Archive for March 2017

According to your text, which of the following makes us most human?

According to your text, which of the following makes us most human?




a. The size of our brain size relative to our body size
b. The fact that we walk upright
c. The fact that we communicate by talking
d. The degree to which our life is enmeshed with culture




Answer: D

Which of the following famous social psychological studies best illustrates the idea that humans tend to "put people first"?

Which of the following famous social psychological studies best illustrates the idea that humans tend to "put people first"?




a. Philip Zimbardo's "Stanford prison" research on the power of the situation in affecting human behavior
b. Stanley Milgram's "shocking" research on obedience to authority
c. Solomon Asch's "line judgment" research on conformity
d. Claude Steele's research on "stereotype threat"





Answer: C

Recall Solomon Asch's famous line-judging studies. In these studies, research subjects were asked to make judgments about unambiguous stimuli. They were asked to do this while in the presence of confederates who consistently gave incorrect responses. According to the textbook, one of the important conclusions to be drawn from Asch's research is that ____.

Recall Solomon Asch's famous line-judging studies. In these studies, research subjects were asked to make judgments about unambiguous stimuli. They were asked to do this while in the presence of confederates who consistently gave incorrect responses. According to the textbook, one of the important conclusions to be drawn from Asch's research is that ____.




a. people look to authority figures for information—rather than to the environment
b. people look to authority figures for information—rather than to one another
c. people look to the environment for information—rather than to one another
d. people look to one another for information—rather than to the environment



Answer: D

Compared to other animals' sensory organs, humans' sensory organs are especially good at ____.

Compared to other animals' sensory organs, humans' sensory organs are especially good at ____.




a. noticing right away if there is a person in the distance, even if that person is very far away
b. distinguishing the faces of two very similar-looking people
c. hearing sounds that are very high or low frequency
d. remembering sensory information






Answer: B

In describing general patterns in human nature, the textbook discusses the notion of "putting people first." This is the idea that most of the time, ____.

In describing general patterns in human nature, the textbook discusses the notion of "putting people first." This is the idea that most of the time, ____.




a. people act in an altruistic (charitable) way toward others
b. people act in a self-interested way
c. people look to other people (rather than the environment) for information
d. people have more respect for other people than they do for themselves






Answer: C

Suppose that you were trying to find of a good place to eat. Research suggests that if you were a dog, you would ____, but that if you were a human you would ____.

Suppose that you were trying to find of a good place to eat. Research suggests that if you were a dog, you would ____, but that if you were a human you would ____.



a. look to the environment (e.g., walk around and try to find something good); look to other humans (e.g., ask a friend)
b. look to the environment (e.g., walk around and try to find something good); also look to the environment
c. look to other dogs (e.g., look to see what other dogs were up to); look to other humans (e.g., ask a friend)
d. look to other dogs (e.g., look to see what other dogs were up to); look to the environment (e.g., drive around and try to find something good)




Answer: A

Olivia is thinking about applying to law school, but doesn't have a good feeling for how much she would enjoy it and whether law would be the right career path for her. If she is like most people, she will be most likely to start exploring the idea of law school by ____.

Olivia is thinking about applying to law school, but doesn't have a good feeling for how much she would enjoy it and whether law would be the right career path for her. If she is like most people, she will be most likely to start exploring the idea of law school by ____.



a. observing other law students or lawyers, to see whether she can identify with them, or see herself in their shoes
b. reflecting upon personal experiences she has had that might be relevant to law school (e.g., the time she spent on the debate team in high school), and thinking about how much she got out of those experiences
c. talking to friends, family, and fellow students to solicit their input and advice
d. going online or to the library and looking at hard core demographic statistics, to see whether she fits the "right" demographic profile





Answer: C

If Barack Obama is like most politicians, then he probably ____.

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

Politicians frequently face the trade-off of ____ to help assure that they will get elected versus ____ and possibly jeopardizing their chances of getting reelected.

Politicians frequently face the trade-off of ____ to help assure that they will get elected versus ____ and possibly jeopardizing their chances of getting reelected.



a. oversimplifying issues; being honest about the complexity of issues
b. being honest about the complexity of issues; oversimplifying issues
c. acting based on the automatic system; acting based on the conscious system
d. acting based on the conscious system; acting based on the automatic system





Answer: A

In speeches about political policies, politicians tend to ____.

In speeches about political policies, politicians tend to ____.




a. grossly overemphasize trade-offs when they are running for office.
b. ignore trade-offs when they are running for office.
c. grossly overemphasize trade-offs once they are in office.
d. ignore trade-offs once they are in office.






Answer: B

Do politicians acknowledge the trade-offs that are inherent to political decisions?

Do politicians acknowledge the trade-offs that are inherent to political decisions?




a. No; politicians appear to be unaware of these trade-offs.
b. Yes; politicians appear to hyper-aware of trade-offs, and acknowledge them much more than the average person.
c. Politicians tend to be upfront about these trade-offs when running for office, but generally fail to acknowledge trade-offs once they are in office.
d. Politicians tend to downplay or ignore trade-offs when running for office, though they seem to acknowledge trade-offs once they are in office.






