Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

A) mentally handicapped students. 
B) emotionally disturbed children. 
C) bright students. 
D) chosen at random.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

A) he was a clumsy person. 
B) spilling the gravy was embarrassing to his family. 
C) the ladle was slippery and anyone would have dropped it. 
D) he would be more careful next time.

Question 4

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?

Accepted Answer

A) Reinforcers and punishers never work on humans the way they work on other animals. 
B) The behaviorist approach does not adequately define the terms "reinforcement" and "punishment." 
C) Behaviorists overlooked the concept of "superstitious behaviors." 
D) Although they can explain much,behaviorists have trouble explaining some social behaviors.

Question 5

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.

Accepted Answer

A) behaviorist; self-esteem 
B) self-esteem; Gestalt 
C) Gestalt; behaviorist 
D) self-esteem; behaviorist

Question 6

Like social psychologists,personality psychologists focus on

Accepted Answer

A) individuals rather than collectives or institutions. 
B) the cultural context. 
C) individual differences. 
D) the power of construals to shape human behavior.

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

A) How does the motive to control the environment influence social behaviors? 
B) Why are people motivated to maintain their self-esteem? 
C) What factors prevent people from reasoning accurately? 
D) Why is the whole different from the sum of its parts?

Question 8

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.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Based on your text's account of research...

Question 9

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?

Accepted Answer

A) It is common sense. 
B) It is philosophy. 
C) It is personality psychology. 
D) It is a construal.

Question 10

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?

Accepted Answer

A) gambler's fallacy 
B) construals 
C) direct social influence 
D) fundamental attribution error

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

A) Dimitri is delusional for deriving meaning from the horrible experience he just endured. 
B) Dimitri has to somehow justify his suffering while maintaining his self-esteem. 
C) Dimitri's self-esteem increased every day that he survived in Basic Training. 
D) Dimitri's justification for joining the Army was strong enough to see him through to finishing Basic Training.

Question 12

The behaviorist approach

Accepted Answer

A) has its historical roots in Gestalt psychology. 
B) revolutionized psychology by introducing cognitive concepts. 
C) claims that all learning occurs through reinforcement and punishment. 
D) claims that although thinking and feeling cannot be directly observed,such concepts are essential for a complete understanding of human behavior.

Question 13

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?

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 14

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

Accepted Answer

A) control 
B) construe 
C) manipulate 
D) structure

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

A) applying Gestalt principles to social perception. 
B) applying behavioral principles to the topic of social influence. 
C) reminding social psychologists that objective physical attributes of a social stimulus are important. 
D) promoting the use of observational methods.

Question 16

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.

Accepted Answer

A) behaviorist 
B) cognitive 
C) Gestalt 
D) comparative

Question 17

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

Accepted Answer

A) individual differences,such as anti-social personality. 
B) mental illness in most of the cult members. 
C) the social influence of cult leaders. 
D) the imagined presence of an all-powerful deity.

Question 18

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.

Accepted Answer

A) a social cognition 
B) a Gestalt 
C) a self-esteem 
D) a self-perception

Question 19

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?

Accepted Answer

A) Dr.Diehl,because she studies a societal problem. 
B) Dr.Jzreck,because he studies individuals as his focus. 
C) They could both be social psychologists,since they both study aggression. 
D) Neither one is a social psychologist.

Question 20

Lee Ross describes the idea of "naïve realism" as

Accepted Answer

A) The conviction that all of us have that we perceive things "as they really are." 
B) The scientific study of the way in which people's thoughts,feelings,and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people. 
C) The way in which people perceive,comprehend,and interpret the social world. 
D) The aspects of people's personalities that make them different from other people.

Exam 1: Introducing Social Psychology

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