Social Test - Conformity, Compliance And Obedience

CONFORMITY, COMPLIANCE AND OBEDIENCE MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. Which of the following is not an example of social influence? a. A sports fan who decides to join the other members of the stadium crowd in doing the wave. b. A student who hears that some of his fellow classmates may have been exposed to a noxious gas and immediately comes to feel a bit nauseated himself. c. A model who catches a glimpse of herself wearing a swimsuit in a mirror and suddenly becomes self-conscious about the way she looks. d. A guest at a dinner party who does not understand a joke told by the host, but laughs anyway because everyone else is laughing. ANS: C 2. The ways in which people are affected by the real or imagined presence of others is called a. social influence. b. psychological reactance. c. pluralistic ignorance. d. the autokinetic effect. ANS: A 3. Which of the following is not considered one of the three forms of social influence discussed in this chapter? a. Conformity b. Compliance c. Obedience d. Independence ANS: D 4. The tendency to unconsciously mimic the nonverbal behaviour of others is called a. reciprocation wariness. b. pluralistic ignorance. c. the ally effect. d. the chameleon effect. ANS: D 5. Chartrand and Bargh (1999) had experimental accomplices mimic the mannerisms of some participants but not others. They found a. participants whose mannerisms were mimicked liked the accomplice more than participants who were not copied. b. participants whose mannerisms were copied by an accomplice reported being more uncomfortable during the interaction than those who were not mimicked. c. imitating the mannerisms of the participants tended to reduce the nonverbal behaviours exhibited during the interaction. d. participants who were not mimicked by their interaction partners indicated a greater willingness to interact with that person again in the future. ANS: A 6. At the sales meeting, Leo clasped his hands behind his head and reclined in his chair. Within minutes, three other team members were sitting in the same posture, demonstrating the psychological tendency referred to as a. psychological reactance. b. the chameleon effect. c. low-balling. d. idiosyncrasy credits. ANS: B 7. Frank gets a bit anxious in social situations and tends to scratch his nose when he speaks. Toward which of the following people is he most likely to feel positively? a. Felicia, who mimics Frank’s behaviour and scratches her nose while they speak. b. Fletcher, who stares quizzically at Frank every time he scratches his nose. c. Florence, who averts her gaze and stares at the floor every time Frank scratches his nose. d. Faisal, who appears quite at ease with Frank’s behaviour and reaches out several times to scratch Frank’s nose for him. ANS: A 8. Which of the following has not been demonstrated by research on mimicry? a. Within a few days of birth, infants mimic the facial expressions of adults. b. Various species of non-human animals demonstrate rudimentary forms of mimicry. c. People often mimic the facial expressions of others, but never mimic their overt behaviours. d. People sometimes mimic facial expressions of which they are not even consciously aware. ANS: C 9. Ireland and Pennebaker (2010) found evidence for a. mood contagion.0 b. mimicry in use of language. c. destructive obedience. d. the dynamic nature of mimicry. ANS: B 10. According to research by Emily Pronin and others (2007), which of the following explains why people perceive others to be more conforming than themselves? a. People are poor judges of others’ motivations. b. People tend to judge others by their overt behaviour while judging themselves by focusing inward. c. People judge themselves in the same way that they judge others. d. People judge others by asking them about their inner thought processes. ANS: B 11. In comparison to obedience and compliance, conformity a. involves less direct pressure from others. b. occurs only in response to the behaviour of a group of others. c. requires the physical presence of at least one other person. d. is more likely to produce destructive behaviours. ANS: A 12. A half-dozen high school students are going to a concert. Chantal wants to wear a new colourful outfit that she just received as a gift, but she assumes that her five friends will all be wearing nothing but black leather. Chantal decides to do likewise, and leaves her colourful outfit in the closet. Chantal’s behaviour is an example of a. reciprocation wariness. b. idiosyncrasy credits. c. resistance. d. conformity. ANS: D 13. The tendency to alter perceptions, opinions and behaviour in ways that are consistent with group norms is called a. psychological reactance. b. compliance. c. obedience. d. conformity. ANS: D 14. Sherif (1936) asked groups of participants to estimate the distance moved by a point of light. He found that a. participants were more accurate when they were alone than when they were in groups. b. participants were more accurate in groups than when they were alone. c. as the study progressed, the participants’ estimates began to converge with each other. d. as the study progressed, the participants’ estimates began to diverge from each other. ANS: C 15. You’re out with friends when a talk show host walks up and asks if you’ll answer a few trivia questions on camera. When he asks how many feet are in a mile, your first friend says 2 000 and your second friend says 3 000. You don’t know the correct answer, so you say 2 500. Your response is similar to the judgments made by participants in which study? a. Langer et al. (1978) b. Sherif (1936) c. Asch (1951) d. Two of these are correct ANS: B 16. Sherif’s (1936) research using the autokinetic effect demonstrated that a. people often look to others as a source of information. b. people are particularly concerned about social rejection. c. conformity is difficult to establish in the laboratory. d. only those with whom one has an existing relationship have the power to influence behaviour. ANS: A 17. Many participants in the social influence study conducted by ______ gave public responses that they privately knew to be inaccurate. a. Sherif b. Asch c. Milgram d. Zimbardo ANS: B 18. The primary difference between the research of Sherif (1936) and Asch (1951) is that a. Sherif was able to demonstrate conformity, whereas Asch was not. b. Asch was able to demonstrate conformity, whereas Sherif was not. c. Sherif relied on an ambiguous task, whereas Asch used an unambiguous task. d. Asch relied on an ambiguous task, whereas Sherif used an unambiguous task. ANS: C 