Q&A Hero

Q: Jason announced to everyone that on Monday he was going to the gym. This public announcement uses the principle of _________ in a positive way. a. approval b. commitment c. scarcity d. liking

Q: Publicly announcing your intentions to change a behavior before you start utilizes the principle of _________ in a positive way. a. approval b. commitment c. scarcity d. liking

Q: The effectiveness of the "foot-in-the-door" technique comes from a. our need for consistency, which motivates us to maintain a commitment. b. our need for approval. c. the pressure others put on us. d. our desire to help others.

Q: Jessica borrowed a pencil from a classmate on Tuesday. On Thursday, she asked the same classmate to borrow a calculator. Based on the principle of commitment, predict what the classmate will do? a. Loan her another pencil. b. Refuse to loan her the calculator. c. Loan her another student's calculator. d. Loan her the calculator.

Q: According to the principle of commitment, once we make a small commitment to a person or idea, a. there is less of a chance we will make a larger commitment later. b. there is more of a chance we will make a larger commitment later. c. we are equally likely to make a similar commitment later. d. we are likely to make a similar commitment to someone else later.

Q: When it comes to the principle of reciprocity, the best way to avoid obligations if you find yourself feeling suspicious of an individual's motive for a request is to a. say yes to the request. b. say no to the request. c. have someone else fulfill the request. d. ask the individual his or her motives.

Q: Sondra wanted to stay out with friends until 10 p.m. on Saturday. Rather than ask her mom if she could come home at 10, Sondra asked her mom if she could stay out until midnight. When Mom said no (an answer Sondra expected), Sondra replied, "Oh, Mom! How about until 10 then?" Which technique is Sondra using to get her way? a. Get what you want b. Door in the face c. Foot in the door d. Pane in the window

Q: According to ________________ psychology, we feel a strong obligation to reciprocate because social exchange has been a crucial component in individual and group survival. a. developmental b. humanistic c. evolutionary d. behaviorism

Q: One study had individuals participate in an "art appreciation study." In one condition of the real study on reciprocity, one participant (actually a confederate to the experiment) offered the other participant a Coke. After the experiment, the confederate asked the real participant to buy a raffle ticket. What was the outcome of this study? a. Participants across the Coke/no Coke conditions were equally likely to buy raffle tickets. b. Only participants in the no Coke condition bought raffle tickets. c. Neither participants in the Coke or no Coke conditions bought raffle tickets. d. Participants in the Coke condition bought, on average, twice as many raffle tickets as participants in the no Coke condition.

Q: Sometimes, we comply with another person's request to build a reciprocity "savings account." According to your text, the benefit to us would be a. we will have more money. b. the person we help won"t ask us for another favor. c. we increase the likelihood they will remember our compliance and return the favor. d. we will like them more.

Q: Like many times before, Suzanne watched her friend Stan's house while he was away on business. In return, he shoveled her walk after it snowed. These behaviors illustrate the norm of a. reciprocity. b. liking. c. authority. d. scarcity.

Q: Believing it is important to pay back favors is also known as a. commitment. b. liking. c. reciprocity. d. approval.

Q: ____________ goes beyond conformity because it involves a response to an overt request. a. Informational social influence b. Normative social influence c. Agreement d. Compliance

Q: Culture influences conformity in that collectivistic cultures value ____________ and, therefore, value conformity. a. information b. idealization c. independence d. group harmony

Q: Which of the following best describes the relationship between group size and conformity? a. As the number of people increases, the degree to which we conform is directly proportional. b. There is no relationship between group size and our likelihood to conform. c. Conformity increases as the group grows to about five. Additional members make little or no difference. d. Group size only influences conformity when groups are crowd size.

Q: ____________ in the situation leads to increased conformity. a. Confidence b. Knowledge c. Ambiguity d. Experience

Q: Everyone told Zach the first exam for Dr. Desmond would be tough, but he chose to ignore their advice and didn"t study as much as he should have. In this case, it was unfortunate that he was not persuaded by ______ social influence. a. informational b. acceptance c. approval d. cultural

Q: Parker wasn"t sure what the best strategy for studying for his upcoming exam would be, so he asked another student who had taken the class. Since she had used the online quizzes and found them helpful, he chose to use them, too. This is an example of _______ social influence. a. informational b. acceptance c. approval d. normative

Q: Conformity can be helpful when we are involved in ambiguous situations and don"t know what to do. In this case, we do what others are doing because it provides us with a. informational. b. acceptance. c. approval. d. culture.

