Note, some questions don't have explanations; most do though.
 

 1:      Calvin:  Mom, can I set fire to my bed mattress?
                Mom:  No.
                Calvin:  Can I ride my tricycle on the roof?
                Mom:  No, Calvin.
                Calvin:  Then can I have a cookie?
                Mom:  (sigh) Okay.

What social psychological phenomenon does this dialogue illustrate?

                  A:      disobedience to authority
 No, this is incorrect, because Calvin never did anything against his mother's wishes.

                  B:      foot-in-the-door effect
 No, this is not correct, because foot in the door is asking for a small request, and then later asking for a large request.  The opposite happens here

                 C:      door-in-the-face effect
 Correct!  Door in the face is asking for a large request and then asking for a small one.

                  D:      the low ball
 No, low ball involves getting the target to agree to a good deal that later becomes worse

        2:      Normative influence refers to influence that

                   A:      involves wanting to be accepted by others
 Correct, this is exactly what normative influence is.

                   B:      innoculates us against persuasion attempts
       No, this is incorrect.

                    C:      involves rewards and punishments
             Incorrect.  While normative influence may involve rewards and punishments, it is not a necessity for norm. infl.

                    D:      involves the learning of new information and persuasive arguments
 This is incorrect–these factors are like informational influence.

        3:      Your favorite baseball player has endorsed a particular brand of
                baseball bat in a commercial.  What kinds of power are operating here?

                   A:      referent power and coercion
 Incorrect, coerecion deals with "punishment power."

                   B:      legitimate power and reward power
 Wrong.  The baseball player does not have any legitimate power over the target.

                   C:      expert power and referent power
 Correct.  The baseball player is an expert, and somebody to emulate.

                   D:      expert power and legitimate power
 Incorrect, the baseball player does not have any legitimate power.

        4:      Ann asks Ed to write her term paper.  He says, "Be serious, Ann."  So
                Ann says, "Then just help me write the first page."  He says, "Ok, no
                problem."  This dialog illustrates

                   A:      the foot-in-the-door technique
 Incorrect. Same as Question 2
                   B:      the low-ball technique
 Incorrect. Same as Question 2
                   C:      the door-in-the-face technique
 Correct
                   D:      the effects of commitment on conformity
 Incorrect. See Asch's studies for the effects of commitment on conformity.

        5:      According to lecture, conformity differs from compliance because

                   A:      conformity involves yielding to group pressure in the absence of a direct request to do
so
                   B:      conformity is often more public than compliance
                   C:      conformity involves yielding to a request from a high-status person (as in the Milgram
studies)
                   D:      women conform more than men, whereas men comply more than women

        6:      In Asch's studies of conformity, approximately what percent of the time
                did subjects publicly agree with the group instead of making the objectively correct response?

                        A:      15%
                        B:      35%
                        C:      50%
                        D:      65%

        7:      If a person makes a prior commitment to a view that differs from that
                of the group, he or she will tend to be

                   A:      less susceptible to group pressure to conform
 Correct.  Prior comittment to a differing view than that of the group reduces conformity

                   B:      more susceptible to group pressure to conform
 Incorrect, see A
                   C:      less confident of his or her own view
 Incorrect, see A
                   D:      more susceptible to conforming to the group on a different issue
 Incorrect, see A

        8:      Conformity is increased under which of the following conditions?

                   A:      group is unanimous
 Yes, but D is correct

                   B:      group is cohesive
 Yes, but D is correct
                   C:      response is public and made with prior commitment
 Incorrect, it depends on the direction of the response (pro-group vs  anti-group response). Public commitment visually decreases conformity.
                   D:      A and B
 Correct... Unanimous and cohesive groups tend to breed conformity

        9:     In the Milgram experiment, subjects were asked to start with relatively
                 small electric shocks before using large amounts of electric shock to
                 punish the learner.  This pattern of inducing obedience is an
                 illustration of which of the following methods of social influence?

