Ch3 – Social Cognition Understanding + Verified Test Bank

Chapter 3

Social Cognition: Understanding Ourselves and Others

Total Assessment Guide (T.A.G.)

Topic	Question Type	Remember the Facts	Understand the Concepts	Apply What You Know	Analyze It
3.1 The Social Thinker	Multiple Choice	1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 13	3, 11, 12, 14	5	9, 10
	Short Answer	121
	Essay				131
3.2 Conserving Mental Effort	Multiple Choice	16, 22, 29, 37, 41, 46, 50	15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 31, 34, 35, 36, 44, 45, 51, 52, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 62, 63	18, 23, 24, 30, 39, 40, 42, 43, 47, 48, 54, 57, 66, 69, 70	27, 28, 32, 33, 38, 49, 53, 61, 64, 65, 67, 68, 71
	Short Answer	123	125	122, 124
	Essay			133, 134, 135	131, 132
3.3 Managing Self-Image	Multiple Choice	72, 76, 79, 83	75, 78, 82, 87, 89, 90, 97, 99, 100	77, 84, 86, 88, 93, 98	73, 74, 80, 81, 85, 91, 92, 94, 95, 96
	Short Answer		126, 127, 128
	Essay			134, 136	131
3.4 Seeking an Accurate Understanding	Multiple Choice		101, 103, 104, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 117, 120	102, 106, 107, 110, 116, 119	105, 108, 109, 118
	Short Answer		129, 130
	Essay			133, 137	131, 132, 138

Chapter 3 Social Cognition: Understanding Ourselves and Others

Multiple Choice Questions

1) The process of thinking about and making sense of oneself and others is __________.

A) social comparison

B) social cognition

C) self-efficacy

D) self-actualization

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Topic: The Social Thinker

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

2) Social cognition is defined as the way that __________.

A) people congregate into groups

B) people think about and make sense of themselves and those around them

C) people think collectively rather than individually

D) people pass information and attitudes along informal lines of communication

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Topic: The Social Thinker

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

3) Social cognition is most closely linked to __________.

A) thinking

B) feeling

C) communicating

D) affiliating

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Topic: The Social Thinker

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

4) How many core processes are there in social cognition?

A) 2

B) 4

C) 5

D) 7

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Topic: Four Core Processes of Social Cognition

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

5) Which of the following examples best fits the definition of social cognition?

A) a person hitting another person

B) singing in front of a group of people

C) wondering why your date didn’t show up last night

D) helping a child to cross the street

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Topic: Four Core Processes of Social Cognition

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

6) Which of the following is a core process of social cognition?

A) induction

B) attention

C) socialization

D) expectancy confirmation

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Topic: Four Core Processes of Social Cognition

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

7) __________ is the process of consciously focusing on aspects of one’s environment.

A) Memory

B) Attention

C) Socialization

D) Interpretation

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Topic: Four Core Processes of Social Cognition

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

8) Which core process of social cognition relates to giving information meaning?

A) interpretation

B) attention

C) judgment

D) confirmation

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Topic: Four Core Processes of Social Cognition

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

9) The text reports a study in which pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli students each watched identical news broadcasts about an Israeli–Palestinian confrontation. The results of the study indicated that __________.

A) compared to control students, pro-Israeli students believed that the news report had depicted Israel’s actions as more justified, but pro-Palestinian students thought it had depicted Palestine as “in the right.”

B) compared to control students, pro-Israeli students perceived the report as highly pro-Palestinian, whereas pro-Palestine students viewed it as more pro-Israeli.

C) on both sides, students who were high in self-monitoring viewed the report as anti-Palestinian, whereas those low in self-monitoring viewed it as pro-Palestinian.

D) on both sides, students who were high in self-monitoring viewed the report as pro-Palestinian, whereas those low in self-monitoring viewed it as anti-Palestinian

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Topic: Four Core Processes of Social Cognition

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

10) In recent years, many books have been published about media bias. Liberals have published books proclaiming a conservative bias in the media, whereas conservatives have published books proclaiming a liberal bias in the media. The most likely social cognitive explanation for this occurrence is that __________.

A) either one side or the other is deliberately misrepresenting the facts

B) a self-fulfilling prophecy may exist on both sides

C) different people often interpret the same events differently

D) dispositional inferences are made by everyone

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Topic: The Social Thinker

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

11) Which core process of social cognition relates to using information to form decisions?

A) interpretation

B) judgment

C) memory

D) attention

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Topic: Four Core Processes of Social Cognition

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

12) Which core process of social cognition relates to storing information for future use?

A) interpretation

B) judgment

C) memory

D) attention

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Topic: Four Core Processes of Social Cognition

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

13) Social thought needs to be __________.

A) flexible

B) universal

C) rigid

D) inefficient

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Topic: The Goals of Social Cognition

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

14) When people adopt different styles of thinking to achieve different goals, they are acting as __________.

A) motivated tacticians

B) depressed tacticians

C) forgetful tacticians

D) confused tacticians

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Topic: The Goals of Social Cognition

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

15) Cognitive strategies __________.

A) are always effortful, “rational” processing

B) can free up scarce mental resources

C) are never helpful

D) always require a great deal of mental effort

Topic: Conserving Mental Effort

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

16) Our beliefs about how the world functions are our __________.

A) expectations

B) self-image

C) memories

D) cognitive strategies

Topic: Expectations

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

17) Expectancy confirmation is most closely linked to the goal of __________.

A) conserving mental effort

B) managing self-image

C) accuracy

D) appearing competent

Topic: Expectations

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

18) Suppose you are told that your new roommate is a member of the chess club. How is this expectation likely to influence you?

A) You are likely to interpret ambiguous behaviors in ways that will change this expectation.

B) You are likely to seek information that disconfirms this expectation.

C) You are likely to remember behaviors that are consistent with this expectation.

D) You are likely to use the anchoring and adjustment heuristic.

Topic: Expectations

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

19) People tend to act in ways that __________ their expectations.

A) challenge

B) preserve

C) alter

D) modify

Topic: Expectations

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

20) People tend to interpret ambiguous events and behaviors in ways that __________.

A) challenge their expectations

B) support their expectations

C) change other people’s expectations

D) support other people’s expectations

Topic: Expectations

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

21) Which of the following is a cognitive simplification strategy?

A) expectation confirmation

B) upward social comparison

C) downward social comparison

D) discussion inferences

Topic: Expectations

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

22) A self-fulfilling prophecy __________.

A) is the tendency for people to judge that another person’s behavior was caused by his or her personality

B) occurs when an initially inaccurate expectation leads to actions that cause the expectation to come true

C) is the false belief that some people can see the future

D) is the theory that attempts to explain how people determine whether or not a behavior is the result of a particular disposition

Topic: Expectations

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

23) Thousands of U.S. banks went out of business in the 1930s as a result of customers withdrawing their deposits because they feared that the banks were running out of money. This is an example of __________.

A) the misapplication of the anchoring and adjustment heuristic

B) the correspondence bias

C) a self-fulfilling prophecy

D) attributional ambiguity

Topic: Expectations

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of the content domains of psychology.

24) Karina is going to negotiate with a lawyer who has a reputation for being aggressive and hostile. To prevent herself from being taken advantage of, Karina enters the negotiation with a hard position and cold interpersonal style. As a natural response to Karina’s behavior, the other lawyer is aggressive and hostile in the negotiation. This process is an example of __________.

