Practice Exam
____ 1. The major difference between social psychology and other social sciences, such as anthropology and political
science, is that social psychology relies most heavily on ____________ to derive knowledge about human
behavior.
a. experimental research c. logical principles
b. observational research d. evolutionary principles
____ 2. Research on ______________ suggests it is ______________ for people to assume that dispositions are the
underlying causes of most behaviors.
a. the fundamental attribution error; common
b. the fundamental attribution error; uncommon
c. obedience to authority; common
d. obedience to authority; uncommon
____ 3. According to social psychologists, which of the following conditions is most likely to make someone do what
an authority figure says to do—even if it involves hurting someone?
a. when people know ahead of time that an authority figure will be ordering them around
b. when people have been raised in abusive families
c. when people can blame an authority figure for their actions
d. when people are used to hurting other people
____ 4. The president of a fraternity wants to increase the number of fraternity members who volunteer for nonprofit
organizations in the community. Kurt Lewin’s concept of channel factors suggests the president should
a. induce guilt among members who are not currently volunteering.
b. provide information about when and how members might volunteer.
c. offer a prize to the member who volunteers the most hours.
d. ask members to publicly commit to a particular volunteering opportunity.
____ 5. A study that is conducted over a long period of time with the same population is known as a(n)
____________.
a. observational study. c. cross-sectional study.
b. longitudinal study. d. mixed design study.
____ 6. What is one of the most important differences between correlational and experimental research designs?
a. Experiments measure the degree of the relationship between two variables.
b. Correlations only examine one variable.
c. Experiments use random assignment.
d. It is impossible to determine cause by using an experiment.
____ 7. According to the text, which of the following tend to have interdependent self-construals?
a. many Mediterranean cultures c. many Northern European cultures
b. many African cultures d. Both a and b are correct.
____ 8. Barbara just received a “B” on her test. Her friends, Gina and Mica, received an A” and a “C,” respectively.
Later that night, Barbara tells her roommate that she did “really well” relative to other people in the class.
According to social comparison theory, Barbara appears to have engaged in ____________.
a. upward comparison. c. promotional comparison.
____ 1. The major difference between social psychology and other social sciences, such as anthropology and political
science, is that social psychology relies most heavily on ____________ to derive knowledge about human
behavior.
a. experimental research c. logical principles
b. observational research d. evolutionary principles
____ 2. Research on ______________ suggests it is ______________ for people to assume that dispositions are the
underlying causes of most behaviors.
a. the fundamental attribution error; common
b. the fundamental attribution error; uncommon
c. obedience to authority; common
d. obedience to authority; uncommon
____ 3. According to social psychologists, which of the following conditions is most likely to make someone do what
an authority figure says to do—even if it involves hurting someone?
a. when people know ahead of time that an authority figure will be ordering them around
b. when people have been raised in abusive families
c. when people can blame an authority figure for their actions
d. when people are used to hurting other people
____ 4. The president of a fraternity wants to increase the number of fraternity members who volunteer for nonprofit
organizations in the community. Kurt Lewin’s concept of channel factors suggests the president should
a. induce guilt among members who are not currently volunteering.
b. provide information about when and how members might volunteer.
c. offer a prize to the member who volunteers the most hours.
d. ask members to publicly commit to a particular volunteering opportunity.
____ 5. A study that is conducted over a long period of time with the same population is known as a(n)
____________.
a. observational study. c. cross-sectional study.
b. longitudinal study. d. mixed design study.
____ 6. What is one of the most important differences between correlational and experimental research designs?
a. Experiments measure the degree of the relationship between two variables.
b. Correlations only examine one variable.
c. Experiments use random assignment.
d. It is impossible to determine cause by using an experiment.
____ 7. According to the text, which of the following tend to have interdependent self-construals?
a. many Mediterranean cultures c. many Northern European cultures
b. many African cultures d. Both a and b are correct.
____ 8. Barbara just received a “B” on her test. Her friends, Gina and Mica, received an A” and a “C,” respectively.
Later that night, Barbara tells her roommate that she did “really well” relative to other people in the class.
According to social comparison theory, Barbara appears to have engaged in ____________.
a. upward comparison. c. promotional comparison.
