Question 1

Tom saw a 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 __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the justification of suffering 
B)  the self-fulfilling prophecy 
C)  delusional thinking 
D)  accurate self-perceptions

Question 2

The authors of your text discuss three snares in people's ability to reason accurately. Which of the following is NOT a challenge to reasoning accurately?

Accepted Answer

A)  People rarely know all of the facts. 
B)  People are seldom motivated to be accurate. 
C)  People often lack time or stamina to reason well. 
D)  People often generalize based on superficial information.

Question 3

Nanami and April were playing in the den when April's mother entered the room and scolded them for making a mess. Nanami decided then and there that April's mother was a grouch. Nanami's inference is an example of __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the fundamental attribution error 
B)  availability 
C)  automatic thinking 
D)  a self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 4

Social psychologists, as compared with personality psychologists, believe that by only paying attention to the influence of personality traits on behavior, one is ignoring what?

Accepted Answer

A)  Genetic variation 
B)  The role of social influence 
C)  Individual differences 
D)  Common sense

Question 5

The whole is different from the sum of its parts. This statement reflects a tenet of __________ psychology.

Accepted Answer

A)  cognitive 
B)  Gestalt 
C)  behavioral 
D)  physiological

Question 6

What is the take-home message of the authors' description of the presidents' decisions to continue and even escalate wars?

Accepted Answer

A)  The need to be accurate and the need to feel good about ourselves are often compatible. 
B)  The need to be accurate is stronger than the need to feel good about ourselves. 
C)  The need to be accurate and the need to feel good about ourselves are always in conflict. 
D)  When we forego accuracy in the interest of feeling good about ourselves, there are sometimes serious consequences.

Question 7

According to the authors of your text, people's evaluations of how good, competent, and decent they are is the definition of __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  self-evaluation 
B)  self-efficacy 
C)  self-monitoring 
D)  self-esteem

Question 8

Which of the following is an example of social influence?

Accepted Answer

A)  You feel guilty because you lied to your trusting professor about your assignment. 
B)  When you get hungry, you have trouble concentrating. 
C)  You didn't do well on the test because you stayed up all night cramming. 
D)  You almost fall asleep at the wheel, so you pull off the road to take a short nap.

Question 9

Human beings are often motivated to construe themselves and the social world accurately. The __________ approach is based on this assumption.

Accepted Answer

A)  behaviorist 
B)  social cognition 
C)  self-esteem 
D)  social psychological

Question 10

Which of the following would most likely be an article written by a Gestaltist?

Accepted Answer

A)  "The Influence of Subjective Reality on Roommate Disagreements" 
B)  "The Role of Reinforcements in Childhood Eating Behaviors" 
C)  "Personality Influences on Job Performance in Fast Food Restaurants" 
D)  "Social Class and Voting Behavior in the Midwest"

Question 11

Two groups at your university are at odds. Design an intervention based on the research by Ross and colleagues regarding "naïve realism" that might get them to change their opinions of the other group.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Two groups at your university are at...

Question 12

Suppose that in a restaurant, a waiter grows impatient with a customer, rolls his eyes, taps his pencil impatiently on his order book, and finally snaps, "I haven't got all day, you know." Compare and contrast how a personality psychologist and a social psychologist would attempt to explain such behavior.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Suppose that in a restaurant, a waiter...

Question 13

Jamal was confused by his sister's relationship with her boyfriend. They just didn't seem to have anything in common. "Oh well," Jamal figured, "I guess opposites really do attract." Jamal's explanation is an example of __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  folk wisdom 
B)  philosophy 
C)  sociology 
D)  social psychology

Question 14

The authors of your text suggest that in the 1930s and 1940s, the most influential person in social psychology was __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  Kurt Lewin 
B)  John Watson 
C)  Lyndon Johnson 
D)  B. F. Skinner

Question 15

Which of the following social phenomena would be of interest to both social psychologists and sociologists?

Accepted Answer

A)  The variation in homicide rates between China and the U.S. 
B)  The role of competition between groups in increasing aggression 
C)  The relation between murder and social class 
D)  Teaching frustrated people alternatives to aggression

Question 16

Social psychologists differ from sociologists in that social psychologists __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  are interested in how people are influenced by their social environments 
B)  are concerned with people's perspectives on their social environments 
C)  advocate the use of common sense 
D)  are reliant on the insights of philosophers

Question 17

Which of the following represents a potential contribution by a social psychologist?

Accepted Answer

A)  Being able to reduce the age at which children first read 
B)  Being able to condition someone to work longer through rewards and punishments 
C)  Reducing memory loss in the elderly 
D)  Reducing prejudice and violence

Question 18

Social psychologists have identified two motives that are of primary importance in explaining our thoughts and behaviors. According to your textbook authors, these are the need to __________ and the need to __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  enhance our power; be as accurate as possible 
B)  be as accurate as possible; feel good about ourselves 
C)  feel good about ourselves; belong 
D)  be as accurate as possible; maintain social control

Question 19

Which question about romantic relationships is a sociologist most likely to ask?

Accepted Answer

A)  Why does absence make the heart grow fonder? 
B)  Do outgoing people make better romantic partners? 
C)  Is the capacity to love one of humanity's greatest achievements? 
D)  Why are marriage rates decreasing in the lower socioeconomic classes?

Question 20

Which of the following is most likely to be studied by a social psychologist?

Accepted Answer

A)  Differences in nonverbal behavior between members of different cultures 
B)  The effects of social class on religious beliefs 
C)  The effects of occupational segregation on income 
D)  Sex differences in self-concepts

Exam 1: Introducing Social Psychology