Group Dynamics
Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience
Behavior
Attitudes
Conflict
100
Members of a girl scout troop would be an example of a ____________. A) social bond B) ethnic group C) in-group D) social group
D) social group A social group is two or more individuals sharing common goals and interests, interacting, and influencing each other's behavior. The members of the girl scout group have a pattern of socializing and working together on projects and common goals.
100
Damion rewrote his paper at the suggestion of his professor, even though he did not agree with the suggestions. This is an example of A) obedience B) conformity C) cognitive dissonance D) compliance
D) Compliance Compliance is a kind of conformity in which we give in to social pressure in our public responses but do not change our private beliefs.
100
A young woman was gunned down at a gas station. A busload of onlookers saw the entire event, and no one did anything. The bus driver even stepped over the body to pay for his gas. What social psychological phenomenon best accounts for this behavior? A) groupthink B) altruism C) social impairment D) diffusion of responsibility
D) diffusion of responsibility Diffusion of responsibility seems to reduce the sense of personal responsibility that any one person feels to help another in need and increases in proportion to the size of the group present.
100
Which type of persuasion is frequently used by advertisers who use superficial information to distract the audience to win favorable approval of their product and increase sales? A) central route of persuasion B) cognitive persuasion C) peripheral route of persuasion D) social persuasion
C) peripheral route of persuasion The peripheral route of persuasion pairs superficial positive factors (such as supermodels and celebrities) with an argument leading to less stable change in attitudes. The central route of persuasion is relatively stable change by carefully scrutinizing facts, statistics, and other information.
100
In presence of the largest crowd she has ever seen, Heather gives her finest piano performance. This is an example of: A) group cohesion B) Deindividuation C) Social facilitation D) self-fulfilling prophecy
C) social facilitation This scenario defines the concept of social facilitation, which is the increase in performance in the presence of a crowd.
200
In the Zimbardo Prison Study, Stanford students took on social ________ of either prisoner or guard. A) norms B) roles C) deindividuation D) stereotypes
B) Roles In the Zimbardo Prison Study, Stanford students took on social roles of either prisoner or guard. Social roles are social positions.
200
A charity sends you some greeting cards, and you feel that you should send them a small contribution. This feeling comes from the persuasion technique called A) foot-in-the-door B) door-in-the-face C) reciprocity D) central route
C) Reciprocity Reciprocity is the compliance technique often used by groups to get others to donate money out of obligation since the group has given them a small gift first.
200
The tendency to "blame the victim" in a rape case is an example of which of the following terms? A) Fundamental Attribution error B) The Just-World Phenomenon C) Deindividuation D) Social Facilitation
B) The Just-World Phenomenon The just-world phenomenon is the belief that good people do good things and bad people do bad things. To understand why an individual was raped, the just-world phenomenon would cause a person to assume the victim "asked for it".
200
Many people claim to be honest citizens, yet cheat on their taxes or spouses. This results from: A) attitudes B) cognitive dissonance C) conformity D) mere exposure effect
D) mere exposure effect Through the mere exposure effect, we unconsciously begin to adopt the beliefs of our parents, friends, and significant others. Attitudes are relatively stable, but they are not good predictors of our behavior.
200
__________________ is unjustified action against an individual or group based on prejudice. A) out-group homogeneity B) a stereotype C) discrimination D) a norm
C) discrimination Discrimination is unjustified action against an individual or group based on prejudice. A stereotype is a scheme used to quickly judge others and can be an overgeneralized belief about the characteristics of members of a particular group. A norm is either implicit or explicit rules that govern the behavior of group members.
300
In the Main and Walker experiment of 1973, court judges decisions were analyzed when they sat alone and when they sat with a group. When judges sat alone, they agreed to take an extreme course of action only 30% of the time. When judges sat in groups, the decision to take an extreme course of action rose to 65%. This increase is due to A) self-fulfilling prophecy B) minority influence C) group polarization D) discrimination
C) group polarization When we are in a group of like-minded people, group polarization might occur. The decisions reached by the group are often more extreme than those made by any single individual.
300
The Stanford Prison experiment as a prime example of which of the following concept? A) compliance B) conformity C) Obedience D) Cohesiveness
B) Conformity The volunteers became immersed in their roles, and many of the guards conformed so much to what was expected of their role that they began to punish and humiliate the volunteers who played the roles of inmates. Conformity is the adoption of attitudes and behaviors shared by a particular group of people.
300
After Jean was told by one of her professors that she would never succeed in law school, she stopped reading and completing her assignments. Eventually Jean did drop out of law school. This is an example of: A) Diffusion of responsibility B) Groupthink C) Self-fulfilling prophecy D) Social loafing
C) Self-fulfilling prophecy A self-fulfilling prophecy is a situation in which a person has a strong belief about a future behavior and then acts unknowingly to fulfill or carry out that behavior. In this case, Jean believed her professor so much that her behavior reflected the statement.
300
The Lapierre experiment proved that: A) People's attitudes do not necessarily reflect their behavior. B) People's behavior usually corresponds with their attitude. C) People are obedient in front of any person of authority D) Most people conform because of the fear of embarrassment.
