CHAPTER 1 AN INVITATION TO
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY test bank
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1.1 Characterizing Social Psychology
A. Define social psychology and describe its value for our society
1.2 The Power of the Situation
A. Describe Kurt Lewin’s theory of the field of forces
B. Explain what the Milgram experiment and the Good Samaritan study reveal about the power of the situation
C. Define channel factors
D. Define the fundamental attribution error
1.3 The Role of Construal
A. Define construals and give some examples for construals of situations
B. Define schemas and describe how they relate to social behavior and interaction
1.4 Automatic vs. Controlled Processing
A. Distinguish between automatic processing and controlled processing
1.5 Evolution and Human Behavior: How We Are the Same
A. Describe the evolutionary perspective on social behavior, including the emerging field of social neuroscience
1.6 Culture and Human Behavior: How We Are Different
A. Distinguish between independent (individualistic) and interdependent (collectivistic) cultures, and explain how these
cultural differences relate to the ways people think, feel, and behave
1.7 The Uses of Social Psychology
A. Explain how social psychology can improve critical thinking.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Social psychology can be defined as the study of the of individuals in social
situations.
a. rational; feelings, thoughts, and behaviors
b. scientific; behaviors
c. scientific; feelings, thoughts, and behaviors
d. behavioral; thoughts and feelings
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 1.1 Characterizing Social Psychology
OBJ: 1.1A MSC: Remembering
2. Social psychologists would be MOST likely to focus on which of the following potential causes
underlying the military abuses at Abu Ghraib prison during the Iraq War?
a. The soldiers who instigated these abuses were bad people.
,b. The power imbalance at the prison facilitated the soldiers’ bad behavior.
c. American foreign policy encouraged anti-Arab behavior in many spheres.
d. The soldiers were not in their right minds, having been traumatized by their
, experiences during the war.
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: 1.1 Characterizing Social Psychology
OBJ: 1.1A MSC: Applying
3. Sandra thinks that smiling a lot during a job interview increases a person’s chances of getting a job
offer. The main difference between Sandra’s folk theory and social psychological theories is that social
psychological theories are
a. always more complicated. c. based on logic.
b. almost always counterintuitive. d. tested using the scientific method.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 1.1 Characterizing Social Psychology
OBJ: 1.1A MSC: Understanding
4. Which of the following statements about social psychology is the most accurate?
a. Social psychologists rely primarily on correlational research.
b. Social psychologists argue that genetics do not exert causal effects on social
behavior.
c. Social psychologists examine the influence of situations on behaviors.
d. Social psychologists stress individual differences in behavior.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1 Characterizing Social Psychology
OBJ: 1.1A MSC: Analyzing
5. Which of the following is LEAST characteristic of the goals of social psychology?
a. understanding how people in different cultures think, feel, and behave
b. understanding how people control each other’s behaviors
c. evaluating the accuracy of folk theories about how situations influence behavior
d. understanding how personality traits predispose people to respond to major events
in their lives
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1 Characterizing Social Psychology
OBJ: 1.1A MSC: Analyzing
6. Which of the following phenomena best illustrates the relationship between social influence and
behavior?
a. acting more cooperative when you are in a good mood (as opposed to a bad mood)
b. preferring to drive with the car radio on (as opposed to off)
c. cycling faster when people are watching you (as opposed to when you are alone)
d. getting into more arguments when the temperature is above 80 degrees (as opposed
to under 80 degrees)
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: 1.1 Characterizing Social Psychology
OBJ: 1.1A MSC: Analyzing
, 7. What is the “field of forces” that Kurt Lewin emphasized in understanding human behavior?
a. personal attributes c. underlying genetics
b. social situations d. biological factors
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY test bank
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1.1 Characterizing Social Psychology
A. Define social psychology and describe its value for our society
1.2 The Power of the Situation
A. Describe Kurt Lewin’s theory of the field of forces
B. Explain what the Milgram experiment and the Good Samaritan study reveal about the power of the situation
C. Define channel factors
D. Define the fundamental attribution error
1.3 The Role of Construal
A. Define construals and give some examples for construals of situations
B. Define schemas and describe how they relate to social behavior and interaction
1.4 Automatic vs. Controlled Processing
A. Distinguish between automatic processing and controlled processing
1.5 Evolution and Human Behavior: How We Are the Same
A. Describe the evolutionary perspective on social behavior, including the emerging field of social neuroscience
1.6 Culture and Human Behavior: How We Are Different
A. Distinguish between independent (individualistic) and interdependent (collectivistic) cultures, and explain how these
cultural differences relate to the ways people think, feel, and behave
1.7 The Uses of Social Psychology
A. Explain how social psychology can improve critical thinking.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Social psychology can be defined as the study of the of individuals in social
situations.
a. rational; feelings, thoughts, and behaviors
b. scientific; behaviors
c. scientific; feelings, thoughts, and behaviors
d. behavioral; thoughts and feelings
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 1.1 Characterizing Social Psychology
OBJ: 1.1A MSC: Remembering
2. Social psychologists would be MOST likely to focus on which of the following potential causes
underlying the military abuses at Abu Ghraib prison during the Iraq War?
a. The soldiers who instigated these abuses were bad people.
,b. The power imbalance at the prison facilitated the soldiers’ bad behavior.
c. American foreign policy encouraged anti-Arab behavior in many spheres.
d. The soldiers were not in their right minds, having been traumatized by their
, experiences during the war.
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: 1.1 Characterizing Social Psychology
OBJ: 1.1A MSC: Applying
3. Sandra thinks that smiling a lot during a job interview increases a person’s chances of getting a job
offer. The main difference between Sandra’s folk theory and social psychological theories is that social
psychological theories are
a. always more complicated. c. based on logic.
b. almost always counterintuitive. d. tested using the scientific method.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 1.1 Characterizing Social Psychology
OBJ: 1.1A MSC: Understanding
4. Which of the following statements about social psychology is the most accurate?
a. Social psychologists rely primarily on correlational research.
b. Social psychologists argue that genetics do not exert causal effects on social
behavior.
c. Social psychologists examine the influence of situations on behaviors.
d. Social psychologists stress individual differences in behavior.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1 Characterizing Social Psychology
OBJ: 1.1A MSC: Analyzing
5. Which of the following is LEAST characteristic of the goals of social psychology?
a. understanding how people in different cultures think, feel, and behave
b. understanding how people control each other’s behaviors
c. evaluating the accuracy of folk theories about how situations influence behavior
d. understanding how personality traits predispose people to respond to major events
in their lives
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1 Characterizing Social Psychology
OBJ: 1.1A MSC: Analyzing
6. Which of the following phenomena best illustrates the relationship between social influence and
behavior?
a. acting more cooperative when you are in a good mood (as opposed to a bad mood)
b. preferring to drive with the car radio on (as opposed to off)
c. cycling faster when people are watching you (as opposed to when you are alone)
d. getting into more arguments when the temperature is above 80 degrees (as opposed
to under 80 degrees)
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: 1.1 Characterizing Social Psychology
OBJ: 1.1A MSC: Analyzing
, 7. What is the “field of forces” that Kurt Lewin emphasized in understanding human behavior?
a. personal attributes c. underlying genetics
b. social situations d. biological factors
