Applied Social Psychology Practice Questions
Course Introduction
Applied Social Psychology explores how social psychological theories, principles, and research are used to address real-world issues and improve outcomes in various contexts such as health, education, business, law, and community settings. This course examines topics like attitude change, persuasion, group dynamics, prejudice reduction, and social influence, emphasizing their practical applications. Students will gain hands-on experience in designing interventions and learn to critically evaluate the effectiveness of social programs, preparing them to apply psychological insights to solve social problems and enhance well-being in diverse populations.
Recommended Textbook
Social Psychology and Human Nature Comprehensive Edition 4th Edition by Roy F. Baumeister
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19 Chapters
2843 Verified Questions
2843 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: The Mission and the Method
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215 Verified Questions
215 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/4937
Sample Questions
Q1) Explain the difference between reliability and validity. Answer: a.Reliability is focused on consistency in measurement. Consistency can be measured in several ways. With test-retest reliability, the consistency is temporal in nature. A psychologist measures a characteristic at one time, and then measures it at a later time to see if the measure is stable across times. Alternately, consistency can be measured as "internal consistency" of a measure. If a measure has multiple items on it, all of them purporting to measure the same thing, the items should be highly inter-correlated. Validity, however, focuses more on the degree to which a survey scale measures what it claims to measure. For example, face validity is the degree to which a scale appears on the face of it to measure what it says it measures. Of course, this is not alone sufficient to establish validity. Convergent validity speaks to a measure correlating with other, related measures, while divergent validity speaks to a measure failing to correlate with unrelated measures. Measurement validity deals with whether or not a measure is predictive of outcomes it should be able to predict. An instrument cannot be valid unless it first is reliable. If a measure is inconsistent (either temporally or internally) then we cannot know for certain what exactly is being measured.
Q2) In social psychology, the notation "p <.05" signifies ____________________. Answer: statistical significance
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Culture and Nature
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188 Verified Questions
188 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) If Barack Obama is like most politicians, then he probably ____.
A) overemphasized political trade-offs the first time he ran for office, but disregarded them when he was running for reelection
B) overemphasized political trade-offs when he was running for reelection, but disregarded them the first time he ran for office
C) disregarded political trade-offs the first time he ran for office as well as when he was running for reelection
D) disregarded political trade-offs when in office as well as when running for reelection
Answer: C
Q2) Natural selection is best summed up by which phrase?
A) The most advantageous genes will survive to subsequent generations.
B) Certain behaviors exist that are "natural."
C) The most physically fit people will always survive the longest.
D) If something is natural, then it's right.
Answer: A
Q3) When people have a problem or need, they most often look to ________________ for help.
Answer: other people or people
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Chapter 3: The Self
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190 Verified Questions
190 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) People sometimes take life-threatening risks-such as not wearing helmets when riding motorcycles, having unprotected sex, sunbathing against a doctor's advice, and driving far over the speed limit-in order to "look cool." This best demonstrates the strong power of ____.
A) the fact that "nature says go and culture says stop"
B) the automatic system
C) the appraisal motive
D) self-presentation
Answer: D
Q2) The endowment effect refers to the tendency for people ____.
A) to regard items that they own as more valuable and desirable than they really are
B) to regard "natural talents" more positively than skills and traits that one has worked hard to acquire
C) to regard skills and traits that one has worked hard to acquire more positively than "natural talents"
D) to believe that most major skills and traits (e.g., intelligence, athleticism, humor) are fixed at birth and cannot be acquired through hard work
Answer: A
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Chapter 4: Choices and Actions
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195 Verified Questions
195 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) People who are suicidal tend to be especially low in self-awareness.
A)True
B)False
Q2) People who have suicidal tendencies tend to be ____.
A) high in self-awareness but emotionally numb
B) high in self-awareness and plagued by emotional distress
C) low in self-awareness and emotionally numb
D) low in self-awareness but plagued by emotional distress
Q3) As discussed in the text, when purchasing a car, people end up paying a bit more attention than intended to choices such as color and engine size, and a bit less attention than intended on information such as the chances of fatalities should there be an accident with the car. This pattern can be taken as evidence for ____.