A) the self-serving bias

B) the correspondence bias

C) the self-fulfilling prophecy

D) the representativeness heuristic

Topic: Expectations

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

25) When are self-fulfilling prophecies more likely to occur?

A) when the targets of false expectations attempt to change those expectations

B) when those holding false expectations control the social encounter

C) when the representativeness heuristic is activated

D) when the correspondence bias is activated

Topic: Expectations

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

26) The judgment that a person’s behavior is caused by his or her personality is called a(n) __________.

A) external inference

B) dispositional inference

C) consensus judgment

D) person-situation interaction

Topic: Dispositional Inferences

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

27) Imagine that a woman in front of you in the supermarket line starts screaming at the person at the register. The spontaneous Western explanation for her behavior would likely be that __________.

A) the woman has a personality issue or character flaw

B) the woman is in an unpleasant situation or environment

C) there’s some interaction between her personality and the situation that’s causing her behavior

D) the woman is having a completely random interaction with the person at the register

Topic: Dispositional Inferences

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

28) Participants in a study by Jones and Harris were shown essays ostensibly written by students on a debate team. Which of the following possible results best demonstrates the correspondence bias?

A) Participants thought that the author of the essay, who was required to write an anti-Castro essay, had positive attitudes toward Castro.

B) Participants thought that the author of the essay, who was required to write a pro-Castro essay, had positive attitudes toward Castro.

C) Participants thought that the author of the essay, who freely chose to write an anti-Castro essay, had neutral attitudes toward Castro.

D) Participants thought that the author of the essay, who freely chose to write an anti-Castro essay, had positive attitudes toward Castro.

Topic: Dispositional Inferences

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

29) Another term for correspondence bias is __________.

A) the fundamental attribution error

B) action identification

C) the actor–observer difference

D) dispositional inference

Topic: Dispositional Inferences

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

30) Participants in an experiment judged a woman as unfriendly, even though they were told her unfriendliness was part of her trained role in the experiment. This tendency to overemphasize personal factors and underemphasize situational factors is called __________.

A) the fundamental attribution error

B) action identification

C) the actor–observer difference

D) illusion of control

Topic: Dispositional Inferences

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

31) Research on the fundamental attribution error shows that humans tend to overly emphasize the effect of __________ and underappreciate the effect of __________.

A) the situation; personality

B) personality; the situation

C) cognition; emotion

D) emotion; cognition

Topic: Dispositional Inferences

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

32) The fundamental attribution error may occur because humans __________ the impact of the situation because __________.

A) underrepresent; of the compacting nature of memory

B) overrepresent; of the expanding nature of memory

C) underrepresent; it is often less visible to the observer

D) overrepresent; it is often extremely salient to the observer

Topic: Dispositional Inferences

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

33) Why do people make the fundamental attribution error?

A) Personality characteristics that influence behavior are often “invisible” to observe.

B) Situations that influence others’ behavior are often “invisible” to observers.

C) People tend toward situational inferences to explain their own behavior.

D) The person and situation often interact.

Topic: Dispositional Inferences

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

34) An examination of an English-language newspaper’s account and a Chinese-language newspaper’s account of Dr. Gang Lu’s shooting rampage found that __________.

A) the former mostly blamed Dr. Lu, whereas the latter mostly blamed the environment

B) the latter mostly blamed Dr. Lu, whereas the former mostly blamed the environment

C) both mostly blamed Dr. Lu for the incident and ignored the environment

D) both were fairly even-handed in distributing blame for the incident

Topic: Dispositional Inferences

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

35) Researchers who investigated cultural aspects of the fundamental attribution error found that __________ as a primary cause of behavior.

A) Chinese and American writers both emphasize situations

B) Chinese and American writers both emphasize personality

C) Chinese writers emphasize situations and American writers emphasize personality

D) Chinese writers emphasize personality and American writers emphasize situations

Topic: Dispositional Inferences

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

36) In contrast to individualistic cultures, collectivistic cultures emphasize __________.

A) the self as independent from the group

B) the self as primarily defined by internal attributes

C) the self as interdependent with the group

D) one’s self-esteem via the validation of internal attributes

Topic: Dispositional Inferences

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

37) The United States is considered to be a(n) __________ culture.

A) individualistic

B) collectivistic

C) interdependent

D) collaborative

Topic: Dispositional Inferences

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

38) In Western societies, people tend to perceive the behaviors of others as largely driven by __________ factors; in Eastern societies, people tend to perceive the behaviors of others as stemming largely from __________ factors.

A) situational; dispositional

B) dispositional; dispositional

C) dispositional; situational

D) situational; situational

Topic: Dispositional Inferences

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

39) A cross-cultural examination of the fundamental attribution error suggests that it is __________.

A) is universal

B) is more common in individualistic than collectivistic cultures

C) is more common in collectivistic than individualistic cultures

D) is more likely to occur when people are in a sad mood than in a happy mood

Topic: Dispositional Inferences

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

40) Suppose that you are reading two books that try to explain the breaking up of the Soviet Union. One book, written by a Chinese historian, emphasizes the situational factors that contributed to the breakup, whereas the other book, written by an American historian, emphasizes the personalities involved, such as the political leaders. This difference reflects the notion that the fundamental attribution error __________.

A) is different from the actor–observer difference

B) is more common in individualistic than in collectivistic cultures

C) is more common in collectivistic than in individualistic cultures

D) is more likely to occur when people reflect on the past

Topic: Dispositional Inferences

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

41) The __________ is a mental shortcut people use to classify something as belonging to a certain category to the extent that it is similar to a typical case of that category.

A) anchoring heuristic

B) representativeness heuristic

C) adjustment heuristic

D) availability heuristic

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

42) Fredrick is 6’10” tall and spends hours reading sports magazines. Given the choice that Frederick is either a professional basketball player or a teacher, most people would guess that he is __________ based on their application of the __________.

A) a basketball player; anchoring and adjusting heuristic

B) a basketball player; representativeness heuristic

C) an accountant; representativeness heuristic

D) an accountant; anchoring and adjusting heuristic

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

43) Even though there are relatively few professors of Chinese literature and many postal workers in the United States, students guessed that a man who spoke Chinese and reads a lot was probably a Chinese literature professor rather than a postal worker. This is an example of using __________.

A) the representativeness heuristic

B) the anchoring and adjustment heuristic

C) the confirmatory heuristic

D) the availability heuristic

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

44) Because people need to understand the social world while at the same time conserving mental effort, they are likely to __________.

A) seek information that is opposite to their expectations

B) use their expectations in confirmatory ways

C) ignore the availability heuristic

D) not make expectation-consistent judgments

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

45) The strategy of basing a judgment on the ease with which one can bring to mind particular instances of an event is known as the __________.

A) anchoring and adjustment heuristic

B) representativeness heuristic

C) availability heuristic

D) recall heuristic

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

46) The __________ is a mental shortcut people use to estimate the likelihood of an event by the ease in which instances of that event come to mind.

A) anchoring heuristic

B) representativeness heuristic

C) adjustment heuristic

D) availability heuristic

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

47) Salim is asked whether there are more poodles or Dalmatians in America. He can quickly think of more examples of poodles than Dalmatians because there are lots of poodles in his neighborhood but not many Dalmatians. He estimates that there are more poodles in America. Salim has most likely used __________.

A) the anchoring and adjustment heuristic

B) the false consensus effect

C) the representativeness heuristic

D) the availability heuristic

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

48) Elaine watches a news program that covers several violent incidents as well as two murders. Later, when Elaine is asked to estimate the general rate of incidence of homicides in the United States, these examples quickly come to Elaine’s mind, and she estimates the incidence rate to be higher than it actually is. This example illustrates the __________.