19. Participants in Asch’s line judgment study conformed approximately _____ of the time. a. 25% b. 37% c. 50% d. 100% ANS: B 20. Research on social influence in virtual groups shows that a. virtual groups are much less influential than ‘live’ groups. b. virtual groups only have impact when member identities are known. c. virtual groups only have impact when member identities are hidden. d. virtual groups can be quite influential even when they are remote. ANS: D 21. Informational influence occurs primarily because people a. believe that others are correct in their judgments. b. fear the negative social consequences of appearing deviant. c. are motivated to appear consistent in their feelings and behaviours. d. respond to social norms automatically and without any thought. ANS: A 22. Normative influence tends to occur primarily when people a. are uncertain regarding the correct answer to a question and therefore look to others for guidance. b. fear the negative social consequences of appearing deviant. c. are motivated to appear consistent in their feelings and behaviours. d. feel that their freedom to choose a particular course of action has been threatened. ANS: B 23. The conformity seen in Sherif’s (1936) study was most likely the result of a. normative influence. b. private conformity. c. public conformity. d. informational influence. ANS: D 24. Imagine that some researchers conducted a study and interpreted the results of the study as indicative of normative influence. These researchers are most likely to reach this conclusion if participants in their study a. were truly convinced that the majority was correct in their opinions. b. behaved in a way that would be considered normal to people in Western cultures. c. did what they felt was morally right, even if it violated social norms in the process. d. conformed because they feared the social consequences of appearing deviant. ANS: D 25. No one else seems concerned about the welfare of the woman lying down in the alley. Therefore, Maureen steps over her as well, figuring that she is simply drunk or asleep and not in need of emergency assistance. Maureen’s behaviour is an example of a. informational social influence. b. normative social influence. c. compliance. d. obedience. ANS: A 26. Which of the following is the best example of normative influence? a. When patients adhere rigidly to doctors’ recommendations. b. When people estimate how far a stable dot has moved by referring to others’ estimates. c. When people wear a particular type of shoe because it is considered fashionable even though it is uncomfortable. d. When military personnel follow a superior’s orders that are morally questionable. ANS: C 27. Will and Grace have just started to attend church. Will pays attention to when the rest of the congregation sits and stands because he wants to be sure to stand and sit at the appropriate times. Grace stands up and sits down when the rest of the congregation does because if she doesn’t, the elderly couple across the aisle scowls at her. Will has conformed because of _____, whereas Grace has conformed because of _____. a. normative influence; informational influence b. informational influence; normative influence c. compliance; obedience d. obedience; compliance ANS: B 28. Arnold wears suits every day to his job at the bank, but when he is at home in the evening and on weekends, he spends most of his time naked because that is what he finds most comfortable. Arnold’s daytime behaviour illustrates a. perceptual contrast. b. private conformity. c. conversion. d. public conformity. ANS: D 29. Though she initially attended the pro-choice rally because all her friends were going, Marion now firmly believes in a woman’s right to choose when it comes to abortion. Marion’s new beliefs illustrate a. private conformity. b. public conformity. c. reciprocation ideology. d. reciprocation wariness. ANS: A 30. Participants in an experiment are asked to look at pictures of different infants and rate the attractiveness of each infant on a 10-point scale. The participants are tested in groups of three and indicate their ratings aloud. For almost all of the infants, the participants tend to give ratings similar to other group members. We can be most certain that their ratings represent private conformity rather than public conformity if a. they exhibit much less conformity in the presence of the experimenter. b. they give the same ratings alone as they do in the group. c. their ratings result from their desire to fit in with the rest of the group members. d. they are not especially motivated to be accurate in their judgments. ANS: B 31. Normative influence tends to produce ____, whereas informational influence leads to ____. a. compliance; obedience b. conversion; compliance c. public conformity; private conformity d. pluralistic ignorance; pluralistic knowledge ANS: C 32. We can conclude that participants in Sherif’s study exhibited private conformity rather than public conformity because a. when retested without their fellow group members, participants reverted to their original estimates. b. they would report their group’s normative estimate when asked to respond aloud, but not when asked to respond in writing. c. they continued to use their group estimates when retested alone one year later. d. the task was too easy for people to demonstrate public conformity. ANS: C 33. Baron and colleagues (1996) found that participants’ levels of conformity depended on how motivated they were to do well. When offered a financial incentive, a. conformity went down when the task was difficult and up when the task was easy. b. conformity went up in both conditions. c. conformity went down in both conditions. d. conformity went up when the task was difficult and down when the task was easy. ANS: D 34. The experience of being ostracised has been found to be a. fleeting and relatively harmless. b. more disturbing for women than for men. c. similar in brain activation to the experience of physical pain. d. likely to lead to gun use and other forms of violence. ANS: C 35. The concepts of ostracism and conformity are related in that a. failure to conform can lead to ostracism. b. being ostracised typically reduces future conformity. c. ostracism always comes before conformity. d. when people do not conform, they typically tend to ostracise. ANS: A 36. Which of the following is not one of the emotions a person is likely to feel after being ostracised? a. Numbness b. Anger c. Sadness d. Embarrassment ANS: D 37. In a study by Baron et al. (1996) in which groups of three participants were asked to act as eyewitnesses, the greatest level