Exam 1: Introducing Social Psychology

Tom saw a fad weight-loss program advertised on late-night television.The ad claimed that deep breathing exercises would speed up metabolism,causing people to lose weight.He mailed a check for $99.95.When the plan arrived,Tom rearranged his day so that he could complete the breathing exercises as scheduled.They made him nauseated and dizzy,and before long,Tom's friends began to think that he was going overboard with the program,and they began to avoid him.After the end of the ten-week program,Tom got on the scale and saw that he hadn't lost an ounce! Still,he remained enthusiastic and thought,"I may not have lost any weight,but I feel so much healthier!" This situation is best explained by

According to the authors of your text,when Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968)conducted their study on the self-fulfilling prophecy in elementary school classrooms,the "bloomers" in ther experiment were actually

Jacob was pouring gravy when he dropped the ladle and splattered gravy all over the tablecloth.In order to maintain his self-esteem,Jacob decided that

Research by social psychologists has demonstrated that the more unpleasant the hazing required of initiates to join a group,the more they actually like the group.What do these findings suggest about a behaviorist approach?

Julie and Tina have a very exclusive club.In order to make new members loyal and really enjoy being part of the club,Julie says new members should be rewarded for their good behaviors in the club.Tina,however,suggests that they use an embarrassing initiation.In this example,Julie is taking a ____ approach,while Tina is taking a ____ approach.

Like social psychologists,personality psychologists focus on

Which of the following questions would be of most interest to a social cognition researcher?

Based on your text's account of research on self-fulfilling prophecies,explain why some children in a class might perform better than others even if the children are all of similar ability levels.

Spinoza proposes the idea that when you love someone whom you used to hate,you cannot love him or her as strongly as you do someone you have always loved.Spinoza's idea is creative,and involves analytical thinking.How is this proposition best classified?

Jake had a hypothesis about the outcome of Ross and Samuels's (1993)study about the "Wall Street Game" and the "Community Game." Jake hypothesized that the players would respond based on their personalities,not just the name of the game they played.His hypothesis is most likely based on which tendency?

Dimitri went through a lot of hard work during basic training in the Army.At times,drill sergeants yelled at him; he was physically exhausted and emotionally distressed.But,at the end of Basic Training,he felt that joining the Army had been a very good decision.The self-esteem explanation for Dimitri's feelings about Basic Training is

The behaviorist approach

What is the take-home message of the authors' description of President Lyndon B.Johnson's decision to escalate the bombing during the Vietnam War?

The "father" of modern experimental social psychology,Kurt Lewin,pointed out the importance of understanding how people ____ their social environments.

One of Kurt Lewin's boldest intellectual contributions to social psychology was

Linda tells her professor that her dog is very smart.Every time he hears the word "walkies," he runs to get his leash and stands in front of the door.Linda's professor tells her that her dog has learned to do this because in the past,pleasant walks always followed the word "walkies." Linda's professor is most likely endorsing a ____ explanation.

After the mass suicides related to the cults at Jonestown,Waco,and Heaven's Gate,people tended to blame the victims and accuse them of being psychologically unstable,or deranged.Social psychologists are more likely to explain these mass suicides as being due to

When asked why she is always losing things,Veronique replies,"I'm not careless.It's just that I have more important things to think about." This response would be predicted by a social psychologist who advocates ____ approach to understanding human behavior.

Dr.Diehl and Dr.Jzreck both study aggression.However,Dr.Diehl studies the topic from the standpoint of society at large; Dr.Jrzeck studies it from the standpoint of the individual.Who is most likely to be the social psychologist?

Lee Ross describes the idea of "naïve realism" as