                   A:      door in the face
 Incorrect.  If it were door in the face, the experimenter would ask the teacher to shock the
 confederate (learner) 450 volts; the teacher would not do it, and then the experimentor would ask for a smaller shock (e.g., 15 volts).
                   B:      reciprocal concessions
 No, this is not right.  This would be if the experimenter gave the teacher something, and the teacher would want to give something back
                   C:      the low ball
 No, this does not fit.
                   D:      foot in the door
 Yes, this is the correct answer.  Remember how the teacher started at the lowest level, and progressed through the scale until he of she reached the top of the voltage meter.

        10:     After his original experiments on obedience, Milgram conducted several
                additional studies.  Which of the following factors were found to
                decrease subjects' obedience to the experimenter's commands?

                   A:      putting more distance between the subject and the victim
                   B:      decreasing the legitimacy of the authority figure
                   C:      putting more distance between the authority figure and the subject
                   D:      B and C

11: According to Myers, when weak evidence is present, jurors generally
give more lenient verdicts. How could informational influence explain this?

A: As jurors who favor conviction hear arguments for acquittal, they
may realize that there isn't proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Correct

B: Jurors who favor conviction don't want to feel out of place when the
majority favors acquittal.
Incorrect.  This answer has to do with the jurors' feelings about belonging to the group.   Holding certain views to avoid rejection is an example of normative influence.  Informational influence wouldn't explain this. Informational influence involves persuading an individual through increased information.

C: Unsure jurors want to appear compassionate.
Incorrect. Informational influence wouldn't explain this. Informational influence involves persuading an individual through increased information.

D: The jurors believe that a guilty verdict will influence the defense
to appeal the verdict.
Incorrect. Informational influence wouldn't explain this. Informational influence involves persuading an individual through increased information.
 

12: Bob attends a party with a lot of people whom he admires and wishes to
be like. At the party, many people are smoking. At one point in the
evening, Bob is offered a cigarette by a classmate whom he always
thought was really cool. Bob does not smoke, but he accepts the
cigarette anyway, because he wants to be liked by the people at the party.
Bob chose to smoke due to __________________, and his classmate was
exerting _______________ power over Bob.

A: normative influence; referent
Correct.

B: compliance to the group; coercion
Incorrect.  Compliance would require that someone at the party told him to have a cigarette rather than asked Bob if he would like one.  Coercion would require that Bob did something he clearly did not want to do, because someone threatened him with bad consequences if he did not smoke.

C: informational influence; reward
Incorrect.  Informational influence would have people at the party telling Bob all sorts of facts about why smoking would be a good thing to do, and that information would convince him.  Bob was not given any kind of reward, such as money or a prize, for smoking.

D: a direct request; coercion
Incorrect.  There is no coercion in this example because the people at the party didn't threaten Bob.
 

13: Research on groups has generally shown that

A: groups are usually harmful
Incorrect.  Groups can be harmful or helpful, depending on the group and/or the situation.

B: groups are usually helpful
Incorrect. Groups can be harmful or helpful, depending on the group and/or the situation.

C: groups tend to emphasize the initial inclinations of their individual members
Correct.

D: both A and C
Incorrect.  C is correct, but A is not. Groups can be harmful or helpful, depending on the group and/or the situation.
 

14: Members of the local school board meet to consider a proposal calling for a more conservative approach to education in their district. The individual members of the board all tend to favor this approach. What will be the most likely outcome of the group meeting?

A: they will choose a risky plan only if other school districts have adopted one
Incorrect.  The plans of other school districts do not apply in this question.  It is unlikely that the board would change from conservative to risky after group discussion.

B: they will become more in favor of the conservative proposal and will probably vote for it
Correct.  Groups emphasize the initial inclinations of their members.

C: they will show a "risky shift" during the discussion and vote for a less conservative proposal
Incorrect.  The "risky shift" only applies if the group's initial inclinations favor risk.

D: they will fully consider alternative plans for their district
Incorrect.  There is no one in the group who favors another approach, and therefore, they are likely to ignore alternative plans.
 

15: In a study by Myers and Bishop, a group of prejudiced students expressed even greater prejudice after discussing racial issues with like-minded others. Students in these groups may have experienced informational influence during the group discussion. What is the definition of informational influence?

