FINAL EXAM


1: A selection bias that would threaten the internal validity of an experiment is

A: a large event, such as an earthquake, that happens in the middle of the study

B: anything that decreases the mundane realism of the study

C: any procedure that allows subjects to choose their own experimental conditions

D: anything the experimenter does that indicates to the subjects how they should behave in the experiment

2: A significant positive correlation between the incidence of mental illness and the incidence of divorce among middle class people is likely to mean that

A: people who are mentally ill have difficulty maintaining a successful marriage

B: getting divorced leads to mental illness

C: divorce and mental illness may both be caused by other factors, such as a difficult childhood

D: all of the above may be true

3: A study found that adults who watched more TV as children committed more crimes as adults. The results of this study prove

A: that watching TV as a child causes criminal behavior

B: that criminal tendencies cause people to watch more TV as children

C: that strict, authoritarian parents cause people to watch more TV and to engage in more criminal activities

D: none of the above

4: In an experiment, random assignment of subjects into experimental conditions means that

A: every subject in the population has an equal opportunity to be included in the experiment

B: each subject in the experiment has an equal opportunity to be included in each experimental condition

C: the order of the dependent measures in the experiment is randomly determined

D: the experimenter flips a coin to decide whether a subject is in the experiment or not

5: Hitting one's opponent in a boxing match would most likely be classified as __________ aggression, whereas hitting the judges of the match after an unfavorable decision would be classified as __________ aggression

A: sanctioned; prosocial

B: hostile; instrumental

C: intentional; unintentional

D: instrumental; hostile

6: Former hostage Terry Anderson said that the last day of his captivity -- when his release seemed imminent (about to happen) -- seemed longer than the entire length of his captivity. What psychological process could explain this statement?

A: his expectations of being released were raised and so his frustration was increased

B: his expectations of being released were decreased and so his frustration was increased

C: six years of deprivation had built up a lot of frustration in him, culminating in that last day

D: he had given up on being released and so could not contemplate freedom; that is, his adaptation level was unusually low

NOTE: THE CONTENT OF QUESTIONS 7 & 8 WILL NOT BE COVERED ON THE EXAM, THEY ARE JUST GIVEN TO ALLOW YOU EXTRA PRACTICE ANSWERING OUR QUESTIONS

7: Why should you take a date to an amusement park and go on the most exciting roller coaster rides (assuming your date is not extremely afraid of heights and that your date already likes you)?

A: fear breeds liking

B: your date's arousal may transfer from the ride to you

C: it's cheaper than a nice dinner

D: you will get to sit together for at least 5 minutes

8: You've just taken your date to the amusement park and ridden on the most exciting roller coaster ride they have. According to the Meyers text, why would it be stupid to bring up a touchy subject about which you and your date may have an argument right after being on the roller coaster?

A: your date may interpret arousal from the ride as increased anger

B: your date will be tired and have little energy to fight with you

C: people who fight in public places are a drag

D: the contrast between the ride (very exciting) and you (not so exciting) will increase his/her dissatisfaction with you

9: According to the catharsis hypothesis of aggressive behavior,

A: watching violence serves to blow off steam and reduces subsequent aggression over the long term

B: watching violence increases violence because of social learning principles

C: watching violence increases violence because our aggressive instinct is so strong

D: watching violence decreases violence because we see people being punished for aggressive behavior

11: People who question whether the number of electric shocks administered to an experimental confederate really measures aggressive behavior are questioning the __________ validity of experiments that use this technique.

A: internal

B: external

C: construct

D: statistical

13: Bandura's social learning theory holds that we will behave aggressively

A: only if we are given a reward for our aggressive behavior

B: if we see someone else rewarded for aggressive behavior

C: only if we are sexually aroused

D: A and C

14: According to lecture, which kind of film produces the most aggressive behavior in laboratory settings?

A: erotic material alone

B: erotic material paired with violence

C: violent material alone

D: films of people driving on the Beltway

19: Studies that divide people into two groups find that people favor their own group

A: only if the group they are in has personal meaning to them

B: only if they are made to compete with members of the other group

C: even if the assignment to groups was arbitrary and meaningless

D: only if they are asked to cooperate with members of their own group

20: According to the cognitive approach, what is the principal factor underlying stereotypes, prejudice and intergroup conflict?

A: People's tendency to place objects and people into categories

B: Deep-seated motivational needs and conflicts

C: Competition between two groups for objectively scarce resources

D: Relative deprivation

21: Social identity theory is a combination of

A: motivational and social theories of prejudice

B: motivational and cognitive theories of prejudice

C: social and personality theories of prejudice

D: psychodynamic and motivational theories of prejudice

22: In the film "A Class Divided," how long did the teacher have to treat the children differently before they reinforced her discriminatory behavior by treating their lifelong friends as though they were inferior?

A: one week

B: two days

C: one day

D: less than one day

24: Which of the following is NOT a reason that stereotypes are resistant to change?