of conformity occurred when participants were motivated to be _____ and the task was quite _____. a. accurate; easy b. accurate; difficult c. accepted by their partners; easy d. accepted by their partners; difficult ANS: B 38. Jay participates in an experiment where he and three other participants are asked to judge the quality of a series of sculptures. Jay is least likely to exhibit informational influence if a. each sculpture is shown for only a few seconds. b. he is motivated to be very accurate in his judgments. c. there are no objective criteria by which to make such judgments. d. there is a clear and unambiguous response for each sculpture. ANS: D 39. Horatio is asked what main dish was served for lunch at the cafeteria yesterday. He knows that it was roast beef, but before responding, he observes six other students who say the main dish was pizza. Horatio is most likely to say the main dish was pizza if he hears the response from a. the six other students in three pairs of two. b. all the students at once. c. the six students at six different times in six different places. d. the six other students in two pairs of three. ANS: C 40. As group size increases, conformity will a. increase. b. decrease. c. increase as long as each additional member of the group is perceived as an independent source of influence. d. decrease as long as each additional member of the group is perceived as an independent source of influence. ANS: C 41. With respect to the impact of group size on conformity, Asch found a. greater conformity with ten confederates than with five confederates. b. that conformity increases as an exponential function of group size. c. that one group of six confederates produced more conformity than two groups of three confederates. d. negligible increases in conformity after three or four confederates. ANS: D 42. Reuben notices one group of eight people littering in the park. Rachel sees four different pairs of people littering in the park. Which of the following is true? a. Reuben is more likely to conform to the behaviour of the litterbugs than is Rachel. b. Rachel is more likely to conform to the behaviour of the litterbugs than is Reuben. c. Reuben and Rachel are equally likely to conform to the behaviour of the litterbugs. d. Reuben is more likely to conform because of informational influence, but Rachel is more likely to conform because of normative influence. ANS: B 43. Prentice and Miller (1996) found that most college students overestimate how comfortable their peers are with alcohol on campus. This misperception is an example of a. pluralistic ignorance. b. psychological reactance. c. mass psychogenic illness. d. the chameleon effect. ANS: A 44. Research by Prentice and Miller (1996) found that college students are likely to have more positive attitudes toward drinking on campus and consume more alcohol if they a. attend colleges that strictly forbid drinking on campus. b. participate in workshops designed to increase their personal responsibility for drinking. c. overestimate the favourability of their peers’ attitudes toward drinking. d. believe such attitudes and behaviour are inconsistent with social norms. ANS: C 45. Cialdini et al. (1991) observed participants in a clean or cluttered parking garage and found that participants were most likely to litter when they observed a confederate a. litter in the cluttered garage. b. litter in the clean garage. c. place trash in the proper receptacle in a cluttered garage. d. place trash in the proper receptacle in a clean garage. ANS: A 46. Social norms are most likely to lead to conformity when they are a. behavioural. b. salient. c. complex. d. subtle. ANS: B 47. Mary has just heard five friends say that Massachusetts is the largest state in New England, when she knows it is Maine. Rob, the next friend in line, says that New Hampshire is the largest state in New England. In this situation, Mary is now less likely to conform with the first five friends than if Rob had said that a. Maine is the largest state. b. Massachusetts is the largest state. c. he isn’t familiar with New England. d. Vermont is the largest state. ANS: B 48. The fact that the presence of an ally, regardless of her competence, reduces conformity indicates that a. informational social influence typically wins out over normative social influence in the long run. b. it is exceedingly difficult to hold out against the pressure to conform without one supporter in the group. c. conformity does not occur for high-stakes decisions with important repercussions. d. men conform less in private than they do in public. ANS: B 49. Lily is interested in conducting an experiment to demonstrate that there are some situations in which men are more likely to conform than women. Which of the following strategies should Lily adopt in designing her study? a. She should have participants engage in a discussion about politics. b. She should have participants engage in a discussion about fashion. c. She should tell participants that they are being observed throughout the study. d. She should tell participants that their primary goal in the study should be to appear attractive toward group members of the opposite sex. ANS: B 50. Which of the following concerning the relationship between gender and conformity is true? a. Men exhibit greater conformity than women in face-to-face interactions. b. Men exhibit greater conformity than women regardless of the situation. c. Women exhibit greater conformity than men in face-to-face interactions. d. Women exhibit greater conformity than men regardless of the situation. ANS: C 51. Women conform more and men conform less when they believe they are being observed. Eagly (1987) argues that this occurs because a. being watched makes people self-aware, which brings out their underlying personalities. b. women are easier to manipulate, whereas men tend to be more independent. c. women and men tend to be knowledgeable about different kinds of topics. d. people feel greater pressure in public to behave in ways consistent with their gender role. ANS: D 52. Pat attends a pre-screening of a new romantic comedy with a group of four people and then participates in a focus group where the group is asked several questions about the film. The group is asked, ‘How funny is the film?’ Each member of the group responds to the question. Pat responds last, after hearing the rest of the group say that the movie was very funny. Pat is more likely to agree with them if a. Pat is female. b. Pat is from an individualistic culture. c. Pat is elderly. d. Pat’s group had seven people instead of four. ANS: A 53. Often overlooked in Asch’s conformity study is the fact that participants refused to conform _____ of the time. a. 25% b. 37% c. 63% d. 75% ANS: C 54. According to Moscovici, majorities derive their power to influence others by virtue of their _____, whereas minorities derive their power to influence others from their _____. a. social connections; sheer number b. informational connections; social standing c. sheer number; style of behaviour d. informational influence; normative influence ANS: C 55. Professor Hildebrand just gave back to his students their first exam. Many in the class are convinced that one of the questions he asked had more than one correct answer. In fact, 13 students from the class show up to his office hours to protest the question. Professor Hildebrand is convinced that there is only one correct answer, and so he tries to convince the larger group of students that he is right. He will be most likely to convince this group of his point of view if he a. presents his arguments forcefully and consistently. b. tries to exert normative social influence on the group of students. c. presents himself as an outgroup member rather than as part of their ingroup. d. makes salient the norms of the group. ANS: A 56. All of the following could explain why a consistent behavioural style increases minority influence except a. a consistent minority draws more attention to its position. b. a consistent minority puts increased pressure on the majority to compromise. c. the position advocated by a consistent minority is more likely to be perceived as valid. d. a consistent minority is more likely to exert normative social influence on the group. ANS: D 57. The ‘minority slowness effect’ refers to the finding that a. members of minority groups are often slow to change their minds during group discussion. b. it takes longer for minority group members to change the minds of majority group members than vice versa. c. people with minority opinions are slower to respond to questions about the topic than people with majority opinions. d. All of these ANS: C 58. Hiroko is usually very agreeable and goes along with his friends’ plans. Tonight, however, he tells his friends that even though they all want to go out for Mexican food, he has a strong preference for Italian food. Even though he is the only person who initially votes for Italian, Hiroko’s friends eventually come to agree with him because he usually does go along with the group. This best epitomises which of the following phenomena associated with minority influence? a. Consensus attribution b. Idiosyncrasy credits c. Door-in-the-face technique d. Graduated and reciprocated initiative in tension reduction (GRIT) ANS: B 59. The residents in Burberry Hill have convened to discuss whether to build a neighbourhood pool. The majority are in favour of building a pool. However, Miguel, a long-time resident, expresses his opposition. Which of the following is unlikely? a. The residents will think more carefully about the issue of building a pool because Miguel presented a dissenting opinion. b. Miguel’s status of being a long-time resident and its accompanying idiosyncrasy credits will help him influence the group. c. Miguel will not gain private conformity to his opinion, only public conformity. d. Miguel will be more influential if he repeatedly expresses his opposition as the group discusses the benefits of building a pool. ANS: C 60. Interpersonal credits a person earns by following group norms are called _____ credits. a. idiosyncrasy b. brownie c. group d. normative ANS: A 61. According to Hollander’s (1958) work on idiosyncrasy credits, which of the following people would be most effective in convincing a majority to change their opinion? a. A person who has just joined the group, because such a person has no history of antagonism with any of the majority group members. b. A person who does not belong to the group at all, because such a person would be perceived as the most objective. c. A person who has been in the group for quite a while, but consistently disagrees with the group. d. A person who has been in the group for a long time, and usually goes along with the majority of the group. ANS: D 62. The idea that minority influence works in the same way that majority influence does is most consistent with a. the interpersonal relations model. b. the dual-process approach. c. the single-process approach. d. research comparing private and public conformity. ANS: C 63. According to the dual-process approach to understanding minority influence, a. majority and minority influence occur for similar reasons and through similar psychological processes. b. group majorities and minorities exert their influence in very different ways. c. majority influence is likely to produce private conformity for ambiguous situations and public conformity for unambiguous situations. d. minority influence occurs through different psychological processes in collectivist versus individualistic cultures. ANS: B 64. According to the dual-process approach, majorities exert influence by producing _____, whereas minorities exert influence by producing _____. a. informational influence; normative influence b. public conformity; private conformity c. reactance; obedience d. conversion; compliance ANS: B 65. At a campaign meeting, the majority of the staff argues that they should use negative ads to attack their opponent. Despite their strong feelings on this matter, Stefan argues successfully for positive ads. According to the dual-process approach, Stefan’s influence has probably resulted in a. defiance. b. conversion. c. public conformity. d. collusion. ANS: B 66. Research on majority and minority influence suggests all of the following except a. majorities are more influential than minorities on subjective questions. b. majorities exert normative influence, whereas minorities exert informational influence. c. majorities are more influential than minorities on questions of fact. d. majority influence is greater on public measures of conformity, whereas minority influence is greater on private measures of conformity. ANS: A 67. According to work by Nemeth (1986), minority viewpoints a. can dramatically impair the functioning of a group. b. are valuable because they can improve the quality of the group’s decision making. c. are likely to make members of the majority more close-minded and defensive. d. can only effectively produce a change in the majority if supported by normative pressures. ANS: B 68. A cultural orientation in which independence, autonomy, and self-reliance take priority over group allegiances is called a. individualism. b. collectivism. c. power