A: the learning of new arguments from other people
Correct.

B: the anonymity produced by being in a group and the corresponding increase in the freedom to express hostile opinions
Incorrect.  Informational influence is the learning of new arguments from other people, and  anonymity does not relate to this particular form of influence.  Anonymity and deindividuation can occur in groups, but are unrelated to informational influence.

C: the emergence of a group norm favoring the expression of hostile opinions
Incorrect.  Informational influence is the learning of new arguments from other people, and group norms do not relate to this particular form of influence, which is normative.

D: the effects of increased arousal on hostile attitudes
Incorrect.  Informational influence is the learning of new arguments from other people and arousal does not relate to this particular form of influence.  Arousal occurs in groups, but it is not related to informational influence.
 

16: Some research on the effects of being in a group has found that people work harder in groups, while other studies show that people work less in groups. In general, people work harder on easy tasks when __________ is increased, but work less when __________ occurs.

A: evaluation apprehension; mere presence
Incorrect.  People do work harder on easy tasks when evaluation apprehension is increased, but they do not work less when mere presence occurs.

B: distraction; arousal
Incorrect.  People do not work harder when distracted, and it is possible that they may work harder when arousal occurs.

C: evaluation apprehension; deindividuation
Correct.  Evaluation apprehension makes people focus more on their own performance.  For an easy task, this would likely result in better performance.  Deindividuation, in contrast, decreases self awareness.  When people's individual contributions are not identifiable, they tend to do less work.

D: diffusion of responsibility; arousal
Incorrect.  People work less when there is a diffusion of responsibility, and it is possible that they may work harder when arousal occurs.
 

17: Research investigating the effects of group polarization on juries has found that

A: juries that initially favor harsh punishment favor stronger punishment after group discussion
Correct.  This is an example of how groups intensify their members' initial inclinations.

B: juries that initially favor mild punishment favor stronger punishment after group discussion
Incorrect.  Research indicates that a group initially favoring mild punishment would favor a punishment that is even more mild.  If the group initially agrees on a position, its members are more likely to shift further in the direction they were already leaning after discussion.

C: juries that initially favor harsh punishment favor more mild punishment after group discussion
Incorrect. Research indicates that a group initially favoring strong punishment would favor even stronger punishment.  If the group initially agrees on a position, its members are more likely to shift further in the direction they were already leaning after discussion.

D: juries composed of liberal people favor mild punishment no matter what the evidence is in the case
Incorrect.  There is no evidence to support the assertation that liberal people would vote this way.  The important thing to know in this question is that if a group initially agrees on a position, its members are more likely to shift further in the direction they were already leaning after discussion.  A group of liberal people could lean towards a strong punishment and after discussion agree on an even stronger punishment.
 

18: Lydia just got her driver's license. Three of her friends ask her to take them on the Beltway during rush hour traffic. How will she perform?
A: the same as if she were alone
Incorrect.  The presence of others can have strong influence on task performance.

B: better than if she were alone
Incorrect.  The presence of others does not help people perform better unless the task is very well learned.

C: worse than if she were alone
Correct.  Because she is a new driver, the presence of friends may decrease driving performance through arousal, distraction, and/or evaluation aprehension.

D: same as if alone, unless they are on their way to a piano recital
Incorrect.
 

19: Researchers have studied the link between deindividuation and aggression. In which of the following studies did deindividuation lead to decreased aggresssion?
A: the study in which people wore KKK-like hoods
Incorrect.  The people in this study were more likely to be aggressive because the cue of a KKK-like group would be aggressive.

B: studies of sports teams that wear black uniforms
Incorrect. The people in this study were more likely to be aggressive because the cue of a black uniform was associated with more aggression.

C: the study in which people wore nurses uniforms
Correct.  See reasoning under item D.
D: none of the above
Incorrect.  People dressed in nurses uniforms were less aggressive, because they took their cue for behavior from the uniform of a nurse, which belongs to a caring profession.  Deindividuation can lead to positive behaviors as well as negative ones.
 

