PSYC 140 MODULE 1 TO 8 FINAL PAPER 2026
ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
ANSWERS
◉ When surveyed, over 87% of Americans reported that they
preferred to spend significant periods of time without other people
around.
were married or wanted to be married.
had a social media account.
lived with other people.. Answer: lived with other people.
◉ Paulette recently irritated some of the girls in a sorority at her
college, so they have decided to exclude her from their group. The
group of girls ignores Paulette-- shuns her-- and communicates that
she is not welcome at their events. The group of sorority sisters is
using ________ to communicate their displeasure with Paulette.
ostracism
reactance
affiliation
social facilitation. Answer: ostracism
,◉ The practices of excluding one or more individuals from a group
by reducing or eliminating contract with that person, often by
ignoring, shunning, or explicitly banishing them, is called ________.
marginalizing
prejudice
ostracism
peripheralization. Answer: ostracism
◉ Researchers have studied whether being left out of a group can
cause the same neural responses as physical pain. Through fMRI
studies, they found that two areas of the brain - the dorsal anterior
cingulate and the ________ showed heightened activity when a person
experienced social ostracism. This suggests that social pain can be as
problematic as physical pain!
anterior insula
suprachiasmatic nucleus
substantia nigra
posterior putamen. Answer: anterior insula
◉ What evidence supports the idea that social pain might be as
devastating to a human being as physical pain?
,Sleep studies find that brain activity during sleep changes if one
experiences social ostracism within 2 or 3 hours of going to sleep.
fMRI imaging studies find similar brain areas activated by both
experiences.
Body temperature studies find that the human body reduces
temperature in response to social pain, such as ostracism.
Analyses of blood chemistry find that social pain can decrease the
levels of stress hormones in one's blood.. Answer: fMRI imaging
studies find similar brain areas activated by both experiences.
◉ Which social psychologist produced a theory of social
comparison, suggesting that in many cases people join with others
to evaluate the accuracy of their own beliefs and attitudes?
Leon Festinger
Merrill Carlsmith
Hugo Munsterberg
Alfred Adler. Answer: Leon Festinger
◉ After William went to college, he decided to join the Young
Republicans club. He went to make sure that his political beliefs
where shared and supported by others, and that he could feel
confident that his positions were legitimate. According to Leon
, Festinger, William's decision to join this group was driven by the
process of social ________.
bias
validation
loafing.
comparison. Answer: comparison
◉ Which of the following statements demonstrates the process of
downward social comparison?
"Hey, let's all go out to the club tonight. I really don't want to go by
myself, and they are having drink specials from 8 until 10 pm!"
"Yes, I got an 82 on the exam, but the average class score was 71 so
I'm doing better than most."
"I really want a better job because all of my friends make more
money than I do."
"I wish that I was more attractive than I am. I really hate my own
nose!". Answer: "Yes, I got an 82 on the exam, but the average class
score was 71 so I'm doing better than most."
◉ When Stanley Schachter put people in ambiguous, stressful
situations to observe their responses to such circumstances, what
did he observe?
ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
ANSWERS
◉ When surveyed, over 87% of Americans reported that they
preferred to spend significant periods of time without other people
around.
were married or wanted to be married.
had a social media account.
lived with other people.. Answer: lived with other people.
◉ Paulette recently irritated some of the girls in a sorority at her
college, so they have decided to exclude her from their group. The
group of girls ignores Paulette-- shuns her-- and communicates that
she is not welcome at their events. The group of sorority sisters is
using ________ to communicate their displeasure with Paulette.
ostracism
reactance
affiliation
social facilitation. Answer: ostracism
,◉ The practices of excluding one or more individuals from a group
by reducing or eliminating contract with that person, often by
ignoring, shunning, or explicitly banishing them, is called ________.
marginalizing
prejudice
ostracism
peripheralization. Answer: ostracism
◉ Researchers have studied whether being left out of a group can
cause the same neural responses as physical pain. Through fMRI
studies, they found that two areas of the brain - the dorsal anterior
cingulate and the ________ showed heightened activity when a person
experienced social ostracism. This suggests that social pain can be as
problematic as physical pain!
anterior insula
suprachiasmatic nucleus
substantia nigra
posterior putamen. Answer: anterior insula
◉ What evidence supports the idea that social pain might be as
devastating to a human being as physical pain?
,Sleep studies find that brain activity during sleep changes if one
experiences social ostracism within 2 or 3 hours of going to sleep.
fMRI imaging studies find similar brain areas activated by both
experiences.
Body temperature studies find that the human body reduces
temperature in response to social pain, such as ostracism.
Analyses of blood chemistry find that social pain can decrease the
levels of stress hormones in one's blood.. Answer: fMRI imaging
studies find similar brain areas activated by both experiences.
◉ Which social psychologist produced a theory of social
comparison, suggesting that in many cases people join with others
to evaluate the accuracy of their own beliefs and attitudes?
Leon Festinger
Merrill Carlsmith
Hugo Munsterberg
Alfred Adler. Answer: Leon Festinger
◉ After William went to college, he decided to join the Young
Republicans club. He went to make sure that his political beliefs
where shared and supported by others, and that he could feel
confident that his positions were legitimate. According to Leon
, Festinger, William's decision to join this group was driven by the
process of social ________.
bias
validation
loafing.
comparison. Answer: comparison
◉ Which of the following statements demonstrates the process of
downward social comparison?
"Hey, let's all go out to the club tonight. I really don't want to go by
myself, and they are having drink specials from 8 until 10 pm!"
"Yes, I got an 82 on the exam, but the average class score was 71 so
I'm doing better than most."
"I really want a better job because all of my friends make more
money than I do."
"I wish that I was more attractive than I am. I really hate my own
nose!". Answer: "Yes, I got an 82 on the exam, but the average class
score was 71 so I'm doing better than most."
◉ When Stanley Schachter put people in ambiguous, stressful
situations to observe their responses to such circumstances, what
did he observe?
