discriminatory actions, whereas cultural relativism targets prejudicial beliefs.
Ethnocentrism assumes universal norms, whereas cultural relativism describes awareness of diversity.
Social stigma is most commonly associated with:
an unrecognized prejudice.
a failure to cope with stress.
an attribute that is devalued.
a discriminatory reaction.
an attribute that is devalued.
Its derived from symbolic interactionist perspective. It describes how certain individuals/groups face social disapproval
Which concept refers to feelings of social disconnection that result from weak communal bonds and rapidly changing norms?
Anomie
Obedience
Out-group
Role exit
Anomie - Rapid social changes
Its associated with functionalism. It describes the alienation that a person feels when social norms/bonds are weak.
Without attachment or purpose in society, people will experience the feelings of worthlessness.
Which concept describes the self-concept as a product of social interaction, emerging out of the way an individual perceives others to view him or her?
The front stage self
The back stage self
The looking-glass self
The self-fulfilling prophecy
The looking-glass self
Which hypothesis is LEAST compatible with the life course approach to health?
Interventions that improve childhood health will have effects that last into adulthood.
Occupational status will be correlated with income and cultural capital in adulthood.
Children will imitate parents’ behavior, forming patterns that persist into adulthood.
Exposure to chronic stressors in adolescence will predict disease risk in adulthood.
Occupational status will be correlated with income and cultural capital in adulthood.
Life course approach - a research perspective of how early life choices affect outcomes later in life
The answer is this because there’s no clear indication of “over the life course” like the other options provide. This answer is only describing occupation, income, and cultural capital in ADULTHOOD ONLY.
Which potential finding best supports the hypothesis that greater social capital will be associated with better health?
Economic development is associated with increases in life expectancy.
Intergenerational social mobility is associated with higher social status.
Cultural diversity in an organization is associated with fewer employee sick days.
Large social network size is associated with a lower risk of chronic inflammation.
Large social network size is associated with a lower risk of chronic inflammation.
Which prediction related to adolescent behavior is most consistent with labeling theory?
Adolescents will frequently conform to the attitudes of their peers.
Adolescents will be stigmatized regardless of their individual behaviors.
Adolescents’ risky behaviors will be due to immature cognitive abilities.
Adolescents’ attitudes will generally be inconsistent with their behaviors.
Adolescents will be stigmatized regardless of their individual behaviors.
It suggests that labels get applied to certain groups or individuals regardless of their individual behaviors. It calls attention to the power of stereotypes.
Which sociological theory best explains the existence of cross-cultural differences in how mental health disorders are classified?
Functionalism
Exchange theory
Social constructionism
Conflict theory
Social constructionism
A researcher taking the perspective of social epidemiology is most likely to focus on:
impression management during social interactions.
the most common pathologies of social institutions.
medicalization as a feature of modern societies.
the social determinants of health and disease.
the social determinants of health and disease.
Social epidemiology emphasizes how social factors (class, race, ethnicity) affect the distribution of health and disease
A study uses the receipt of government assistance to indicate socioeconomic status. Which of the following reflects the main methodological issue that is raised by using this measure?
Validity
Reliability
Generalizability
Reproducibility
Validity
This is an indicator if the study is measuring what its supposed to. Government assistance doesnt provide a direct measure of income.
A study is conducted in which researchers observe how physicians deal with role strain when treating patients with terminal illnesses. This study is best described as following which type of research design?
Ethnographic
Comparative
Experimental
Cross-sectional
Ethnographic
This involves observing social interactions in real social settings
A survey finds that immigrants report fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety than individuals from the same racial/ethnic group who were born in the United States. Which correlation best describes this finding?
A positive correlation between socioeconomic status and assimilation
A negative correlation between assimilation and health status
A positive correlation between culture shock and socioeconomic status
A negative correlation between health status and culture shock
A negative correlation between assimilation and health status
Assimilation was found to result in worse health outcomes.
The socioeconomic gradient in health is best demonstrated by a negative correlation between which variables?
Age at arrival as an immigrant and exposure to chronic stressors
The level of economic development and life expectancy at birth
The percentage of people living in urban areas and the obesity rate
Educational attainment and risk factors for cardiovascular disease
Educational attainment and risk factors for cardiovascular disease
A researcher compares the brain sizes of two groups of rats. Group 1 has been raised in impoverished cages with minimal access to socialization and exercise. Group 2 has been raised in enriched cages with regular access to socialization and exercise. This is best described as a study of:
long-term potentiation.
neural plasticity.
hemispheric lateralization.
synaptic reuptake.
neural plasticity.
