Social Psychology

A qualified woman keeps getting passed over for top leadership positions despite strong performance reviews. This illustrates:

• Glass cliff

• Tokenism

• Glass ceiling

• Subtyping

Answer explanation

The situation illustrates the glass ceiling, which refers to the invisible barriers that prevent women and minorities from advancing to top leadership positions, despite their qualifications and strong performance.

A student says, “Our college debate team is smarter and harder working than the rival team.” This demonstrates:

• Social learning

• Ingroup favoritism

• Realistic conflict theory

• Scapegoating

Answer explanation

The student's statement reflects ingroup favoritism, as they are expressing a preference for their own debate team over the rival team, highlighting perceived superiority in intelligence and effort.

People claim that a successful Black scientist is an “exception” and does not represent the rest of their group. This reflects:

• Subtyping

• Tokenism

• Social learning

• Glass cliff

Answer explanation

The claim that a successful Black scientist is an 'exception' reflects subtyping, where individuals are seen as atypical and do not represent their group, reinforcing stereotypes rather than acknowledging broader representation.

A female politician is appointed as party leader during an election crisis, knowing chances of losing are high. This is:

• Glass cliff

• Glass ceiling

• Tokenism

• Subtyping

Answer explanation

The scenario describes a 'glass cliff,' where a woman is appointed to a leadership role during a crisis, often facing higher risks of failure. This term highlights the precarious positions women may be placed in within leadership.

Kelley’s Covariation Model states that people use three types of information when making causal attributions. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

• Consensus (Do others behave the same way?)

• Conformity (Does the person follow group norms?)

• Distinctiveness (Does the person behave this way in other situations?)

• Consistency (Does the person behave this way over time?)

Answer explanation

Kelley’s model focuses on consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness — conformity is not part of the model.

A father tells his son, “Real men don’t cry,” and the son grows up avoiding emotional expression. This stereotype origin reflects:

• Realistic conflict theory

• Scapegoating

• Social learning

• Ingroup favoritism

Answer explanation

The father's statement reflects social learning, as the son internalizes the belief that expressing emotions is not masculine, shaping his behavior based on observed norms rather than personal experience.

Members of two groups compete for limited government funding, and prejudice between them increases. This fits:

• Subtyping

• Realistic conflict theory

• Ingroup favoritism

• Scapegoating

Answer explanation

This scenario illustrates realistic conflict theory, which posits that competition for limited resources leads to increased prejudice and hostility between groups. The struggle for funding intensifies their rivalry.

A woman scientist is hired so the company can say, “We are diverse,” but she is excluded from important decisions. This reflects:

• Tokenism

• Glass ceiling

• Subtyping

• Stereotype threat

Answer explanation

The situation describes tokenism, where a woman scientist is hired to create an appearance of diversity but is excluded from key decisions, highlighting superficial inclusion without real empowerment.

Students from a stigmatized group perform worse on exams when reminded of stereotypes about their group’s academic abilities. This is:

• Prejudice

• Subtyping

• Stereotype threat

• Scapegoating

Answer explanation

This phenomenon is known as stereotype threat, where individuals from stigmatized groups underperform due to anxiety about confirming negative stereotypes related to their abilities.

A friend first asks you to lend them ₹1000. When you refuse, they immediately ask for ₹200 instead, which you agree to. Which compliance tactic is used?

• Foot-in-the-door

• Door-in-the-face

• That’s-not-all

• Scarcity

Answer explanation

The 'door-in-the-face' tactic involves making a large request (₹1000) that is likely to be refused, followed by a smaller request (₹200) that seems more reasonable. This strategy increases the likelihood of compliance.