A) representativeness heuristic

B) correspondence bias

C) anchoring and adjustment heuristic

D) availability heuristic

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

49) Let’s say that people overestimate the risks of getting HIV/AIDS and underestimate the risks of getting skin cancer. Given what we know about the availability heuristic, this is likely due to the fact that __________.

A) we can more easily recall instances of people with skin cancer

B) we can more easily recall instances of people with HIV/AIDS

C) HIV/AIDS better fits our schema for diseases

D) we don’t want to believe that one of our relaxing, easy forms of recreation and self-presentation (sun bathing) is dangerous

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

50) The __________ is the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others agree with you.

A) fundamental attribution error

B) representativeness heuristic

C) false consensus effect

D) Availability heuristic

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

51) The false consensus effect results from the __________.

A) fundamental attribution error

B) representativeness heuristic

C) anchoring and adjustment heuristic

D) availability heuristic

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

52) According to the false consensus effect, we judge others’ opinions __________.

A) to be similar to our own

B) from their present actions

C) by noting which of their previous behaviors comes to mind most easily

D) to be consistent with their personalities

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

53) The false consensus effect occurs because people use __________ as an anchor and __________ this estimate.

A) their own views; adjust

B) their own views; inappropriately adjust

C) the most popular view; adjust

D) the most popular view; inappropriately adjust

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

54) Suppose that you are trying to estimate how much your new employer is going to pay you. You start with an estimate of what others are paid and then take into account your unique qualifications that are relevant. You have just used the __________.

A) availability heuristic

B) representativeness heuristic

C) anchoring and adjustment heuristic

D) actor–observer difference

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

55) Which of the following is an example of a cognitive simplification strategy?

A) anchoring and adjustment

B) avoiding a negative self-fulfilling prophecy

C) upward social comparison

D) “basking in reflected glory”

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

56) A mental shortcut in which people begin with a rough estimation as a starting point and then revise this estimate to take into account unique characteristics of the present situation is __________.

A) the representativeness heuristic

B) the management heuristic

C) the availability heuristic

D) the anchoring and adjustment heuristic

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

57) A student who works at a record store and plays in a rock band thinks for a minute about his own music-purchasing habits and then makes a quick guess about the number of other students who buy more than thirty CDs a year. He grossly overestimates. He has probably applied the __________.

A) availability heuristic

B) representativeness heuristic

C) primacy heuristic

D) anchoring and adjustment heuristic

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

58) When people are physiologically aroused, they are __________.

A) more likely to rely on cognitive shortcuts

B) more likely to rely on the availability heuristic but less likely to rely on the representativeness heuristic

C) more likely to use complex thinking

D) less likely to make dispositional inferences

Topic: Arousal and Circadian Rhythms

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

59) According to the text, __________ prompts us to rely on simplified cognitive strategies.

A) an unexpected event

B) boredom

C) arousal

D) mild depression

Topic: Arousal and Circadian Rhythms

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

60) Research has found that “morning” people __________.

A) use cognitive shortcuts more often at night

B) use cognitive shortcuts more often than “evening” people do

C) use cognitive shortcuts more often in the morning

D) use cognitive shortcuts less often than “evening” people do

Topic: Arousal and Circadian Rhythms

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

61) Judy likes to get moving, as she calls it, before the sun is even up in the morning. She is likely to __________.

A) use the same amount of cognitive shortcut in the morning as she would later in the day

B) use more cognitive shortcuts in the morning than later in the day

C) use more cognitive shortcuts later in the day than in the morning

D) not use cognitive shortcuts

Topic: Arousal and Circadian Rhythms

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

62) The extent to which people are motivated to organize their mental and physical worlds in simple ways is called __________.

A) desire for control

B) intelligence

C) need for structure

D) need for cognition

Topic: Need for Structure

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

63) People with a high __________ are more likely to use cognitive simplification strategies.

A) desire for control

B) intelligence

C) need for structure

D) need for cognition

Topic: Need for Structure

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

64) Research suggests that people who are in a hurry tend to __________.

A) use “quick and dirty shortcuts” to make decisions

B) slow down and think more carefully

C) engage in more careful thought the more complex a situation becomes

D) be able to pay closer attention

Topic: Complex Situations and Time Pressure

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

65) Imagine that you are listening to a speech and you need to evaluate the speaker’s “true” attitudes toward some issues. In which of the following cases would you be less likely to take into account the circumstances under which the speaker is giving the speech, such as whether he had a choice on which side to take?

A) The issue is personally important to you.

B) You are the next speaker and you are preparing your own speech.

C) You have plenty of time to make your evaluation.

D) You are in a sad mood.

Topic: Complex Situations and Time Pressure

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

66) If you meet a member of a minority group when you are very busy preparing for a job interview, you are __________.

A) more likely to stereotype the minority group member

B) more likely to demonstrate the actor–observer difference

C) less likely to make the fundamental attribution error

D) more likely to avoid cognitive heuristics

Topic: Complex Situations and Time Pressure

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

67) Lara, who is a teaching assistant for a psychology class, is responsible for evaluating student essays. One of the students brings his essay to her office and she can’t help noticing the smell of alcohol on his breath. This is especially likely to reduce the accuracy and objectivity of Lara’s evaluation if __________.

A) she has just read a sad story in the newspaper

B) she has one hour to grade the essay

C) she has only 10 minutes to grade the essay

D) she has a low need for structure

Topic: Complex Situations and Time Pressure

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

68) Which statement is true about human expectations?

A) Expectations are very flexible and easily changed.

B) Expectations interact with the information available to us to determine whether we seek to conform our expectations or instead seek greater accuracy.

C) Expectations are very likely to be disconfirmed, especially in complex situations.

D) Expectations are more likely to be confirmed when people are in a sad mood than when they are in a happy mood.

Topic: When the World Doesn’t Fit Our Expectations

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

69) You are the manager of a department in a big company, and you are going to interview a candidate for an open position. The candidate arrives 30 minutes late for the interview, has several body piercings, and doesn’t seem very intelligent to you. Looking at his resume, however, you discover that he has graduated from a prestigious university and has several years of experience in the area. According to research, you would be __________.

A) motivated to acquire more information to make the right decision about this person

B) motivated to finish the interview as quickly as possible in order to conserve mental effort

C) likely to hire this person without acquiring more information in order to resolve this complex situation

D) likely to rely on your first impression and not hire this person

Topic: When the World Doesn’t Fit Our Expectations

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

70) If you were interviewing candidates for a job, which of the following situations would reduce the likelihood that you would use cognitive simplification strategies?

A) if you had a high need for structure

B) if you were given a strict deadline by which to finish the interviews

C) if your own boss made you justify your candidate selection to her

D) if the situation was highly complex and you had a large number of people to interview

Topic: When the World Doesn’t Fit Our Expectations

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

71) People are less likely to use simplifying cognitive strategies when __________.

A) the situation confirms their expectations

B) they are in a complex situation

C) their expectations do not fit the current situation

D) they are physiologically aroused

Topic: When the World Doesn’t Fit Our Expectations

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

72) Most Americans report having __________.

A) no self-esteem

B) low self-esteem

C) moderate self-esteem

D) high self-esteem

Learning Objective: 3.3 Summarize the cognitive strategies we use to enhance and protect our self-esteem and the factors in the person and the situation that determine whether we use those strategies.

