BAPSY Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Social and Behavioral Psychology Questions and Answers

Question 1

When an acquaintance fails an exam, a student assumes it is because the acquaintance is lazy and not intelligent.
However, when the student fails an exam, they blame the failure on an overly difficult test and a lack of sleep.
This difference in attribution is a classic example of:

Accepted Answer

Actor-observer bias

Answer

Self-serving bias

Answer

Confirmation bias

Answer

Group polarization

Question 2

According to Leon Festinger's theory, an individual who holds two conflicting beliefs, such as "I am an honest person" and "I just cheated on a test," will experience a state of psychological discomfort known as:

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance

Answer

Affective forecasting error

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Normative social influence

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Deindividuation

Question 3

A team of expert financial advisors is known for its strong camaraderie and respect for its highly charismatic leader. During a high-stakes meeting, they quickly reach a unanimous decision to invest heavily in a risky new stock, dismissing any dissenting information as flawed. This scenario is most indicative of which group decision-making flaw?

Accepted Answer

Groupthink

Answer

Social loafing

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Group polarization

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Social facilitation

Question 4

A person collapses on a crowded subway platform. Despite many people witnessing the event, no one immediately rushes to help, as each individual assumes someone else is more qualified or has already called for assistance. This failure to intervene is best explained by:

Accepted Answer

The bystander effect

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Altruistic personality

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Pluralistic ignorance

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Social exchange theory

Question 5

In the Elaboration Likelihood Model of persuasion, a person who is motivated and able to think carefully about the content and logic of a message is most likely engaging in:

Accepted Answer

Central route processing

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Peripheral route processing

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Heuristic-based processing

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Affective-based processing

Question 6

A teacher is told (falsely) at the beginning of the school year that certain students in their class are 'academic bloomers' with high potential. Throughout the year, the teacher unconsciously provides more encouragement and challenging opportunities to these students, who then go on to show greater academic gains than their peers. This phenomenon is known as:

Accepted Answer

A self-fulfilling prophecy

Answer

The halo effect

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Stereotype threat

Answer

The fundamental attribution error