Behavioral Science II Lesson 9: Attraction and Aggression

True or False? Due to the popularity of Social Media and the Internet in general, Proximity is no longer an important factor when it comes to relationship formation.

False. Proximity still has a strong influence over who we meet, become friends with, or even date.

Which of the following examples best exemplifies The Mere Exposure Effect?

(A) Jim is better able to remember the lyrics to country songs compared to other songs due to hearing a lot of country music growing up.

(B) Sarah is subliminally exposed to various images of hamburgers and hotdogs, making her more likely to stop at Burger King as opposed to Subway for lunch.

(C) Zane sees many oak trees around his neighborhood growing up. As a result, he tends to favor neighborhoods with more oak trees.

(D) Jane tends to like guys that she has met in person more than she likes guys that she merely messages online.

(C) Zane sees many oak trees around his neighborhood growing up. As a result, he tends to favor neighborhoods with more oak trees.

The Mere Exposure Effect states that we tend to like or favor things that we have had more exposure to. In this case, Zane had a high amount of exposure to oak trees, causing him to favor them more.

Answer choice (A) mentions nothing about likes/preferences.

Answer choice (B) is more related to priming.

Answer choice (D) mentions nothing about Jane being exposed to certain types of guys more than others.

CRB In a local election, Cristina didn't really educate herself on the issues. Oh no! However, she saw that her high school principal was running for city council. Cristina didn't get along with her principal, so she voted for a different candidate. Would this be an example of the Mere Exposure Effect?

This would not be an example of Mere Exposure Effect, since the Mere Exposure Effect relies on people preferring the repeated exposure to the same stimuli.

Individuals with Anterograde Amnesia are taken to a lab and shown faces. They come to the lab on a later day, and tell the researcher that they ____ remember the faces, and they ____________ favor the faces that they were exposed to during the first visit.

(A) do, do

(B) do, don't

(C) don't, do

(D) don't don't

(C) don't, do

Individuals with Anterograde Amnesia cannot remember events moving forward. For this reason, these individuals would forget the faces. The amazing thing is that the Mere Exposure Effect is still exhibited by these individuals, which is why they favor the faces that they were exposed to before.

True or False. Attractiveness Studies have revealed that Body Attraction is more important than Facial Attraction.

False. Attractiveness Studies have revealed that Facial Attraction is more important than Body Attraction.

CRB True or false? Humans are attracted to dimensions (whether it be architecture, body proportions, etc.) that approximate the Sterling Ratio (1.6:1).

False. Humans are attracted to dimensions (whether it be architecture, body proportions, etc.) that approximate the Golden Ratio (1.6:1).

As humans, males and females tend to be attracted to each other's Sexual Dimorphism. What does this mean?

Males tend to be attracted to feminine females and females tend to be attracted to masculine males.

You can combine images of faces to create a face that is the average of all the images. Which would be most attractive to most individuals?

(A) 2 Face Average

(B) 4 Face Average

(C) 8 Face Average

(D) 16 Face Average

(D) 16 Face Average

Facial averageness is seen as more attractive.

A man is shown a picture of a woman, and he rates her appearance on a scale of 1 to 10 as a 7. He then walks across a narrow, scary bridge and is then asked to reevaluate the image. What rating would he be expected to give?

(A) 2

(B) 5

(C) 7

(D) 10

(D) 10

Physiological arousal will increase our attraction to others because we misinterpret our sympathetic nervous system activation as resulting from our attraction.

Jim sees an image of his friend morphed with his own image. Will Jim like this picture more or less than a normal picture of his friend? Why?

Jim will like the morphed picture more because we tend to like/be attracted to things that are like/similar to ourselves.

CRB Which of the following is NOT one of the three main characteristics found in human studies that foster attraction?

(A) Proximity

(B) Facial Symmetry

(C) Physical Attractiveness

(D) Similarity

(B) Facial Symmetry

The three main characteristics found to foster attraction in humans are Proximity, Physical Attractiveness, and Similarity.

CRB Could believing that somebody else is attracted to you make that person more attractive to you?

(A) Yes, and this phenomenon is called Self-Disclosure.

(B) Yes, and this is pattern would fall under Proximity.

(C) Yes, and this phenomenon is called Reciprocal Liking.

(D) No, because it is unrelated to the three main characteristics that foster attraction in humans.

(C) Yes, and this phenomenon is called Reciprocal Liking.

Reciprocal liking is when people like others better because they believe the others already like them.