distance. d. uncertainty avoidance. ANS: A 69. Individualistic cultures tend to exhibit all of the following except a. greater complexity. b. greater affluence. c. greater cultural diversity. d. greater conformity. ANS: D 70. According to work by Triandis (1995), collectivist cultures are characterised by a pattern of a. low complexity, low affluence and cultural homogeneity. b. low complexity, high affluence and cultural heterogeneity. c. high complexity, low affluence and cultural homogeneity. d. high complexity, high affluence and cultural heterogeneity. ANS: A 71. Some researchers are planning to go around the world and put participants in a version of the Asch study in which they are asked to make judgments about the lengths of lines. Cross-cultural research suggests that the least amount of conformity should be observed in cultures a. characterised by financial independence and prosperity. b. where the majority of the people in positions of power are men. c. where the people live a simple life, as in an isolated farming community. d. with very little cultural diversity. ANS: A 72. Individuals from Eastern cultures are more likely than those from Western cultures to a. have an independent orientation. b. conform to a public norm. c. disobey an authority. d. possess greater heterogeneity. ANS: B 73. If American and Chinese children were placed in the same classroom, which of the following would probably be true? a. The American children would never demonstrate conformity, and the Chinese children would always conform. b. The American children would demonstrate less conformity than the Chinese children. c. The American children would demonstrate less private conformity, but more public conformity than the Chinese children. d. The two groups of children would conform to the same extent and degree. ANS: B 74. Psychologists tend to refer to a culture that values the virtues of interdependence and social harmony as a. conformist. b. collectivist. c. communist. d. cooperative. ANS: B 75. As compared to conformity, compliance occurs a. only after careful deliberation. b. in response to a direct request. c. publicly, but not privately. d. as a result of less direct pressure from others. ANS: B 76. Research has found that when people are presented with a request accompanied by a reason that does not offer a real justification for the request, they often respond a. with sceptical reactance. b. by asking for a more complete explanation. c. with surprise followed by caution. d. by complying mindlessly. ANS: D 77. Mara needs to borrow James’s pen and is pondering how to ask him. She considers three options – asking for the pen outright without any reasoning, telling him that she needs the pen ‘to write something’, or telling him that she needs it ‘to sign a letter’. Which of the following is true? a. James is more likely to comply with the outright request than the ‘letter’ plea. b. James is equally likely to comply with the ‘letter’ plea and the outright request. c. James is less likely to comply with the ‘write something’ plea than the outright request. d. James is equally likely to comply with the ‘letter’ plea and the ‘write something’ plea. ANS: D 78. The unspoken rule dictating that we should treat others as they have treated us is called the a. social impact theory. b. norm of reciprocity. c. dual-process approach. d. equity principle. ANS: B 79. In order to convince people to buy lunch from their restaurant in the food court, employees at the Chinese restaurant gave out free samples of chicken teriyaki to everyone who walks by. The restaurant employees are hoping to take advantage of the a. door-in-the-face technique. b. that’s-not-all technique. c. norm of reciprocity. d. chameleon effect. ANS: C 80. Jane bought her friends – Mayumi, Brenda and Kate – drinks the last time they were out. The next time she needs to borrow money from one of them, who will feel the strongest need to reciprocate Jane’s act of generosity? a. Mayumi, who is out with Jane the next night b. Kate, who is out with Jane the next week c. Brenda, who is out with Jane the next month d. All three will feel equally pressured to reciprocate ANS: A 81. People who are especially likely to exploit the norm of reciprocity for personal gain can be identified by questionnaires that measure their a. social impact. b. vulnerability to informational influence. c. idiosyncrasy credits. d. reciprocation ideology. ANS: D 82. Which person is considered a ‘creditor’ in terms of their reciprocation ideology? a. Bertram, who likes to be generous with his friends so they will help him in the future b. Caitlin, who hates to feel beholden to someone c. Marsha, who likes to be generous with her friends because it makes her feel good d. Boyd, who is stingy with his friends because he believes in self-reliance ANS: A 83. A person high in reciprocation wariness would most likely endorse which of the following items? a. If someone does you a favour, it is good to repay that favour. b. Asking for someone’s help gives that person power over your life. c. Never lend money to a friend. d. Generosity is always appropriate. ANS: B 84. A person from a collectivist culture is _____ to accept a free sample of food in a supermarket. a. more likely than a person from an individualist culture b. less likely than a person from an individualist culture c. equally likely as a person from an individualist culture d. more likely than a person from an Western, but not Eastern, culture ANS: B 85. The compliance technique in which compliance to a desired request is increased by first gaining compliance to a smaller, but related, request is called a. low-balling. b. the that’s-not-all technique. c. the foot-in-the-door technique. d. the door-in-the-face technique. ANS: C 86. The foot-in-the-door technique takes particular advantage of the a. desire to maintain consistent self-perceptions. b. norm of reciprocity. c. effect of mindlessness. d. perceived contrast between small and large requests. ANS: A 87. As he was about to enter the mall, Evan was approached by someone and asked to wear a small green ribbon on his shirt to show his support for the ‘Save the Koalas’ campaign. Evan wasn’t quite sure that koalas were actually endangered, but he agreed to wear the ribbon. A week later, Evan was approached again and asked to contribute $10 to help save the koalas. Though he would have rather spent his money elsewhere, he agreed. Evan has been the victim of a. low-balling. b. the foot-in-the-door technique. c. the door-in-the-face technique. d. the that’s-not-all technique. ANS: B 88. The technique of getting