Q&A Hero

Q: One concern about the pursuit of thinness in Western culture is that a. teenage girls are gaining too much weight. b. 56% of teenage girls tried to lose weight because they perceived themselves as too heavy. c. as females pursue realistic weight goals, males are becoming more overweight. d. most girls pursuing weight loss were truly overweight.

Q: Jade has been somewhat down lately, and her friends are getting concerned. They suggest a night on the town scoping out good-looking guys. According to Kenrick, Montello, Gutierres, and Trost (1993), why might this work? a. Drinking is a positive way to elevate her mood. b. When we see attractive people of the opposite sex, our mood is more positive. c. When we see attractive people of the same sex, our mood is elevated. d. Being exposed to beauty rarely influences our mood.

Q: Sophia, an attractive Italian model, has been diagnosed with depression as many times as Eva, a less attractive college student majoring in accounting. Which of the following statements best explains this? a. Neither Sophia nor Eva earn very much money, and money is related to happiness. b. Although Sophia is attractive, she may not think she's attractive. This is the reason there is no relation between attractiveness and happiness. c. Both have been misdiagnosed. d. Both are assumed by others to be attractive.

Q: Research on beauty suggests people respond more favorably to others they find a. unattractive. b. physically attractive. c. less attractive than them. d. friendly.

Q: Being tired, overwhelmed by stress, or busy at work can all influence our perceptions of others. These three factors are examples of a. physical senses. b. physical states. c. physical attributes. d. cultural differences.

Q: ____________ factors can influence our perception of a situation because individuals with different levels of vision and hearing do not perceive the environment similarly to those with normal vision and hearing. a. Physiological b. Cultural c. Memory d. Situational

Q: After having lunch with her friend, Jean became very ill. She called her friend to determine whether she was sick as well. According to Kelley (1967), Jean is looking for __________ to determine whether she has food poisoning. a. consistency b. consensus c. distinctiveness d. commitment

Q: Kelley's (1967) attributional model suggests that determining whether other people typically exhibit the same behavior in the same situation shows the presence or absence of a. consistency. b. consensus. c. distinctiveness. d. commitment.

Q: Derek realized his girlfriend, Sherry, seemed particularly stressed out when it was exam time, but not during other times. According to Kelley's attributional model, Sherry's stressed-out behavior is a. consistent. b. distinctive. c. similar to other's. d. committed.

Q: According to Kelley (1967), one way we can determine why a person behaves the way he or she does is to examine whether the behavior of interest also occurs in other situations. This component of the model is called a. consistency. b. consensus. c. distinctiveness. d. commitment.

Q: Marco is angry that his friend Anthony is late. Their movie starts in 15 minutes. One of the pieces of information Marco uses to evaluate why his friend is late is whether Anthony has been late other times they have plans. Which factor of Kelley's (1967) model is Marco considering? a. Consistency b. Consensus c. Distinctiveness d. Commitment

Q: In considering why someone behaves the way he or she does, we can examine whether the particular behavior typically occurs in that situation. This is also called ____________ in Kelley's (1967) model. a. consistency b. consensus c. distinctiveness d. commitment

Q: Cody is surprised when his wife, Jessica, snaps at him for no reason. Then he remembers that she had a big presentation at work and was up the night before. If he assumes her behavior is related to lack of sleep and stress at work, he is making a(n) _____________ attribution. a. internal b. external c. personal d. motivational

Q: ___________ attributions are to the person whereas _____________ attributions are to the situation. a. External; internal b. Situational; personal c. Internal; external d. Personal; situational

Q: Dee attributes Stan's negative behavior to his general moodiness. She is making a(n) ____________ attribution. a. internal b. external c. situational d. motivational

Q: Attributing a person's behavior to something about the person, his character, or personality is called a(n) _______________ attribution. a. situational b. external c. internal d. motivational

Q: Dr. Beasley noticed one of her students kept falling asleep during class. "He must be lazy and unmotivated," she thought. What she didn"t know was that her student, Pat, was working the night shift before class. Dr. Beasley's assumption that Pat's sleeping was due to laziness rather than his working situation is also known as a. confirmation bias. b. false consensus bias. c. false uniqueness bias. d. fundamental attribution error.

Q: Often we assume other people's behavior is due to their personality, and we underestimate the influence of the situation. This cognitive bias is also known as a. confirmation bias. b. false consensus bias. c. false uniqueness bias. d. fundamental attribution error.

Q: The confirmation bias has two key components: The first is to look for evidence to confirm our existing beliefs, and the second is to a. interpret ambiguous information in a manner consistent with our own beliefs. b. pay greater attention to the first information we get about a person or situation. c. assume other people's behavior is a result of their personality. d. make sure you aren"t substituting your interpretation for the facts.