CRB Use the MCAT as an example of Self-Disclosure to somebody, and how it could affect your attraction to that person.

Talking about the MCAT could help you share your fears, thoughts and goals, which would be met by empathy. These are keys to Self-Disclosure, and can actually increase your attraction to that person!

A Harlow Monkey is removed from his mother and given two options for replacement mothers, a wire cage mother with a food dispenser and a cloth mother without a food dispenser. Which mother would you expect the monkey to spend most of its time with? What does this reveal?

You would expect the monkey to spend most of its time with the cloth mother. This reveals that comfort is a huge factor in forming secure attachments.

Jill's child is extremely wary of new people even her grandparents. How old is Jill's child?

(A) 2 months

(B) 4 months

(C) 6 months

(D) 8 months

(D) 8 months

Stranger Anxiety starts typically around 8-months of age. It entails the baby being uncomfortable with strangers and even close non-parental individuals.

Describe the Answorth Strange Situation. What is it used to determine?

A mom, her child, and a stranger are in a room. The mom gets up and leaves at one point, leaving the child alone with the stranger. Later on the mom returns. The child's behavior is observed, leading to the classification of the attachment style between mother and child.

When the mother is present, how will a securely attached child typically behave compared to an insecurely attached child?

The securely attached child will feel safe to explore, knowing it has a Secure Base.

The insecurely attached child, on the other hand, will stay close to its mother.

What about when the mom leaves and then comes back?

The securely attached child will run to its mother and be comforted by her presence.

The insecurely attached child, on the other hand, will perhaps go to its mother but not be entirely comforted by her presence.

Parenting Style is shown to make a big difference on a child's attachment to their parents. A healthy attachment to one's parents as a child will tend to influence which of the following down the road?

I. Relationship with one's spouse

II. Attachment Style of one's children

III. Relationship with one's peers

(A) I Only

(B) I and II Only

(C) I and III Only

(D) I, II, and III

(B) I and II Only

A healthy attachment to one's parents as a child will tend to influence one's relationship with their spouse and their children. Relationship with one's peers is not necessarily heavily influenced by one's attachment style.

A man is playing a violent video game when a researcher uses a probe to activate the man's Amygdala. How will this influence the man's violent behavior?

The man is likely to become more violent as Amygdala activation is associated with anger/aggression.

Why might you hypothesize as to why criminals and drug addicts tend to have smaller Frontal Lobes?

The Frontal Lobe is responsible for impulse control, which may lead to these individuals being less able to control their agressive impulses and/or drug addictions.

Mary is nervous about marrying a really strong guy with a wide face. How might you counsel her in this decision? Is her thinking reasonable?

People with higher testosterone levels tend to have wider faces and stronger muscular features. Higher testosterone is also associated with higher levels of aggression. Maybe you could tell her that there may be an association, but that doesn't necessarily mean causation. You might tell her that it is good for her to be cautious, but she might need to be a little more open minded.

You might tell her to convince her boyfriend to start taking anti-testosterone medication!

True or False? Individuals tend to act less aggressively in big groups as opposed to when they are all alone.

False. Individuals tend to act more aggressively in big groups as opposed to when they are all alone. This might be explained by Deindividuation in which we don't see ourselves as personally identifiable in a large crowd.

Jimmy watches a lot of violent television and plays Call of Duty: Black Ops III all the time. He tends to be more aggressive toward his friends and family. How might the idea of Social Scripts explain Jimmy's behavior?

Social Scripts could explain Jimmy's behavior in that Jimmy is learning a script of how he should behave from his video games. Social Scripts basically act as guidelines for us, informing us how we should behave in certain situations.

Which of the following examples best illustrates Altruism?

(A) The Dalai Lama gives a speech to a crowd, telling them that "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

(B) Donald Trump visits Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, posing for pictures as he hands out food to the disaster victims.

(C) Jerry Springer gives helps out one of his show contestants, giving them advice that changes their life forever.

(D) Buzz Lightyear helps Woody with his housework. Woody doesn't return the favor, but Buzz is okay with that.

(D) Buzz Lightyear helps Woody with his housework. Woody doesn't return the favor, but Buzz is okay with that.

This is the best example of those listed as it shows a situation in which someone helps someone else without expecting or hoping for anything in return. Way to go Buzz Lightyear!

What is the difference between Altruism and Reciprocal Altruism?

Altruism is when you help selflessly without expecting anything in return.

