SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
PSY 330 - Spring 2000
Test 3

Multiple Choice:  Circle the letter corresponding to the single most correct answer (@ 1 point).

1. Kenneth believes that FunnyO’s cereal is good because it has no sugar, it contains all of the recommended vitamins and minerals, and it has no artificial flavors.  Kenneth’s attitude toward FunnyO’s is a(n)
 A. cognitively based attitude.                        C. undifferentiated attitude.
 B. affectively based attitude.                         D. behaviorally based attitude.

2. It is estimated that one-third of the electorate knows almost nothing about specific politicians.  Nonetheless, these people hold very strong opinions about them.  This pattern of findings suggests that people’s attitudes toward politicians may be largely
 A. ambivalent.                                     C. undifferentiated.
 B. affectively based.                             D. cognitively based.

3. Claude had an unpleasant experience during his last visit to Dallas Texas.  He was approached by two men with strong Texas accents who wielded a sharp knife, roughed him up, cracked a rib, and stole all his money.  Ever since Claude was mugged by two knifewielding “cowboys” he has taken an instant dislike to anyone who speaks with a Texas twang.  Claude’s negative attitude toward Texas accents is most probably a result of
 A. persuasive communications.                  D. cognitive dissonance reduction.
 B. attitude accessibility.                             E. all of the above
 C. classical conditioning.

4. Why are affectively based attitudes so resistant to logical persuasive attempts to change them?  Affectively based attitudes are
 A. often linked to values, which are difficult to change.
 B. governed by knowledge of the issues.
 C. the result of the same illogical source.
 D. evidence of public compliance.
 E. both C & D

5. Which of the following is most closely related to the notion of behaviorally based attitudes?
 A. self-persuasion theory                         C. the Yale Attitude Change approach
 B. self-perception theory                         D. the elaboration likelihood model

6. Although social psychologists sometimes disagree about what makes for attitude strength, they agree that _______ are _______.
 A. weak attitudes. . . .more accessible in memory
 B. strong attitudes. . . .more easily changed
 C. strong attitudes. . . .cognitively based
 D. strong attitudes. . . .more accessible in memory

7. According to the tenets of cognitive dissonance theory, people are most likely to change their attitudes when they have _______ justification for an attitude-discrepant behavior.
 A. ample external                         C. insufficient external
 B. ample internal                          D. insufficient internal

8. Who is more likely to use the central route to persuasion when attending to a communication about health insurance reform?
 A. Tammy, who is doing her homework as she watches Meet the Press
 B. James, who is undergoing extensive treatments after his auto accident
 C. Rachel, who has never had any health problems, but is in a good mood when she hears news of the reforms
 D. Paul, who has little interest in public policy issues

9. Consider the following statements: “I would prefer complex to simple problems” and “I like tasks that require little thought once I’ve learned them.”  People’s responses to those statements capture their
 A. attitudes toward intelligence.                             C. reliance on peripheral cues.
 B. need for cognition.                                            D. cognitive complexity.

10. Most automobile ads on television convey very little objective information about the models shown; indeed, one automaker launched a series of television ads that contained no words at all.  The design of these automobile advertisements are based on the advertisers’ premise that cars are
 A. social identity products.                     C. a near necessity in the United States.
 B. utilitarian products.                             D. “disposable” consumer products.

11. Politicians often preface their remarks with such statements as “I know that my opponent will try to tell you that I’m weak on crime, but let me explain how I am reducing crime . . .”  This strategy is an example of
 A. low self-esteem.
 B. use of the central route to persuasion.
 C. attitude inoculation.
 D. fear-based persuasion.

12. On the campus of the University of Minnesota, there are signs near large expanses of grass that read, “Lie on me, play on me, buy please don’t walk on me.”  These signs are more likely to protect the grass than signs that read “Stay off the grass!” because the Minnesota signs
 A. are likely to generate less psychological reactance.
 B. contain a longer persuasive message.
 C. contain an emotional appeal rather than a logical appeal.
 D. contain a logical appeal rather than an emotional appeal.

13. In social psychology, the change in behavior resulting from the real or imagined presence of others is known as
 A. conformity.                         C.  subliminal messages.
 B. obedience.                          D. cooperation.

14. It’s Libby’s first day in college.  When she enters the lecture hall, she notices that other students are sitting quietly toward the back of the hall, glancing through their textbooks, and pulling out pens and notebooks.  Unsure how to behave, Libby takes a seat at the back of the room and decides to do the same.  This is an example of
 A. situational uncertainty.                                   C. normative social influence.
 B. informational social influence.                         D. situational interdependence.

15. Why would Musafer Sherf (1936) study conformity by projecting a light on the wall of a darkened room?
 A. He didn’t want participants to see and therefore influence on another.
 B. Because of the autokinetic effect, he created an ambiguous stimulus.
 C. He wanted to study the effects of anonymity on people’s conformity.
 D. He wondered whether sensory deprivation made people more susceptible to conformity pressures.

16. An important feature of informational social influence is that it often leads to
 A. obedience.                                         C. normative pressures.
 B. private acceptance.                             D. public compliance.

