Question 1

If both Chinese and Americans are comparing two pieces of art,the American is most likely to notice

Accepted Answer

A) differences in the foreground. 
B) the color schemes. 
C) differences in how objects are oriented. 
D) differences in brushstrokes.

Question 2

In the Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968)study on the self-fulfilling prophecy,who did teachers like the least?

Accepted Answer

A) bloomers who did well 
B) bloomers who did not do well 
C) nonbloomers who did well 
D) nonbloomers who did not do well 
E) The teachers liked all students about the same.

Question 3

Recall the words of Dr.Robert Marion,who was the first physician to correctly diagnose a nine-year-old girl with a rare disease: "Doctors are just like everyone else.We go to the movies,watch TV,read newspapers and novels.If we happen to see a patient who has symptoms of a rare disease that was featured on the previous night's 'Movie of the Week,' we're more likely to consider that condition when making a diagnosis." In essence,Dr.Marion is describing the ____ heuristic.

Accepted Answer

A) representativeness 
B) availability 
C) primacy 
D) counterfactual

Question 4

Most initial impressions of a novel situation are made using

Accepted Answer

A) controlled thinking processes. 
B) the representativeness heuristic. 
C) counterfactual thinking. 
D) automatic thinking processes.

Question 5

Controlled processes such as counterfactual thinking can have their benefits and drawbacks.First,discuss what is meant by the term "counterfactual thinking," then explain how this phenomenon can be beneficial and how it can be detrimental.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Controlled processes such as counterfactual thinking can...

Question 6

Although there are only a few runners on your college track team,you see a woman on campus who has the physique of a runner.You decide that she's a member of the track team.Your conclusion is based on

Accepted Answer

A) the representativeness heuristic. 
B) the availability heuristic. 
C) base rate information. 
D) biased sampling.

Question 7

The textbook discusses facilitated communication,a technique that has been touted as allowing communication-impaired people to express themselves via a keyboard operated with the help of a facilitator.In fact,

Accepted Answer

A) the technique has been scientifically validated and is cited as an example of the successful application of ideas about automatic processing. 
B) the technique is controversial,with evidence both for and against its effectiveness,and is cited as an example of the limits of the scientific method. 
C) the technique was discredited since scientific evidence indicated that in fact,the facilitators unknowingly communicated their own responses rather than those of the other. 
D) the technique has been superseded by a more powerful technique and is used as an example of the pace of scientific progress.

Question 8

Self-fulfilling prophecies most often are a result of

Accepted Answer

A) deliberate attempts by people to confirm their schemas. 
B) inadvertent and unconscious influences of individuals' schemas. 
C) deliberate attempts to treat people in an unbiased manner. 
D) priming.

Question 9

The authors of your text report that a college professor asked students to list either two or ten ways to improve the course.Because students used the availability heuristic,which group of students gave the professor the highest course ratings overall?

Accepted Answer

A) They were actually the same. 
B) the students who were asked to list ten improvements 
C) the students who were asked to list two improvements 
D) the students who skipped listing any improvements

Question 10

The mental shortcuts that people use to make judgments quickly and efficiently are called

Accepted Answer

A) judgmental heuristics. 
B) self-fulfilling prophecies. 
C) schemas. 
D) controlled processes.

Question 11

Which example best describes the representativeness heuristic?

Accepted Answer

A) "To decide if someone is a lawyer,I compare that person's characteristics to the characteristics of the typical lawyer." 
B) "To decide if someone is dishonest,I try to recall instances of that person's dishonest behavior." 
C) "To decide if someone is an environmentalist,I consider the proportion of environmentalists in the population." 
D) "To decide if someone is conscientious,I consider how easy it is to imagine them acting in a non- conscientious manner."

Question 12

The text discusses how counterfactual thinking can be either detrimental or beneficial to people's mental health.Counterfactual thinking can be detrimental because it ____ and beneficial if it ____.

Accepted Answer

A) makes people ruminate over past events; leads to seeking social support 
B) may prevent people from thinking about anything else; focuses people on ways they can cope better in the future 
C) leads to thought suppression; fosters consideration of a better future 
D) makes people more likely to use automatic processes; leads people to express their thoughts more

Question 13

A teenager wants to borrow the family car to go to an out-of-town concert.Her parents resist the idea.Based on the results of Schwarz et al.'s (1991)study on the effects of generating different numbers of examples of behavior described in your text,the teenager in question is most likely to view her parents as stubborn and unreasonable when they say to her,

Accepted Answer

A) "Give us five reasons why you should be allowed to borrow the car." 
B) "Tell us again what you would do if the car broke down." 
C) "How many other friends are going with you?" 
D) "Give us one reason why we shouldn't worry ourselves to death."

Question 14

You drive past a billboard advertising a certain candy bar every day,but never really notice the ad.If this billboard is priming you to purchase the candy bar,which of the following is most likely to happen?

Accepted Answer

A) You feel compelled to pull into the nearest convenience store to buy several of these candy bars. 
B) You never purchase the candy bar,but dream about it. 
C) At the snack bar,hungry,you consider-and perhaps even purchase-the candy bar. 
D) After several days,you start craving the candy bar,even when you aren't hungry.

Question 15

Considering the results of the study by Shariff and Norenzayan (2007)presented in your text,why is it that when people were primed with words related to God or fairness to others,they left more money for the next person?

Accepted Answer

A) Goals of altruism were activated without the participants' awareness. 
B) Participants believed their sense of fairness was being evaluated. 
C) Participants were told that the next participant would know how much money they left and their name. 
D) Goals of generosity versus frugality were made salient.

Question 16

Nisbett and his colleagues conducted a study on graduate students in different disciplines to determine factors related to statistical reasoning.They found that ____ appeared to influence how accurately and logically they reasoned through everyday problems.

Accepted Answer

A) training in statistics 
B) overall intelligence 
C) overall math ability 
D) training in rhetorical arguments

Question 17

Based on information from the authors of your text,when we meet someone new,we are likely to

Accepted Answer

A) consider carefully all information about him or her before forming an impression. 
B) use only internal characteristics such as personality to form an impression. 
C) categorize this person based on our schemas and other people we know. 
D) rely on scripts to form an accurate impression.

Question 18

In a study by Higgins,Rholes,and Jones (1977)described in the textbook,participants memorized either the word reckless or the word adventurous before reading an ambiguous passage about Donald in which he was described as engaging in a number of recreational activities (e.g.,driving in a demolition derby,white-water rafting)in which he had risked injury and even death.This method was used to study the concept of

Accepted Answer

A) priming. 
B) attribution formation. 
C) representativeness. 
D) counterfactual thinking.

Question 19

Based on Cornell and colleagues most recent work,presented by the authors of your text,there is one study which indicates that police officers are ____ likely relative to nonofficers to let stereotypes guide their decision to shoot someone.

Accepted Answer

A) more 
B) twice as 
C) equally 
D) less

Question 20

Carol has a subtle "Mona Lisa" smile that is much harder to detect than an obvious toothy grin.Assume that before you met Carol,a mutual friend described her as warm and friendly.The first time Carol smiled at you,if you were to rely on your schemas,you would probably conclude that she is

Accepted Answer

A) bored talking to you. 
B) a friendly person. 
C) a cool,aloof person. 
D) very hard to read.

Exam 3: Social Cognition: How We Think About the Social World