Reciprocal Altruism is when you help but expect a return sometime down the road.

Describe the role of Kin Selection in Altruism.

Kin Selection would indicate that we tend to favor and act more altruistically toward those we are related to.

Describe the role of Cost Signaling in Altruism.

Cost Signaling would indicate that people act altruistically in order to be seen as someone with resources (and worthy of respect) in a community.

Why might people who act more altruistically toward others be more likely to also have a high level of empathy?

Empathy is one's ability to see things from a another's perspective and feel sorry for someone who is going through a hard time. People who act altruistically likely do so because they feel sorry for someone else and see that person's heartache from that person's perspective. This is known as the Empathy-altruism Hypothesis.

CRB Which of the following are characteristics used to define Inclusive Fitness?

I. The number of offspring an individual has

II. How an individual supports its offspring

III. How an individual's offspring support others in the group.

(A) I only

(B) I and II only

(C) I and III only

(D) I, II and III

(D) I, II and III

The following are the three main characteristics that define Inclusive Fitness:

I. The number of offspring an individual has

II. How an individual supports its offspring

III. How an individual's offspring support others in the group.

CRB True or false? Although Altruistic Behaviors can harm one's individual chances of survival, they can increase the individual's Inclusive Fitness.

True. Although Altruistic Behaviors can harm one's individual chances of survival, they can increase the individual's Inclusive Fitness.

This is because Altruistic behaviors could support its offspring.

True or False? Social Support is defined as support you feel from close family members and friends.

False. Social Support is defined as support you feel from close family members, friends, and anyone else.

Describe how you have felt each of the five types of social support during the past year?

1. Emotional Support

2. Esteem Support

3. Informational Support

4. Tangible Support

5. Companionship Support

1. Emotional Support - When you got sick last month, your best friend called just to say hi and let you know he cares about you.

2. Esteem Support - You dad told you he was proud of you when you scored the winning goal at a soccer match. He says he believes in you.

3. Informational Support - You post on Facebook that you are going to Chicago and looking for recommendations on restaurants. 10 of your friends commented to let you know of some of the best places.

4. Tangible Support- Your parents helped pay for private tutoring with one of MCAT Self Prep's Elite Tutors.*

5. Companionship Support - You have a running partner who helps you feel like you have someone there with you while you are running. You feel a sense of belonging.

*I just had to throw in that plug there!

Compare Status to Role. What might the Status and Role of a doctor be?

Status is the position that you hold in society. For instance, you might be a doctor.

Role is a behavior that is expected of you based on your Status. For instance, if you are a doctor, your role would be to help sick people.

CRB If you are a doctor, it comes with much more than just the role of helping sick people. Which term best describes the various roles ascribed with one particular status?

(A) Role Call

(B) Role List

(C) Role Variety

(D) Role Set

(D) Role Set

A Role Set is the various roles associated with a single status.

Give two examples of an Ascribed Status that you currently have. What about two examples of an Achieved Status?

For your Ascribed Status, you might be a son, a father, a brother, a male, etc. It is a status that you were given without a choice.

For your Achieved Status, you might be a gymnast, a basketball player, a grad student, a lawyer, etc. It is a status that you choose.

CRB Which of the following types of status best describes somebody's main status, the one that would dominate all others and be what the person is known for and determines their place in society?

(A) Achieved Status

(B) Master Status

(C) Ascribed Status

(D) Supreme Status

(B) Master Status

Master Status is best described as the one status that dominates all others and is what the person is known for, determining their place in society.

CRB Bobby Fischer is best known as a chess Grandmaster, and widely considered the best player ever. However, Fischer eventually would go on to innovate the game by inventing new formats, and he thought of himself more as an innovator. What would his Master Status be, and why?

(A) Grandmaster, because this is what determined his general place in society and dominates his other identities.

(B) Grandmaster, because Master Status is an Ascribed Status.

(C) Innovator, because this is what Fischer liked to refer to himself as, dominating his other identities.

(D) Innovator, because Master Status is an Achieved Status.

(A) Grandmaster, because this is what determined his general place in society and dominates his other identities.

Fischer's Master Status is determined by his one identity that dominates all others. Since he is best known as a chess Grandmaster, this would be his Master Status.

Compare Role Strain and Role Conflict. Give an example of each.

Role Strain is when you have conflicts within a single status. For instance, you are an emergency room doctor and feel like there are way too many patients to help, too much paperwork, and too many medical students to train.