Topic: Managing Self-Image

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of the content domains of psychology.

73) Studies have found that most Americans view their future prospects optimistically and believe that they possess more favorable characteristics and abilities than the average person. This is because they are motivated to __________.

A) conserve mental effort

B) seek accuracy

C) manage their self-image

D) use heuristics

Topic: Managing Self-Image

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of the content domains of psychology.

74) Why do people desire positive self-regard?

A) Being effective is not important to us.

B) We aren’t interested in whether people like us or not.

C) Positive self-regard often facilitates achievement.

D) We seek out ways to be ineffective.

Topic: Managing Self-Image

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

75) Leon Festinger’s (1954) social comparison theory emphasized the drive to assess one’s abilities and opinions __________.

A) positively

B) as frequently as possible

C) independently of our views of others

D) accurately

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of the content domains of psychology.

76) The process of comparing ourselves with those who are less well-off is __________.

A) self-esteem assessment

B) self-serving bias assessment

C) upward social comparison

D) downward social comparison

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

77) After failing a test for the first time, Christina compares herself to her little brother, who failed four tests in one semester. Christina feels better about herself after making this comparison. This is an example of __________.

A) downward social comparison

B) upward social comparison

C) lateral social comparison

D) self-serving bias

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

78) Downward social comparison is a tactic for __________.

A) managing one’s self-image

B) managing cognitive overload

C) persuading others that one is correct

D) increasing the accuracy of one’s self-image

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

79) The process of comparing ourselves with those who are better off is __________.

A) self-esteem assessment

B) self-serving bias assessment

C) upward social comparison

D) downward social comparison

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

80) What is a benefit of engaging in upward social comparison?

A) It conserves mental energy.

B) It reduces stress.

C) It motivates one toward self-improvement.

D) It enhances one’s self-esteem by derogating others.

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of the content domains of psychology.

81) Downward social comparison helps people __________, whereas upward social comparison helps people __________.

A) conserve mental energy; reduce their stress

B) be accurate; enhance their self-esteem

C) achieve goals; conserve effort

D) feel better about themselves; work toward self-improvement

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

82) Uyen has an A-minus grade point average. She compares herself to her roommate, who has an A grade point average, in order to motivate herself to study even harder. Uyen has made a(n) __________.

A) self-serving attribution

B) upward social comparison

C) downward social comparison

D) other-serving attribution

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

83) Taking personal credit for successes and blaming external forces for failures is called the __________.

A) actor–observer difference

B) self-serving bias

C) correspondence bias

D) fundamental attribution error

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

84) When Richard Nixon was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, he attributed his victory to his personal strengths. However, when he was defeated by John Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election, Nixon’s explanations focused on external reasons, like the pro-Kennedy bias of the media. This is an example of __________.

A) the fundamental attribution error

B) the self-serving bias

C) a self-fulfilling prophecy

D) the actor–observer difference

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of the content domains of psychology.

85) An example of self-serving bias would be coaches that tended to explain victories in terms of __________ and defeats in terms of __________.

A) home-court advantage; unfair referees

B) supportive fans; a lack of teamwork

C) their team’s luck; the other team’s abilities

D) their team’s ability; the other team’s luck

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of the content domains of psychology.

86) During a five-game winning streak, Coach Kay attributed the victories to teamwork and good coaching. However, during a six-game losing streak, she attributed the losses to bad luck and unfair referees. Coach Kay’s pattern of attributions is an example of the __________.

A) delusion of control

B) fundamental attribution error

C) actor–observer difference

D) self-serving bias

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

87) As a self-enhancement strategy, people tend to value quite highly those characteristics and abilities that __________.

A) prominent leaders possess

B) they don’t possess

C) they happen to possess

D) are made salient by the media

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

88) A person says, “I’m going to pick my own numbers for the lottery because it gives me a better chance of winning.” This person is creating for him- or herself __________.

A) a better chance of winning

B) a worse chance of winning

C) the perception of control

D) a locus of power

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of the content domains of psychology.

89) A healthy self-concept and self-esteem benefit when we __________ ability to control important aspects of our lives.

A) forget that we have the

B) seldom have the

C) occasionally have the

D) believe in our

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

90) When postoperative hospital patients are given responsibility for giving themselves pain-killing drugs, __________.

A) they experience too much stress from the responsibility

B) they typically give themselves higher doses of the painkiller than doctors would prescribe

C) they often have a quicker recovery

D) they often report experiencing more pain

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

91) Which statement about high self-esteem people (relative to low self-esteem people) is accurate?

A) High self-esteem people are more likely to use social comparison to boost their esteem.

B) High self-esteem people are less likely to put down others to feel better about themselves.

C) Low self-esteem people are more likely to exaggerate their sense of control.

D) Low self-esteem people are more likely to avoid using the self-serving bias.

Topic: Self-Esteem

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

92) People who have high self-esteem engage in __________, whereas people who have low self-esteem tend to focus on __________.

A) a variety of direct self-enhancing strategies; protecting the esteem they have

B) protecting the esteem they have; a variety of self-enhancing strategies

C) downward social comparison; exaggerating their strengths

D) seeking accuracy; social comparison

Topic: Self-Esteem

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

93) Gabriel participated in a study in which he was given an IQ test described as an excellent predictor of future academic and financial success. Gabriel performed poorly on the test. He is likely to attribute his low scores to __________.

A) bad luck, thereby misapplying the representativeness heuristic

B) the invalidity of the test, thereby protecting his self-esteem

C) unclear instructions, thereby making the fundamental attribution error

D) his own ability, thereby demonstrating the actor–observer bias

Topic: Threats to Self-Esteem

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

94) Which of the following people is most likely to engage in self-esteem-protective cognitive strategies?

A) Alex, who received an A on his final exam

B) Cielle, who has just finished writing an essay about what happens after death

C) Chris, who has just finished writing an essay about the biggest success in his life

D) Yoko, who is from Japan and has just moved to the United States

Topic: Threats to Self-Esteem

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

95) In a study on mortality salience, one group of students with Christian beliefs was made highly aware of their mortality by writing about what will happen to them when they die. In the control group, similar students completed a questionnaire that did not mention death. Researchers found that __________.

A) students in the mortality salience condition experienced a rebound effect of higher self-esteem than students in the control group

B) students in the mortality salience condition rated everyone unfavorably because of their depressed mood

C) students in the mortality salience condition rated more favorably someone who validated their views than someone who did not

D) students in the mortality salience condition became self-critical rather than self-enhancing

Topic: Threats to Self-Esteem

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

96) Which of the following people is most likely to make self-serving attributions?

A) a person from a collectivistic country

B) a person with a stable low self-esteem

C) a person with an unstable high self-esteem

D) a person with unstable low self-esteem

Topic: When Self-Esteem Is Fragile

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

97) People who have __________ are greatly concerned with the self-implications of life’s everyday events and are particularly likely to respond to these events with attempts to enhance or protect the self.

A) high self-esteem

B) low self-esteem

C) unstable self-esteem

D) self-esteem based on the perceptions of specific others

Topic: When Self-Esteem Is Fragile

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of the content domains of psychology.

98) Who is most likely to enhance and protect his/her personal self-esteem?

A) a Canadian citizen

B) a Chinese citizen

C) a Japanese citizen

D) a Taiwanese citizen

Topic: Managing Self-Image

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of the content domains of psychology.

99) A recent study by Sedikides, Gaertner, and Toguchi (2003) found that __________.