a commitment from a potential customer and then changing the terms of the agreement is best described as a. reciprocal concession. b. cognitive dissonance. c. the foot-in-the-door technique. d. low-balling. ANS: D 89. Clara calls potential research participants and asks if they would be willing to give blood. Once they have agreed to donate blood, she informs them that their donation is scheduled at 7:00 in the morning on a Saturday. Though most participants are not happy to hear this information, almost all of them do show up for the blood donation appointment. Clara has taken advantage of a. low-balling. b. the foot-in-the-door technique. c. the door-in-the-face technique. d. psychological reactance. ANS: A 90. The effectiveness of low-balling seemed to be based on the psychology of a. ostracism. b. commitment. c. reciprocity. d. social impact. ANS: B 91. Jamie wants an extra day to write a paper for class. Jamie first asks the professor for a one-week extension for the paper assignment. The professor refuses. Jamie then asks for a one-day extension. The professor agrees. Jamie’s behaviour best illustrates a. the door-in-the-face technique. b. the foot-in-the-door technique. c. reactance. d. the dual-process approach. ANS: A 92. All of the following can help to explain why the door-in-the-face technique can increase compliance except a. feelings of guilt. b. psychological commitment. c. perceptual contrast. d. reciprocal concessions. ANS: B 93. Natasha convinces Joel to take her to the airport by first asking him to loan her his car for a week. Her attempt to get Joel to do her a favour is most likely based on the principles of a. commitment and reciprocity. b. perceptual contrast and self-perception. c. reciprocal concessions and perceptual contrast. d. self-perception and commitment. ANS: C 94. When trying to close a car sale, Jerry often tries to sweeten the deal by telling the customer that he will throw in six free oil changes as well. This sales technique is best described as a. low-balling. b. the that’s-not-all technique. c. the foot-in-the-door technique. d. the door-in-the-face technique. ANS: B 95. Resistance to the requests of others can be encouraged by all of the following except a. mindfulness. b. reciprocal wariness. c. following the norm of reciprocity. d. knowledge that the other person is trying to get you to comply. ANS: C 96. Which of the following will help a person avoid being caught in a compliance trap? a. Vigilance b. Reciprocation wariness c. Vigilance and reciprocation wariness d. Vigilance for men, but reciprocation wariness for women ANS: C 97. Research on obedience suggests that participation in the Holocaust was a. encouraged by German traits of authoritarian personality. b. likely driven by situation factors that would influence anyone similarly. c. an extraordinary historical situation unlikely to be repeated. d. dissimilar in a variety of ways from the types of obedience observed in cults. ANS: B 98. Milgram’s research on obedience a. has stirred controversy regarding its ethics. b. revealed that far fewer people would deliver maximum shocks than was predicted by psychiatrists. c. was conducted to better understand the war in Vietnam. d. had disturbed individuals serve as participants. ANS: A 99. Which of the following was not part of the procedure in Milgram’s research on destructive obedience? a. Participants were ordered to administer electric shocks that were apparently so intense that it caused the learner to scream in pain. b. Participants playing the role of teachers were ordered to increase the electric shocks in increments of 15 volts for every wrong answer the learner gave. c. Participants playing the role of learners were ordered to give shocks to the teacher who was trying to complete the task. d. The experimenter told participants who wanted to leave that they had no choice but to continue with the study. ANS: C 100. What percentage of the participants in Milgram’s study of destructive obedience demonstrated complete obedience to the experimenter? a. 10% b. 35% c. 65% d. 90% ANS: C 101. One factor that did not seem related to the amount of obedience exhibited in the Milgram obedience study was the a. participant’s sex. b. proximity of the learner to the teacher. c. location of the study. d. physical presence of the experimenter. ANS: A 102. When Cheryl is with her supervisors, she obeys their decisions without question. But when she is with employees under her supervision, she is aggressive and demanding. Cheryl is likely to be described by social psychologists as having a. idiosyncrasy credits. b. an introverted character. c. reciprocation wariness. d. an authoritarian personality. ANS: D 103. The questionnaire measure used to assess an individual’s authoritarian personality is referred to as the a. A-scale. b. F-scale. c. Asch-scale. d. Milgram-scale. ANS: B 104. The Milgram study demonstrated a. the specific personality traits that predict destructive obedience to authority. b. that people will typically harm another individual with little to no social pressure to do so. c. obedience to authority is most destructive when the authority figure is particularly harsh and demanding. d. the potential for situational influences to lead ordinary people to commit extraordinarily destructive acts. ANS: D 105. Who of the following is most likely to obey in Milgram’s study? a. A man participating in a run-down office building with an experimenter in a lab coat. b. A man who has to physically place the learner’s hand down on a shock plate. c. A woman participating at Yale University with an experimenter in a lab coat. d. A man participating at Yale University with an experimenter dressed casually. ANS: C 106. All of the following reduced the level of obedience in the Milgram experiment except a. lowering the prestige of the institution where the experiment was conducted. b. having the experimenter in a different location. c. informing the participants that the experimenter assumed responsibility for the learner’s welfare. d. having the learner be in the same room as the participant. ANS: C 107. Those participants in Milgram’s study who went to the very end of the shock meter were a. diagnosed as abnormal by a team of psychiatrists. b. in the minority among participants in the study. c. not told that the learner had a previous heart condition. d. None of these ANS: D 108. Which of the following is true of Milgram’s obedience study? a. When participants were required to manually force the victim’s hand onto a shock plate, obedience completely disappeared. b. The experimenter informed participants that he took