Other Social Psychology Concepts

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Questions 1 - 10
1

Which of the following concepts explains why Emily was more willing to say yes to Sue's smaller request after Emily already denied Sue's larger request?

Door in the face technique

Foot in the door technique

Heuristic persuasion

Cognitive dissonance

Norm of reciprocity

Explanation

The norm of reciprocity, the door in the face technique, the foot in the door technique, and heuristic persuasion are all methods of persuasion—or are clearly related to methods of persuasion.

The foot in the door technique is the idea that if you ask for something smaller than what you want and they agree, you can then ask for (and get) the bigger thing that you really want.

The norm of reciprocity is the idea that someone will tend to reciprocate favors with favors or hostility with hostility; in terms of persuasion, reminding someone that they owe you a favor can persuade them to do something for you. Heuristic persuasion is persuasion based on habit or emotion. Last, cognitive dissonance is not a persuasion technique; it describes the discomfort people face when they realize their own inconsistent beliefs.

2

A toothpaste ad claiming to be "dentists' favorite brand" is utilizing which of Cialdini's principles of influence?

Authority/Expertise

Liking

Reciprocity

Scarcity

Social Proof/Consensus

Explanation

Because dentists are experts/authorities in the field of dental care, a toothpaste ad claiming their approval appeals to their authority to convince consumers to buy the product- basically, they're saying "if dentists think our toothpaste is good, you should think it's good too."

3

Which of the following is not a factor that increases an individual's conforming behavior within a group?

The group cannot observe the individual's behavior

Feeling of insecurity or incompetency

Large group size

Greater agreement within the group

All of these will increase an individual's conforming behavior

Explanation

When the individual knows the group can see his/her behavior, he/she is more likely to conform to the group. Individuals are also more likely to conform when the group is larger, but this only increases conformity up to a certain point, after which conformity levels off and does not further increase with group size. Further, if there is unanimous agreement within the group, an individual is more likely to conform. If even one individual within a group dissents, the likelihood of conformity will decrease. Last, if the individual feels insecure or incompetent, or looks up to and admires members of the group, they are more likely to conform.

4

Which of the following explains why Emily is more likely to say yes to Sue's big request after Emily has already agreed to Sue's smaller request?

Foot in the door technique

Door in the face technique

Heuristic persuasion

Norm of reciprocity

Cognitive dissonance

Explanation

The norm of reciprocity, the door in the face technique, the foot in the door technique, and heuristic persuasion are all methods of persuasion—or are clearly related to methods of persuasion.

The foot in the door technique is the idea that if you ask for something smaller than what you want and they agree, you can then ask for (and get) the bigger thing that you really want.

The door in the face technique is the idea that if you ask for something bigger than what you want and they refuse, you can ask for (and get) the smaller thing that you really want. The norm of reciprocity is the idea that someone will tend to reciprocate favors with favors or hostility with hostility; in terms of persuasion, reminding someone that they owe you a favor can persuade them to do something for you. Heuristic persuasion is persuasion based on habit or emotion. Last, cognitive dissonance is not a persuasion technique; it describes the discomfort people face when they realize their own inconsistent beliefs.

5

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross' five stages of grief traditionally proceed in which order?

Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance

Anger, Denial, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance

Denial, Anger, Depression, Bargaining

Anger, Depression, Acceptance

Denial, Depression, Bargaining, Anger, Acceptance

Explanation

While individual experiences of grief certainly vary, and some grievers may not even experience all five stages, the grieving process is usually described as a procession from immediate denial into anger, then through bargaining and depression before one can finally reach acceptance.

6

Who was the head researcher behind the Stanford Prison Experiment?

Philip Zimbardo

Sigmund Freud

Abraham Maslow

Karen Horney

Solomon Asch

Explanation

In 1971, Philip Zimbardo and his team of research assistants ran the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment. For six days, they studied the psychological effects of being a prisoner or prison guard. The experiment was supposed to run for two full weeks, but abruptly ended due to significant abuse between the guards and the prisoners.

7

Joe consistently has negative interactions with his parents. He is most likely to engage in which of the following activities?

Develop a substance abuse problem

Become androgynous

Work hard at school so he can get into a good college and move out

Develop high self-esteem

Explanation

Joe is most likely to develop a substance abuse issue, as research has shown that increased negative interactions with parents lead to increased drinking and smoking. He wouldn't develop high self-esteem; in fact, he would probably develop low self-esteem as a result of these negative interactions. He might do poorly at school as a result of being distracted or lacking self-esteem.

8

What is the bystander effect?

The likelihood of an individual in distress receiving assistance decreases if the crowd around him/her is large

The likelihood of an individual in distress receiving assistance increases if the crowd around him/her is large

The likelihood of an individual in distress receiving assistance decreases if there are emergency responders in the crowd of bystanders

Bystanders should not help an individual in distress because they may make the situation worse

Bystanders tend to avoid helping an individual in distress because they do not want to be late

Explanation

The bystander effect maintains that the larger a group of bystanders, the lower the chance that an individual needing help will receive it. This is in large part due to a diffusion of responsibility, and everyone assuming someone else will handle the situation.

9

Suzie notices that she is the only girl in her advanced calculus class, which makes her extra nervous for her first test. Her nervousness can be explained by what psychological concept?

stereotype threat

cognitive dissonance

fundamental attribution error

the prisoner's dilemma

subtyping

Explanation

Stereotype threat occurs when people fear that they will confirm unfavorable stereotypes about a social group they belong to. In this question, girls are stereotyped to be not as good at math as boys, so Suzie is nervous about confirming that stereotype in that context of her math class.

10

What's the difference between a savant and a prodigy?

Prodigies are people of normal intelligence who have an extraordinary talent and savants are people of low intelligence who have an extraordinary talent.

Prodigies are people of high intelligence who have an extraordinary talent and savants are people of low intelligence who have an extraordinary talent.

Prodigies are people of normal intelligence who have an extraordinary talent and savants are people of high intelligence who have an extraordinary talent.

Prodigies are people of low intelligence who have an extraordinary talent and savants are people of normal intelligence who have an extraordinary talent.

Prodigies are people of normal intelligence who have an extraordinary talent and savants are people of normal intelligence who have an extraordinary talent.

Explanation

This question is purely definitional-- prodigies are people of normal intelligence who have an extraordinary talent and savants are people of low intelligence who have an extraordinary talent.

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