Q: After meeting Jeff, Karyn thought she had found the man of her dreams. Although he began to treat her badly, she ignored his negative behavior and interpreted his positive behaviors in a way that was consistent with her preexisting notions. Karyn's inability to see Jeff for who he was is related to a. the primacy effect. b. false consensus bias. c. false uniqueness bias. d. confirmation bias.

Q: The ________________involves our tendency to seek out and pay attention to information that supports our preexisting notions, and also to ignore contradictory information. a. primacy effect b. false consensus bias c. false uniqueness bias d. confirmation bias

Q: Although she has only been working out regularly for a month, Sandra underestimates the likelihood her colleagues work out. Focusing on her positive behavior while underestimating the likelihood others engage in the same activity is also known as a. false consensus bias. b. false uniqueness bias. c. false individual effect. d. self-perception effect.

Q: When considering our talents, abilities, or positive qualities, we tend to see ourselves as more unique than we actually are. This is known as the a. false consensus bias. b. false individual effect. c. false uniqueness bias. d. self-perception effect.

Q: Russ, Greene, and House (1977) asked college students to wear a sandwich-board sign that said "Repent" and walk around campus for 30 minutes. Although only 50 percent of the total number of students volunteering for the study agreed to wear the sign, those who did wear the sign estimated 77 percent of the other participants would do it. Which cognitive bias explains this difference? a. Confirmation bias b. False consensus bias c. Primacy effect d. Fundamental attribution error

Q: Assuming that other people perceive and interpret things the same way we do is also known as a. fundamental attribution error. b. confirmation bias. c. false consensus bias. d. primacy effect.

Q: Ross was excited about attending a protest march in Washington, D.C., supporting abortion rights for women. When he asked his girlfriend, Jane, to go, she remarked, "But, Ross, I am pro-life." Which cognitive bias contributed to Ross' perception that Jane believed the same way he did? a. Primacy effect b. False consensus bias c. Confirmation bias d. Fundamental attribution error

Q: One way to diminish the influence of primacy effect is to a. rely instead on the recency effect. b. be mindful of its existence and its power over our judgment. c. only be influenced by positive information. d. let the target person know that his or her first impression will be most influential on you.

Q: Why do we form impressions of people based on the first time we meet? a. Because we usually meet people only one time. b. As humans, we take multiple meetings to make impressions. c. Because later impressions are more important we ignore early impressions d. When we don"t know someone, we are motivated to gather information about the person quickly.

Q: Solomon Asch (1946) gave participants in his study a list of characteristics about a person they never met. One group read a list indicating the person was intelligent, industrious, impulsive, critical, stubborn, and envious. The second group read the same list in reverse order (i.e., envious, stubborn, critical, etc.). What was the outcome of this study? a. Both groups formed positive impressions of the person. b. Both groups formed negative impressions of the person. c. The group who read the list starting with positive characteristics (i.e., intelligent, industrious, etc.) rated their person more positively than the group who read the list starting with the negative characteristics. d. The group who read the list starting with positive characteristics (i.e., intelligent, industrious, etc.) rated their person more negatively than the group who read the list starting with the negative characteristics.

Q: Darren set his friend Mike up on a blind date. When Mike asked Darren to describe her, he said, "She's attractive, intelligent, industrious, impulsive, critical, and stubborn." Mike replied, "I like attractive and intelligent women." Mike's focus on the first words in the list is an example of the ________ effect. a. focus b. recency c. primacy d. moderating

Q: Paying more attention to initial information about a person or situation than to later information is also known as the __________ effect. a. focus b. recency c. primacy d. moderating

Q: In order to avoid the errors associated with mental shortcuts a. we should avoid using them altogether. b. we need to recognize how they influence our own judgments. c. we should gain more experience using mental shortcuts to reduce errors. d. we should have others monitor our use of mental shortcuts.

Q: Because we have to process information quickly, our brains use ____________ that help us draw quick conclusions in a variety of situations. a. mental shortcuts b. logistic regression c. brain wave evaluation d. systematic assessment

Q: ___________ is the most widespread psychological disorder in our society. a. Schizophrenia b. Obsessive-compulsive disorder c. Catatonia d. Depression

Q: One of the major ways to distinguish between "sadness" and "depression" involves a. why people are upset. b. the support system available. c. whether people talk about their emotions. d. the length of time one experiences the emotion.