A: we only notice evidence that confirms our stereotypes

B: we can elicit behavior consistent with our stereotypes through the self-fulfilling prophecy

C: we can make special categories for group members who don't fit the stereotype

D: none of the above

 

26: In Ugwuegbu's study of simulated rape trials, jurors showed the greatest differences in their ratings of black and white defendants when

A: the evidence against the defendant was strong (very convincing evidence)

B: the evidence against the defendant was marginally strong (mixed evidence)

C: the evidence against the defendant was near zero (weak evidence)

D: the defendant was portrayed as coming from a poor background

27: Prejudice is to discrimination as __________ is to __________.

A: policy; belief

B: stereotype; generalization

C: attitude; behavior

D: attribute; category

28: Sherif's famous study of group relations in summer camps was undertaken to examine the power of __________ to evoke intergroup hostility.

A: common territory

B: racial differences

C: competition

D: economic differences

30) Joe believes that theater majors are intelligent, entertaining people.  This is an example of a:

A.      Stereotype

B.      Prejudice

C.      Discrimination

D.      Social Norm

31) Bob meets Karyl for the first time at a party.  Before he talks to her, he already knows that he doesn't  like her because she is in a sorority.  This is an example of:

A.      Stereotype

B.      Prejudice

C.      Discrimination

D.      Social Norm


 

32) Joanne is interviewing candidates for a job.  She ends up with two equal candidates: Billy and Steve.  In the end Joanne decides to hire Steve because she knows that he plays softball, and she is the captain of the company softball team.  This is an example of:

A.      Stereotype

B.      Prejudice

C.      Discrimination

D.      Social Norm

33) Archie, who is white, is convinced that the Latino family that just moved into his neighborhood will cause problems.  His wife points out that the parents are both successful lawyers, and that the children have been very polite to everyone.  If Archie has an Authoritarian Personality, he is most likely to:

A.      Recognize that he misjudged the Latino family.

B.      Stick to his belief that sooner or later the Latino family will cause problems.

C.      Become frustrated and aggress against his neighbors.

D.      Question his social identity.

35) A clothing plant in a small town downsizes and fires a large number of employees.  According to Frustration-Aggression theory, the unemployed workers are likely to:

A.      Aggress against the owners of the plant

B.      Aggress against lower-class residents of the town

C.      Attack those who still have jobs

D.      Write their congressmen demanding changes in federal subsidies

37) A few years ago in DC, there was a small riot which was apparently triggered by conflicts between the Latino community and the African American community.  Some African-Americans felt that Latino immigrants were taking all of the jobs, and lowering the salaries for everyone by working for smaller wages.  This is an example of:

A.      Social Norms

B.      Frustration Aggression Theory

C.      Realistic Group Conflict

D.      Social Identity Theory

38) Professional athletes often ask for higher salaries, complaining that they are not being paid enough.  This is hard for the average person to understand because their salaries are already up in the millions.  The athletes' perceptions can be seen as an example of:

A.      Egoistic Relative Deprivation

B.      Fraternal Deprivation

C.      Realistic Group Conflict

D.      Frustration Aggression Theory

39) Jim learns that many gay people on campus have been verbally harassed, and in some cases physically attacked.  According to the Just World theory, Jim will:

A.      Feel that all individuals should be treated equally regardless of their sexual orientation in order to create a just world.

B.      Blame the gay people for drawing so much attention to themselves and not being discrete about their sexual orientation.

C.      Suspect that gay people are using more than their fair share of resources.

D.      Attack gays because they threaten his own social identity.

40) Sharon organizes a chess club at her high school.  Soon she finds that other clubs in the school make fun of the chess club.  According to Social Identity Theory, Sharon will:

A.      Ignore the insults because the people in the other clubs are too dissimilar

B.      Enjoy the negative attention

C.      Make fun of the other groups for not being as smart as the chess group

D.      Join another group

41. Joan is just about to print out her Social Psychology paper when her roommate, Sarah, staggers in with a sprained ankle and trips over the power cord for the computer, pulling it from the outlet. According to the modified Frustration-Aggression theory, Joan would most likely:

a. Scream at her roommate and insult her for her clumsiness.

b. Become very angry at her roommate.

c. Be upset and irritated but not angry .

d. Joan's reaction would depend on previous rewards and punishments


 

42. Billy walks up to a younger child and takes away his Power Ranger action figure. When the younger child resists, Billy punches him. Billy's mother yells at him and makes him give the toy back. A third child, Tommy, sees the whole thing. Which of the following is true?

a. Tommy would be less likely to take toys from other children in the future.

b. Tommy will be more likely to take toys from other children in the future.

c. Tommy will displace his frustration by hitting his sister.

d. Tommy will be more likely to watch Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in the future.


 

43. Fred is worried about fights starting in his restaurant. The best way for him to prevent this is:

a. Displaying a large sign with a picture of a gun saying "Protected by Smith and Wesson"

b. Serve free alcoholic drinks to keep people relaxed

c. Keep the temperature of the restaurant high so that people will be sluggish and less likely to fight.

d. None of the above


 

44. Dr. Quinn is on the surgical staff of a prominent hospital. She is most likely to be satisfied with her salary if:

a. She has more money than she knows what to do with, but less than what other staff members are making.

b. She earns barely enough to get by, but all the other staff members are paid the same or less.

c. She earns less than the other staff members, but knows that most surgeons get raises very quickly if they perform well.

d. She is earning more than any of the other female doctors, but not as much as the male doctors to whom she compares herself.


