Social Psych Quiz Questions

Question 1

A number of studies have been conducted in the last decade to examine the interaction between cognition and affect. One consistent finding of this research is that

Answer 1

people in a positive mood perceive, encode, and retrieve positive information more efficiently, while people in a negative mood perceive, encode, and retrieve negative information more efficiently.

Question 2

Hewig et al. (2008) compared the gaze patterns of heterosexual men and women as they looked at pictures of members of the opposite sex and found that:

Answer 2

females and males both gazed at the face of a member of the opposite sex for the longest period of time.

Question 3

Byrne’s (1971) “ law of attraction” proposes that people prefer spending time with others who are similar to them in terms of attitudes, and Byrne links this preference to which of the following:

Answer 3

reinforcement.

Question 4

A listener is LEAST likely to be persuaded (change her attitude) by a communicator’s message if:

Answer 4

the listener has prior knowledge about the content of the message.

Question 5

Studies looking at the impact of gender on reactions to crowding have found that:

Answer 5

women cope with crowding better than men do in laboratory settings, but men cope with crowding better in residential settings.

Question 6

According to the “elaboration likelihood model”, the recipient of a persuasive message is more likely to use the central route of information processing when:

Answer 6

the message has some relevance to the recipient of the message.

Question 7

Sherif (1935) used the ‘autokinetic effect’ to study which of the following phenomenon:

Answer 7

Conformity

Question 8

In team sports, the “home advantage” phenomenon has most consistently been linked to:

Answer 8

Impact of a supportive home audience

Question 9

__________ theory predicts that we tend to like others whose initially negative feelings toward us change to positive feelings more than we like those who have positive feelings toward us from the beginning.

Answer 9

Gain-loss

Question 10

The tendency to rely heavily or be overly influenced by the first piece of information one hears is referred to as the:

Answer 10

Anchoring effect

Question 11

According to Sherif’s social judgment theory, a person’s “latitude of acceptance” is greatest when

Answer 11

the person has low ego-involvement with the target issue.

Question 12

When Rosenhan’s (1973) “pseudopatients” were admitted to a mental hospital:

Answer 12

they were more often recognized as being “normal” by other patients than by staff members.

Question 13

According to Kelman (1961), __________ occurs when a person changes his/her behavior as the result of social influence in order to obtain reinforcement or avoid punishment.

Answer 13

compliance

Question 14

The statement, “You fell because you tripped, but I fell because I was pushed” BEST illustrates which of the following?

Answer 14

The actor/observer effect

Question 15

Schachter and Singer’s (1962) two-factor theory of emotion consists of:

Answer 15

physiological arousal and a cognitive label

Question 16

Susan works out at the gym every week and has a tendency to work much harder when there are several other people working out. This scenario can best be explained by:

Answer 16

Social facilitation

Question 17

James walks his dog and cleans up after him on a daily basis. Today, he forgot to bring the waste bags while out on his walk with the dog. Instead of cleaning up the waste, he tells himself since he always picks up his dog’s waste, leaving it in the grass this one time is “no big deal.” This is an example of:

Answer 17

cognitive dissonance

Question 18

According to the “elaboration likelihood model,” a receiver of a persuasive message is most likely to rely on the “central route” for processing information when:

Answer 18

they are active and motivated in the process and has the ability to think about the message.

Question 19

The theory in social psychology which proposes that group identity is an important part of a person’s self-concept is known as _______________.

Answer 19

social identity theory

Question 20

Those with privilege may hold beliefs that they are superior to others or others are inferior to them, that they have the power to impose standards, and that their reality is the same experience for everyone. This sort of worldview is known as:

Answer 20

ethnocentric monoculturalism.

Question 21

According to Hays (2001), would a 25-year-old person be considered privileged?

Answer 21

No, the age group identified as privileged is between 30 and 60 years of age.

Question 22

In the context of attitude change, “inoculation” refers to:

Answer 22

reducing the likelihood that a listener will be persuaded by a message.

Question 23

A father is quite upset about his 11-year-old son’s recent unwillingness to do as he is told, and he tells his son, “I’m the boss around here and you must do as I say.” The father is relying on which type of social power to control his son’s behavior?

