Social Studies - Novelty Seeking

What is neophilia?

• Novelty-aversion

• A result of the Diderot effect

• A genetic trait

• Novelty-seeking

A portion of the brain known as the thalamic pulvinar may be a predictor of novelty-seeking behavior, depending on the gray matter density of this region. People with a denser thalamic pulvinar will have...

• Higher novelty-seeking tendancies

• Lower novelty-seeking tendancies

• Either higher or lower novelty-seeking tendancies

• Neither higher nor lower novelty-seeking tendancies

Who was the hypothesiser of the Diderot Effect?

• Denis Diderot

• Cyrus Diderot

• Nikolas Diderot

• Louis Diderot

What was Mr Diderot's first purchase, that descended into a spending spree and led to his hypothesis on 'the Diderot Effect'?

• A new car

• A red silk robe

• An ornate flower vase

• A toy for his daughter

If you encounter someone who describes themselves as a neophiliac, what can you most reliably deduce about them?

• They constantly crave something new

• They're more likely to jump on the bandwagon

• They collect memorabilia

• They tend to match their purchases with each other

Which pair of purchases is an example of the Diderot effect?

• Yellow clothes and blue shoes

• Running shoes and a treadmill

• An expensive phone and a cheap drink

• A new model and an older version of that toy

What other word best describes the Bandwagon Effect?

• Popularity

• Obsolescence

• Recency

• Conformity

Which political figure attempted (poorly) to use a videogame fad to boost their public support?

• Hillary Clinton

• Donald Trump

• Boris Johnson

• Angela Merkel

The idea of planned obsolescence most likely originated from a...

• Group of weapons designers

• Silicon Valley tech start-up

• Conglomerate of lightbulb companies

• Government policy making group

 If your teacher suddenly protested the use of “lit” in the modern sense, what would you most likely say in response?

• “That’s just the way the times are, it’ll change with our children”

• "No need to make a big fuss, it’s just one new meaning’

• “Semantic Drift is natural these days and isn’t a big problem”

• “Get with the spirit of the age!”