 

45. After a frustrating day at work, Mark likes to go to Hockey games. "There's nothing like a good brawl on ice to help me unwind," he says. According to research in social psychology, after watching a particularly violent game, Mark is likely to be:

a. More aroused and aggressive.

b. Calmer and more relaxed.

c. More upset when he sees fights in future games.

d. Less likely to kick his dog later that evening.


 

46. You have just crashed your father's car. You have a choice of when you will inform him. Knowing his volatile temper, the worst time to tell him would be:

a. When he has just finished his morning workout.

b. While he is watching TV.

c. When he's reading the newspaper.

d. Right after he has finished a large meal.


 

47. Laura is against child abuse of any kind and never uses physical punishment with her children. But after seeing her sister spank her child for misbehaving, Laura begins to think that a little physical punishment might help make her children more obedient. This is an example of

a. Desensitization

b. Disinhibition

c. Catharsis

d. Violent Cues

49. The potential threat to validity posed by experimenter expectancy effects can be reduced by

a. external; the experimenter being unaware of participants' assignment to experimental condition

b. internal; random assignment

c. external; using a more representative sample of subjects

d. internal; manipulating X and measuring Y


 

50. Subjects in an experiment testing the effects of drug X on memory were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: half received drug X (experimental condition) while the other half received a sugar pill (control condition). It was found that subjects in the experimental condition performed better on a subsequent memory task than subjects in the control condition. Which of the following conclusions is correct?

a. Cannot determine if drug X caused memory to improve because subjects' memory was not measured before the experiment.

b. Cannot say that drug X caused memory to improve for subjects in the experimental condition because of social desirability pressures on the participants.

c. Can say that drug X caused memory to improve within the experiment because the study is internally valid.

d. Cannot say that drug X caused memory to improve, but only that consumption of drug X is correlated with improved memory.

 

51. Which of the following threats to validity does random assignment reduce?

a. Mortality

b. History

c. Selection bias

d. All of the above

54. Paula, a reporter for the campus paper, was doing a story on college attitudes toward affirmative action. Although she surveyed many students individually to get the range of opinion for students on her own campus, she simply interviewed student government leaders on two other campuses. She thought it would be sufficient to ask only a few students at the nearby college to infer the general attitudes of the student population. This behavior may be the product of

a. the outgroup homogeneity effect

b. symbolic racism

c. realistic group conflict

d. the ultimate attribution error

55. If strongest anti-black prejudice in a community is among Whites who are closest to Blacks on the socioeconomic ladder, and who are competing for the same jobs, then anti-black prejudice in that community can best be explained by...

a. in group bias

b. ethnocentrism

c. realistic group conflict

d. illusory correlation


 

56. Which of the following is not a factor required for intergroup contact to reduce prejudice

a. competition

b. equal status

c. a successful interaction

d. a superordinate goal

61) You don't know very many people with visible tattoos, but you happen to observe that when fights break out, they seem to involve people with tattoos. You draw the conclusion that there must be an association between having tattoos and being prone to aggression. This conclusion reflects a(n)

a. plausible judgement

b. incidental inference

c. illusory correlation

d. none of the above

62) According to social identity theory, in-group bias is

a. a conscious product of information processing

b. motivated by the desire to enhance self-esteem

c. a result of the need to perceive the world accurately

d. more likely in people who are "cognitive misers"


 

63) "You reap what you sow." Blaming the innocent victim of rape, abuse, or other misfortunes is most closely related to

a. the primacy effect

b. the recency effect

c. defensive pessimism

d. belief in a just world


 

64) The belief in a just world is a ___________, which helps people __________

a. ultimate attribution error **.. excuse their failures

b. fundamental attribution error **.. explain away their failures

c. defensive attribution **.. view life as safe, orderly, and predictable

d. unrealistic optimism .**.. protect their self-esteem
 


 

65) In Schachter's experiment on anxiety and affiliation, Schachter manipulated level of anxiety through the use of various instructions and settings. Anxiety in Schachter's experiment was the

a. dependent variable

b. third variable

c. independent variable

d. measured variable

66) The dependent variable is "dependent" in the sense that

a. its values determine the values of the independent variable

b. its values depend mainly on the objectivity of the observer

c. its values are assumed to depend on the values of the independent variable

d. its values change from one experiment to another


 

67) If we can be sure that the changes in behavior that occurred across the

treatment conditions of our experiment were actually caused by our

independent variable, our experiment

a. has good construct validity

b. has good internal validity

c. has good external validity

d. all of the above


 

68) The question of how well the result of study generalize to other contexts

is most closely associated with?

a. test-retest reliability

b. construct validity

c. external validity

d. internal validity


 

69) Multiple measures of the same variables (e.g., observation, paper and

pencil test, interview, etc.) are used primarily to improve:

a. conclusion validity

b. internal validity

c. construct validity

d. external validity