Psychology 270 Final Exam
Friday, June 15, 2001
Name: ______________________
Student Number: _____________
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Psychology 270 Final Exam
Multiple Choice
Fill in the oval on the scantron that corresponds with the best answer. Each question is worth one
mark.
1. An investigator wishes to test whether social facilitation effects are better explained by the
anxiety inherent in evaluation (evaluation apprehension) or the distraction caused by other
people (distraction-conflict). Which of the following must be the case in order for evaluation
apprehension to “win” in this study?
a. Performance must be only affected by people, not other non-social objects.
b. The social facilitation effects must be related to the characteristics of the people
present.
c. The task involved must be difficult, and social facilitation must promote the dominant
response.
d. Performance must be affected by people whether or not they are observing the target
person’s performance.
2. Lynn needs to get her subordinates to all invest considerable time and energy into the
development of a new design for the company’s fall clothing line. If she wants to reduce the
likelihood of social loafing she should
a. bring together a large group of diverse individuals.
b. tell the subordinates how important the project is to her.
c. bring together a group of men rather than a group of women.
d. communicate to them how success of the project will benefit each of them personally.
3. When Karen is caught up in a crowd at a soccer game, she is likely to lose her sense of
a. anonymity
b. deindividuation
c. identity.
c. facilitation.
4. Group polarization is most likely to occur
a. on important issues.
b. on unimportant issues.
c. when group members know one another.
d. when group members do not know one another.
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5. The persuasive arguments theory of group polarization is predicated on the notion that
a. people want to have similar opinions to those of close others.
b. others in a group may know additional information about an issue.
c. as the size of a group increases, group members become more defensive of their
position.
d. the factors making people easier to persuade are also those that make people more
willing to take a risk.
6. According to Irving Janis
a. the symptoms of groupthink include some kind of group structure, open-mindedness,
and high cohesiveness.
b. the consequences of groupthink include a defective decision making process and the
high probability of making a bad decision.
c. the antecedents of groupthink include self-censorship and low cohesiveness.
d. the symptoms of groupthink include isolation, decreased motivation to conform, and
defective decision making.
7. When all members of a group adjust their performance downward to meet the lower standards
of other members, the generation of ideas is decreased through
a. relative deprivation
b. performance matching.
c. social loafing.
d. production blocking.
8. Brainstorming in a group
a. elicits a mismatch between actual and estimated group performance.
b. produces more ideas than when group members work in nominal groups.
c. is generally less satisfying for participants than when they can generate ideas alone.
d. is valued much more by those who have participated in it than by those who have not.
9. Biased sampling is least likely to reduce group effectiveness when group members have
_________ experience with each other, and unique information is known by ___________.
a. a lot of; only one group member
b. a lot of; more than one group member
c. very little; only one group member
d. very little; more than one group member
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10. When groups in conflict evaluate each other, their conflict is often escalated by the
preference for the most negative explanation possible for the opposing group’s actions. This
pattern is explained by
a. entrapment.
b. social dilemmas.
c. conflict-maintaining attributions.
d. group polarization.
11. Svetlana has negative feelings about Americans. Her feelings toward Americans are an
example of
a. discrimination.
b. prejudice.
c. stereotyping.
d. social categorization.
12. Social categorization is advantageous because it
a. leads to more accurate social perception.
b. encourages us to take longer to make judgments about others.
c. frees up cognitive resources.
d. is generally based on realistic assumptions.
13. Tony is ultraconservative. Upon hearing the views of someone who is politically moderate,
Tony perceives the person to be ultraliberal. His reaction best illustrates
a. a contrast effect.
b. discrimination.
c. an assimilation effect.
d. social categorization.
14. Steven thinks athletes are not the brightest group of students. He interviews an athlete at his
school, and elects to ask the athlete very basic questions that can only be answered simplistically.
After the interview, Steven reviews the athlete’s answers and says, “See, look at how simple the
answers to my questions are.” Of the following, this example best illustrates
a. confirmation bias.
b. illusory correlation.
c. stereotype threat.
d. social role theory.
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15. The Robbers Cave experiment demonstrated that
a. ingroup favouratism is inevitable.
b. group categorization is automatic.
c. prejudice is a function of social class.
d. prejudice can result from intergroup competition.
16. Two children of different races have been assigned the same bunk house when they arrive at
camp. Each child has prejudice toward the race of the other child. Dana is a camp counselor who
has been assigned the task of getting these two kids to like each other. Based on the results of the
Robbers Cave experiment, which of the following strategies should Dana adopt?
a. Have them talk with one another for awhile
b. Have them sit next to each other at meals
c. Have them go to the lake and bring back a canoe
d. Have a talk with each of them about how nice the other child is
17. The idea that hostility between groups is caused by direct competition for limited resources is
most consistent with
a. gender-role orientation theory.
b. realistic conflict theory.
c. social facilitation theory.
d. social role theory.
18. Joan is quick to defend U.S. foreign policy from criticism by foreign diplomats because she
takes great pride in being an American. Joan’s feelings are most consistent with
a. social role theory.
b. gender-role orientation.
c. illusory correlation.
d. social identity theory.
19. Among the following, which statement about gender differences is most accurate?
a. Men and women differ greatly in a large number of ways
b. Men and women differ in some ways, but people do not recognize these differences
c. Men and women differ in some ways, but people exaggerate these differences
d. Men and women do not differ in meaningful ways
20. Photographs in the media tend to present
a. women’s faces and men’s faces.
b. women’s faces and men’s bodies.
c. men’s faces and women’s bodies.
d. men’s bodies and women’s bodies.
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21. Jane is from race X and Sally is from race Y. Which of the following scenarios best
demonstrates modern racism?
a. Jane yells racial slurs and spits on Sally who is a stranger.
b. Jane and Sally work together. Jane thinks Sally is not doing her share of the work. For
this, Jane gives Sally a more negative evaluation than is deserved.
c. Jane and Sally are on the same athletic team. The social norm of the team is for
everyone to be friendly and personable to one another. Jane never talks to Sally.
d. Jane is interviewing Sally as a pianist for her club. Jane is looking for a piano player
who will play jazz. Sally plays classical music. Jane doesn’t hire Sally for the job.
22. One possible explanation for the failure of school desegregation to promote better racial
relations is that it was
a. a simplistic idea with no chance of working.
b. carried out on too large a scale.
c. often carried out without supportive social norms.
d. a strategy that provided to much racial contact.
23. Which of the following is true about the tendency to help more when rewards outweigh
costs?
a. This is only true in individualistic cultures.
b. This happens for both deliberate and impulsive helping.
c. This process is always conscious.
d. This is an outgrowth of kinship selection pressures.
24. Brad sees Carry helping Alison. Brad could determine whether Carry was driven by egoistic
or altruistic motives by
a. observing Carry’s body language.
b. knowing how easily Carry could have escaped the situation without helping.
c. knowing the duration of time Carry spends helping Alison.
d. observing whether Carry immediately offered help or hesitated before offering help.
25. “There is safety in numbers” is a common-sense notion refuted by research demonstrating
a. the influence of social norms.
b. the influence of personal norms.
c. the bystander effect.
d. the mere presence effect.
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26. On a cold winter night, Philip, driving on a busy highway, passes a broken-down car with its
hazard lights flashing. He can see that the driver is still in the car, but he doesn’t stop, believing
that someone else will. Philip’s thoughts reflect
a. diffusion of responsibility
b. bystander calculus
c. negative state relief model
d. arousal: cost-reward model
27. Diffusion of responsibility is most likely to occur when
a. there is only one bystander.
b. the bystanders don’t know the victim.
c. the bystanders are younger than the victim.
d. the bystanders know each other.
28. In the final step of Latane and Darley’s model of the helping process when bystanders decide
whether or not to provide help in an emergency situation, which of the following can discourage
them from helping?
a. pluralistic ignorance
b. audience inhibition
c. when the victim is similar to the person
d. stimulus overload
29. Fiona needs to get people to fill out her survey. The likelihood that people will help Fiona
will increase if she approaches all of the following people except those who
a. live in the country rather than the city.
b. seem to be in a good mood.
c. just passed by a bakery.
d. are in a hurry.
30. Suppose Barbara is feeling sad and she sees Cindy struggling to move a piece of furniture.
She would be most likely to help Cindy if Barbara
a. felt personally responsible for her bad mood.
b. and Cindy were young children.
c. was self-focussed on her own concerns.
d. blamed someone else for her bad mood.
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31. One way in which helpful models increase altruism is by proving an example of behaviour
that
a. distracts other people.
b. entertains other people.
c. inhibits other people.
d. others can imitate.
32. Research on helping behaviour has shown all of the following about personal influences on
helping behaviour except that
a. personal influences are more powerful than situational influences.
b. helping tendencies may be inherited.
c. people who help in emergencies tend to differ from those who help in nonemergencies.
d. extroversion is positively correlated with helping behaviour.
33. Men are more likely than women to help others in situations involving
a. close acquaintances.
b. anonymous circumstances.
c. another man.
d. physical danger.
34. Elliot takes an immediate disliking to his new co-worker Sarah. Over time, across repeated
interactions with Sarah, it is likely that Elliot will
a. focus on different attributes than he did initially.
b. discount his first impression and make the effort to get to know her.
c. grow to like her.
d. dislike her even more.
35. Subjective standards of beauty are
a. relatively immune to historical influences.
b. more influential than objective standards in determining beauty.
c. influenced by feelings of affection.
d. more variable for judgments of women.
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36. Some researchers argue that social psychologists have overestimated the role of attitudinal
similarity in attraction. According to these researchers, what should be emphasized is not that
similarity creates attraction but that
a. dissimilarity produces interpersonal repulsion.
b. opposites attract.
c. similarity in physical appearance is the only form of similarity that has an effect on
attraction.
d. the evidence for the role of complementarity processes is much stronger.
37. Which of the following accurately represents differences in mating preferences?
a. Men’s preferences for young fertile women overcome their interest in other attributes.
b. Men’s preferences for young fertile women and women’s preferences for
economically secure men are less pronounced as they age.
c. Physical attractiveness is only important to men’s mating preferences.
d. Differences found between the sexes regarding mating preferences are small
compared to the similarities in their mating preferences.
38. According to the two-stage model of the attraction process proposed by Byrne and his
colleagues, people initially
a. are attracted by physical cues and then assimilate others’ personality characteristics to
ensure consistency with these cues.
b. seek out similar others and then choose those who offer complementary
characteristics.
c. play hard to get in order to appear to be selective and then show liking for the others
they want to attract.
d. avoid dissimilar others and then, among the ones remaining, approach those who are
most similar.
39. Before going into business together, Gary put up 60 % of the capital and Larry put up the
remainder. Gary now gets 60 % of the profits and Larry keeps the balance. This partnership is
likely to be satisfying because it is
a. equitable.
b. equal.
c. democratic.
d. communal.
40. In their relationship with each other, Carlos feels underbenefited whereas Rosana feels
overbenefited. Compared to Rosana, Carlos is likely to
a. engage in more self-disclosure.
b. care less about the relationship.
c. be less satisfied with the relationship.
d. have a lower comparison level.
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41. Ozzie and Harriet were recently married, yet both have told their friends that they fear
closeness in their lives. Their attachment to each other is most likely
a. multiple.
b. secure.
c. anxious/ambivalent.
d. avoidant.
42. On a scale designed to measure Lee’s styles of love, sex differences emerge. Which of the
following reflects the differences?
a. Women tend to score higher on ludus love, whereas men tend to score higher on
pragma love.
b. Women tend to score higher on ludus love, whereas men tend to score higher on
mania love.
c. Men tend to score higher on ludus love, whereas women tend to score higher on eros
love.
d. Men tend to score higher on ludus love, whereas women tend to score higher on storge
love.
43. Denise and Brandon are just getting to know each other. Each compliments how the other
one looks. Given the research on men, women and sexuality, which of the outcomes is most
likely?
a. Denise will interpret Brandon’s compliment as a sexual come-on.
b. Brandon will interpret Denise’s compliment as a sexual come-on.
c. Both Denise and Brandon will interpret each other’s compliments as a sexual comeon.
d. Neither Denise nor Brandon will interpret each other’s compliments as a sexual comeon.
44. When in conflict in close relationships, women often try to get their husbands to talk about
the problem and men retreat. This communication pattern
a. leads exchange relationships to become more communal.
b. reflects the complaint/defense sequence.
c. illustrates the demand/withdraw interaction pattern.
d. fosters social penetration.
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45. According to Christensen’s Social Roles and Power Model, the typical gender roles in the
demand/withdraw cycle are due to
a. the differences in how quickly physiological arousal activates and dissipates in men
and women.
b. women tend to make more distress-maintaining attributions than men.
c. women tend to want more help with the childcare and the housework, whereas men
want to preserve the status quo.
d. the differences in how men and women communicate. Men communicate more
instrumentally, whereas women communicate more expressively.
46. The statement “I hate the way you always yell at me while we are arguing” is an example of
a. an internal attribution.
b. a negative metacommunication.
c. kitchen-sinking.
d. self-summarizing.
47. Which of the following statements is incorrect regarding the findings about marriage
satisfaction?
a. There is typically a honeymoon period in which both partners are satisfied with the
marriage.
b. There is a decline in satisfaction following the honeymoon period whether or not the
couple has children.
c. There is a positive association between the degree of initial decline in satisfaction and
the likelihood a couple will break up.
d. The decline following the honeymoon period typically stabilizes by the second year.
48. Lyle hits his sister because she just hit him. Erik hits his sister because he know it will force
her to get out of his path to the refrigerator. It is fair to say that Lyle’s actions represent
_________ aggression, and Erik’s actions represent _________ aggression.
a. instrumental; emotional
b. instrumental; instrumental
c. emotional; instrumental
d. emotional; emotional
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49. A newspaper article reports that among a group of 100 men who were tested, the most
violent were those with the highest levels of testosterone. The article concluded that testosterone
may cause aggression and related antisocial behaviours. However, an important alternative
explanation to consider is that the relationship between testosterone level and aggression may
instead reflect
a. the influence of stress.
b. greater knowledge of the consequences of aggression.
c. high levels of serotonin.
d. effects of mass media cultivation.
50. Punishment is more likely to be effective in decreasing aggression if it
a. is consistently applied.
b. serves as a model to be imitated.
c. is perceived as arbitrary.
d. is received by an emotional aggressor who is angry.
51. Research on social learning has demonstrated that aggressive behaviours
a. are imitated only if people observe the aggressive model in person.
b. can be encouraged by viewing models who are rewarded for aggressive behaviour.
c. are influenced by modeling, but attitudes and beliefs are not.
d. are not affected by aggressive models.
52. Based on the principles of social learning theory, which of the following measures is most
likely to be successful in teaching a child to act nonviolently?
a. punish the child physically for acting aggressively
b. expose the child to models (such as adults or older siblings) who are punished harshly
for acting aggressively
c. expose the child to models (such as adults or older siblings) who act nonaggressively
in response to provoking situations
d. teach the child how to displace the frustrations and anger in safe, socially acceptable
ways, such as by hitting a punching bag or role-playing a desired outcome
53. Ethan has been released from jail in the U. S. and is applying for jobs in the South and
Northeast. Ethan is probably more likely to land interviews in the South than in the Northeast if
he was in jail for
a. murdering a person who threatened his children.
b. committing a fraud on a million dollar insurance claim.
c. illegally importing cocaine across the border.
d. robbing a jewelry store owned by a black man.