A) People's attitudes do not necessarily reflect their behavior. In the Lapierre experiment, Lapierre wrote letters to several hotel and restaurant owners during a time when many Asian Americans were discriminated against and asked them if they would allow Asians into their place of business. Most refused these potential customers. But in person, those same restaurant and hotel owners invited these people in.
300
Physical attractiveness is a major factor that will determine rather: A) Simone gets valedictorian B) Frank and Mildred will become friends C) Susan's parents will let her go out with her boyfriend D) Pierre and Rolanda will like each other on a blind date
D) Pierre and Rolanda will like each other on a blind date Though studies show that friends usually are rated very similarly in physical attractiveness, physical attractiveness is a major factor in rather or not we like someone.
400
Hitler was able to whip up negative attitudes toward Jews as a result of frustration about the humiliating defeat and reparations after World War I. The blaming of the Jews is an example of ___________. A) the mere exposure effect B) contact theory C) informational influence D) the scapegoat theory
D) the scapegoat theory Germany took out its frustration on the Jews. When our self-worth is in doubt or in jeopardy, we become frustrated and tend to find others to blame.
400
Going along with the decisions of a group in order to gain its social approval is ______________ influence. A) normative social B) informational social C) group D) cognitive
A) normative social influence Going along with the decisions of a group in order to gain its social approval is normative social influence. Do not confuse this with informational social influence, accepting others' opinions about reality, especially under conditions of uncertainty.
400
Of the following, which would be a good example of a self-serving bias? A) Carlos, who feels that everyone should strive to help themselves as well as others B) Antoine, who says that he has bombed a test even though he always gets an A C) Mai, who works harder for teachers who compliment her on her efforts D) Betty, who believes that she works harder than others and is underappreciated
D) Betty, who believes that she works harder than others and is underappreciated A self-serving bias causes us to overestimate the contribution we make to successful group projects, thereby preserving our feelings of self-worth and efficacy. We attribute our success to our dispositions or personality traits and attributing our failures to the situation.
400
Ethnocentrism is the belief that: A) ethnic foods are all good B) human diversity is a positive force C) one's own culture is superior to others D) cultural pluralism is a destructive goal that fosters conflict
C) one's own culture is superior to others Ethnocentrism is the basic belief that our culture is superior to others.
400
Although Graham has not yet met his future college roommate, he learned that the roommate is a football player. He is anxious and unhappy about sharing his room with a football player because he expects that his roommate will be a "party animal" who makes studying in his room difficult. Graham's attitude can be classified as: A) stereotype threat B) prejudice C) discrimination D) scapegoating
B) prejudice Prejudice is an unjustified attitude, while discrimination is the unjustified behavior that might result from holding such an attitude.
500
John F. Kennedy's Bay of Pigs failure was caused in large part by: A) Brainstorming B) Group Cohesion C) Groupthink D) Deindividuation
C) Groupthink Researchers have analyzed group decision-making processes involved in making bad decisions, such as the Bay of Pigs. Groupthink occurs when group discussions emphasize sticking together to make the "best" decision. In the Bay of Pigs situation, many of John F. Kennedy's advisors did just that.
500
A person who agrees to a small request initially is more likely to comply with a larger demand later. This describes which phenomenon? A) foot-in-the-door B) high-ball C) door-in-the-face D) Compliance
A) foot-in-the-door Foot in the door is a method of persuasion that relies on compliance to a second request if a person complies with a small request first. Students might confuse the correct answer for door-in-the-face, but that is actually the complete opposite. With door-in-the-face, an individual will settle for a small request after rejecting a large one.
500
You read in the newspaper that survivors in a plane accident in the Andes were discovered to have eaten other survivors during their 32-day ordeal. You will have committed the fundamental attribution error if you A) attribute the behavior to dispositional (personal) factors B) attribute the behavior to situational factors C) think you would have done the same thing if you had been there D) consider the behavior as a signal for the moral degradation of our society E) decide never to fly in a plane again
A) attribute the behavior to dispositional (personal) factors When judging the behavior of others, people often make the fundamental attribution error of overemphasizing personal or dispositional factors and underestimating situational factors.
500
David has always opposed the death penalty, believing it is not the place of the government to take the life of another person. After his best friend was murdered, David wanted nothing more than to see the murderer get the justice he or she deserved. Because the murder occurred in the state of Texas, this would mean justice would be served with the death penalty. The dissonance theory would state that: A) David would have no conflict in seeing the murderer put to death. B) David would have to change one of his attitudes to feel less tension. C) David would change his opinion in support of the death penalty. D) Justification of the death penalty would be appropriate in this situation.
B) David would have to change one of his attitudes to feel less tension. Because the question asked what the dissonance theory would state, David would have to change one of his beliefs in order to reduce his cognitive inconsistencies.
500
A mother fights her way through a crowd at Christmas time to get the last of a "must have" toy for her child. This is an example of what type of aggression? A) instrumental aggression B) social aggression C) hostile aggression D) parental aggression
A) instrumental aggression Instrumental aggression has as its purpose the satisfaction of some goal behavior or benefit. Hostile aggression is an attempt to strike out against someone or something seen as the cause of this discomfort that results when a person feels pain, anger, or frustration.