20: We are aroused by the presence of other people for which of the following reasons?
A: distraction
Incorrect.  This is correct, but be careful to read all of the answers.

B: the mere presence of others
Incorrect. This is correct, but be careful to read all of the answers.

C: concern for how others are evaluating us
Incorrect. This is correct, but be careful to read all of the answers.

D: all of the above
Correct.
 

21: Group polarization is defined as the tendency for discussion among group members

A: to lead to a risky decision
Incorrect.  Group polarization is defined as "group-produced enhancement of members' preexisting tendencies."  In other words, a group that agrees on a matter in one direction can shift even further in the direction its members were already heading.  This can lead to a risky decision, but it can also lead to a more conservative decision, depending on group members' initial beliefs.

B: to lead to a cautious decision
Incorrect. Group polarization is defined as "group-produced enhancement of members' preexisting tendencies."  In other words, a group that agrees on a matter in one direction can shift even further in the direction its members were already heading.  This can lead to a conservative decision, but it can also lead to a more risky decision

C: to split groups into two opposing groups
Incorrect. Group polarization is defined as "group-produced enhancement of members' preexisting tendencies."  In other words, a group that agrees on a matter in one direction can shift even further in the direction its members were already heading.  A group splitting into two opposing groups is almost the opposite of group polarization.

D: to change group members' beliefs in the direction of their initial beliefs
Correct. Group polarization is defined as "group-produced enhancement of members' preexisting tendencies."  In other words, a group that agrees on a matter in one direction can shift even further in the direction its members were already heading.
 
 

22: According to the Myers text, research on the physical attractiveness of criminal defendants shows

A: that attractiveness matters: People recommend stronger punishments for attractive people.
 Incorrect. Be careful here.  If this were the case, then the research would demonstrate that attractive people would receive more harsh punishments from prospective juries.  This is clearly not the case, as evidenced by the Efran study (1974) cited in the text which states, "When Efran gave other students an attractive or unattractive defendant, they judged the most attractive as least guilty and recommended that person for the least punishment."

B: that attractiveness does not matter: People recommend punishment on the basis of the evidence in each individual legal case.
 Incorrect.  Though many believe that situational factors, such as the attractiveness of a defendant, do not influence the punishments that people recommend, this is not the case.  In fact, the Myers text presents several studies (e.g., Efran, 1974) that have found that people do indeed judge more attractive defendants as less likely to be "guilty," and they also tend to recommended these individuals for the least amount of punishment.

C: the attractiveness matters: People recommend reduced punishments for attractive people.
 Correct.  People do recommend reduced punishments for attractive people, and this is clear from the research presented in the Myers text.

D: that the effect of attractiveness on punishment in criminal cases depends on the sex of the judge.
 Incorrect.  This is not the case.  One finds preferential treatment for attractive criminals independent of whether the criminal or the judge is male or female.

23: You are rowing a boat with 6 friends. You may not be using your maximum effort to row the boat because of

A: social loafing
 Correct.  Social Loafing is the tendency for people to exert less effort when they pool their efforts toward a common goal than when they are individually accountable.

B: individuation
 Incorrect. Individuation involves a gain of self-awareness and possibly evaluation apprehension; this phenomenon does not occur in a group situation, and does not foster anonymity.

C: social facilitation
 Incorrect. Be careful here. Social Facilitation is the tendency of people to perform simple or well learned tasks better in the presence of a group.

D: group polarization
 Incorrect. Group Polarization refers to a group-produced enhancement of members' preexisting tendencies-- a strengthening of the members' average tendency.

26: On Halloween, Sarah and her friends dressed up like Ninja warriors with black face masks and costumes. Lou and his friends dressed up like doctors with blue doctor's masks and uniforms. It is well past dark when both groups leave to go trick-or-treating, and it is hard to tell one child from another, because they are all wearing masks. According to Zimbardo's studies of deindividuation, when approaching a group of young children who are lost, Sarah's group would be more likely to_________________, whereas Lou's group would be more likely to _________________.

