Question 1

Optimism has been found to facilitate social,psychological,and physical adjustment.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT true about what Krueger and Funder (2004)noted about social psychology research?

Accepted Answer

A)  The majority of the most seminal (most important) studies in social psychology focus on positive phenomena. 
B)  Social psychological research is likely to lead us to believe that the power of the situation typically leads people to engage in negative, less-than-ideal behavior. 
C)  Some of the most seminal (most important) studies in social psychology focus on negative phenomena. 
D)  The seemingly irrational behavior often elicited in social psychological research settings, may, over the long-term, produce adaptive and effective social behavior.

Question 3

Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life")reviews the benefits of optimistic thinking in several areas of life.Benefits were NOT considered with respect to

Accepted Answer

A)  rates of divorce in middle-age couples 
B)  availability of social support among friends 
C)  women's biological response to fertility treatment 
D)  amount of money earned in a profession

Question 4

The optimism-pessimism self-assessment inventory in Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life")did NOT allow a respondent to receive a score on his or her anticipated ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  romantic relationships 
B)  medical health 
C)  academic performance 
D)  job

Question 5

The overall theme of Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life")is that

Accepted Answer

A)  optimism is always desirable 
B)  pessimism is always desirable 
C)  neither pessimism nor optimism is ever desirable 
D)  a balanced view of optimism and pessimism is desirable

Question 6

Seligman's learned optimism theory classifies attributions along three dimensions: internal/external,stable/unstable,and global/specific.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Problem-focused coping involves behaviors and cognitions that do not directly address the source of stress; instead,they aim to reduce the individual's level of emotional distress.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Balance as midrange suggests that the good life is often best achieved by manifesting high levels of positive constructs,as opposed to low levels.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Which set of attributions best characterizes the car driver optimist who has just gotten into an accident with his car sliding into a ditch?

Accepted Answer

A)  internal, stable, global 
B)  internal, unstable, global 
C)  external, unstable, specific 
D)  external, stable, specific

Question 10

In Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life"),Gruman,Lumley,and Gonzales-Morales (2016)presented a balance framework in relation to optimism and pessimism.Identify the four ways that the authors suggest balance be considered.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to...

Question 11

Optimism is positively associated with ______ when people are exposed to ______ stressors and negatively associated with ______ when people are exposed to ______ stressors.

Accepted Answer

A)  cellular immunity; easy; cellular immunity; difficult 
B)  depression; insurmountable; anxiety; sporadic 
C)  success; self-inflicted; success; externally based 
D)  interpersonal success; low-level; interpersonal success; high-level

Question 12

Which of the following is not true of Lomas's (2015)work on well-being and interventions in the social environment?

Accepted Answer

A)  The microsystem level focuses on a person's immediate social environment, such as school or work. 
B)  At the microsystem level, positive outcomes can be promoted by such things as positive parenting programs and positive workplace programs. 
C)  The exosystems level focuses on the interaction of microsystems. 
D)  At the exosystem level, well-being can be promoted by community-based programs, such as healthy-eating and crime prevention initiatives.

Question 13

Defensive pessimism

Accepted Answer

A)  is a cognitive strategy that always results in worse performance compared with optimism 
B)  is a cognitive strategy involving thinking optimistically in easy situations and pessimistically in difficult situations 
C)  is a cognitive strategy that can result in better performance compared with optimism 
D)  involves setting high expectations so as to have an excuse for failure

Question 14

According to Seligman's theory,attributions about the causes of events are categorized in terms of three dimensions.Which is NOT one of the dimensions?

Accepted Answer

A)  stable/unstable 
B)  flexible/rigid 
C)  global/specific 
D)  internal/external

Question 15

Unstable attributions are made when people attribute events to things that are not likely to change (e.g.,level of intelligence or discriminatory practices).

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 17: Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life: Balancing Optimism and Pessimism

Optimism has been found to facilitate social,psychological,and physical adjustment.

Which of the following is NOT true about what Krueger and Funder (2004) noted about social psychology research?

Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life") reviews the benefits of optimistic thinking in several areas of life.Benefits were NOT considered with respect to

The optimism-pessimism self-assessment inventory in Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life") did NOT allow a respondent to receive a score on his or her anticipated ______.

The overall theme of Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life") is that

Seligman's learned optimism theory classifies attributions along three dimensions: internal/external,stable/unstable,and global/specific.

Problem-focused coping involves behaviors and cognitions that do not directly address the source of stress; instead,they aim to reduce the individual's level of emotional distress.

Balance as midrange suggests that the good life is often best achieved by manifesting high levels of positive constructs,as opposed to low levels.

Which set of attributions best characterizes the car driver optimist who has just gotten into an accident with his car sliding into a ditch?

In Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life"),Gruman,Lumley,and Gonzales-Morales (2016)presented a balance framework in relation to optimism and pessimism.Identify the four ways that the authors suggest balance be considered.

Optimism is positively associated with when people are exposed to stressors and negatively associated with when people are exposed to stressors.

Which of the following is not true of Lomas's (2015) work on well-being and interventions in the social environment?

Defensive pessimism

According to Seligman's theory,attributions about the causes of events are categorized in terms of three dimensions.Which is NOT one of the dimensions?

Unstable attributions are made when people attribute events to things that are not likely to change (e.g.,level of intelligence or discriminatory practices).