Which experimental scenario is most likely to result in social facilitation?
A group of participants, who initially agree on a social issue, are asked to discuss their views with each other
A group of participants, who initially disagree on a social issue, are asked to discuss their views with each other
A participant is asked to solve a complex puzzle in front of other participants
A participant is asked solve an easy puzzle in front of other participants
A participant is asked solve an easy puzzle in front of other participants
Social facilitation occurs when an easy task can be performed in front of other individuals. When they perform a more difficult task, arousal may interfere with performance
The independent variable of a memory study that tests the encoding specificity effect is most likely to be:
the depth of processing.
the amount of time allowed for encoding.
the location of encoding and retrieval.
the time interval between encoding and retrieval.
the location of encoding and retrieval.
Based on Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, an 8-year-old child’s cognition is likely to be characterized by all of the following EXCEPT:
symbolic thinking.
hypothetical reasoning.
egocentrism.
conservation of mass.
hypothetical reasoning.
An 8-year old is in the concrete operational stage and cannot engage in hypothetical reasoning (this is measured in the formal operational stage)
All other options can be measured in the concrete operational stage
An individual experiences shortness of breath and panic in confined spaces. To overcome this reaction, the individual decides to spend time in a confined space until the shortness of breath and panic response are eliminated. The patient is using which method to eliminate the symptoms?
Extinction of an operantly conditioned response
Extinction of a classically conditioned response
Counter conditioning
Aversive conditioning
Extinction of a classically conditioned response
Phobic responses are usually acquired through classical conditioning.
A patient diagnosed with depression blames all professional failure on personal incompetence. The therapist tries to change the patient’s thinking by suggesting that the perceived failures may be due to a lack of effort. The therapist is most likely attempting to change the patient’s:
self-serving bias.
belief perseverance.
hindsight bias.
locus of control.
locus of control.
The therapist is trying to change the perspective so that the patient can realize the issues are controllable
A researcher is interested in assessing the size of a patient’s brain ventricles. Which method(s) is(are) appropriate for this purpose?
I. An EEG
II. A CAT scan
III. A PET scan
I only
II only
I and III only
II and III only
II only
A patient with Korsakoff syndrome is very guarded toward the therapist and is reluctant to answer the therapist’s questions. At subsequent appointments, the patient indicates not recognizing the therapist but is less guarded and more willing to answer questions. This suggests that the patient:
has no explicit memory of meeting the therapist but does have an implicit memory of the meeting.
has no episodic memory of meeting the therapist but does have a semantic memory of the meeting.
has no short-term memory of meeting the therapist but does have a long-term memory of the meeting.
has no sensory memory of meeting the therapist but does have a procedural memory of the meeting.
has no explicit memory of meeting the therapist but does have an implicit memory of the meeting.
The patient does not remember the therapist explicitly, but the change in his behavior indicates that he has an implicit memory of the therapist
Which of the following is a binocular depth cue?
Motion parallax
Retinal disparity
Relative height
Relative size
Retinal disparity
This requires input from both retinas
What is the difference between foot-in-the-door vs door-in-the-face technique?
AND
How could researchers use the foot-in-the-door technique to increase the participants’ likelihood of adopting a diet diary?
A. Encourage the participants to sign a petition in support of diet diaries.
B. Have the participants personally interact with the health buddy who adopted the diet diary.
C. Tell the participants that the health buddy who adopts the diet diary is a trustworthy health expert.
D. Tell the participants that by agreeing to be in the study, they have agreed to cooperate with the researchers.
Foot in the door technique: convinces individuals to make a small comitment so that it increases the chances of the individuals to comit to something larger in the future
A. Encourage the participants to sign a petition in support of diet diaries.
Door in the face technique: ask for something large (like $100) and this will usually be denied. Then ask for something smaller ($10) and its almost always given.
The larger request comes first and its followed by something smaller and more reasonable. This technique often relies on the norm of reciprocity –> if someone does soemthing for a person, the person should do something in return
The experience that the items in a panel are arranged in columns is best attributed to which principle of perceptual organization?
Similarity
Proximity
Closure
Continuity
Similarity