Q: Normative social influence is to ___________as informational social influence is to a. knowing; belonging. b. catastrophizing; generalizing. c. thinking; doing. d. belonging; knowing.

Q: Although Gerry doesn"t like the taste of alcoholic beverages, she drinks a beer to "fit in" with the other kids at a party. Her behavior is an example of ________ social influence. a. normative b. informational c. reciprocal d. responsive

Q: Conforming to "fit in" with a certain group even though you as an individual may not believe in the behavior is also known as ________ social influence. a. normative b. informational c. reciprocal d. responsive

Q: Conformity is necessary for society because it a. allows people to know to which groups they belong. b. helps maintain a sense of order. c. accentuates what makes us different from one another. d. decreases feelings of belonging.

Q: Clapping at the end of a musical performance or play is an example of a(n) a. rule. b. law. c. social norm. d. overgeneralization.

Q: When we are unsure of how to behave, we often look to others to gain information about rules for appropriate behavior in a culture or subculture. These rules are also known as a. informal policies. b. laws. c. social norms. d. overgeneralizations.

Q: Stacy noticed that all the other girls were wearing dresses to school, and although she preferred to wear pants, she also began wearing dresses. This is an example of a. uniformity. b. homogeny. c. standardization. d. conformity.

Q: _________ is a voluntary change in belief or behavior with the intent to follow a perceived social norm. a. Uniformity b. Homogeny c. Standardization d. Conformity

Q: The extensive debriefings of those participants in the Stanford Prison Experiment revealed that participants who had the role of guards a. were faced with the reality of the cruelty they had inflicted on others. b. avoided blaming the "victims," in this case the prisoners. c. were not able to justify their behavior. d. were not as shaken up as they previously thought.

Q: The extensive debriefings of the participants in the Stanford Prison Experiment revealed that participants who had the role of prisoners a. were not aware of how depersonalized they had become. b. never abandoned their concerns for others. c. were struck by the fact that their grasp on reality could be endangered so quickly. d. were not as shaken up as they previously thought.

Q: Which of the following best explains why Philip Zimbardo stopped the experiment when he did? a. His role in the study made him more aware of the participants' suffering. b. A graduate student assistant told him she thought what he was doing was terrible. c. The debriefing of the participants made him question his treatment of the guards and prisoners. d. His personal belief system about prison life caused him to question his study.

Q: The Stanford Prison Experiment was originally planned for two weeks. How long did it last? a. Two days b. Four days c. Six days d. The full two weeks

Q: What was Dr. Zimbardo's role in the Stanford Prison Experiment? a. Clergy b. Warden c. Parole officer d. Guard

Q: Because they were not allowed to use physical punishment to control the prisoners in the Stanford Prison Experiment, the guards began to rely on a. positive reinforcement. b. negative reinforcement. c. humiliation and degradation. d. a 12-step program.

Q: Chains were locked around the prisoners' ankles in the Stanford Prison Experiment to a. slow down their movement. b. remind them of their status as prisoners. c. make them easier to control. d. attach them to their cells.

Q: One form of punishment the "guards" in the Stanford Prison Experiment relied on involved prisoner isolation. This is also known as a. prisoner segregation. b. individual seclusion. c. time out. d. solitary confinement.

Q: Volunteers began their participation in the Stanford Prison Experiment a. by showing up to participate. b. when police cars picked them up at their places of residence. c. after being arrested for a real crime. d. by signing up at the cafeteria.

Q: Applicants for the Stanford Prison Study were screened for physical and mental health, as well as randomly assigned to the prisoner and guard conditions. This was important because it a. minimized the effects of the situation. b. ruled out the effects of individual differences that could have contributed to differences in behavior. c. decreased the insurance premiums charged to the university. d. protected those individuals running the study from harm.

Q: The primary goal of Phil Zimbardo's 1972 Stanford Prison Experiment was to a. evaluate what individual characteristics would make for the best prison guards. b. determine if specific personality types contributed to more prison riots. c. determine the psychological influence of prison life on inmates and guards. d. evaluate the effects of gender on prison behavior.

Q: We tend to modify our recollections of people as our experiences with them a. change. b. remain the same. c. become more frequent. d. decrease.

Q: Jeff and Susan have just celebrated their five-year anniversary. Susan's friend Sarah comments to Susan at the reception that she has noticed that Susan and Jeff act the same now as they did when they first got married. She goes on to ask Susan if their whole marriage has been this way or if they ever experienced difficulty in their relationship. What answer would you expect from Susan based on the study by Holmberg & Holmes (1994)? a. As newlyweds, they did experience some problems in their marriage. b. They have experienced marital problems which have weakened their marriage, but they continue to work through their problems. c. She remembers the happy times when they were first married even though money was tight. d. She finds it difficult to remember happy or sad times from her early marriage.