Answer 23

Legitimate

Question 24

When a person’s internal motivation to perform a task is weakened, this is known as the:

Answer 24

overjustification hypothesis.

Question 25

Asch (1946) found that some characteristics (e.g., warm and cold) influence the impressions people form of others more than other characteristics do, and he referred to these influential characteristics as:

Answer 25

Central traits

Question 26

According to social comparison theory:

Answer 26

we often judge our own actions by looking at those of other people.

Question 27

: In general, a communicator of a persuasive message will produce the greatest amount of attitude change in a listener when the communicator is _____ in credibility and the discrepancy between the listener’s initial position and the position advocated by the communicator is _____.

Answer 27

high; moderate

Question 28

Participants in a research study are injected with epinephrine, which produces mild arousal. One-half of the participants are told to expect arousal while the other half are told that the injection will have no physiological side effects. Each participant is then placed in a waiting room with a confederate who has been instructed to act in an angry manner. Subsequently, participants who were told to expect arousal from the epinephrine report no change in their emotional state, while those who were told to expect no side effects report feeling angry. Results of this study provide evidence for which of the following?

Answer 28

Self-perception theory

Question 29

The elaboration likelihood model predicts that the recipient of a persuasive message is more likely to use the peripheral route of information processing when:

Answer 29

the person delivering the message is a well-liked and attractive.

Question 30

Schachter’s (1959) conclusion that “misery loves miserable company” is most consistent with the predictions of which of the following?

Answer 30

Social comparison theory

Question 31

Raymond R. and his wife have not been getting along for some time, and Raymond has recently started thinking about seeking a divorce. The problem with getting a divorce is that it will require Raymond to either divide the business he and his wife have or to sell his share of the business to her, neither of which appeals to him. The problem with staying with his wife is that Raymond will have to continue putting up with her nagging and his feeling that he has no “life of his own.” Assuming that Raymond is experiencing an “avoidance-avoidance conflict,” it is most likely that he will do which of the following in the near future?

Answer 31

Alternate between the two options, first choosing one and then the other

Question 32

The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) of persuasion predicts that:

Answer 32

central route processing produces attitude change that is more persistent over time than does peripheral route processing.

Question 33

Research on __________ has found that people tend to pay more attention to information that confirms their beliefs about themselves than to information that contradicts those beliefs.

Answer 33

Schemas

Question 34

In a research study, prison inmates and counselors working at the prison were asked to explain why the inmates had committed their crimes. In response, the inmates cited situational factors, while the counselors attributed the offenses to the dispositional characteristics of the inmates. Which of the following predicts the outcome of this study?

Answer 34

Actor-observer effect

Question 35

Sherif and Hovland’s (1961) “social judgment theory” is useful for understanding

Answer 35

Attitude change

Question 36

Which of the following is true about a person who is faced with an “approach-avoidance” conflict?

Answer 36

The closer the person gets to his/her goal, the stronger the desire to avoid it.

Question 37

In a research study, a social psychologist offers participants either $1.00 or $20.00 to tell potential participants that a dull experiment was very interesting. With regard to “cognitive dissonance theory” and “self-perception theory,” which of the following is true?

Answer 37

Cognitive dissonance theory and self-perception theory both predict that participants in the $1.00 condition will subsequently report greater liking for the dull experiment than will those in the $20.00 condition.

Question 38

A movie viewer is most likely to report feeling uncomfortable in a crowded movie theater when he/she is viewing a ________ film.

Answer 38

boring

Question 39

The predictions of “social exchange theory” are most applicable to one’s relationship with:

Answer 39

Business associates

Question 40

Which of the following has been used to explain the phenomenon known as the “Zeigarnik Effect”?

Answer 40

Psychic tension

Question 41

Ajzen’s (1991) “theory of planned behavior” predicts that attitudes are good predictors of a person’s behavior when the measure of attitudes assesses the person’s:

Answer 41

Behavioral intention

Question 42

The belief that other people are paying more attention to our appearance and behavior than they actually are is known as the:

Answer 42

Spotlight effect

Question 43

Heider’s (1958) “balance theory” describes attitude change as a function of which of the following?

Answer 43

Cognitive consistency

Question 44

compliance, identification, and internalization.

Answer 44

According to Kelman (1961), the possible responses to social influence are: