practice quesions Psycho Final

According to Kurt Lewin, human behaviour is governed by the formula B = f (P,E). In this formula, E refers to __________.

Environment

Synchrony occurs in conversation when?

individuals’ speech patterns and physiology become more alike

Social pressure to adopt a group’s perspective in order to be accepted, rather than rejected, by the group is known as ________________.

Normative influence

The reduced personal responsibility that a person feels when more people are present in a situation is known as ___________________.

Diffusion of responsibility

______ is complying with instructions from an individual who has authority.

Obedience

________ are very quick, effortless, and automatic, whereas ________ are slower, more careful, and effortful.

Implicit processes; explicit processes

Which of the following statements about thin slices of behaviour is most accurate?

In many instances, lasting and often accurate impressions of others form in just a few moments.

_________ prejudice refers to situations in which a person stereotypes a group of people based on hidden, unacknowledged feelings.

Implicit

Unconscious forms of prejudice are believed to be measured with the implicit associations test(IAT). This test is based on

How long it takes people to respond to positive or negative words along with Black or Caucasian faces.

Jacques believed that everyone from Alberta was a racist “redneck.” He was therefore quite nervous when he found out that he’d have to work with two Albertans who were visiting from his company’s Edmonton office. After spending some time with the two men, however, he realized that his views about Albertans were incorrect. This is an example of

Contact hypothesis

A small city wants more citizens to leave their cars at home, so they have reduced the number of public parking spaces in the downtown core while increasing the number of public transportation, walking and biking options for people to use. This is an example of a small city using ________ means to encourage positive behaviour.

Technological

Ahmed’s grandparents immigrated to Canada from Egypt in the 1970s. He wants to raise awareness about the positive effects immigration can have on a society. To do so, he prints out a list of the benefits of immigration and puts copies in people’s mailboxes. How successful will Ahmed’s attempts at persuasion be, and why?

Ahmed will not be successful because although he used the central route to persuasion well, he did a poor job using the peripheral route.

A strategy for strengthening attitudes and making them more resistant to change by first exposing people to a weak counter-argument and then refuting that argument is known as _____________.

Attitude inoculation

According to the elaboration likelihood model, people are persuaded by the central route if

They have a genuine interest in the topic

Harinder asked Doug to help him carry some boxes from his car into his backyard. Once that small task was done, Harinder then asked Doug to help him assemble a shed that he had bought. This technique of making a simple request followed by a more substantial request is known as (the)

foot-in-the-door technique.

Groupthink is least likely to occur when

group members have very different sociopolitical values.

Which of the does ***not*** explain why social loafing may occur?

The individual believes that the group will fail no matter what his or her contribution is.

Which of the is a reasonable conclusion to draw from the Asch studies?

Even a single individual has a great deal of power in group settings, because by being willing to publicly disagree with the group, conformity pressures are significantly reduced for others.

Which of the following is the most plausible explanation for the bystander effect?

People fear embarrassment that could come from helping another person.

Darcy used a racial slur at a party. Nobody said anything about it. Although Megan was a member of an anti-racism committee at her school, she didn’t raise any objection because she noticed nobody else did. This is an example of _____________.

Conformity

According to variations of the Milgram experiment

one of the most effective ways to get people to disobey an authority figure is to make sure they have some companions who will do it too.

Shania feels sure that her boss doesn’t like her. As a result, every time her boss is around, Shania acts more restrained and less warm and friendly. This causes her boss to, in fact, find her unfriendly and start to not like her. This is an illustration of

a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Which of the following statements about stereotypes and prejudice is false?

All stereotypes are of negative characteristics.

Which of the following is an example of using the central route to persuasion?

an organization providing factually correct scientific data

Kendra wanted to go to Ottawa for the weekend with her friends but was afraid that her parents would object. In order to persuade (or manipulate) them, she first asked them if she could travel to Amsterdam with her friends. Her parents said, “No.” The next day she asked if she could at least go to Ottawa. Her parents eventually agreed to this request. This is an example of the ______________________.

door-in-the-face technique

Imitating the behaviour of one individual is called _____________, whereas changing your behaviour to fit in with a group is called_____________.

mimicry; conformity

Louisa has been training for the Olympics for several years and is very nervous that she won’t do well enough at the trials to make the Olympic team. To her delight, she is able to do better than any of her previous times in her own event and makes the team. When talking to her parents after the competition, she says, “I don’t know what got into me! I was just feeding off the crowd’s energy and I felt unstoppable!” Louisa’s comment is really a summary of the social psychology phenomenon called

social facilitation.

Which of the following is true in terms of the potential impact of group conformity?

It can result in a change in the fundamental way an individual perceives a stimulus.

Groupthink tends to happen when members desire ______________.

agreement

When people mirror or copy the actions of another individual, even if they do so in very subtle ways, they will tend to be ___________ by the imitated person.

viewed favourably

During the rush of the holiday season, you manage to slip and then twist your ankle in the mall. Despite the large number of people around you, no one stops to help. The best thing you can do in this situation is

make clear eye contact with someone and make a clear request for help (including a suggestion about what to do).