Q: Holmberg & Holmes (1994) surveyed married couples just after marriage and then again after two years. What was the outcome of this study? a. Couples whose marriages were going well remembered having problems as newlyweds, while couples who were experiencing marital difficulties remembered being happy as newlyweds. b. Couples whose marriages were going well remembered being very happy as newlyweds, while couples who were experiencing marital difficulties remembered having problems even as newlyweds. c. It didn"t matter whether the marriage was going well, as all participants remembered being happy as newlyweds. d. It didn"t matter whether the marriage was going well, as all participants remembered having problems as newlyweds.

Q: The tendency to forget minor annoyances and remember pleasures of a positive experience more vividly over time is referred to as a. positive reconstruction. b. negative reconstruction. c. a schema. d. rosy retrospection.

Q: Scott and Janice took a trip to Hawaii for their anniversary. When Janice's mom called to see how their vacation was going, Janice told her that it was nice, but she was annoyed with all the other tourists and wished they had picked a different time of year for their trip. A couple months after they returned home, Janice was telling all her friends and relatives what a wonderful time they"d had on their vacation. Janice's behavior is an example of a. a schema. b. rosy retrospection. c. positive reconstruction. d. negative reconstruction.

Q: Loftus' (1974) study found that witnesses increased the estimated speed of a car in a crash by 20 percent when a. they were told the car was a sports car. b. they were asked whether the cars smashed or hit one another. c. they watched the videos of the crash multiple times. d. they watched the video with the sound muted.

Q: Schemas can influence retrieval of information from memory by a. influencing how we encode information. b. interfering with storage of information. c. decreasing the number of familiar items remembered. d. filling in gaps of what we recall from memory.

Q: Which of the following describes how schemas can influence encoding? a. By modifying the way we interpret or perceive a situation b. By interfering with how we recall information c. By interfering with our organization of the information d. By overriding the sensory input in a situation

Q: According to Hamilton, a set of beliefs and expectations we have about certain concepts, events, and situations is also known as a a. prediction. b. schema. c. scaffold. d. concept.

Q: According to the three-box model of memory, _________ memory is 1 to 2 seconds, whereas _________ memory is about 30 seconds. a. working; long-term b. long-term; sensory c. working; short-term d. sensory; working

Q: Carson smelled the best banana bread at her friend Allison's house. Encoding information from her immediate experiences is known as __________ memory. a. sensory b. working c. long-term d. three-box

Q: The ________ model of memory suggests that we learn information through a process involving sensory memory, working memory, and long-term memory. a. universal b. three-box c. process d. situational

Q: ________ is a timeframe of about 30 seconds during which we either use and dispose of information or work to retain it. a. Encoding b. Sensory memory c. Working memory d. Long-term memory

Q: The memory process has three stages: encoding, ________, and retrieval. a. storage b. assessment c. evaluation d. articulation

Q: Meredith is studying for an exam, but doesn"t understand the material she is reading. If she is confused about the information, she will have trouble ________, which will lead to difficulty remembering. a. encoding b. recalling c. recognizing d. relearning

Q: According to your text, memory is subject to errors when we try to retrieve information and when we try to ________ information. a. apply b. encode c. remember d. recall

Q: Dr. Graham thought he noticed one of his students copying answers from another's exam. He comments, "I noticed your eyes were wandering. Were you reading another student's response or thinking of your own?" This question refers to which part of the perception checking model? a. Describe a person's behavior. b. Offer a couple of different ways you could interpret behavior. c. Ask other person which interpretation is correct. d. Substitute your interpretations for facts.

Q: When using perception checking to evaluate ambiguous behavior, the benefit to offering a couple of different ways you could interpret behavior is it a. increases your partner's defensiveness. b. decreases the likelihood of reaching the truth. c. conveys concern to your partner as well as acknowledging there could be a simple, innocent explanation for the behavior. d. increases the likelihood of confrontation.

Q: Which of the following strategies is the best for learning a new communication technique? a. Practice when in a heated argument. b. Practice only with those for whom you will use this strategy. c. Practice in hypothetical situations. d. No practice is necessary.

Q: The technique of perception checking works best in cultures which rely on ___________ communication. a. direct b. indirect c. subliminal d. nonverbal

Q: Darren was a few minutes late coming home and noticed a mean look on his wife's face when he came in. If he was unsure of why she looked cross and relied on perception checking, the first step he should take is a. describe what he noticed to her (in this case, her cross face). b. say, "I didn"t know if you were angry at me for being a little late or if you had a bad day with kids or at work." c. ask her which interpretation is correct. d. offer to take her to dinner.

