Question 1

Outline the scientific method, describing each of the different steps involved.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Outline the scientific method, describing each of...

Question 2

A person who is secretly working for an experimenter to help create a particular situation is called a(n) ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A person who is secretly working for...

Question 3

Milgram's famous studies of obedience to authority were motivated by which historical event?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Holocaust 
B)  The fall of Communism 
C)  The return of soldiers from Desert Storm 
D)  The Great Depression

Question 4

Compared to laboratory experiments, field experiments tend to be ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  low in internal validity and low in external validity 
B)  low in internal validity and high in external validity 
C)  high in internal validity and low in external validity 
D)  high in internal validity and high in external validity

Question 5

Dr. Hon is a researcher who studies methods for increasing condom usage among sexually active teens. Dr. Hon would probably be BEST described as a(n) ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  personality psychologist 
B)  applied researcher 
C)  social worker 
D)  developmental psychologist

Question 6

Describe the ABC triad and give examples of each component with respect to the experience of falling in love.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the ABC triad and give examples...

Question 7

The influence of Freudian psychoanalysis on psychology is most readily seen in ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  the identification of neurological correlates 
B)  detailed studies of genotypes and phenotypes 
C)  elaborate interpretation of individual experiences 
D)  the systematic search for reinforcement contingencies

Question 8

Suppose that you are a research participant in a laboratory study that is looking at fear and social support. The researcher shows you an extremely scary movie and then asks you whether you feel like talking to anyone (and if so, who) once the movie is over. Although you are in a laboratory setting the whole time, which does not resemble "real life" at all, you become engrossed in the procedures of the study and almost forget that you are in a study. Thus, in your experience, this study is ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  low in experimental realism and low in mundane realism 
B)  low in experimental realism and high in mundane realism 
C)  high in experimental realism and low in mundane realism 
D)  high in experimental realism and high in mundane realism

Question 9

Roger holds a number of negative stereotypes about women; specifically, he thinks that most women are manipulative, vain, and lazy. In trying to understand why Roger holds these stereotypes, which of the following questions would a social psychologist be MOST likely to ask?

Accepted Answer

A)  Does Roger feel so intimidated by women that he expresses these negative stereotypes in order to "cover up" his deep-seeded lack of self-esteem? 
B)  Did Roger have a difficult relationship with his mother as a young child that might have fostered negative attitudes toward all women? 
C)  Does Roger have a physical brain abnormality? 
D)  Has Roger been exposed to these stereotypes in the media, or has he perhaps had a few limited (but negative) interactions with women that might have helped to perpetuate these stereotypes?

Question 10

In psychology, an "affect" is most similar to ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  an emotion or mood 
B)  a belief or attitude 
C)  a behavior or reaction 
D)  a motivating force or drive

Question 11

A correlation coefficient communicates two pieces of information about the relationship between two variables: The ____ communicates the direction of the relationship, and the ____ communicates the strength of the relationship.

Accepted Answer

A)  value; sign 
B)  sign; value 
C)  slope; value 
D)  sign; slope

Question 12

According to the textbook, if you conduct a research study, write up all of the results in a paper, and submit the paper to a top academic journal, you have a ____ chance of getting your paper published in one of the best social psychology journals.

Accepted Answer

A)  0-1% 
B)  10-20% 
C)  30-40% 
D)  50-60%

Question 13

Replication refers to ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  the joint effects of two or more independent variables 
B)  the technique of meta-analysis 
C)  repeating an experiment to see if the same results can be obtained 
D)  an experimental setting seeming like the real-world

Question 14

Which of the following elements is particularly critical to include in a deception study, but is not usually required in other types of studies?

Accepted Answer

A)  IRB approval 
B)  demand characteristics 
C)  complete debriefing 
D)  informed consent

Question 15

Although sociologists and social psychologists are both interested in group behavior, sociologists tend to focus on ____, whereas social psychologists tend to focus on ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  individual members within the group; the group as a single unit 
B)  the group as a single unit; individual members within the group 
C)  how groups are unique; how various groups are similar to one another 
D)  how various groups are similar to one another; how groups are unique

Question 16

Based on early research by Norman Triplett, we should expect that children who work on math problems alone will ____ than children who work on math problems side by side with their classmates.

Accepted Answer

A)  work more slowly 
B)  work more quickly 
C)  second-guess themselves less 
D)  second-guess themselves more

Question 17

Most social psychological research has been conducted in the U.S. and a few very similar nations. According to the textbook, how well do findings generalize to other cultures?

Accepted Answer

A)  With only one notable exception, no cross-cultural differences have been found in any area of social psychology. 
B)  In general, there appear to be many large and important cross-cultural differences across areas of social psychology. 
C)  In general, there appear to be many large and important cross-cultural differences for women, but very few cross-cultural differences for men. 
D)  Because not enough research has been replicated cross-culturally, it is not well understood what will or will not generalize.

Question 18

Suppose that a researcher decided to study everyday altruism towards men versus towards women by leaving (fake) fully addressed college applications in airport lobbies (identical except with male versus female applicant names), and then tracking the number of people who send in the application. What kind of study of this?

Accepted Answer

A)  A laboratory study 
B)  A field experiment 
C)  A correlational study 
D)  A quasi-experiment

Question 19

Social psychology is best defined as the study of ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  how we learn to behave in accordance with the rules of society 
B)  how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are affected by other people 
C)  how cultures are created in order to serve the interests of the powerful 
D)  how societies work to allocate resources and responsibilities

Question 20

In recent years, what has emerged as an important subfield of social psychology that explores the ways in which people think about social situations?

Accepted Answer

A)  cognitive sociology 
B)  social cognition 
C)  cognitive psychology 
D)  socioneurology

Exam 1: The Mission and the Method