Question 1

Which of the following variations of Milgram's (1963) original obedience experiment provides the strongest evidence of the operation of normative conformity when participants administer electric shocks to a confederate learner?

Accepted Answer

A)  When another (confederate) participant refuses to continue, participants obey less. 
B)  When the participants are in the same room as the learner, they obey less. 
C)  Older participants are less likely to obey than are younger participants. 
D)  Participants are less likely to obey when they believe that the learner will have a chance to "teach" them later.

Question 2

In Japan, some teens become hikikomori, often after being victims of severe bullying. Someone who is hikikomori can be described as

Accepted Answer

A)  withdrawn from all social interaction. 
B)  gregarious and outgoing. 
C)  schizophrenic and paranoid. 
D)  extremely aggressive towards others.

Question 3

Suppose you wanted your friend Nick to agree to join the "Save the Seals" campaign, a campaign that most of your other friends support. You should invite Nick to a meeting of

Accepted Answer

A)  two friends of Nick who support Save the Seals, and two friends of Nick who do not support "Save the Seals." 
B)  two other friends of Nick who support "Save the Seals." 
C)  four other friends of Nick who support "Save the Seals." 
D)  seven friends of Nick who support "Save the Seals," and three friends of Nick who do not support Save the Seals.

Question 4

Mark is a Democrat. He just joined a Welfare Reform Committee made up of nine Republicans. Mark holds a minority opinion on this issue. If Mark wants his opinion to influence the group's final recommendations, he should

Accepted Answer

A)  express a consistent, unwavering viewpoint. 
B)  express his opinion, but voice the Republican viewpoint from time to time as well. 
C)  express his opinion once and then remain quiet. 
D)  remain quiet to avoid upsetting the group.

Question 5

According to your text, our construals of the concept "conformity" are shaped by

Accepted Answer

A)  personality differences. 
B)  social psychologists. 
C)  our cultural self-image. 
D)  situational pressures.

Question 6

The "social norms" approach to reducing binge drinking on college campuses relies primarily on the use of

Accepted Answer

A)  informational influence. 
B)  normative influence. 
C)  diffusion of responsibility. 
D)  perceived behavior control.

Question 7

Deviant behavior is usually met with rejection. For example, in Japan, deviants in school tend to be shunned and harassed by their entire class or school. Such treatment is particularly psychologically damaging in Japan because the culture

Accepted Answer

A)  demands perfection. 
B)  emphasizes cohesion and group harmony. 
C)  frowns upon conformity. 
D)  emphasizes good grades.

Question 8

Alejandro has changed his behavior because of the real or imagined presence of others. This is known as

Accepted Answer

A)  conformity. 
B)  obedience. 
C)  interdependence. 
D)  cooperation.

Question 9

You need to give a presentation in your class about Bibb Latané's social impact theory (1981). You want to focus on the three variables that influence the likelihood that people will conform to social influence pressures. Your lecture will include:

Accepted Answer

A)  strength, immediacy, and number. 
B)  norms, values, and social practices. 
C)  anonymity, situational ambiguity, and norms. 
D)  pressure, resistance, and interdependence.

Question 10

Felicia is initially the only member of the jury who believes that the defendant is innocent. After hearing and debating Felicia's arguments, the jury unanimously declares the defendant not guilty. The jurors' decision will most likely be characterized by

Accepted Answer

A)  private acceptance. 
B)  public compliance without private acceptance. 
C)  public conversion. 
D)  contagion.

Question 11

Wilson is part of a group and has a different opinion from the rest of the group. He can successfully influence the majority group through

Accepted Answer

A)  informational social influence. 
B)  normative social influence. 
C)  public compliance. 
D)  assertive verbal jousting.

Question 12

Researchers have concluded that in general, ________ norms are more effective than ________ norms in reducing litter.

Accepted Answer

A)  descriptive; injunctive 
B)  salient; subtle 
C)  injunctive; descriptive 
D)  subtle; salient

Question 13

One of the major concerns about the Milgram studies on obedience was

Accepted Answer

A)  results are not generalizable. 
B)  participants were all urban dwellers. 
C)  it did not involve random selection. 
D)  there were several major ethical concerns.

Question 14

When Steven goes to his fraternity meeting, all of the following factors will increase the impact of informational social influence on him except the

Accepted Answer

A)  ambiguity of the situation. 
B)  importance of the group. 
C)  extent to which a situation is a crisis. 
D)  expertise of others.

Question 15

Evidence suggests that in recent decades, sociocultural expectations of attractiveness for men, as depicted in the media, have become

Accepted Answer

A)  thinner. 
B)  more V-shaped (wide shoulders, narrow waist). 
C)  more muscular. 
D)  hairier.

Question 16

You are a little confused about how to address your new boss. Even though you are told that your new supervisor's name is Charlie Rose, you have noticed that everyone at work calls him "Boss." You, too, decide to start calling your supervisor "Boss." This decision is a product of

Accepted Answer

A)  compliance with authority. 
B)  normative social influence. 
C)  informational social influence. 
D)  private acceptance.

Question 17

Imagine that you are on the Olympics Planning Committee. Nine out of ten of the committee members hold the same opinions. However, one member, Laura, consistently deviates from the group's opinion. How is your group most likely to act toward Laura to bring her in line with the group's opinion? The group will

Accepted Answer

A)  first increase communication with Laura. When that doesn't work, the group will ignore and punish Laura. 
B)  immediately punish Laura to force her to change her opinion. 
C)  ignore Laura and refuse to communicate with her. If this tactic fails, the group will punish Laura. 
D)  nominate Laura to be the chair of the committee.

Question 18

In which of the following does the role of informational rather than normative social influence most predominate?

Accepted Answer

A)  fraternity hazing 
B)  cult mass suicides 
C)  mass psychogenic illnesses 
D)  the rise in eating disorders

Question 19

In Burger's (2009) replication of Milgram's studies on obedience to authority, he included both men and women. Milgram included women in only one of his studies. Which of the following is true about the gender differences Burger found?

Accepted Answer

A)  Men were more obedient than women. 
B)  Women were more obedient than men. 
C)  Men were more obedient, but only if the experimenter giving instructions was also a man. 
D)  There were no significant gender differences, just as in Milgram's study.

Question 20

According to the authors of your text, once participants in Milgram's studies delivered the first shock to the learner, this created internal pressure to obey. This dissonance made it more difficult later for participants to

Accepted Answer

A)  draw the line as to what exactly was too strong of a shock. 
B)  continue conforming to the norms. 
C)  continue to obey authority. 
D)  listen to the cries of pain from the learner.

Exam 8: Conformity: Influencing Behavior