Role Conflict is when you have conflicts between two different Statuses. For instance, you are too busy as a doctor to spend enough time with your spouse and children.

CRB One of the neighborhood moms has been struggling lately. She feels like she has no time for herself, since she spends so much of her time driving her kids around and making sure that they all do as they are supposed to. This has made her feel depressed. Would this be an example of Role Strain or Role Conflict?

The key to analyzing role strain versus role conflict is to see how many roles are involved in the issue. In this example, the subject's only role involved is being a mother, balancing time between herself and her kids. This would therefore be an example of Role Strain.

CRB True or false? It is possible to disengage from a role if you feel it is becoming too closely tied to your self identity. This would be called Role Regression.

False. It is possible to disengage from a role if you feel it is becoming too closely tied to your self identity. This would be called Role Exit.

CRB Compare Role Exit and Role Performance.

Role Exit and Role Performance can be seen as opposites. In Role Exit, the person is actively trying to disengage from a role, whereas in Role Performance, the person is actively carrying out behaviors associated with their role.

True or False? Only Family can be considered part of a Primary Group while everyone else would be considered part of a Secondary Group.

False. Primary Groups include people that share a close, personal, and enduring relationship (i.e. best friends, long-time neighbors, etc). Secondary Groups are more transitory in nature and often goal-oriented (i.e. classmates, co-workers, etc).

CRB Fill in the blanks: In an open relationship, the two partners add in a third. This changes their group from a __________ to a __________.

(A) Dyad, Triad

(B) Triad, Dyad

(C) Monogamous, Polyamorous

(D) Traditional, Polyamorous

(A) Dyad, Triad

In an open relationship, the two partners add in a third. This changes their group from a Dyad to a Triad.

CRB True or false? As a group grows (i.e. from a dyad to a triad), the group trades Intimacy for Belonging.

False. As a group grows (i.e. from a dyad to a triad), the group trades Intimacy for Stability.

Which of the following typically unites an organization?

(A) Common Goal

(B) Seeking out adversity

(C) Paying membership dues

(D) Difficult initiation rituals

(A) Common Goal

A common goal is typically the uniting factor of an organization.

Jackson works full time for a non-profit and is paid a reasonable salary. Which type of Organization does Jackson belong to?

(A) Coercive Organization

(B) Normative Organization

(C) Bureaucratic Organization

(D) Utilitarian Organization

(D) Utilitarian Organization

Because members are paid/reimbursed for their membership, this non-profit would be considered a Utilitarian Organization.

Jimmy joined the army in order to serve his country. He and his fellow soldiers love protecting their country's freedoms. The soldiers are not allowed to quit the military but instead must be formally discharged. Which type of Organization does Jimmy belong to?

(A) Coercive Organization

(B) Normative Organization

(C) Bureaucratic Organization

(D) Utilitarian Organization

(A) Coercive Organization

Coercive Organizations are those that you are either forced to join or those that you can't leave without permission, as is the case with the army.

Freddy belongs to his town's Rotary Club, which is a group of individuals that try to serve the community. Members are not reimbursed for their membership. Which type of Organization does Freddy belong to?

(A) Coercive Organization

(B) Normative Organization

(C) Bureaucratic Organization

(D) Utilitarian Organization

(B) Normative Organization

Because members are united by a sense of purpose as opposed to economic reasons, this would be an example of a Normative Organization.

How does the sociological use of the term Bureaucracy compare to our everyday use of the term?

The sociological use of the term Bureaucracy refers to the way an organization is organized (rules, structure, and ranking) whereas in our everyday life we only use the term to refer to overly rigid and structured organizations such as the DMV.

Which example best illustrates Bureaucratization?

(A) As Sarah's business is growing, she continually needs to rely on many more businesses to help her own succeed.

(B) Billy recently started a new company and is tasked with organizing his office.

(C) Zach's business has been growing for several years, and over that time, he has had to increase the number of rules and regulations, making the structure of his company more rigid over time.

(D) Marty is replaced as the CEO of his company as soon as his company goes public.

(C) Zach's business has been growing for several years, and over that time, he has had to increase the number of rules and regulations, making the structure of his company more rigid over time.

Bureaucratization refers to the process by which a company becomes increasingly governed by law and policy as is the case here.

Freddy, as we know, belongs to the town rotary club. It is a very democratic organization and decisions are made jointly between all members. According to the Iron Law of Oligarchy, what will inevitably happen to this structure over time?

