MCAT Social and Behavioral Sciences › Other Social Behaviors
Suppose a criminal defendant was highly apprehensive about answering questions in front of the jury. If his attorney is familiar with the principles of impression management theory, then he would advise his client to which of the following?
Mentally rehearse the capitals of the fifty states while responding to the cross examination.
Clear his mind of all thoughts before testifying.
Focus on how carefully the jury will be examining him.
Avoid self-enhancement
None of these
It has been found that people who are particularly worried about being evaluated by others generally perform better under a greater cognitive load; therefore, performing a mental task that would otherwise seem distracting can keep a person’s mind off of the evaluative context. The other choices are incorrect. “Self-enhancement” is a general term for behaviors that an individual engages in to elicit a more favorable response from others, and it is not something a defendant would try to avoid.