Social Psychology - Exam One

Front 1

True experiments have two key features that make them different from other studies. First, in a true experiment, the researcher manipulates (varies) one or more independent variables. Second, the researcher makes use of:

-statistical testing
-random assignment
-interactions
-priming

Back 1

Random assignment

Front 2

A study is said to have internal validity if the researcher can be relatively confident that

-the same results would occur if the experiment were replicated.
-changes in the independent variable caused changes in the dependent variable.
-the operational definitions used in the study were good ones.
-the sample was representative of the broader population of interest.

Back 2

changes in the independent variable caused changes in the dependent variable.

Front 3

Researchers often attempt to design studies that will be high in both experimental realism and mundane realism. However,

-experimental realism is generally considered to be far more important.
-mundane realism is generally considered to be far more important.
-most researchers acknowledge that experimental realism is really only important when one is conducting a true experiment.
-most researchers acknowledge that mundane realism is almost impossible to achieve.

Back 3

experimental realism is generally considered to be far more important.

Front 4

When findings from a study are likely to generalize to other people and other settings, the study is said to have

-external validity.
-internal validity.
-construct validity.
-mundane realism.

Back 4

external validity

Front 5

Suppose that you are interested in knowing whether there are gender differences in suicide (i.e., whether one gender commits suicide more frequently than the other). The only way to study this precise question would be to conduct

-True experiment
-Quasi-experiment
-Field experiment
-Correlational research

Back 5

Correlational

Front 6

Dr. Hurtado and Dr. Yashari have recently conducted a study and found a positive correlation between music-listening and dancing ability: People who listen to lots of music tend to be excellent dancers. The correlation is statistically significant. Can they conclude that listening to music causes people to be better dancers? Why or why not?

-Yes, because there is a positive correlation.
-Yes, because there is a statistically significant correlation.
-No, because the evidence is correlational, not experimental.
-No, because the correlation probably does not hold true for deaf people.

Back 6

No, because the evidence is correlational, not experimental.

Front 7

Correlation coefficients are statistics used to denote
-the amount of variability in a dataset.
-the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables.
-the degree to which the difference between two arithmetic means is likely to have been due to chance.
-the strength of the relationship among three or more variables.

Back 7

the strength of the relationship among three or more variables.

Front 8

If a study is high in internal validity, then the researcher can be fairly certain that changes in __________ were indeed due to changes in the __________.

-construct validity of the cause, construct validity of the effect
-independent variable, dependent variable
-external variable, internal variable
-hypothesis, theory

Back 8

independent variable, dependent variable

Front 9

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 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 get very caught up in the procedures of the study and almost forget that you are in a study. Thus, in your experience, this study is

-low in experimental realism and low in mundane realism.
-low in experimental realism and high in mundane realism.
-high in experimental realism and low in mundane realism.
-high in experimental realism and high in mundane realism.

Back 9

high in experimental realism and low in mundane realism.

Front 10

Suppose that a cereal manufacturer tried out a new cereal box design for a few months, and—during the same time period—notices that its sales have tripled. One of the cereal executives, Mr. Correl, boasts that the new cereal box must have sparked the increase in sales. But another executive, Mr. Scien, points out that the increase could be due to the new advertising campaign that the company is using, or to new distribution practices that have taken hold, or to the fact that more and more people are eating cereal these days. That is, Mr. Scien suggests that the company's "test" of the new cereal box design is low in

-operationality.
-generalizability.
-internal validity.
-external validity.

Back 10

internal validity.

Front 11

If a researcher conducts an experiment in which the independent variable is poorly defined (i.e., has a poor operational definition), then the experiment can be said to have

-low internal validity.
-low external validity.
-low construct validity of the cause.
-low construct validity of the effect

Back 11

low construct validity of the cause.

Front 12

When social psychologist Kurt Lewin said that "there is nothing so practical as a good theory," he meant that

-many theories are overly abstract; a good theory should be based on directly observable facts.
-many theories are overly abstract; a good theory should make predictions about directly observable phenomena.
-although they may seem impractical, theories can be very important in helping to stimulate practical ideas and practical research.
-he was being facetious (not serious); he was opposed to overly theoretical work, and a major proponent of applied research.

Back 12

although they may seem impractical, theories can be very important in helping to stimulate practical ideas and practical research.

Front 13

Compared to true experiments, MOST correlational studies are low in

-internal validity.
-external validity.
-construct validity of the cause.
-construct validity of the effect.

Back 13

-internal validity.