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54. Of the following, the frustration-aggression hypothesis would probably be the least effective
as an explanation for
a. instrumental aggression
b. emotional aggression
c. a strong correlation between economic conditions and prejudice toward minority
groups
d. the desire to enter a violent profession such as boxing
55. Two people are placed in a room where they are provoked to behave aggressively toward
one another. Which of the following is most likely to happen if there is a weapon in the room?
a. There is a greater likelihood that they will behave aggressively toward one another
than if there was no weapon.
b. There is a greater likelihood that they will engage in higher-order cognition and as a
consequence will behave less aggressively toward one another than if there was not
weapon.
c. The weapon will increase the likelihood that they will behave aggressively toward
one another, but only if the two people are male.
d. The weapon will have no effect on whether or not they behave aggressively toward
one another.
56. An attorney has a copy of a videotape that shows her client being beaten very violently by
two men. Her client is suing these men. The jury has already seen this video several times during
the trial, and the attorney is considering showing it many more times. However, an expert social
psychologist should warn the attorney that replaying the videotaped beating many more times
may reduce the likelihood of winning a large sum of money because the jurors might
a. become habituated to the beatings and thus grant less significance to the video in their
final judgment.
b. form a cognitive neoassociation about the aggression and thus feel less sympathy for
the client.
c. become cultivated by the beatings and thus try to avoid thinking about them when
making their final judgment.
d. be vulnerable to the weapons effect and thus become less likely to award a high
settlement.
57. Prior exposure to a large amount of nonviolent pornography has been shown to
a. increase arousal-based aggression toward members of the same sex.
b. have no effect on arousal-based aggression toward others.
c. affect aggressive behaviour as much as violent pornography does.
d. increase negative attitudes toward women.
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58. Posttraumatic stress disorder
a. rarely afflicts people for a long time following the trauma they experienced.
b. is found exclusively in people who have been in traumatic war experiences.
c. can be more likely in people who perceive having no control over the trauma.
d. will afflict over 40 percent of people at some point during their lifetime.
59. Caleb has a Type A personality. The aspect of his behaviour that is likely to place Caleb at
greatest risk for coronary heart disease is his
a. mistrust of other people.
b. competitive orientation.
c. impatience.
d. workaholism.
60. Upon discovering that she has lung cancer, Mary blames the illness on her stupidity and lack
of will power. The blame she assigned herself is
a. situational.
b. behavioural.
c. characterological.
d. subconscious.
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Short Answer
Answer only four of the following six questions. Each answer is worth 6 points.
1. Describe how the presence of other people affects performance on easy and hard tasks. You
can refer to studies, provide examples, draw diagrams etc. in order to illustrate your points.
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2. Describe the Robber’s Cave experiment. Explain how the researchers got the 2 groups to
dislike one another and explain how peace was restored.
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3. Describe and discuss the 5 steps to helping. For each step, explain how the presence of
bystanders affects helping.
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4. Describe the what-is-beautiful-is-good stereotype. Describe the Snyder, Tanke and Berscheid
study that relates to this stereotype and its results. Explain how the results illustrate the what-isbeautiful-is-good phenomenon.
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5. Helena has not spent very much time with her husband, Russell, recently, due to their busy
work schedules and the demands of house and childcare. On Friday night, they plan to go out to
dinner and the symphony, but an hour before they are due to leave, Russell phones and cancels
the date, explaining that he has a big project at work that must be finished. Helena is very
disappointed and hurt because she was really looking forward to the time alone with Russell
away from the kids. Assuming that Helena wants to communicate clearly and well, exactly how
should Helena phrase her complaint to Russell when he arrives home? Point out and describe the
principles of good communication that you use in the complaint. (So, this is two-part question.
First, write down what Helena should actually say and then analyze the complaint.)
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6. Describe and discuss the impact of exposure to violent films and TV on levels of aggression.