A: ignore the children and keep on walking; help the lost children find their way home.
 Incorrect.  Be careful here.  This answer is only partially correct.  Recall that the study of Zimbardo (1970) found that women dressed in identical white coats (resembling the Ku Klux Klan), were more likely to give more severe shocks to another participant than women who were wearing large name tags.  This findings suggests that depending upon the type of mask one wears, he or she may act in accordance with the disguise as one's anonymity increases.  Thus, though we would expect Lou's group to help the lost children, we would not expect Sarah's group to merely ignore the lost children.

B: scare the children and steal their candy; help the lost children find their way home.
 Correct. We would indeed expect Sarah's group to scare the children and steal their candy and we would also expect Lou's group to help the lost children find their way home.  Such findings resemble those that are outlined in the Myers text with respect to the findings of Zimbardo (1970), because the group with the violent cues may act more violently, while the group with the helpful, nonviolent cues may act more helpfully.

C: scare the children and steal their candy; ignore the children and keep on walking.
  Incorrect.  Be careful here.  This answer is only partially correct.  Recall that the study of Zimbardo (1970) found that women dressed in identical white coats (resembling the Ku Klux Klan) were more likely to give more severe shocks to another participant than women who were wearing large name tags.  This findings suggests that depending upon the type of mask one wears, he or she may act in accordance with the disguise as one's anonymity increases.  Thus, though we would expect Sarah's group to scare the children and steal their candy, we would not expect Lou's group to merely ignore the lost children, because their masks are associated with helping people.

D: help the lost children find their way home; scare the children and steal their candy
 Incorrect.   Recall that the study of Zimbardo (1970) found that women dressed in identical white coats (resembling the Ku Klux Klan), were more likely to give more severe shocks to another participant than women who were wearing large name tags.  This findings suggests that depending upon the type of mask one wears, he or she may act in accordance with the disguise as one's anonymity increases.  Thus, we would expect Sarah's group to scare the children and steal their candy, whereas we would expect Lou's group to help the lost children find their way home.

27: Han-Li and 5 of his co-workers at IBM Korea have been assigned to work on a new product together. John at IBM America has also been assigned to work on the new product with 5 of his co-workers. According to research on the differences between collectivistic and individualistic cultures, which person is more likely to exhibit social loafing?

a.) Han-Li
 Incorrect.  Be careful here. Collectivism refers to the concept of giving priority to the goals of one's group and defining one's identity accordingly.  If this is the case then Han-Li would be less likely to exhibit social loafing since he comes from a culture which has been demonstrated to value collectivistic principles.

b.) John
 Correct. John at IBM America would indeed be more likely to exhibit social loafing than Han-Li, based upon research devoted to understanding collectivistic and individualistic cultures.

c.) both are equally likely to exhibit social loafing.
 Incorrect. Be carful here. Han-Li would be less likely to exhibit social loafing since he comes from a collectivistic culture, whereas John is from a culture that values individualistic principles.  Thus, John would be more likely to exhibit social loafing.

d.) neither one will exhibit social loafing.
 Incorrect.  Actually, John would be more likely to exhibit social loafing than Han-Li, based on the fact that John is from a culture that values individualistic principles.  In contrast, Han-Li comes from a collectivistic culture, which would make him less likely to exhibit social loafing.

28: What percentage of people in the Milgram Study on Obedience delivered the highest amount of electrical shock to the learner?

a.) 30%
 Incorrect.  Actually, contrary to the prediction of many psychiatrists, college students, and middle class adults, roughly 60% of participants actually delivered the highest amount of electrical shock to the learner.

b.) 45%
 Incorrect.  Actually, contrary to the prediction of many psychiatrists, college students, and middle class adults, roughly 60% of participants actually delivered the highest amount of electrical shock to the learner.

c.) 90%
 Incorrect.  Actually, contrary to the prediction of many psychiatrists, college students, and middle class adults, roughly 60% of participants actually delivered the highest amount of electrical shock to the learner.

d.) 60%

 Correct. Roughly 60% of participants actually delivered the highest amount of electrical shock to the learner in several experiments.