17. Going along with the crowd (e.g., swallowing goldfish, smoking pot, train-surfing) because of a fear of social censure is an example of
  A. normative social influence.                         C. social impact.
 B. informational social influence.                      D. social dominance.

18. Which of the following statements is true?
 A. Normative pressures to be thin operate equally on men and women.
 B. In the 1920’s when women were pressured to be thin, eating disorders abounded.
 C. Although 18-year-olds have “felt overweight” in their lives, young girls have not.
 D. Because sororities provide social support, members seldom experience eating disorders.
 E. All of the above are true.

19. Which of the following comparisons represents the strength dimension as defined by social impact theory (Latané, 1981)?
 A. friends versus strangers
 B. a group of 2 acquaintances versus a group of 10 acquaintances
 C. living with your family versus living 100 miles away
 D. yielding to informational influence versus yielding to normative influence

20. Recall that in an Asch-type conformity experiment (Frager, 1970), Japanese students ere less conforming than were North Americans.  According to researchers, these findings suggest that
 A. Japan is a less interdependent culture than other Asian countries.
 B. in Japan, conformity is more likely in groups toward which one feels loyalty.
 C. industrialization has changed Japan into a more independent culture.
 D. Japanese compete with strangers, but cooperate with friends.

21. Idiosyncrasy credits
 A. allow the holder to behave deviantly without punishment from the group.
 B. make it more likely that one will be punished for nonconformity.
 C. can be transferred from one group member to another.
 D. are earned by behaving deviantly on repeated occasions.
 E. Both B & D

22. According to research by Alice Eagly (1987), when men and women _______, gender differences in conformity virtually disappear.
 A. respond in private as opposed to in public
 B. respond to their friends’ attempts to influence them
 C. are in leadership positions
 D. experience psychological reactance

23. Which of the following is the best example of a nonsocial group?
 A. people participating in a conference call
 B. strangers sharing a taxi
 C. a couple exchanging love letters from far away
 D. people who share the same birthday

24. In order for social facilitation to occur, the minimum requirement is the
 A. mere presence of others.
 B. presence of those with whom one is interacting.
 C. interdependence of actor and audience.
 D. concern about how others will evaluate us.

25. The presence of others will facilitate performance for
 A. Tim, who is washing his car as his neighbors watch.
 B. Jasmine, who givers a dress rehearsal of a long speech.
 C. Arthur, who performs his first heart surgery with interns looking on.
 D. Lola, who is learning a new gymnastics routine with her team.

26. Assume that you are playing pool at the student union when researchers surround the table to watch you play.  If you are _______ player, you would _______ because of the arousing effects of their presence.
 A. an excellent. . . .make most of your shots
 B. an excellent. . . .perform worse than usual
 C. mediocre. . . .play better than before
 D. poor. . . .better than you have in the past

27. _______ refers to the tendency of people to do worse on simple tasks and better on complex tasks when they are in the presence of others, and when their individual performance cannot be evaluated.
 A. Social facilitation                           C. Social accountability
 B. Social inhibition                             D. Social loafing

28. Consider the following destructive acts:  Soccer fans bludgeoning one another, fans at rock concerts trampling one another to death to secure good seats, Klansmen lynching African-Americans.  All of these are examples of the dangerous effects of
 A. hysterical contagion.                         C. anti-social anonymity.
 B. anti-social contagion.                         D. deindividuation.

29. “We will not talk about other members behind their backs, and we will never divulge one another’s secrets to anyone, inside or outside this group.”  The preceding statement reflects
 A. well defined roles.                                        C. a group norm.
 B. a consensual proscription.                             D. a superordinate goal.

30. In order to avoid the phenomenon of groupthink, the leader of a group should
 A. form subgroups that discuss the problem separately.
 B. state his or her opinions forcefully.
 C. discourage the input of opinions from those outside the group.
 D. encourage the importance of group cohesiveness.

KEEP THIS SHEET - You may record your multiple-choice answers on it to compare with the answer key.

Write answers to these questions in your blue-book.

KEY TERMS & NAMES.  Select 5.  For each term, supply a precise definition including the context and a clear example (@ 3 points).
                Mere Exposure Effect                            Theory of Planned Behavior
                Group Networks                                    Protective Motivation Theory
                Power of Cognitive Control                    Door-in-the-Face Technique
                Referent Power                                      Primacy Effect
 

ESSAY.  Select and answer 1 (@ 5 points).

1.  Compare & contrast each pair by identifying 1 major similarity & 1 major difference:
            a) Pygmalion Effect vs Pluralistic Ignorance
            b) Philip Zimbardo vs Ellen Langer
            c) Groupthink vs Disjunctive Task

2.  Compare & contrast each pair by identifying 1 major similarity & 1 major difference:
            a) Richard LaPiere vs Jane Elliot
            b) Theory of Planned Behavior vs YACA
            c) Yerkes-Dodson Law vs Social Facilitation
 

EXTRA CREDIT (@ 5 points)

From the project presentations on Friday, list any 3 analyzed ads (NOT including your own).  Which of those 3 was the best & why?