Front 14

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

-cognitive sociology
-social cognition
-cognitive psychology
-socionition

Back 14

-social cognition

Front 15

When an experiment includes more than one independent variable, it is a(n)

-meta-analysis.
-factorial design.
-main effect.
-interaction effect.

Back 15

-factorial design.

Front 16

In a __________, the researcher is able to manipulate an independent variable but NOT able to use random assignment.

-field experiment
-quasi-experiment
-correlational study
-case study

Back 16

-quasi-experiment

Front 17

T/F
Neuroscience is the field that integrates the study of social psychology and biological psychology.

Back 17

F

Front 18

An interaction effect refers to

-the joint effects of more than one independent variable.
-the effect of a single independent variable by itself.
-the linear relationship between two variables.
-the probability that the difference was just a statistical fluke.

Back 18

-the joint effects of more than one independent variable.

Front 19

Dr. Zink and Dr. Vasquez are designing a new study. They have come up with a good hypothesis for the study, but they are having trouble thinking of operational definitions for their variables. In other words, they are concerned that their research might be low in

-internal validity.
-external validity.
-construct validity.
-face validity.

Back 19

-construct validity.

Front 20

The effect of a single independent variable by itself, ignoring the effects of other independent variables, is called a(n)

-correlation coefficient.
-confound.
-interaction effect.
-main effect.

Back 20

-main effect.

Front 21

What is the main advantage of an experiment over a correlational study?

-Research participants are always representative of the population.
-The researcher is better able to draw conclusions about cause and effect.
-The researcher is able to study phenomena within their natural context.
-The researcher can use a much smaller sample size and still find a statistically significant result.

Back 21

-The researcher is better able to draw conclusions about cause and effect.

Front 22

Suppose that you are planning to conduct a study to look at the effect of pet ownership on empathy, but that you cannot find any good measures of empathy (all of the measures that you find seem to fall short of your understanding of what empathy is, or to miss the mark completely). Unless you can find a measure that you are satisfied with, your research may end up being low in

-internal validity.
-external validity.
-construct validity of the cause.
-construct validity of the effect.

Back 22

-construct validity of the effect.

Front 23

When a researcher conducts an experiment and is fairly certain that changes in the independent variable caused changes in the dependent variable, that experiment is said to be high in

-construct validity.
-construct validity of the effect.
-internal validity.
-external validity.

Back 23

-internal validity.

Front 24

If an experiment does NOT get participants psychologically involved and engaged, even though the setting of the experiment closely resembles the real world physically, then the experiment would be said to be

-low in experimental realism and low in mundane realism.
-low in experimental realism but high in mundane realism.
-high in experimental realism but low in mundane realism.
-high in experimental realism and high in mundane realism.

Back 24

-low in experimental realism but high in mundane realism.

Front 25

T/F
Random assignment is one of the defining features of correlational research.

Back 25

F

Front 26

What do we call the field that combines the interests of social and biological psychology?

-Neuroscience
-Physiological psychology
-Social neuroscience
-Social cognition

Back 26

-Social neuroscience

Front 27

The main weakness with correlational research (as opposed to experimental research) is that

-researchers cannot conduct tests of statistical significance.
-researchers cannot draw conclusions about cause and effect.
-correlational research tends to have low external validity.
-correlational research tends to be low in mundane realism.

Back 27

-researchers cannot draw conclusions about cause and effect.

Front 28

In general, social psychologists who research the duplex mind now believe that the automatic system is

-much bigger than the conscious system.
-much smaller than the conscious system.
-much more widely used in humans than in non-human animals.
-much more widely used by humans today than it was by humans in the past.

Back 28

-much bigger than the conscious system.

Front 29

Research on the brain sizes of various animals has indicated that brain size is MOST strongly linked to a
species'

-complexity of social structures.
-emotional intelligence.
-lifespan.
-empathy.

Back 29

-complexity of social structures.

Front 30

In general, social psychologists believe that natural selection happens

-at a group level rather than an individual level.
-at an individual level rather than a group level.
-at a cultural level rather than a group level.
-at a group level rather than a cultural level.

Back 30

-at an individual level rather than a group level.

Front 31

In general, __________ psychologists believe that natural selection happens at the individual level. And in general, __________ psychologists believe that it can happen at the group level as well.