29:  According to Zajonc's theory of social facilitation, the dominant response

        A:  is the response of a powerful group member
 Incorrect.  The dominant in dominant response does not refer to a powerful group member.

        B:  is the best learned and practiced response
 Correct. The dominant response leads to the most likely response the person might make.

        C:  leads to improve performance with an audience present
 Not always.  If the task is not well-learned, the presence of an audience can lead to worse performance.

        D:  leads to reduced performance with an audience present
 Not always.  In cases when the task is well-learned, an audience can lead to better performance.

30:  John and four of his friends are planning to go out and see a movie. His friends want to see "A Thin Red Line" because they like war movies. John wants to see "Life is Beautiful."  To persuade his friends, John should

A:  Give up because he is outnumbered.
 Incorrect.  Though some may agree with this choice as a way to reduce possible group conflict, such a tactic would not be likely to persuade John's friend to accept his alternative.

B:  Stick to his position that  "Life is Beautiful" is a better movie.
 Incorrect. Be careful here.  This alternative is right based upon the principles of minority influence (e.g., maintaining one's position [consistency]), but it is not the only right answer.

C:  Try to get at least one friend to agree with him.
 Incorrect. Be careful here.  This alternative is right based upon the principles of minority influence (e.g., finding an ally), but it is not the only right answer.

D:  B and C
 Correct. This is the best answer as it incorporates two important components of minority influence, maintaining one's initial position (consistency) and finding an ally in the group.

31:  Joan is the president of a jeans company that has been losing its share of the youth market and may have to go out of business if Joan cannot increase sales.  She has gathered a group of her company's marketing experts to decide on a new advertising strategy.  To get the best decision, Joan should:

A:  Present her own ideas idea to the group and defend them.
 Incorrect. Be careful here. Though presenting her own ideas idea to the group and defending them may appear likely to generate a good decision, research on groupthink suggests that increasing pressure to follow the group leader can result in worse decisions.

B:  Assign at least one expert to be a devil's advocate
 Correct.  Research suggests that by assigning at least one expert to be a devil's advocate, when making a group decision, one is actually more likely to obtain the best decision because disadvantages of the group's decision can be safely raised and discussed.

C:  Increase the motivation of the group by reminding them that their jobs are in danger
 Incorrect.  Actually, by using such a strategy, one may actually generate a poor group decision and may facilitate the emergence of groupthink (Janus, 1971).

D:  Ignore the experts and follow her own instincts
 Incorrect. Be careful here.  Though this may seem to be a good way to generate a decision it may actually lead to poor decisions through the failure to consider alternative points of view.

32:  In lecture, a scene from the movie "To Kill a Mockingbird" was shown. Scout, the young girl, is successful in getting the mob to break up by using what tactic?

     A:  Groupthink
 Incorrect.  Groupthink is defined by Janus (1971) as, "The mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrence-seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive in-group that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action."  This is clearly not the case.

     B:  Social Facilitation
 Incorrect.  Social Facilitaion is the tendency of people to perform simple or well-learned tasks better in the presence of a group (Myers, 1998; p. 636).  Clearly, this is not the tactic that is being used.

     C:  Individuation
 Correct. Scout used the tactic of individuation which involved singling out one group member, thus increasing self-awareness. In this way, the group was taken out of its deindividuated state as the anonymity of its members was reduced.

     D:  Door in the face
 Incorrect. This is a technique for gaining concession.  After someone turns down a large request (door-in-the-face), the same requester counteroffers with a more reasonable request.  This was clearly not the tactic used by Scout.

33:  Sarah has been appointed as supervisor of a project group at her office.  If she wants to make sure each member of the group contributes his or her full effort, Sarah should:

     A:  Hold each member of the group accountable for a specific part of the project
 Correct. Individual accountability decreases social loafing.

     B:  Punish group members at random to show that she's in charge
 Incorrect.

     C:  Have group members contribute their idea anonymously
 Incorrect. When people are not individually accountable, they often contribute less to a group project.

     D:  Do nothing, as social facilitation will ensure that all of the group members will work hard.
 Incorrect.