Q: The tyranny of shoulds leads to which two related irrational beliefs? a. Catastrophizing; Overgeneralization b. Need for approval; Overgeneralization c. Overgeneralization; Tyranny of shoulds d. Perfectionism; The myth of helplessness

Q: Justin is very frustrated he is scheduled to work on a day he usually has off. Rather than ask someone to trade shifts with him, he complains about his boss and the unfairness of the situation. Justin's assumption that he is stuck in also known as a. the myth of causality. b. the myth of helplessness. c. overgeneralization. d. perfectionism.

Q: When we assume we are stuck in a bad situation and cannot do anything about it, we are falling for a. the tyranny of shoulds. b. overgeneralization. c. catastrophizing. d. the myth of helplessness.

Q: One way to avoid the trap of perfectionism when you struggle with a task involves a. taking action. b. complaining. c. thinking about what you are bad at and focus more attention on that. d. overlooking the problem.

Q: Christopher is so concerned about the quality of his writing he finds it difficult to complete a paragraph. Which irrational belief is interfering with his ability to write? a. Tyranny of shoulds b. Perfectionism c. Overgeneralization d. Catastrophizing

Q: Expecting yourself to be the best in tasks, relationships, communications, or other goals is also known as a. tyranny of shoulds. b. overgeneralization. c. perfectionism. d. myth of helplessness.

Q: Nicholas believes that if he works hard and makes a good impression during the interview, he will get the job he wants. Later, he found out that the interviewer's nephew "earned" the job instead. Nicholas' belief that life should turn out the way he wants is an example of a. myth of causation. b. rationalization. c. overgeneralization. d. tyranny of shoulds.

Q: Isabella believes her daughter Amy should quit her job and take care of her daughter at home the same way she did when Amy was born. As a result, she constantly suggests that now is the time for Amy to be at home. Isabella's irrational expectation that Amy should act in the same way she did is known as a. myth of causation. b. rationalization. c. overgeneralization. d. tyranny of shoulds.

Q: Belief that other people, or the world in general, ought to think and act in a way that fits your own belief system is also known as a. myth of causation. b. tyranny of shoulds. c. tyranny of musts. d. overgeneralization.

Q: Marsten is not comfortable with herself unless everyone approves of her. Marsten is experiencing which irrational belief? a. Myth of helplessness b. Overgeneralization c. Need for approval d. Perfectionism

Q: The belief that you are okay only if everyone else approves of you is an example of which irrational belief? a. Overgeneralization b. Catastrophizing c. Myth of helplessness d. Need for approval

Q: According to Ellis (1958), one irrational belief that is a major cause of depression and anxiety is a. catastrophizing. b. need for approval. c. myth of causation. d. perfectionism.

Q: Ethan's mom becomes angry at her son because, once again, he didn"t make his bed. She yells, "You make me so angry!" This statement is most related to which irrational belief that contributes to emotions? a. Perfectionism b. The need for approval c. The myth of causation d. Catastrophizing

Q: One example of an irrational belief that can influence emotions is the belief that one person's emotions are the direct result of another person's actions. This is known as a. perfectionism. b. the myth of causation. c. the need for approval. d. the myth of helplessness.

Q: Hannah estimates her neighbors keep her awake three to four nights a week with their partying. In reality, it is only once or twice a month. Her overestimation of her neighbors' partying is also known as a. catastrophizing. b. need for approval. c. perfectionism. d. overgeneralization.

Q: _______________ involves exaggerating the frequency of an event whereas ______________ involves exaggerating the importance of an event. a. Myth of causation; myth of helplessness b. Need for approval; tyranny of shoulds c. Overgeneralization; catastrophizing d. Catastrophizing; overgeneralization

Q: Jessica left her homework on the bus and was forced to tell her teacher of her mistake. Before she even talked to her teacher, she assumed the missing homework would make it impossible for her to improve her grade. This is an example of which irrational belief that can influence emotions? a. Catastrophizing b. Overgeneralization c. Myth of causation d. Need for approval

Q: Often when something negative happens in our lives, we exaggerate the effects this event has on other aspects of our lives. This irrational belief is known as a. catastrophizing. b. overgeneralization. c. myth of causation. d. need for approval.

Q: Having failed his first psychology exam, Tyler anxiously awaited his grade on the second one. Again, he failed. Based on his previous performance and his interpretation of the current grade, Tyler began thinking critically about the teacher's methods, questioning techniques, etc. These types of thoughts reinforcing our interpretation of the situation are also known as a. activating event. b. needs. c. cognitive appraisal. d. self-talk.

Q: Alex has been in many relationships. Her partner, David, has only been in a couple. After their first fight, Alex is still very confident the couple is destined to be together, whereas David is afraid they may break up. These differences in interpretations are probably a function of differences in a. activating events. b. cognitive appraisal. c. myth of causation. d. myth of helplessness.