-virtually all, a few
-virtually all, zero
-a few, a few
-a few, zero

Back 31

-virtually all, a few

Front 32

In the evolutionary history of humans, the competition (in terms of whether or not an individual's genes will survive and get passed down to subsequent generations) has largely been

-within-species (among humans themselves).
-between-species, among similar species (between humans and pre-human groups like the Neanderthals).
-between-species, among dissimilar species (between humans and non-primate mammals).
-between species and their environments (between humans and inclement weather conditions, lack of water,
etc.).

Back 32

-within-species (among humans themselves).

Front 33

The relative age effect illustrates

-culture as praxis.
-culture as a system.
-culture as shared ideas.
-culture interacting with nature.

Back 33

-culture interacting with nature.

Front 34

In the 3-part structure of the self, the interpersonal self involves

-self-awareness and self-deception.
-self-presentation, social roles, and self as relationship partner.
-self-esteem and self-concept.
-self as decision-maker and active respondent.

Back 34

-self-presentation, social roles, and self as relationship partner.

Front 35

The self-reference effect refers to the tendency for people

-to assume that their traits, skills, attitudes, habits, and so forth, are more common than they really are.
-to process information about the self more thoroughly and deeply than other types of information.
-to think that others notice them, and are paying attention to them, more than they really are.
-to use themselves as a benchmark when assessing other people

Back 35

-to process information about the self more thoroughly and deeply than other types of information.

Front 36

In addition to gaining social acceptance, a second goal of self-presentation is

-claiming identity.
-gaining self-knowledge.
-self-verification.
-increasing public self-consciousness.

Back 36

-claiming identity.

Front 37

People with low self-esteem are MORE likely to focus on _____ than _____.

-self-enhancement, self-protection
-self-enhancement, self-esteem
-self-protection, self-enhancement
-self-protection, self-esteem

Back 37

-self-protection, self-enhancement

Front 38

Is introspection a source of self-knowledge?

-Yes, and it is the only source of self-knowledge.
-Yes, it is one source of self-knowledge, but there are also other sources of self-knowledge.
-Yes, but only for people who are self-actualized (less than 1% of people). It is not a source of self-
knowledge for most people.
-No, it is not a source of self-knowledge for anyone.

Back 38

-Yes, it is one source of self-knowledge, but there are also other sources of self-knowledge.

Front 39

In a classic article by sociologist Ralph Turner, it was noted that different cultures, at different times,
have tended to think about the true self as impulse (self as impulse) or as institution (self as institution).
Self as impulse refers to (institution refers to)

-the way the person thinks about himself or herself.
-the person's relationships with other people(especially friends and family).
-the way the person acts in public, especially in official roles.
-the person's inner thoughts and feelings.

Back 39

-the person's inner thoughts and feelings

-the way the person acts in public, especially in official roles.

Front 40

In Nisbett and Wilson’s (1977) studies on people’s awareness of how they make purchasing decisions,

-people were able to articulate accurately that they made their choice based on product color or softness.
-people made choices based on the product softness or color, but thought they made the choice based on when they saw the product..
-people made choices based on whether they saw the product last, but thought they made the choice based on product color or softness.
-people were able to articulate accurately that they made their choice based on when they saw the

Back 40

-people made choices based on whether they saw the product last, but thought they made the choice based on product color or softness.

Front 41

Probably the best account of the origins of selfhood is that the self comes into being at the interface
between __________ and __________.

-inner biological processes, sociocultural network
-parents, peer groups
-infancy, childhood
-the individual, society

Back 41

-inner biological processes, sociocultural network

Front 42

Research suggests that goals are MOST helpful in facilitating achievement when they are

-specific and somewhat difficult-to-achieve.
-specific and very easy-to-achieve.
-broad and somewhat difficult-to-achieve.
-broad and very easy-to-achieve.

Back 42

-specific and somewhat difficult-to-achieve.

Front 43

As discussed in the textbook, when purchasing a car, people end up paying a bit more attention than
they intend to on to things like color and engine size, and a bit less attention than they intend to on things like the chances of fatalities should there be an accident with the car. This pattern can be taken as evidence for

-the status quo bias.
-the certainty effect.
-risk aversion.
-the Zeigarnik effect.

Back 43

-the certainty effect.

Front 44

According to __________ theory, when it comes to dating and mating members of the opposite sex, men should be more prone to temporal discounting than women.

-error management
-self-determination
-reactance
-action identification

Back 44

-error management

Front 45

T/F
When entity theorists encounter failure, they are more likely to experience learned helplessness than
incremental theorists are when they experience failure.

Back 45

T

Front 46

Both parts of the duplex mind play a role in navigating through a hierarchy of goals; the automatic
system helps to __________, while the conscious system __________.