complete responsibility for any consequences of the participant’s actions. c. Participants obeyed to the same extent whether the experimenter gave directions in person or over the telephone. d. The percentage of participants who obeyed to the end was the same as the percentage of participants who conformed in the Asch study. ANS: B 109. The nature of Milgram’s obedience research paradigm exploited which compliance-induction strategy? a. Low-balling b. Foot-in-the-door technique c. Door-in-the-face technique d. That’s-not-all technique ANS: B 110. The original Milgram obedience study a. demonstrates the personality characteristics associated with obedience to authority. b. has been followed up by a number of additional studies that have varied specific aspects of the research situation. c. confirms that conformity results from both informational and normative social pressures. d. randomly assigned participants to one of two experimental conditions. ANS: B 111. Meeus and Raaijmaker’s (1995) study of obedience a. replicated Milgram’s in every aspect. b. was analogous, but not identical, to Milgram’s paradigm. c. was completely different to Milgram’s paradigm. d. found opposing results to Milgram’s. ANS: B 112. In Meeus and Raaijmaker’s study of obedience, the equivalent of Milgram’s electrical shocks was a. beating ‘prisoners’ who failed to obey orders. b. delivering ‘stress remarks’ to a job candidate. c. ostracising a person from a social group. d. helping a drunk person get a ride home. ANS: B 113. Meeus and Raaijmaker’s found that _____ of the participants in their study were willing to deliver all 15 stress remarks. a. 37% b. 65% c. 92% d. 100% ANS: C 114. In Burger’s (2009) replication of Milgram’s obedience experiments, how many participants continued to shock past 150 volts? a. 83% b. 70% c. 65% d. 37% ANS: B 115. Burger’s (2009) replication of Milgram’s obedience studies showed that obedience rates have _____ since Milgram’s original studies. a. not changed appreciably b. declined slightly c. risen dramatically d. risen slightly ANS: B 116. Though this was certainly not Milgram’s intent, a. many theorists use the results of his studies to try to explain the behaviour of Nazi guards and others during the Holocaust. b. some scholars suggest that his findings indicate that anyone is capable of destructive obedience if placed in the right situation. c. raising people’s awareness of the explanations for someone else’s wrongdoing also tends to render people more forgiving of this wrongdoing. d. subsequent researchers have extended his findings to other cultures and time periods. ANS: C 117. The key difference between Gamson’s (1982) obedience studies and Milgram’s studies from the 1960s was that a. people conformed less in the 1980s than the 1960s. b. people conformed more in the 1980s than the 1960s. c. Milgram’s participants were alone but Gamson’s were in a group. d. Milgram’s participants were in a group but Gamson’s were alone. ANS: C 118. Research rebellion and obedience suggests that a. disobedience to authority is much more likely in the presence of other allies who will also disobey. b. the presence of an ally has very different results for obedience than it does for conformity. c. participants in the Milgram studies would have been even more likely to obey had there been another participant seated at the shock panel with them. d. the presence of a group of people is a guaranteed safeguard against destructive obedience. ANS: A 119. Which experimental group will feel most socially connected? a. A group of three people who rocked in rocking chairs in unison b. A group of three people who rocked in rocking chairs together, but at different paces c. A group of three people who sat in different types of chairs d. A group of ten people who are geographically dispersed ANS: A 120. According to social impact theory, the source’s proximity in time and space to a target determines the source’s a. strength. b. immediacy. c. number. d. popularity. ANS: B 121. Which of the following would not be predicted by social impact theory? a. A person is more likely to obey a nearby authority than one who is far away. b. Each person in a group of ten contributes less money to a tip for their waitperson than each person in a group of three. c. A teacher can exert more control over a large class than a small class. d. Patients are more likely to follow advice given by doctors than advice given by nurses. ANS: C 122. Recent approaches to social impact theory suggest that a. the effect of immediacy does not necessitate physical proximity. b. it is more relevant to understanding conformity than to understanding obedience. c. source strength is less important than the number of sources. d. the strength of a source depends more on prestige than intelligence. ANS: A 123. Stan is a new student in his sixth-grade class. The other students exert normative pressure on him to conform to their opinion on some issue. According to social impact theory, Stan will be more likely to resist this influence if a. there are 20 rather than 11 students in the class. b. he perceives the other students as having high status. c. there are three other new students in the class who are receiving the same pressures. d. he comes from a culture that values a collectivist orientation. ANS: C 124. According to social impact theory, resistance to social pressure is most likely to occur when social impact is a. divided among many strong and distant targets. b. divided among many weak and immediate targets. c. consolidated within one distant target. d. consolidated within one immediate target. ANS: A 125. American mothers in 1924 seemed to value ____ more than they do today. a. conformity b. independence c. autonomy d. kindness ANS: A ESSAY 1. Compare and contrast normative influence and informational social influence. Which of these types of social influence played a bigger role in Sherif’s study (in which participants estimated how far a dot of light appeared to move)? Which played a bigger role in Asch’s study (in which participants made judgments involving the lengths of lines)? Explain your answers. ANS: Normative social influence leads people to conform out of fear of the negative consequences of appearing deviant. Indeed, to avoid standing out from the rest of the group and risking embarrassment, individuals will often conform to the majority even if they think the majority is wrong. Alternatively, informational social influence leads people to conform when they believe others are correct in their judgments. In this case, they conform to the majority because they assume that the relatively