Q: When it comes to interpreting situations, events that are meaningful to those experiencing them are called __________ events. a. important b. activating c. anticipated d. life-altering

Q: Anxious people have more activity in their right hemisphere, suggesting this hemisphere is related to the processing of a. happiness. b. negative emotions. c. positive emotions excluding happiness. d. visual information.

Q: Many studies suggest the ___________ of the brain is related to positive emotions, such as happiness. a. left hemisphere b. right hemisphere c. Wernicke's area d. amygdala

Q: While hiking, Marston heard a noise in the woods. After evaluating the sound and its closeness, he determined there was no danger. What part of Marston's brain assisted him in assessing danger in this situation? a. Left hemisphere b. Right hemisphere c. Broca's area d. Amygdala

Q: Studies suggest the ____________ is the part of the brain linked to assessing danger in a situation. a. amygdala b. left hemisphere c. right hemisphere d. visual cortex

Q: Research on emotion has only recently evolved because a. most Western European and American societies considered it bothersome. b. scientists already understood how emotion influences behaviors. c. most Western European and American societies considered it important. d. research on emotion was considered unreliable.

Q: According to _________ psychology, our emotions are an important contribution to our survival and growth as a species. a. humanistic b. evolutionary c. behaviorist d. clinical

Q: Multiple studies on the influence of social support on stress suggest a. those with larger support systems experience more stress. b. those with larger support systems experience the same level of stress as individuals with smaller support systems. c. those with larger support systems experience less stress, live longer, and are less susceptible to depression. d. those with larger support systems have poorer coping skills.

Q: Right before a paper is due, Sue increases the amount of time she spends meditating. After she is done, she feels fresh and ready to attack the assignment. What kind of coping strategy is Sue using? a. Emotion focused b. Person focused c. Object focused d. Problem focused

Q: One way Marshall reduces stress when a deadline approaches is to only accept those projects he really likes. This inspires him to finish those projects on time. What kind of coping strategy is Marshall using? a. Emotion focused b. Person focused c. Object focused d. Problem focused

Q: In general, coping strategies can be separated into two categories: __________ and _________ coping. a. person-based; situational-based b. problem-focused; emotion-focused c. present-focused; future-focused d. self-based; other-based

Q: One characteristic of hardiness, challenge involves the perception that a. new things represent unnerving possibilities. b. one should become fully involved in whatever activity one is engaged. c. we have control over the events in our lives. d. new things represent exciting possibilities.

Q: A personality style composed of control, commitment, and challenge is also known as a. extroversion. b. optimism. c. resistance. d. hardiness.

Q: One factor that moderates Jacob's stress is his tendency to focus on the positive aspects of his situation. For example, instead of dwelling on his hour-long train commute, he uses it as an opportunity to read the paper or listen to books on his MP3 player. This is an example of a. control. b. cognitive appraisal. c. optimism. d. stress.

Q: One factor that decreases Denise's stress at work is her ability to set her own schedule. This influence Denise has on her work schedule is also known as a. control. b. cognitive appraisal. c. optimism. d. success.

Q: Although Janet was in a hurry to get to work, she didn"t interpret the fact she was late as a stressful situation. Her interpretation of the event is also known as a. control. b. cognitive appraisal. c. optimism. d. stress.

Q: __________ is the feeling of arousal and resulting physiological effects of being exposed to the stressor. a. Emotion b. Reaction c. Stressor d. Stress

Q: According to the general adaptation system (GAS) perspective, our ability to resist stress is highest at which stage? a. Alarm b. Resistance c. Exhaustion d. Recovery

Q: During the _________ phase of the general adaptation system model of stress response, our resistance level drops to a point below normal because resources have been depleted. a. acute b. alarm c. resistance d. exhaustion

Q: ________ stressors are to short term as ___________ stressors are to long term. a. Alarm; resistance b. Chronic; acute c. Acute; chronic d. Hardiness; resistance

Q: One aspect of emotional intelligence, ____________, includes the ability to organize groups, mediate conflict, and negotiate solutions. a. sympathy b. group empathy c. self-awareness d. social competencies

Q: Arnold has many friends who indicate he is terrific at feeling and understanding the emotions of another person. Arnold is high in a. sympathy. b. persistence. c. empathy. d. self-awareness.

Q: _____________ refers to a state of being where we feel we are one with what we are doing. a. Persistence b. Empathy c. Success d. Flow

Q: Elizabeth continued to read her new library book despite the fact the words were difficult. This is an example of a. regulating emotions. b. empathy. c. persistence. d. self-awareness.

Q: Being able to delay gratification is just one aspect of a. self-awareness. b. empathy. c. persistence. d. regulating emotions.