-keep track of and initiate specific goals, revises plans when goals are blocked.
-maintain optimism and motivation, more rationally assesses progress and anticipates risks.
-identify opportunities that are in line with goals, evaluates these opportunities and decides whether or not to act upon them.
-monitor whether or not progress through the hierarchy is satisfactory, is freed up to move on and establish new goals.

Back 46

-keep track of and initiate specific goals, revises plans when goals are blocked.

Front 47

T/F
Self-determination theory suggests that MOST people need to feel at least some degree of autonomy
and internal motivation.

Back 47

T

Front 48

Rachel has taken French for years and is very good at it. Nonetheless, she just enrolled in Intermediate
French (which will be easy for her) rather than Advanced French (which will be slightly challenging but not impossible). It is probably safe to assume that Rachel

-is an incremental theorist.
-is an entity theorist.
-is focused on low levels of meaning in identifying this action.
-is focused on high levels of meaning in identifying this action

Back 48

-is an entity theorist.

Front 49

T/F
People would make better decisions if they would focus more on the quantitative aspects than the
qualitative aspects of the decision.

Back 49

F

Front 50

Which of the following statements about free will is BEST supported by your text?

-Absolute free will is important to social behavior
-Relative free will is important to social behavior.
-Absolute free will is not important to social behavior.
-Relative free will is not important to social behavior

Back 50

-Relative free will is important to social behavior.

Front 51

When people are making choices between two options that differ both qualitatively and quantitatively,
they tend to focus on

-quantitative differences primarily.
-qualitative differences primarily.
-both quantitative and qualitative differences.
-what their friends will think.

Back 51

-quantitative differences primarily.

Front 52

The experience of learned helplessness is

-more likely to occur for an entity theorist than an incremental theorist.
-more likely to occur for an incremental theorist than an entity theorist.
-pleasant for an entity theorist, but unpleasant for an incremental theorist.
-unpleasant for an entity theorist, but pleasant for an incremental theorist

Back 52

-more likely to occur for an entity theorist than an incremental theorist.

Front 53

Research indicates that people who believe that they are acting autonomously, based on intrinsic
motivations, are __________ compared people who believe that their behavior is guided by external
forces and extrinsic motivations.

-happier and often perform better
-happier but often perform worse
-no happier but often perform better
-no happier and no more (or less) likely to perform well

Back 53

-happier and often perform better

Front 54

Most research focuses on the __________ step of decision-making, which concerns __________.

-first, whittling the full range of choices down to a limited few
-first, carefully considering a few top options.
-second, whittling the full range of choices down to a limited few
-second, carefully considering a few top options

Back 54

-second, carefully considering a few top options

Front 55

The idea that people have an innate need to feel at least some degree of autonomy and internal
motivation is known as

-entity theory.
-self-determination theory.
-action identification theory.
-the status quo bias.

Back 55

-self-determination theory.

Front 56

According to the textbook, a key reason that people engage in self-defeating behaviors is

-because of the "death drive."
-because of a "fear of success."
-because they have faulty knowledge.
-because of self-enhancement motivation.

Back 56

-because they have faulty knowledge.

Front 57

The term __________ refers to the idea that people are distressed by loss of freedom or loss of
options, and that they will seek to reclaim or reassert them.

-monitoring
-reactance
-self-regulation
-status quo bias

Back 57

-reactance

Front 58

As described in the textbook, the standards against which people compare themselves __________
supplied by culture and __________.

-can be (but are not always), can dictate both negatives and positives (what not to do as well as what to do)
-can be (but are not always), only dictate positives (what to do)
-are always, can dictate both negatives and positives (what not to do as well as what to do)
-are always, only dictate positives (what to do)

Back 58

-can be (but are not always), can dictate both negatives and positives (what not to do as well as what to do)

Front 59

Even though Mildred knows that her relationship with her boyfriend is in trouble, she decides not to
do anything about it (she will simply neglect the relationship and let it slowly fall to pieces). Social
psychologists would say that her decision to do nothing reflects

-the certainty effect.
-the omission bias.
-risk aversion.
-temporal discounting.

Back 59

-the omission bias.

Front 60

When people make short-range decisions (e.g., what they are going to do that week) rather than long-
range decisions (e.g., decisions about things that are far off in the future), they tend to focus more on

-intrinsic rewards rather than extrinsic rewards.
-the cultural or social significance of things.
-high levels of meaning.
-practical constraints.

Back 60

-practical constraints.