Over time, the current members will develop close relationships with one another. These members due to their relationships and previous knowledge and history with the rotary club will have an advantage over new members; thus their voices may begin to matter more. The members that continue with the club may formally claim a higher status than newer members, making it so their power is more permanent in nature. Those with close ties to this inner circle will likely maintain power over time, making this organization more of an oligarchy than a democracy as it once was. This is what happens according to the Iron Rule of Oligarchy, which says that all organizations, despite their origins will eventually become Oligarchies.

Your local grocery store, Granny Annie's undergoes McDonalization. How do you expect this store to change?

McDonaldization refers to the spread of fast-food-like organization principles influencing other business structures. In this case, Granny Annie's might open up chains of grocery stores that are all the same. Granny Annie's will replace their long-time employees with uniform-wearing, low-wage workers and even machines. Granny Annie's would organize their store in a way that workers can most quickly put boxes on shelves and customers can easily find items. Granny Annie's would maybe lose its focus on customer satisfaction and seek quantifiable profits and sales.

Nike decided to stop producing unique sneakers and instead focused on making the same type of shoe and using the same exact processes to get it made. The workers who make these shoes did the same tasks over and over in making these shoes. Customers also know exactly what type of shoe to expect from Nike. Which of the four aspects of McDonaldization does this situation best exemplify?

(A) Efficiency

(B) Calculability

(C) Predictability

(D) Control

(C) Predictability

Predictability is the idea that organizations use standardized procedures, repetitive tasks, and offer the same service no matter where their company is found.

Google gives all of its workers segways so that workers can get from one meeting to another in less time. Which of the four aspects of McDonaldization does this situation best exemplify?

(A) Efficiency

(B) Calculability

(C) Predictability

(D) Control

(A) Efficiency

Efficiency is any aspect of an organization that is geared toward minimizing time loss.

What made the model T difference from past cars is that it was produced by machines that replaced human labor. Which of the four aspects of McDonaldization does this situation best exemplify?

(A) Efficiency

(B) Calculability

(C) Predictability

(D) Control

(D) Control

Control refers to the idea that workers are replaced by machines. It also refers to workers wearing standardized uniforms and workers that can easily be replaced by another low-wage worker.

Microsoft switches its focus from building high-quality, sleek looking laptops and instead works toward selling laptops with the most possible memory and hardware space. They want the customer to believe they are getting a high quantity instead of quality, utilizing the common assumption more must be better. Which of the four aspects of McDonaldization does this situation best exemplify?

(A) Efficiency

(B) Calculability

(C) Predictability

(D) Control

(B) Calculability

Calculability is the shifting away from a focus on quality to a focus on quantity. Workers in such organizations are rewarded for speed and not quality of work.

Think about a grocery store, describe how the five characteristics of a Bureaucracy might be seen there:

1. Division of Labor

2. Hierarchy of Organizations

3. Written Rules and Regulations

4. Impersonality

5. Employment based on Technical Qualifications

1. Division of Labor - The cashier checks people out while the bagger bags groceries, and the stock room workers stock the shelves. No one does each other's job. Each is trained to do one specific task.

2. Hierarchy of Organizations - The CEO of the grocery store is above the regional managers who is above the store managers who is above the hourly-wage workers.

3. Written Rules and Regulations - The cashier must follow exact procedures when checking out customers.

4. Impersonality - A cashier cannot give out special discounts even to their friends.

5. Employment based on Technical Qualifications - Employment at a grocery store is based on your resume, GPA, and ACT score.

What is Trained Incapacity? Which characteristic of a Bureaucracy may cause Trained Incapacity?

(A) Division of Labor

(B) Hierarchy of Organizations

(C) Written Rules and Regulations

(D) Employment based on Technical Qualifications

(A) Division of Labor

Trained Incapacity is the idea that workers who only have a specific task to complete do not see the big picture, which may undermine the overall goal of the organization. This is caused by Division of Labor.

What is the Peter Principle? Which characteristic of a Bureaucracy may cause the Peter Principle?

(A) Division of Labor

(B) Hierarchy of Organizations

(C) Written Rules and Regulations

(D) Employment based on Technical Qualifications

(D) Employment based on Technical Qualifications

The Peter Principle is the idea that when individuals are promoted based on technical qualifications, they are promoted over and over until they reach a position that they cannot perform well, at which point they won't get promoted due to their incompetence, yet they will stay there because they have nowhere else to go.