A) the status quo bias
B) the certainty effect
C) risk aversion
D) the Zeigarnik effect
Q4) When making decisions, people often focus too much on the ________________ aspects of the decision and too little on the ________________ aspects of the decision.
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Chapter 5: Social Cognition
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183 Verified Questions
183 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Theory perseverance is the idea that ____.
A) once the mind draws a conclusion, it tends to stick with it, even if evidence points to the need for a change
B) theories in science will only persevere as long as evidence supports them
C) social conformity plays the biggest role in the success of a theory
D) the most consistent theory will naturally weed out weaker theories
Q2) Jules and Jim are reading a book review about a book that both of them have read. Jules hated the book, and seems to feel that the reviewer also hated it. Meanwhile, Jim thought the book was witty and provocative, and he seems to think that the reviewer shares HIS views. It seems as though both Jules and Jim are "seeing" different things when reading the book review. That is, both of them seem to be engaging in the ____.
A) confirmation bias
B) self-fulfilling prophecy
C) false consensus effect
D) illusory correlation
Q3) The term ________________ was coined to refer to people's general unwillingness to do much extra conscious thinking (i.e., people's mental "laziness").
Q4) Describe how one might reduce cognitive errors in processing social information.
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Page 7
Chapter 6: Emotion and Affect
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198 Verified Questions
198 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) While guilt might say, ____, shame would say, ____.
A) "I did a bad thing", "I am a bad person"
B) "I am a bad person", "I did a bad thing"
C) "I hate myself", "other people hate me"
D) "other people hate me", "I hate myself"
Q2) Affective reactions differ from emotions in a number of ways. For example, affective reactions tend to ____.
A) occur more automatically
B) involve a stronger behavioral component
C) be more likely to relate to particular events
D) be more complex
Q3) Positive emotions tend to be associated with ____.
A) challenging life events
B) low emotional intelligence
C) forming a social bond with someone else
D) breaking a social bond with someone else
Q4) While most of the time the emotion of anger appears to be destructive and antisocial, there is a case to be made that anger can be helpful to oneself and others. Explain.
Q5) Emotions are inner processes that help promote ________________ relations.
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Attitudes, Beliefs and Consistency
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185 Verified Questions
185 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In 1959, Festinger and Carlsmith conducted a classic experiment in which they asked participants to tell a lie (about how interesting a very boring study was). The researchers paid participants either $1 or $20 to tell this lie. The same participants were then asked how interesting they really thought the study was. What did the researchers find?
A) There was no difference between those paid $1 and those paid $20; both said that the (very boring) study was indeed boring.
B) There was no difference between those paid $1 and those paid $20; both said that the (very boring) study was in fact very interesting.
C) Compared to those paid $1, those paid $20 rated the study as much more interesting.
D) Compared to those paid $20, those paid $1 rated the study as much more interesting.
Q2) The so-called "A-B problem" refers to the fact that people's stated attitudes are often inconsistent with their behaviors.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Explain the conditions under which the mere exposure effect holds true.
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Chapter 8: Social Influence and Persuasion
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183 Verified Questions
183 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Two types of situations tend to produce informational influence: ____.
A) ambiguous situations and situations where people seek social approval
B) ambiguous situations and crisis situations
C) non-ambiguous (clear-cut) situations and situations where people seek social approval
D) non-ambiguous (clear-cut) situations and crisis situations
Q2) Mark has been attending a religious study with friends from his dorm. He really likes these people, although he thinks that their interpretation of the sacred text is dead wrong. Yet in the meetings, he tends to agree with them to avoid conflict because he enjoys their friendship so much. Mark is most likely experiencing ____.
A) private acceptance
B) public compliance
C) persuasion
D) repetition with variation
Q3) The low-ball technique does NOT appear to actually be effective in influencing people or changing their behavior.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The labeling technique is based on ________________ principles.
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Chapter 9: Prosocial Behavior: Doing Whats Best for Others
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185 Verified Questions
185 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Research indicates that male and female helping behavior in the "spring break" situation is ____.
A) rare, but can happen
B) unlikely to occur
C) highly similar in purpose
D) highly dissimilar in purpose
Q2) People who forgive others tend to have ____.