A) members of collectivistic countries self-enhance less often than members of individualistic countries do

B) members of collectivistic countries and members of individualistic countries both self-enhance on traits valued by their respective cultures

C) members of collectivistic countries self-enhance more often than members of individualistic countries do

D) members of collectivistic countries self-enhance just as much as members of individualistic countries do, but they do so in a more secret manner

Topic: How Culturally Universal Is the Need for Positive Self-Regard?

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of the content domains of psychology.

100) When we are motivated to be accurate, we are likely to __________.

A) judge our own behavior as caused by situational factors

B) rely on cognitive shortcuts

C) gather more information than normal

D) focus on enhancing our self-image

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Unbiased Information Gathering

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

101) People who are motivated to be accurate tend to focus their attention on __________.

A) information that is inconsistent with their initial impressions

B) information that is consistent with their initial impressions

C) positive information

D) negative information

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Unbiased Information Gathering

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

102) One way to reduce the errors caused by the anchoring and adjustment heuristic and other shortcuts is to __________.

A) rely on expectations

B) focus on the actor–observer difference

C) consider alternative possibilities

D) ignore one’s emotions

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Considering Alternatives

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

103) According to research by Lord, Lepper, and Preston (1984), participants were less biased in their appraisal of the methodology of a scientific study when they were asked to __________.

A) consider what they would conclude if the same study produced results on the other side of the issue

B) consider how this issue ranks in the perspective of important issues, like their own lives and deaths

C) think about times when they have made foolish decisions in the past

D) try to be as objective as possible

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Considering Alternatives

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of the content domains of psychology.

104) According to ________, people determine whether a behavior corresponds to an actor’s internal disposition by asking whether the consequences were foreseeable and whether the behavior was intended, freely chosen, and occurred despite countervailing forces.

A) the representativeness heuristic

B) correspondent inference theory

C) correspondence bias

D) the covariation model

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Attributional Logic: Seeking the Causes of Behavior

Difficulty Level: Moderate Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

105) According to the __________ principle, our confidence in a particular cause for an event decreases if __________.

A) augmenting; the number of possible causes for an event increases

B) discounting; the number of possible causes for an event increases

C) discounting; an event occurs despite the presence of strong opposing forces

D) augmenting; an event occurs despite the presence of weak opposing forces

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Attributional Logic: Seeking the Causes of Behavior

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

106) John tells his coworker Alice that he finds her charming and attractive right after they have just heard a stern lecture on avoiding sexual harassment in the workplace. Alice is likely to apply the __________ principle and believe that __________.

A) discounting; John is being polite and doesn’t really like her

B) discounting; John really likes her

C) augmenting; John is being polite and doesn’t really like her

D) augmenting; John really likes her

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Attributional Logic: Seeking the Causes of Behavior

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

107) According to attributional logic, in which of the following circumstances would Mike’s existing relationship with Monica most strongly reflect a deep underlying affection for her?

A) Monica is smart, beautiful, and has wealthy parents.

B) Mike’s rich family disowns him because they do not approve of Monica’s background.

C) Mike’s friends really like Monica.

D) Mike and Monica were put together by a matchmaker hired by both sets of parents.

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Attributional Logic: Seeking the Causes of Behavior

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

108) Aline is in love with Carlos. According to the covariation model, which of the following combinations of consensus, distinctiveness, and consistency information would lead you to attribute her love to something special about Carlos (situational attribution)?

A) Consensus is low, distinctiveness is low, and consistency is high.

B) Consensus is high, distinctiveness is high, and consistency is high.

C) Consensus is low, distinctiveness is high, and consistency is high.

D) Consensus is high, distinctiveness is low, and consistency is low.

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Attributional Logic: Seeking the Causes of Behavior

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

109) Erika is in love with George. According to the covariation model, which of the following combinations of consensus, distinctiveness, and consistency information would lead you to attribute her love to a special “magic” between Erika and George (person and situation interaction attribution)?

A) Consensus is low, distinctiveness is low, and consistency is high.

B) Consensus is high, distinctiveness is high, and consistency is high.

C) Consensus is low, distinctiveness is high, and consistency is high.

D) Consensus is high, distinctiveness is low, and consistency is low.

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Attributional Logic: Seeking the Causes of Behavior

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

110) Imagine that you see one of your classmates falling asleep in psychology class. Given that no other students fall asleep in this psychology class, this student has fallen asleep in previous meetings of the same class, and he often falls asleep in math and science classes as well, which of the following attributions would the covariation model suggest?

A) to the person

B) to the situation

C) to the person and situation interaction

D) to the professor

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Attributional Logic: Seeking the Causes of Behavior

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

111) When people are moderately sad, they are __________.

A) more likely to make dispositional attributions to others

B) more likely to judge others’ opinions as similar to theirs

C) more thorough in their thinking about others

D) less thorough in their thinking about others

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Mood

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

112) __________ increases the motivation to engage in careful thinking only __________.

A) Happiness; for a short time

B) Depression; when it is not severe

C) Desire for control; when the issue is not personally relevant

D) Need for structure; under time pressure

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Mood

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

113) Your textbook authors note that mildly depressed students are more likely to __________.

A) commit the fundamental attribution error

B) be stereotypical in their judgments

C) engage in careful and comprehensive thought

D) be extreme in their judgments

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Mood

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

114) Which of the following factors is related to increased accuracy in social cognition?

A) low need for personal control

B) high need for cognition

C) being happy as opposed to sad

D) increased physiological arousal

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Need for Cognition

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

115) People who enjoy solving life’s puzzles, view thinking as fun, and appreciate discovering the strengths and weaknesses of their arguments are high in __________.

A) social cognition

B) need for cognition

C) desire for control

D) need for structure

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Need for Cognition

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

116) Imagine that you participate in an experiment in which you are shown an essay supporting legalized abortion. The experimenter tells you that the essay was written by a student who was forced to write an essay that supports abortion. According to the results of similar studies, you would be likely to conclude that the author of the essay was __________.

A) pro-life, especially if you are high in need for cognition

B) pro-life, especially if you are low in need for structure

C) pro-choice, especially if you are high in need for cognition

D) pro-choice, especially if you are low in need for cognition

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Need for Cognition

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

117) Unexpected events motivate people to __________.

A) think in more complex ways

B) protect their self-images

C) engage in downward social comparison

D) engage in upward social comparison

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Unexpected Events

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

118) We are less likely to use cognitive shortcuts when thinking about other people if __________.

A) these people behave as we expected

B) we depend on these people

C) we are in a happy mood

D) we are under time pressure

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Social Interdependence

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

119) Jim is paired with Dave to work on a project. After the first meeting, Jim has discovered that Dave is homosexual. According to research on accuracy motivation, in which of the following circumstances would Jim’s impression of Dave be less affected by Jim’s negative stereotype of homosexuals?

A) Jim suspected that Dave was homosexual even before the first meeting.

B) Jim has a high need for structure.

C) Jim’s part of the project will be evaluated independently of Dave’s.

D) The project will be evaluated as a whole, and Jim’s grade will depend on Dave’s work.

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Social Interdependence

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

120) No matter how motivated we are to be accurate, we won’t be able to think deeply if __________.

A) we are accountable to others

B) we lack the necessary cognitive resources

C) we are in a sad mood

D) we are low in need for structure

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Accuracy Motivation Requires Cognitive Resources

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

Short Answer Questions

121) Name and describe the four core processes of social cognition.

