Social Psychology Review

Attribution theory was designed to account for:

• the process of revealing intimate aspects of ourselves to others.

• the impact of both heredity and environment on social behavior.

• social facilitation and social loafing.

• how people explain others’ behavior.

Fritz Heider concluded that people tend to attribute others’ behavior either to their ____ or to their ____. 

• heredity; environment

• dispositions; situations

• biological motives; psychological motives

• cognitions; emotions

We have a tendency to explain the behavior of others in terms of ____ and to explain our own behavior in terms of ____. 

• personality traits; situational constraints

• informational influence; normative influence

• situational constraints; personality traits

• normative influence; informational influence

The fundamental attribution error is likely to lead observers to: 

• show sympathy toward those who are poor and unemployed.

• praise those who have engaged in acts of heroism.

• show mercy toward those who have committed criminal acts.

• do all of the above.

Poverty and unemployment are likely to be explained in terms of personal dispositions by ___ and in terms of situational influences by ___.

• the poor; the rich

• attribution theory; social exchange theory

• social psychologists;    evolutionary psychologists

• political conservatives; political liberals

The foot-in-the-door phenomenon refers to the tendency to:

• neglect critical thinking because of a strong desire for social harmony within a group.

• perform simple tasks more effectively in the presence of others.

• comply with a large request if one has previously complied with a small request.

• lose self-restraint in group  situations that foster anonymity.

Attitudes are ___ that guide behavior.

• norms and roles

• superordinate goals

• beliefs and feelings

• dispositional attributions

After she was promoted to a high-level executive position in a large company, Jody developed more pro-business political attitudes.  This best illustrates the impact of:

• deindividuation.

• social facilitation.

• mirror-image perceptions.

• role-playing.

We are most likely to experience cognitive dissonance if we feel ___ sense of responsibility for engaging in behaviors of which we personally ___.

• a great; disapprove

• little; disapprove

• little; approve

• a great; approve

Kim is tempted to shoplift a gold necklace even though she has negative feelings about shoplifting.  She is least likely to steal the merchandise if:

• she is suffering the effects of deindividuation. 

• she is highly aware of her negative feelings about shoplifting.

• her negative feelings about stealing were developed in early childhood.

• she has recently shoplifted.