Answer: D

When faced with a time trade-off, nature tends to ____.

When faced with a time trade-off, nature tends to ____.




a. care more about the present than the future
b. care more about the past than the present
c. care more about the past than the future
d. care more about the future than the present






Answer: A

For most people, going to college requires sacrificing immediate comforts and pleasures for the sake of a better future life. That is, for most people, college is ____.

For most people, going to college requires sacrificing immediate comforts and pleasures for the sake of a better future life. That is, for most people, college is ____.




a. an exercise in delay of gratification
b. a way to avoid natural selection
c. an example of how the automatic mind supersedes the conscious mind
d. an example of "peace versus war" psychology




Answer: A

Dr. Snooky is administering a psychological test to a group of children. She is offering them one cookie now, or three cookies if they can wait 20 minutes. Dr. Snooky is probably testing the children's' ____.

Dr. Snooky is administering a psychological test to a group of children. She is offering them one cookie now, or three cookies if they can wait 20 minutes. Dr. Snooky is probably testing the children's' ____.



a. locus of control
b. delay of gratification
c. self-monitoring
d. possible selves






Answer: B

When researchers have studied delay of gratification using simple tasks with food rewards, they have found that chimpanzees are _____.

When researchers have studied delay of gratification using simple tasks with food rewards, they have found that chimpanzees are _____.




a. far better at it than humans
b. far worse at it than humans
c. about the same at it as humans
d. about the same at it as humans, though they are more capable than humans of improving their ability to delay gratification






Answer: B

In general, one could accurately say that humans have evolved to ____.

In general, one could accurately say that humans have evolved to ____.



a. be selfish rather than to care about other people
b. care about their families more than they care about themselves
c. care about their large social networks just as much as they care about their families
d. care about themselves more than others—though only in life-or-death situations






Answer: A

In general, social psychologists believe that natural selection happens ____

In general, social psychologists believe that natural selection happens ____




a. at a group level rather than an individual level.
b. at an individual level rather than a group level.
c. at a cultural level rather than a group level.
d. at a group level rather than a cultural level.





Answer: B

The notion of "group selection" has mostly been ____.

The notion of "group selection" has mostly been ____.



a. accepted by biologists
b. accepted by some biologists and rejected by others
c. debated, but not resolved
d. rejected by biologists






Answer: D

In general, ____ psychologists believe that natural selection happens at the individual level. And in general, ____ psychologists believe that it can happen at the group level as well.

In general, ____ psychologists believe that natural selection happens at the individual level. And in general, ____ psychologists believe that it can happen at the group level as well.




a. virtually all; a few
b. virtually all; zero
c. a few; a few
d. a few; zero






Answer: A

Humans most likely evolved the capacity for interpersonal affection and love ____.

Humans most likely evolved the capacity for interpersonal affection and love ____.




a. because these traits improved their ability to find meaning in life
b. because these traits made life more enjoyable
c. simply as a byproduct of other evolved traits
d. because these traits improved their ability to connect with one another






Answer: D

Research suggests that humans evolved relatively large brains in order to

Research suggests that humans evolved relatively large brains in order to




a. increase their capacity for complex interpersonal relationships.
b. allow them to more effectively navigate complicated terrain.
c. allow them to outsmart predators.
d. allow them to develop language.





Answer: A

Research suggests that humans evolved large brains not to better understand the environment around them, but rather to increase the capability for interpersonal relations. This idea is known as ____

Research suggests that humans evolved large brains not to better understand the environment around them, but rather to increase the capability for interpersonal relations. This idea is known as ____




a. social brain theory.
b. relational cortex theory.
c. the interpersonal brain hypothesis.
d. the relational brain hypothesis.






Answer: A

What do people have to do to obtain social acceptance?

What do people have to do to obtain social acceptance?



a. Have generally good etiquette.
b. Be themselves, first and firstmost.
c. Comply with the laws and regulations of society.
d. Fit the social requirements of their specific culture and era.




Answer: D

Compared to animals such as birds, humans have ____.

Compared to animals such as birds, humans have ____.



a. to figure out what others in their species prefer and expect of them
b. straightforward rules on how to find a mate
c. to struggle more to find sustenance
d. a simpler time finding a place to live among others





Answer: A

If a stranger provoked you by saying something to you that was highly offensive, and you experienced a strong, immediate urge to get violent with the stranger. What would the origin of the impulse most likely be?

If a stranger provoked you by saying something to you that was highly offensive, and you experienced a strong, immediate urge to get violent with the stranger. What would the origin of the impulse most likely be?



a. The automatic system, because it is a "gut reactor"
b. The automatic system, because it is guided by intention
c. The deliberate system, because the person who provoked her was a stranger
d. The deliberate system, because the stranger's provocation was verbal




Answer: A
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