One of the reasons that the outcomes of the Stanford Prison study were so striking in terms of the power of social roles is that

participants were randomly assigned.

The collection of people that we perceive as “similar” to us is known as our ________________.

ingroup

Having a negative opinion about a person because she is a member of a particular group is __________. Acting negatively toward a person because she is a member of a particular group is __________.

prejudice; discrimination

One of the dangers of placing children in “advanced,” “basic,” or “remedial” classes in school is that _________ may occur.

a self-fulfilling prophecy

What was found when the thin-slice method was used to examine the rapid judgments people make about the personalities of others?

Quick judgments and those made with more information are remarkably similar.

When people automatically assume that dispositional (internal) causes are at the root of others’ behaviours and disregard the importance of situational factors, they are making the __________ attribution error, while simultaneously ignoring situational factors.

fundamental

What is one reason why the Implicit Associations Test (IAT) described in the text is not a perfect predictor of implicit prejudice, as noted by the authors?

The IAT may measure knowledge about stereotypes rather than real attitudes or beliefs.

In 1954, Marion Keech convinced her followers that aliens from the planet Clarion had sent her a message that the world was coming to an end on December 21, but that they could be saved. When the world did not come to an end, Ms. Keech and many of her followers reduced cognitive dissonance by

deciding that their efforts had been justified and had spared the planet.

The central route is most reliable when people are _______ motivated about the topic, when they have sufficient _______ and freedom from distraction, and when the information is not overwhelmingly complex relative to their knowledge.

highly; time

If you wanted to use a value-appeal approach to encourage Canadians to use more public transportation, you should appeal to values that are

egoistic.

Sally is preparing her speech for the upcoming student council election. Although she is not in favour of raising student fees for a new student centre, she knows that her opponent strongly supports the idea. How should Sally handle this reality?

She should present both sides of the argument but be clear about why her position is best.

What does a health psychologist study?

both the positive and the negative impacts that our behaviour and decisions have on our health and survival

Which of the following statements is the best evidence that viewing smoking in movies plays a causal (rather than correlational) role in influencing people’s perception of smoking and willingness to try smoking?

Long-term trends show that increased or decreased incidence of smoking by adolescents follows increases or decreases in rates of smoking in movies.

________ is a hypothesized mechanism that serves to maintain body weight around a physiologically programmed level.

Set point

Which of the following factors is *most* strongly correlated with a person’s weight?

the number of hours spent watching television

Which psychological term refers to the often subtle, unintentional spreading of a behaviour as a result of social interactions?

social contagion

Shea was about to give a speech to a large audience and noticed a leading authority on his topic walk into the auditorium and take a seat. According to the cognitive appraisal theory of stress, what type of appraisal is Shea making upon noticing this individual?

primary appraisal of stress

Claire was usually a little bit nervous before writing exams. However, prior to writing her first Canadian history exam, Claire noticed that she didn’t really feel any stress at all. She ended up getting a C+ on the exam, well below her normal performance. What is the best explanation for her poor mark?

Claire’s stress level during the exam did not provide her with enough emotional arousal to perform at her best.

Which of the following lists the stages of Selye’s general adaptation syndrome in the correct order?

alarm, resistance, exhaustion

High ________ levels and low ________ levels are associated with elevated stress.

cortisol; oxytocin

People with ________ personality are patient and easygoing, and have a relaxed disposition, whereas individuals with ________ personality tend to be impatient and are easily angered, competitive, and highly motivated.

Type B; Type A

________ is the tendency to respond to problems with a pattern of anxiety, hostility, anger, guilt, or nervousness.

Negative affectivity

What is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)?

a protein in the nervous system that promotes survival, growth, and formation of new synapses

________ is a positive coping strategy, while ________ is a negative style of coping.

Meditation; alcohol

________ is an acquired suppression of avoidance or escape behaviour in response to unpleasant, uncontrollable circumstances.

Learned helplessness

A mentally healthy person who is prone to claiming that patterns exist where there are none

probably feels a lost sense of control over a problem or situation.

In modern times, the leading causes of death in industrialized nations such as Canada are ________.

lifestyle factors

Which of the following provides the best explanation for the observation of a strong relationship between television viewing and obesity, and a weak relationship between computer use and obesity?

Computer use involves a greater degree of involvement than passively soaking in television programming, and people are more likely to snack while watching television.

Arabella is 17 years old and has given up eating all her favourite high-calorie foods in an attempt to lose weight. Arabella may have difficulty resisting foods in the future and ultimately gain weight again because her approach

makes high-calorie foods more rewarding.

Based on the research discussed in this module, which of the following is the lowest risk factor for health problems?

being a married adult

Which of the following statements about how discrimination influences health is most accurate?

Experiencing discrimination stimulates the stress response, which can bring about long-term health problems.

According to the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS), which of the following is likely to cause you the most stress?

a divorce

Which of the following is a stress-sensitive hormone that is typically associated with maternal bonding and social relationships?

oxytocin

A major difference between the tend-and-befriend stress response and the responses mediated by the autonomic pathway and the HPA axis is that

the tend-and-befriend response facilitates care for offspring and others in a social group.

What is psychoneuroimmunology?

the study of the relationship between immune system and nervous system functioning

Your partner suddenly broke up with you and did not offer an explanation. If you attribute the breakup to your not being a very outgoing person, you are demonstrating ________.

a pessimistic explanatory style

Rajiv decided to lose weight by dieting. He found that it was relatively easy to lose the first eight or so kilos, but after that, he felt his body was fighting his efforts to lose more weight. Rajiv’s experience is consistent with

set point theory.

Which of the following is a key factor that contributes to weight gain?

sedentary lifestyle

What effect does watching food commercials have on eating habits?

Snacking in general is more likely after viewers watch a food commercial.

People in Gary’s extended social group (including friends of friends) share similar characteristics. Over time, members of this extended group tend to show similar fluctuations in body weight, physical health, and habits. This is an example of

social contagion.

If stress is a response, a _________ is the triggering event.

stressor

For someone who is afraid of the dentist, having his name called in the waiting room would likely begin the ____________ stage of the general adaptation syndrome, while his experiences during an extensive procedure would involve the ____________ stage.

alarm; resistance

Which of the following is a system in the body that energizes the body to respond to stressors?

the HPA axis

Many people believe that stress *causes* people to get ill, yet the research cited in the text suggests that this is an overly simplistic explanation of the relationship between stress and sickness. Which of the following is a more valid explanation?

The stress response reduces immune system functioning, thus making us more vulnerable to diseases.

Which of the following is a viable theory about why the stress that men experience puts them at greater risk for coronary heart disease than women?

Stress stimulates the immune system’s inflammatory response, which leads to the development of plaques.

Contrary to popular belief, ulcers are actually caused by

a bacterium.

______________ involves studying what makes people thrive, even in the face of extreme stress. It focuses on studying human strengths and potential.

Positive psychology

Many people believe in certain superstitions, such as blowing on a pair of dice for good luck before rolling them. Which of the following is the benefit of such beliefs?

They provide a sense of order and structure to random and uncontrollable events.

When we are in circumstances where we cannot control the outcomes, we often engage in __________ as a backup strategy to hold on to the illusion that we are, in fact, in charge of our lives.

compensatory control

Positive coping strategies would include which of the following personal characteristics?

post-traumatic growth

Dr. Luongo is using a complex form of meditation called ________________, which was developed from traditional Chinese medicine. She hopes to incorporate this into her holistic practice.

integrated mind–body training

What was Emil Kraepelin’s major contribution to psychology and psychiatry?

He created the first detailed system for classifying different psychological disorders.

Why is the diagnosis of ADHD controversial?

There is a danger that mildly hyperactive children will end up being unnecessarily medicated.

The standard used to judge whether a defendant was capable of knowing that what he or she did was wrong is known as the

M’Naghten rule.

As described in this section, in the legal system, the term “insanity”

means that an individual could not distinguish between right and wrong when he or she broke a law.

Which of the following is a characteristic of personality disorders?

They often exhibit atypical levels of emotion (too much or too little) that can interfere with social relationships.

Jim frequently stole money from his roommates but felt little remorse. He has been in a number of fights and was recently charged with assault. Which personality disorder does Jim most likely have?

antisocial personality disorder

Narcissistic personality disorder involves

an inflated sense of self-importance and an excessive need for attention and admiration, as well as intense self-doubt and fear of abandonment.

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is best described as

recurrent experiences of splits in identity, as though they were separated from each other.

Which of the following is a personality disorder characterized by perfectionism?

obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

The difference between obsessions and compulsions is that

obsessions are repetitive, unwanted thoughts, whereas compulsions are repetitive behaviours.

OCD is related to problems with a specific neural network or “loop” in the brain. This network includes the

orbitofrontal cortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus.

If anxiety leads to the onset of so many different disorders, how can it be a beneficial, adaptive process?

The physiological response underlying anxiety prepares us to fight or flee.

Depression is associated with higher activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, which may result in

a tendency to ruminate about negative events.

A person with schizophrenia who experiences delusions that she is royalty is experiencing a(n) ________ symptom.

Positive

An individual showing poor integration of thinking and emotion visits a psychiatrist claiming that all her neighbours are watching her.  Into which category of schizophrenia might the psychiatrist classify the individual?

paranoid

The neurodevelopmental hypothesis states that

irregular biological and environmental factors interact during early development and are likely responsible for schizophrenia.

Which of the following statements is most accurate concerning the biochemical basis of schizophrenia?

High levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine are related to positive symptoms of schizophrenia.

One common criticism of the DSM-5 is that

the number of symptoms necessary to be diagnosed with an illness seem arbitrary.