Q: If you are unsure of another person's behavior, one way to avoid misjudgments is to use a. common sense. b. your own cultural norms. c. perception checking. d. nonverbal behaviors.

Q: Which of the following is an example of a group difference or cultural factor capable of influencing our perceptions of others? a. Physical senses b. Physical state c. Physical appearance d. Eye contact

Q: Which of the following is an example of an individual difference capable of influencing the perceptions of others? a. Eye contact b. Personal space c. Physical state d. Talking rules

Q: When it comes to the use of small talk, a. Americans value its use, whereas Asian, Southern European, and Middle Eastern cultures value efficiency in conversation. b. American, Asian, Southern European, and Middle Eastern cultures equally value the use of small talk in conversation. c. Americans value efficiency in conversation, especially when it comes to business, whereas individuals from Asian, Southern European, and Middle Eastern cultures value the use of small talk before conducting business. d. Asian, Southern European, and Middle Eastern cultures do not value small talk before business with acquaintances, but they are more likely to use it with strangers.

Q: Another example of talking rules involves engaging in general conversation with others in order to develop rapport before discussing the relevant issue. This general conversation is also referred to as a. warm-up. b. efficient lingo. c. pre-conversation. d. small talk.

Q: Junichiro is from Japan and often feels overwhelmed when having a conversation with her new friend, Angela, who is from the United States. Junichiro probably feels overwhelmed because in her culture, great value is placed on a. talking. b. silence. c. filler words. d. chatter.

Q: When it comes to conversation, Asian cultures, as well as Native American cultures, place great value on a. talking. b. silence. c. filler words. d. chatter.

Q: In the United States, to keep conversation flowing, individuals often rely on _________ such as "um," "you know," and "like" when looking for the right word or phrase. a. conjunctions b. filler words c. connectors d. spacing words

Q: Because talking is a dominant means of contact in the United States, we tend to avoid conversations with a. too many words. b. periods of silence. c. many interruptions. d. other people.

Q: Different cultures have different rules or guidelines governing conversation. These rules are called a. rules of contact. b. speaking rules. c. interaction guidelines. d. talking rules.

Q: Eye contact norms a. rarely vary across cultures. b. may vary in formal and informal social interactions. c. are consistent within cultures in the same country. d. of one culture are easily translated into the eye contact norms of another culture.

Q: In Asian cultures, it is _________ to look a potential employer in the eye. a. common b. disrespectful c. respectful d. necessary

Q: Linda became angry when she found out her son had skipped school. When she confronted him, he looked away. In white American culture, Linda probably interpreted her son's behavior as a sign of a. honesty. b. interest. c. sincerity. d. deception.

Q: In white American culture, when we"re talking with someone, and he or she looks away, we assume the person is a. hiding something or not interested. b. behaving respectively. c. showing interest by thinking more deeply about the conversation. d. confident in his or her position.

Q: According to research on personal space, our urge to back up when another comes too close allows us to a. establish power during an interaction. b. reestablish a comfortable distance. c. reduce warmth between those talking. d. diminish personal space boundaries between acquaintances.

Q: Jason thought it was odd that his close friend Zach kept a greater distance from him than he expected. Instead of 0-18 inches, Zach had suddenly kept his distance at least 4 or more feet from Jason when they talked. This greater distance in personal space is usually referred to as the a. intimate zone. b. personal zone. c. social zone. d. adversarial zone.

Q: The "personal zone" is the amount of space where we feel comfortable interacting with a. friends, acquaintances, and familiar coworkers. b. closest friends and loved ones. c. professional people we don"t know well. d. strangers.

Q: The "intimate zone" of personal space applies to the distance we feel comfortable interacting with a. friends, acquaintances, and familiar coworkers. b. closest friends and loved ones. c. professional people we don"t know well. d. individuals we don"t know at all.

Q: The intimate zone of personal space spans a. 0-18 inches. b. 18 inches to 4 feet. c. 4-12 feet. d. 12-20 feet.

Q: At a recent party, Claire suddenly became uncomfortable when a person she didn"t know well began talking with her only inches from her face. This stranger violated the rules of which zone of Claire's personal space? a. Intimate b. Personal c. Social d. Business

Q: ___________ is the comfortable amount of distance between people in conversation. a. Personal zone b. Conversational zone c. Conversational bubble d. Personal space