A) better physical and mental health than people who hold grudges
B) better mental health, but about the same physical health, compared to grudge holders
C) better physical health, but about the same mental health, compared to grudge holders
D) better mental health, but worse physical health, compared to grudge holders
Q3) In the prisoner's dilemma game, if you reciprocate your opponent's previous choice in each decision you make, you are employing the ________________ strategy.
Q4) The first step to helping behavior is overcoming pluralistic ignorance.
A)True
B)False
Q5) ________________ is going along with the crowd.
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Chapter 10: Aggression and Antisocial Behavior
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187 Verified Questions
187 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Research on the weapons effect shows that this effect occurs ____.
A) via social learning
B) through a nonconscious, automatic process
C) for men but not women
D) only for people who are already angry
Q2) Albert Bandura's "Bobo doll" research provided support for ____.
A) the idea of catharsis
B) the frustration-aggression hypothesis
C) social learning theory
D) the idea of displaced aggression
Q3) Social psychologists sometimes use the Indonesian term ____________________ to refer to the idea of becoming wildly and uncontrollably violent and destructive, or "going berserk."
Q4) ____________________ norms are norms that specify what others approve of or disapprove of.
Q5) What distinguishes bullying from other acts of aggression?
A) It is physical in nature.
B) It is social in nature.
C) It is persistent.
D) It is short-lived.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Interpersonal Attraction and Rejection
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198 Verified Questions
198 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What makes people most reluctant to live alone?
A) The desire for social status
B) The drive for sex
C) The fear of uncertainty
D) The need to belong
Q2) Among men, which of the following is least associated with high levels of testosterone?
A) Unstable marriage
B) Disinterest in staying at home and caring for children
C) High sex drive
D) High incidence of depression
Q3) The so-called "bad apple" effect refers to the idea that ____.
A) people who are socially rejected by others tend, as a result, to become increasingly deviant and nonconformist
B) groups that consist of about twelve or more people tend to include at least one person who is a "rule-breaker"
C) people who are deviant in one situation or at one time tend to be deviant in other situations and at other times as well
D) one person who breaks the rules can inspire others to break the rules
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Close Relationships: Passion, Intimacy, and Sexuality
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188 Verified Questions
188 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) As described in the textbook, Daryl Bem's notion of "exotic becomes erotic" ____. A) has been largely supported by research B) is very interesting, though there is no empirical evidence for some of its key tenets C) is extremely controversial D) has been largely discredited
Q2) Jack brought his wife flowers. She thinks, "Oh, great! What has he screwed up now?" Jack later left his underwear on the floor and his wife thought, "Geez, isn't that just typical of him. He is so lazy!" Jack's wife has a(n) ________________ style of attribution.
Q3) Research suggests that, compared to people who never get married, people who marry ____.
A) live longer
B) live about the same amount of time
C) do not live as long
D) live longer if they are male, but do not live as long if they are female
Q4) Regarding yourself as a good person "as is" is known as ________________.
Q5) Describe how both personal and situational characteristics influence one's experience of jealousy.
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Chapter 13: Prejudice and Intergroup Relations
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186 Verified Questions
186 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Researchers dropped 100 unsealed envelopes containing money around the campus of a Swedish university. Half the letters were addressed to a person with a common Swedish surname (A. Andersson), whereas the other half of the letters were addressed to a person with a common Muslim surname (A. Abdullah). The researchers found that
A) more than half of the envelopes with a Swedish surname were returned while slightly over one-third of those with a Muslim surname were
B) nearly all of the envelopes were returned, regardless of the surname
C) almost none of the envelopes were returned, regardless of the surname
D) nearly all of the envelopes with a Swedish surname were returned, while slightly over half of those with a Muslim surname were
Q2) Loretta is a Native American female. Which of the following is the BEST example of someone who is an outgroup member to Loretta?
A) Joanie, a Cherokee female
B) Maureen, a Seminole female
C) Skye, a Navajo female
D) Liana, an Asian-American female
Q3) To what degree are stereotypes accurate?
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Page 15
Chapter 14: Groups
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193 Verified Questions
193 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Research suggests that greater power makes people ____.
A) rely more on the automatic processing system
B) rely more on the controlled processing system
C) conform more
D) be more rigid in their thinking
Q2) Which type of diversity seems to benefit groups the most?
