17 sample questions - Exam 1
1.A serious shortcoming of a correlational study is that it cannot
A)predict one variable from another.
B)determine when there is a lack of a relationship between two variables.
C)identify which variable causes the other variable.
D)none of the above.
2.The cues in an experiment that tell the participants what behavior is expected are called
A)subliminal messages.
B)demand characteristics.
C)deception tactics.
D)confounding variables.
3.According to the self-serving bias, we tend to attribute our success to ___ and our failure to ___.
A)external cause; internal cause
B)internal cause; external cause
C)external cause; external cause
D)internal cause; internal cause
4.The tendency for observers to underestimate situational influences and overestimate dispositional influences on other people's behavior is called
A) false consensus bias.
B) misinformation effect.
C)correspondence bias.
D)dispositional bias.
5.Assuming most crimes involve violence because the news seems to focus on graphic murders is an example of the _____ heuristic.
A)availability
B)representativeness
C)vividness
D)matching
6.Research indicates that eyewitnesses who remember trivial details of a crime scene
A)also tend to overestimate the degree of harm or damage done as a result of the crime.
B)also tend to be particularly suspicious of all unfamiliar faces.
C)are less likely to have paid attention to the culprit's face.
D)are more likely to have paid attention to the culprit's face.
- Which example best describes the representativeness heuristic?
- to decide if someone is a lawyer, I compare that person’s characteristic to the characteristics of the typical lawyer
- to decide if someone is dishonest, I try to recall instances of that person’s dishonest behavior
- to decide if someone is an environmentalist, I consider the proportion of environmentalists in the population
- to decide if someone is honest, I consider how easy it is to imagine them acting in a dishonest manner
8.According to the attribution theorist Kelley (covariation theory), what three types of information do we use when we make attributions for other people's behavior?
A)consistency, distinctiveness, and character
B)consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus
C)conformity, distinctiveness, and character
D)conformity, distinctiveness, and consensus
9.When we try to explain Misha's behavior as she struggles with her computer, we might ask if she also has difficulty using other computers on campus. The answer to this question would provide us with information about
A)consistency.
B)distinctiveness.
C)character.
D)consensus.
10.Your best friend is a master chess player and has won numerous awards. When you play chess with her, you notice that she seems to be aware of strategies almost immediately after your move. Her awareness of these strategies reflects what type of thinking?
A)controlled processing
B)automatic processing
C)internal processing
D)intentional processing
11.Research indicates that eyewitness testimony is most likely distorted or biased by which of the following?
A)suggestive questions
B)an eyewitness's own retelling of events
C)whether the eyewitness is for the defendant or the plaintiff
D)all of the above
12.Which of the following is used in experiments but not in correlational studies?
a)Control groups
b)Random assignment to condition
c)Random selection of people from a population
d)All of the above
13.If you are using the misattribution of arousal principle to plan a first date and you really want your partner to be attracted to you, which of the following activities should you choose?
a)ride the roller coaster at an amusement park
b)get tickets to see an art film
c)go out for coffee with your date
d)have a nice meal at a quiet restaurant
14. Which theory assumes that we observe our actions for clues about our own attitudes and beliefs?
A)self-presentation
B)cognitive dissonance
C)self-justification
D)self-perception
15. Isabelle just made a verbal blunder and mispronounced a word. She feels foolish and is worried that she appears lacking in intelligence. _____ theory predicts that she will proceed to talk about her artistic talent by telling everyone how many paintings she sold this week.
A)self-perception
B)Heider’s naïve scientist
C)Self-presentation
D)Self-affirmation
16. When is Sam most likely to catch a cold?
A)When he is exposed to the cold virus and goes outside on a cold day with wet hair.
B)When he is exposed to the cold virus regardless of what else is going on in his life
C)When he is exposed to the cold virus and is undergoing an uncontested divorce
D)When he is exposed to the cold virus and recently got a speeding ticket that stressed him
Answers:
1 C
2 B
3 B
4 C
5 A
6 C
7 A
8 B
9 B
10 B
11 A
12 B
13 A
14 D
15 D
16 D