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Topic: Four Core Processes of Social Cognition

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.

122) Define self-fulfilling prophecy and provide your own example of one.

Topic: Expectations

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

123) Define fundamental attribution error and provide an example.

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Topic: Expectations

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

124) Emmanuel estimates that there are more sunny days than rainy days in Chicago because he can think of sunny days more quickly. Name and define the heuristic that Emmanuel has demonstrated.

Topic: Other Cognitive Shortcuts: Heuristics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

125) Describe the trait of need for structure, and explain how it can affect accuracy judgments.

Topic: Need for Structure

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

126) What is downward social comparison, and how can it help manage self-esteem?

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

127) How can perceiving that one has little control be adaptive? Maladaptive?

Topic: Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

128) Define mortality salience, and discuss how it affects our self-image management.

Topic: Threats to Self-Esteem

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

129) Name and describe two of the factors that, according to correspondent inference theory, affect how people determine the cause of an actor’s behavior.

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Attributional Logic: Seeking the Causes of Behavior

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

130) How does the availability of cognitive resources impact accuracy motivation?

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Accuracy Motivation Requires Cognitive Resources

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

Essay Questions

131) For each of the three goals of social cognition, describe (1) the strategies people use to achieve the goal and (2) at least three factors that lead people to have the goal and to employ the strategies you described.

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.; 3.2 Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.; 3.3 Summarize the cognitive strategies we use to enhance and protect our self-esteem and the factors in the person and the situation that determine whether we use those strategies.; 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: The Social Thinker; Conserving Mental Effort; Managing Self-image; Seeking an Accurate Understanding

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

132) Two goals of social cognition seem to be in opposition to each other. In what situations do people seek to conserve mental effort? Under what circumstances do they seek accuracy? What features within the person encourage people toward one goal versus the other?

Learning Objective: 3.2 Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts; 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Conserving Mental Effort; Seeking an Accurate Understanding

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

133) Discuss the roles that expectations can play in social cognitive processing. Be sure to discuss this in the context of both conserving mental effort and accuracy motivation.

Topic: Conserving Mental Effort; Seeking an Accurate Understanding

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

134) Discuss the role of culture, and the individualism/collectivism dimension in particular, on social cognition. Include a discussion of research on attributional and self-enhancement processes.

Learning Objective: 3.2 Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts; 3.3 Summarize the cognitive strategies we use to enhance and protect our self-esteem and the factors in the person and the situation that determine whether we use those strategies.

Topic: Conserving Mental Effort; How Culturally Universal Is the Need for Positive Self-Regard?

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

135) Describe the four cognitive shortcuts people use to simplify their processing of social information. Name and describe three personal and/or situational factors that increase the likelihood that people use these cognitive shortcuts.

Topic: Conserving Mental Effort

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

136) People are often motivated to enhance or protect their self-images. In what circumstances are self-image enhancement and protection especially important? Describe three cognitive or behavioral strategies that people use for boosting and protecting their self-images.

Topic: Managing Self-Image

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

137) Imagine you are the CEO of a firm that succeeds only if its employees avoid relying on cognitive shortcuts. How would you go about encouraging people to be more accurate in their judgments? What strategies would you teach them? What types of people would you hire if you want them to be motivated to avoid cognitive shortcuts?

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Seeking an Accurate Understanding

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

138) Using the covariation model, explain a scenario in which one would likely make an internal attribution after Rosa, a 7-year old girl, told her classmate, Sally, to shut up. Do the same for an external and an interaction attribution.

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Topic: Seeking an Accurate Understanding

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

APA Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe applications that employ discipline-based problem solving.

Revel Quiz Questions

The following questions appear at the end of each module and at the end of the chapter in Revel for Social Psychology: Goals in Interaction, Seventh Edition.

End of Module Quiz 3.1: The Social Thinker

EOM Q3.1.1

Of the four processes of social cognition described in the text, which of the following best describes judgment?

the process of using information to form impressions or make decisions
the process of consciously focusing on aspects of one’s environment or oneself

Consider This: Sometimes it is difficult to decide things like whether a person is trustworthy or not. We usually have to rely on our “best guesses.” This answer choice is about attention. 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

the process of storing information for future use

Consider This: Sometimes it is difficult to decide things like whether a person is trustworthy or not. We usually have to rely on our “best guesses.” This answer choice is about memory. 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

the process of acquiring information

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

EOM Q3.1.2

Which of the following best describes what it means for people to act as “motivated tacticians”?

People flexibly adopt different styles of thought to achieve different goals.
People are motivated to maintain a single, “all-purpose” style of thinking that best suits their personality type.

Consider This: Because people’s goals vary, one all-purpose style would not fit every goal. 3.1: Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

People’s motivational tactics often lead them to miscalculate the goals of a given situation.

Consider This: This is not discussed as part of the text. 3.1: Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

People are unable to adopt different styles of thought to achieve their goals, even though they wish they were able to.

Consider This: People need to be able to adopt different styles because there are a variety of different goals. 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

EOM Q3.1.3

The Israeli/Palestine broadcast study (Giner-Sorolla & Chaiken, 1994) described in the text illustrates which of the four core processes of social cognition?

interpretation
short-term memory

Consider This: Participants viewed the broadcast as being either pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli depending on their viewpoint even though the information presented was unchanged. 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

long-term memory

attention

Learning Objective: 3.1 Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

End of Module Quiz 3.2: Conserving Mental Effort

EOM Q3.2.1

Which of the following statements is correct regarding the correspondence bias?

It is similar to what is called the fundamental attribution error.
When evaluating others’ behavior, people in individualistic cultures, compared to those in collectivist cultures, tend to attribute behavior mostly to situational forces.

Consider This: People in collectivist cultures are defined in terms of their relations with others. People in these cultures are more likely to focus on situational causes of behavior than are people in individualistic cultures. 3.2 Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

People tend to attribute behavior to a person’s disposition, but when informed that a person did not freely choose the behavior, observers are quick to take into account the influence of the situation.

Consider This: Even when informed that the person did not freely choose the behavior, observers largely ignored the influence that the situation had on the behavior. 3.2 Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

People stay away from dispositional inferences because they’re often incorrect.

Consider This: Dispositional inferences are often correct, which is why people tend to go with them. 3.2 Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

EOM Q3.2.2

Which of the following best defines the representativeness heuristic?

a mental shortcut used to classify something as belonging to a certain category based on how similar it is to a typical case from that category
a mental shortcut used to estimate the likelihood of an event by the ease with which instances of that event come to mind

Consider This: Applying the representativeness heuristic can lead to stereotyping. This answer choice describes the availability heuristic. 3.2 Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others agree with us

Consider This: Applying the representativeness heuristic can lead to stereotyping. This answer choice describes the false consensus effect. 3.2 Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

a mental shortcut in which people start with a rough estimate and then adjust it to accommodate unique characteristics of the present situation

Consider This: Applying the representativeness heuristic can lead to stereotyping. This answer choice describes the anchoring and adjusting heuristic. 3.2 Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

EOM Q3.2.3

Which of the following examples highlights features of the person (rather than the situation) that increase the tendency to use cognitive simplification strategies?

A runner is paying close attention to her pounding heart while in the middle of a race and has a difficult time understanding why her competitors are beating her so badly.
A time-pressured graduate student rushes through the grading of essays and gives much higher marks to students whom she assumes are native English speakers.