A) sex
B) age
C) skills
D) race
Q3) More powerful people plan ____ work on weekdays and ____ leisure on weekends than less powerful people.
A) less; more
B) more; less
C) less; less
D) more; more
Q4) The idea that one social loafer can cause others to loaf as well is known as the ____________________.
Q5) In general, how does the presence of an audience affect task performance?
Page 16
Q6) What are the qualities of leaders that are "toxic" for their followers?
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Chapter 15: Applying Social Psychology to Consumer Behavior
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29 Verified Questions
29 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) When consumers experience loud music, in-store crowding, or other shopping stressors, they tend to ____.
A) enact their dominant response
B) enact their non-dominant response
C) purchase more
D) purchase less
Q2) When people are shopping, crowding tends to ____.
A) intensify whatever experience we are having at the time
B) make the shopping experience more negative
C) increase purchasing
D) decrease purchasing
Q3) The use of software to empirically analyze online conversations to constantly monitor how consumers feel about brands is called _____.
A) sentiment analysis
B) e-commerce
C) social currency
D) data mining
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Page 17
Chapter 16: Applying Social Psychology to Health
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Sample Questions
Q1) Edward has a really difficult co-worker. They are constantly in conflict over how to use the limited resources in the office. Edward offers to take the co-worker out to lunch and over lunch, they discuss how they can manage their respective needs for the office resources with less conflict. Edward has used ____ coping.
A) avoidant
B) emotion-focused
C) problem-focused
D) precontemplative
Q2) When male rats are under stress, they react with the fight-or-flight response. Female rats, on the other hand, may react with ____.
A) the might-or-right syndrome
B) the tend-and-befriend response
C) flight only
D) a tendency to hide
Q3) How does stress relate to homeostasis?
A) Stress is the upsetting of homeostasis.
B) Stress is the exacerbation, or worsening, of homeostasis.
C) Stress leads to homeostasis.
D) Stress is caused by homeostasis.
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Page 18
Chapter 17: Applying Social Psychology to the Workplace
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37 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) When should an employee be given a copy of the performance appraisal form that will be used in performance reviews?
A) first day of the job
B) three months into the job
C) six months into the job
D) one year into the job
Q2) Which kind of mentoring will produce the best outcome?
A) Assign mentors to people on a required formal rotation when they start a designated role.
B) Ensure that roles and rules are differentiated and established ahead of time.
C) Assign mentors with a time cap on sessions to maintain productivity.
D) Encourage veteran employees to mentor new employees, but do not formally assign mentor roles.
Q3) Women who work longer hours tend to eat ____ snacks than men who work the same number of hours.
A) more high fat and high sugar
B) more high fat but fewer high sugar
C) more high sugar but fewer high fat
D) less high fat and high sugar
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Page 19
Chapter 18: Applying Social Psychology to the Law
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34 Verified Questions
34 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Delaying a trial is known as a(n) ____.
A) change of venue
B) continuance
C) foil
D) blank lineup
Q2) In a target-absent lineup, it is impossible for an eyewitness to make an identification decision that qualifies as a(n) ____.
A) correct identification
B) correct rejection
C) incorrect rejection
D) incorrect identification
Q3) A request made by an attorney that a potential juror be removed from the jury panel because he or she is clearly biased and will be unable to hear the case fairly is called a(n) ____.
A) challenge for cause
B) implicit challenge
C) peremptory challenge
D) challenge for bias
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Chapter 19: Applying Social Psychology to the Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) A high-context culture is ____ than a low-context culture.
A) more territorial
B) less territorial
C) less tied to nature
D) more concerned about security
Q2) Which of the following is an example of a secondary territory?
A) Your bedroom
B) The seat you always sit in during English class
C) A seat at a movie theater
D) A public library
Q3) In the study about how to encourage hotel guests to reuse their towels thereby promoting conservation, which type of message was the most effective?
A) one that simply provided a general environmental focus
B) one that invited guests to "partner" with the hotel to protect the environment
C) one that invoked the norm of reciprocity by noting that the hotel was doing its part to protect the environment and inviting the guest to do his or her part
D) one that clearly portrayed environmental damage with photos of decimated landscape
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