Front 61

Among humans, greater freedom is associated with

-greater behavioral rigidity.
-greater behavioral flexibility.
-greater controlled processing.
-lower self-regulation.

Back 61

-greater behavioral flexibility.

Front 62

Research on entity and incremental theorists has shown that, compared to Japanese athletes, American athletes are more likely to be __________ theorists, and thus more likely to view their athletic skills as __________.

-incremental, inborn and fixed
-incremental, flexible and changeable
-entity, inborn and fixed
-entity, flexible and changeable

Back 62

-entity, inborn and fixed

Front 63

When you are deciding between two apartments, assuming you can afford both of them and they are
both adequate for your needs, what feature should you pay most attention to if you want to maximize your satisfaction with the apartment a year after you have moved in?

-Rent--choose the cheapest apartment.
-Neighborhood quality--choose the most pleasant neighborhood.
-Square footage--choose the biggest apartment.
-Both rent and square footage should affect your decision equally and more than neighborhood quality.

Back 63

-Neighborhood quality--choose the most pleasant neighborhood.

Front 64

Do people usually think in optimistic or overly ambitious ways when they are setting goals or striving
to achieve goals?

-Yes, they tend to be overly optimistic in both cases.
-No, they tend to think in realistic ways in both cases.
-They tend to be overly optimistic when goal setting, but more or less realistic when pursuing goals.
-They tend to be more or less realistic when goal setting, but optimistic when pursuing goals.

Back 64

-They tend to be more or less realistic when goal setting, but optimistic when pursuing goals.

Front 65

Research on entity and incremental theorists has shown that they tend to make different kinds of
attributions for other people's behaviors. Specifically, compared to entity theorists, incremental theorists tend to make more __________, for example suggesting that others' behaviors are the result of _________.

-internal attributions, their circumstances
-internal attributions, their personalities
-external attributions, their circumstances
-external attributions, their personalities

Back 65

-external attributions, their circumstances

Front 66

Even though she knows that most people take much longer than they anticipate in finishing their
dissertations (sometimes even years longer), Than-Than is certain that she will be able to conduct her
dissertation research, write up her dissertation, and defend it to her dissertation committee all within 9
months. She is sure that if she works hard she will be able to successfully finish on schedule. It appears that Than-Than is

-subject to the planning fallacy.
-showing evidence of the Zeigarnik effect.
-subject to the omission bias.
-an entity theorist.

Back 66

-subject to the planning fallacy.

Front 67

Research findings that suggest that people become less prosocial when induced to reject their belief in
free will indicate that

-free real really does exist.
-absolute free will does exist.
-relative free will does exist.
-the belief in free will affect people’s willingness to behave prosocially.

Back 67

-the belief in free will affect people’s willingness to behave prosocially.

Front 68

Do goals and plans actually facilitate achievement?

-In general, goal-setting facilitates achievement, but plan-making has no effect.
-In general, goal-setting and plan-making both facilitate achievement.
-In general, goal-setting has no effect, but plan-making facilitates achievement.
-In general, neither goal-setting nor plan-making has any effect.

Back 68

-In general, goal-setting and plan-making both facilitate achievement.

Front 69

One advantage of being an incremental theorist rather than an entity theorist is that

-you are more likely to think that you are good at
-you are more likely to persist in the face of challenges and setbacks.
-you are more likely to think that you are better at things than other people.
-you are more likely to be immediately successful at things when you choose to try them

Back 69

-you are more likely to persist in the face of challenges and setbacks.

Front 70

Dierdre smokes a pack of Marlboro Reds every day. Social psychologists would say that this is a
self-defeating behavior

-only if Dierdre is aware of the health risks associated with smoking.
-only if Dierdre gets sick or dies as a direct result of smoking.
-only if Dierdre is aware of the health risks associated with smoking AND gets sick or dies as a direct result of smoking.
-regardless of what Dierdre knows or whether she gets sick

Back 70

-regardless of what Dierdre knows or whether she gets sick

Front 71

T/F
If Allison believes that intelligence is something that you are "just born with," then it would be correct to say that she has an entity theory of intelligence.

Back 71

T

Front 72

Compared to incremental theorists, entity theorists show

-a stronger preference for doing things that they are good at.
-a greater interest in receiving feedback from others (regardless of whether it is positive or negative).
-a greater interest in practicing things that they are not so good at.
-a tendency to prefer hard, challenging tasks to easy tasks.

Back 72

-a stronger preference for doing things that they are good at.