large number of people holding a particular opinion or behaving in a particular way suggests that these people are correct. The primary influence found in Sherif’s study was informational because the situation was rather ambiguous for the participants. They could not be sure how far the dot of light really moved, so they looked to the other participants to provide information about the correct answers. Even when participants in Sherif’s study were later asked to make the same judgments alone (where there would be little pressure against deviating from a group norm), they continued to make judgments consistent with the group norm; this suggests that the participants conformed to the group norm because of the information provided earlier. In Asch’s study, however, normative influence played the bigger role. Here, the situation was not ambiguous; the correct answers were obvious to the participants. Not needing the other people in the group to provide them with answers that they already knew, the participants were not particularly vulnerable to informational influence. Rather, Asch’s participants were concerned about deviating from the opinions expressed by a unanimous majority. Indeed, when these participants were asked to write down their answers privately, their levels of conformity dropped sharply. 2. A council meeting has produced heated debate about an issue. Most of the members of the council hold one opinion, but a few hold another. During a break in the meeting, the members of the council who have the minority opinion call you for advice as to the best way to influence the majority of the council. Based on social psychological research, particularly concerning the dual-process approach, what should you advise them to do? ANS: According to the dual-process approach, minorities and majorities exert influence in different ways. You should advise the council members to take advantage of factors that enhance minority influence rather than trying to manipulate factors that enhance majority influence. One such factor is style of behaviour. The research of Moscovici and others has suggested that consistency is very important for a group minority. That is, the people in the minority should be forceful, persistent and unwavering in support of their view, while appearing to be open-minded and flexible. Hollander recommends a different approach, however. Hollander argues that those in the minority should first conform to the majority opinions in order to establish themselves as competent insiders, and only then dissent from the majority. Thus, you should advise the council members that they initially show their support for the majority’s opinion and then suggest their own opinion, and further, that they present their arguments for this latter position in a forceful, persistent, and unwavering style. In addition, the council members should also call for an anonymous, private vote on the issue, as minorities exert stronger influence on private measures of conformity than on public measures. 3. Describe the door-in-the-face technique, and explain why this is an effective compliance strategy. What evidence is there to support your explanation of why this technique is effective? ANS: The door-in-the-face technique is a two-step technique. It begins with a ridiculous request, which, once denied by the target, is followed up with a more reasonable request. This strategy is effective because it draws on the norm of reciprocity (i.e., the reduction leads the target to reciprocate and accede to the second request) and on perceptual contrast (i.e., the second request does not look so arduous as compared with the first one). In one study, college students were more likely to agree to escort a group of juvenile delinquents on a one-day trip to the zoo if they had been first asked to volunteer time over many weeks to work with these children. 4. Specific variables concerning the victim in Milgram’s research on destructive obedience affected participants’ levels of obedience. Identify one such variable, and describe the nature of its effect. ANS: One variable in question was the proximity of the victim in relation to participants. The less physically separated they were, the less willing participants were to obey the experimenter and administer the maximum shock voltage. When the victim was in the same room as the participants, 40% of the participants fully obeyed, compared to 65% in the baseline condition where the victim was in an adjacent room. When participants were required to physically grasp the victim’s hand and force it onto a metal shock plate, full obedience dropped to 30%. Physical separation from the victim allowed participants to distance themselves emotionally from the consequences of their actions, enabling them to obey the experimenter’s orders. But the closer the victim was to the participants, the more difficult it was for them to achieve this emotional distance, and, therefore, the negative consequences of their actions were impossible to ignore. Social impact theory offers a related explanation, one that accounts for the effects of proximity in terms of the immediacy of the sources of influence. Just as the experimenter is a source of influence on the participants, so, too, is the victim a source of influence, albeit in an opposite manner. That is, the experimenter influences the participants to obey, and the victim, by protesting and crying out in pain, influences the participants to defy the experimenter’s orders. The more distant the victim is from the participant, the less immediate is this source of influence, and, therefore, the less social impact it exerts. 5. Describe the factors involved in social impact theory. ANS: Social impact theory maintains that social influence depends on the strength, immediacy and number of source persons relative to target persons. Strength refers to the status, ability or relationships of a source of influence compared to his/her target. Immediacy of a source refers to the source’s proximity in time and space to the target. The number of sources refers to how many sources there are. The stronger the source (i.e., higher status or closer relationship), the more immediate the source (closer geographically), and the greater number of sources, the more influence the target will feel and the more likely that target is to yield to that influence. If the source’s attempts at influence are divided among targets, that will dilute the impact of the source. This theory has been criticised for failing to explain why these factors affect social influence, but has the benefit of predicting when social influence will occur.