Consider This: This example highlights features of the situation rather than the person. A feature of the person such as arousal may lead us to simplify by distracting us. 3.2 Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

A busy parent of three small children glances at a mail-in ballot and chooses only her preferred party’s politicians rather than taking the extra time to research all of the candidates.

A manager who typically feels most energized at night had to conduct an interview early in the morning; consequently, he didn't feel awake enough to ask the candidate deep questions that would have helped him make the best hiring decision possible.

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

End of Module Quiz 3.3: Managing Self-Image

EOM Q3.3.1

Which of these are strategies people use to enhance and protect their self-image?

downward social comparison
taking responsibility for failure and eschewing personal credit for success

Consider This: People have a fundamental drive to evaluate their abilities and opinions and often do so by comparing themselves with others. 3.3 Summarize the cognitive strategies we use to enhance and protect our self-esteem and the factors in the person and the situation that determine whether we use those strategies.

minimizing their perception of control

magnifying the importance of things they do poorly and minimizing the importance of things they do well

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

EOM Q3.3.2

Which of the following is true regarding people with low self-esteem?

They focus on protecting the esteem they already possess.
They are more likely to engage in self-enhancing strategies than people with high self-esteem.

Consider This: People who have only moderate or low self-esteem tend to be more cautious in how they go about gaining positive self-regard. 3.3 Summarize the cognitive strategies we use to enhance and protect our self-esteem and the factors in the person and the situation that determine whether we use those strategies.

They are better skilled at using both upward and downward comparison strategies compared to people with high self-esteem.

Consider This: People who have high self-esteem use many cognitive strategies to improve the way they feel about themselves. 3.3 Summarize the cognitive strategies we use to enhance and protect our self-esteem and the factors in the person and the situation that determine whether we use those strategies.

They are more likely to exhibit the self-serving bias.

Consider This: People who have only moderate or low self-esteem tend to be cautious in how they go about gaining positive self-regard. 3.3 Summarize the cognitive strategies we use to enhance and protect our self-esteem and the factors in the person and the situation that determine whether we use those strategies.

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

EOM Q3.3.3

People in collectivistic cultures __________.

enhance on group-valued traits such as cooperation rather than on traits such as self-reliance
have higher need for self-regard than those in individualistic cultures

Consider This: Research shows that members of collectivistic cultures self-enhance as much as those from individualistic cultures, but do so differently. 3.3 Summarize the cognitive strategies we use to enhance and protect our self-esteem and the factors in the person and the situation that determine whether we use those strategies.

score higher on explicit self-esteem, but lower on implicit self-esteem

show no evidence of a drive for self-regard

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

End of Module Quiz 3.4: Seeking an Accurate Understanding

EOM Q3.4.1

The __________ principle states that if an event occurs despite the presence of strong opposing forces, we should give more weight to the event’s possible causes, whereas the __________ principle states that as the number of possible causes increases, we become less sure that any particular cause is the true one.

augmenting; discounting
discounting; augmenting

Consider This: The discounting principle explains that the perceived role of a cause will be discounted if other plausible explanations exist. 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

augmenting; covariation

Consider This: The discounting principle explains that the perceived role of a cause will be discounted if other plausible explanations exist. The covariation model proposes that people pick among several possible causes by weighting most heavily the potential cause that best covaries with the event. 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

discounting; covariation

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

EOM Q3.4.2

Kim has never asked for a guy’s number until she met Chris. This is an example of __________ and would lead us to believe that the reason that Kim asked for Chris’s number lies externally.

high distinctiveness
low consensus

Consider This: Consensus is when many people act in similar ways. This question does not speak to how many other people want Chris’s number. 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

high consensus

low distinctiveness

Consider This: Thinking back to the proposal example in your text, low distinctiveness would mean that Jack proposes to everyone, not just to Jill. 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

EOM Q3.4.3

People must have both a desire for accuracy and __________ to move beyond their tendency to simplify.

sufficient cognitive resources
positive mood

Consider This: If people are in a positive mood they feel less need to be careful and tend to be confident that “tried and true” ways of thinking about things will be effective. 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

independence from their groups

Consider This: People who have independence from their groups are no more likely to move beyond their tendency to simplify than those who are interdependent with their groups. 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

low need for cognition

Consider This: People who are low in their need for cognition are more likely to use simplifying heuristics. 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

Chapter Quiz: Social Cognition: Understanding Ourselves and Others

EOC Q3.1

Which of these is a core process of social cognition?

judgment
self-presentation

Consider This: Self-presentation is not one of the four core processes of social cognition. 3.1: Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

self-esteem

Consider This: Self-esteem is not one of the four core processes of social cognition. 3.1: Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

augmenting

Consider This: Augmenting is not one of the four core process of social cognition. 3.1: Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Learning Objective: 3.1: Identify the four core processes of social cognition.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

EOC Q3.2

When people lack the mental resources for effortful thinking and decision-making, they often resort to cognitive __________ strategies.

simplification
differentiation

Consider This: The correct answer refers to the notion that people with limited mental resources use uncomplicated strategies to understand the world. 3.2: Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

dispositional

consistency

Learning Objective: 3.2: Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

EOC Q3.3

People tend to interpret ambiguous events and behaviors in ways that confirm their __________.

expectations
worst fears

Consider This: The correct answer refers to how people interpret ambiguous information as consistent with their prior assumptions. 3.2: Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

external attributions

Consider This: External attributions refer to causal explanations that focus on determinants outside the person. The correct answer refers to how people interpret ambiguous information as consistent with their prior assumptions. 3.2: Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

heuristics

Consider This: Heuristics are mental shortcuts used to make judgments. The correct answer refers to how people interpret ambiguous information as consistent with their prior assumptions. 3.2: Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

EOC Q3.4

It is Chante’s third day at her new school, and she has yet to make a friend. She does not think she is cool or pretty enough for anyone to want to be her friend even though she had lots of friends at her old school. Whenever she sees a group of girls she avoids eye contact and rushes past them. Chante’s behavior has led to __________.

a self-fulfilling prophecy
the fundamental attribution error

Consider This: The best answer to this question involves the idea that inaccurate expectations lead to actions that cause those expectations to become true. 3.2: Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

the adjustment heuristic

inconsistent behavior

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

EOC Q3.5

When people desire to simplify mental effort, they tend to see others’ behaviors as stemming mostly from their personality. These judgments are called __________.

dispositional inferences
externally focused judgments

Consider This: In this question, the primary emphasis is on internal, not external, factors influencing a person’s behavior. 3.2: Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

emotion-based decisions

Consider This: Emotional reactions are certainly a part of one’s personality, but this is not the best selection. 3.2 Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

situational inferences

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

EOC Q3.6

Jamie decides to invite all of her new coworkers to see a movie with her. Jamie has her heart set on a particular comedy, and instead of polling her coworkers to determine what they would like to see, she assumes that most of them will share her desire to see the comedy. Jamie has fallen prey to __________.

the false consensus effect
the availability heuristic

Consider This: The correct answer describes people’s tendency to overestimate the extent to which others agree with them. This heuristic is a mental shortcut people use to estimate the likelihood of an event by the ease with which instances of that event come to mind. 3.2: Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

the representativeness heuristic

Consider This: The correct answer describes people’s tendency to overestimate the extent to which others agree with them. This heuristic is a mental shortcut people use to classify something as belonging to a certain category to the extent that it is similar to a typical case from that category. 3.2: Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

self-serving bias

Consider This: The correct answer describes people’s tendency to overestimate the extent to which others agree with them. This bias is the tendency to take personal credit for our successes and to blame external factors for our failures. 3.2: Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

EOC Q3.7

People who have a high need for structure in their lives __________.

are more likely to engage in cognitive shortcuts
refrain from using all cognitive shortcuts

Consider This: This is actually the opposite of the correct response. 3.2: Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

are less likely to engage in cognitive shortcuts

are unaware of cognitive shortcut strategies

Consider This: Whether or not one is aware of the shortcuts that they use to resolve situations is not specifically related to the need one has for structure in his or her life. 3.2: Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

EOC Q3.8

The tendency to overestimate the extent to which others agree with us is the __________.

false consensus effect
anchoring heuristic

Consider This: Anchoring refers to the idea that one creates a starting point based on a rough estimate when a novel judgment is to be made. 3.2: Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

adjustment heuristic

Consider This: Adjustment refers to the fact that when a novel judgment is to be made we will move a certain distance from an estimated starting point, but will be reluctant to move too far from that position. 3.2: Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

lack of simplifying skills

Consider This: In fact, it is our need to make situations, particularly unfamiliar or novel ones, simpler to resolve that underlies the correct answer to this question. 3.2: Describe the different cognitive shortcuts we use to conserve mental effort and the features of the person and the situation that increase or decrease our tendency to use those shortcuts.

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

EOC Q3.9

__________ is a self-enhancing strategy that involves comparing ourselves with those who are less well off.

Downward social comparison
Positive self-regard

Consider This: Positive self-regard means that people want to feel good about themselves. 3.3: Summarize the cognitive strategies we use to enhance and protect our self-esteem and the factors in the person and the situation that determine whether we use those strategies.

Self-serving bias

Consider This: This bias is the tendency to take personal credit for our successes and to blame external factors for our failures. 3.3: Summarize the cognitive strategies we use to enhance and protect our self-esteem and the factors in the person and the situation that determine whether we use those strategies.

Upward social comparison

Consider This: The correct answer relates to how people use social comparison for self-enhancement, but not in an upward direction. 3.3. Summarize the cognitive strategies we use to enhance and protect our self-esteem and the factors in the person and the situation that determine whether we use those strategies.

Learning Objective: 3.3: Summarize the cognitive strategies we use to enhance and protect our self-esteem and the factors in the person and the situation that determine whether we use those strategies.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

EOC Q3.10

Festinger’s _______ theory focused on the drive to assess one’s abilities and opinions accurately.

social comparison
discounting

Consider This: Festinger’s theory focused on the drive to accurately assess one’s abilities and the legitimacy of one’s opinions. 3.3: Summarize the cognitive strategies we use to enhance and protect our self-esteem and the factors in the person and the situation that determine whether we use those strategies.

consistency

Consider This: Festinger’s theory focused on the drive to accurately assess one’s abilities and the legitimacy of one's opinions. 3.3: Summarize the cognitive strategies we use to enhance and protect our self-esteem and the factors in the person and the situation that determine whether we use those strategies.

social cognitive

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

EOC Q3.11

At her softball game, Sasha dropped a fly ball even though it came right to her. After the game, she claimed the sun was in her eyes and that is why she missed the ball. Sasha’s explanation is __________.

an example of a self-serving bias
inconsistent logic

Consider This: The correct answer involves the tendency to take credit for one’s successes but to blame external forces for one’s failures. 3.3: Summarize the cognitive strategies we use to enhance and protect our self-esteem and the factors in the person and the situation that determine whether we use those strategies.

an example of a dispositional inference

best explained by Kelley’s covariation model

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

EOC Q3.12

__________ theories focus on explaining how people explain the causes of behavior.

Attribution
Social cognition

Consider This: The correct answer involves trying to determine whether the cause of a given behavior is due to internal or external factors, or some combination of the two. 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

Social comparison

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

EOC Q3.13

As the number of possible causes increases, we become less sure that any particular cause is the true one, according to the __________ principle.

discounting
attribution

Consider This: Attribution is a more general term that refers to one’s attempt to determine if the cause of an action is due to internal factors, external factors, or some combination of the two. 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

consistency

Consider This: Consistency, one of the major tenets of the covariation model, refers to the tendency for a person to behave in a similar manner over time. 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

augmenting

Consider This: The augmenting principle states that if an event occurs despite the presence of strong opposing forces, we should give more weight to those possible causes that lead toward the event. 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

EOC Q3.14

Jane went to a party with her friends. Although there are more than twenty people at the party, only her friend Maddie is dancing. Maddie always dances at parties, so Jane thinks that she is dancing because that is just who she is. This is an example of a(n) __________ attribution due to __________ consensus and __________ distinctiveness.

internal; low; low
external; low; high

Consider This: Jane thinks Maddie is dancing because it is who she is, not because of the situation she is in at the time. 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

internal; high; high

Consider This: If consensus was high, all of the people at the party would be dancing. If distinctiveness was high, it would mean that Maddie did not act the same in all situations. 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

external; low; low

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

EOC Q3.15

Your text describes a study in which participants were told they would be paired with an elderly woman (Hilda) on a task and were asked about their impressions of Hilda prior to the task. The study also introduced experimental manipulations that affected participants’ cognitive load and their motivation to form an accurate impression. The researchers found that __________.

the desire to be accurate combined with a low cognitive load (i.e., a large amount of mental resources available) was necessary for individuals to move beyond their stereotypes of elderly people
the desire to be accurate was sufficient for individuals to move beyond their stereotypes of elderly people

Consider This: The study found that the desire to be accurate is not enough for individuals to move past their stereotypes. 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

a low cognitive load (i.e., a large amount of mental resources available) was sufficient for individuals to move beyond their stereotypes of elderly people

Consider This: A low cognitive load is not enough for individuals to move past their stereotypes. 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

a high cognitive load (i.e., a low amount of mental resources available) was sufficient for individuals to move beyond their stereotypes of elderly people

Consider This: Having a high cognitive load reduces cognitive resources and would not be enough for individuals to move beyond their stereotypes. 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Learning Objective: 3.4 Identify the strategies people use to gain an accurate understanding of themselves and others, and discuss the factors in the person and situation that influence their use.

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

Document Information

Document Type:

DOCX

Chapter Number:

Created Date:

Aug 21, 2025

Chapter Name:

Chapter 3 Social Cognition Understanding Ourselves And Others

Author:

Douglas Kenrick

Connected Book

Social Psychology Goals 7th Edition | Test Bank with Key by Kenrick

By Douglas Kenrick

Test Bank General

View Product →

Explore recommendations drawn directly from what you're reading

Chapter 1 Introduction To Social Psychology

DOCX Ch. 1

Chapter 2 The Person And The Situation

DOCX Ch. 2

Chapter 3 Social Cognition Understanding Ourselves And Others

DOCX Ch. 3 Current

Chapter 4 Presenting The Self

DOCX Ch. 4

Chapter 5 Attitudes And Persuasion

DOCX Ch. 5

$24.99

100% satisfaction guarantee

Buy Full Test Bank

Quick Navigation

Preview Document Info Connected Book Recommendations

Benefits

Immediately available after payment

Answers are available after payment

ZIP file includes all related files

Files are in Word format (DOCX)

Check the description to see the contents of each ZIP file

We do not share your information with any third party

Ch3 – Social Cognition Understanding + Verified Test Bank

Document Information

Connected Book

Social Psychology Goals 7th Edition | Test Bank with Key by Kenrick

Explore recommendations drawn directly from what you're reading

$24.99

Quick Navigation

Benefits

Report Unauthorized Use

Added to Cart