BAPSY Social Psychology Principles 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which concept describes the tendency to like people more simply because we have been repeatedly exposed to them?
- Propinquity effect
- Mere exposure effect (Correct answer)
- Reciprocity of liking
- Halo effect
Correct answer: Mere exposure effect
The mere exposure effect (Zajonc) shows that repeated exposure to a neutral stimulus increases liking for it, even without conscious awareness.
Question 2: Robbers Cave Experiment by Sherif demonstrated that intergroup conflict could be reduced most effectively through:
- Increased contact between groups
- Superordinate goals requiring cooperation (Correct answer)
- Reducing group size
- Authority intervention and punishment
Correct answer: Superordinate goals requiring cooperation
Sherif found that superordinate goals—shared objectives that required both rival groups to cooperate—were the most effective way to reduce hostility and conflict.
Question 3: A researcher finds that participants in a study give electric shocks of greater intensity when wearing hoods and robes. This finding best supports:
- Social facilitation theory
- Deindividuation theory (Correct answer)
- The bystander effect
- Social comparison theory
Correct answer: Deindividuation theory
Anonymity through disguise reduces self-awareness and accountability, a core prediction of deindividuation theory explaining increased antisocial behavior.
Question 4: Which heuristic involves judging the probability of an event based on how easily an example comes to mind?
- Representativeness heuristic
- Anchoring heuristic
- Availability heuristic (Correct answer)
- Simulation heuristic
Correct answer: Availability heuristic
The availability heuristic leads people to estimate frequency or probability based on how readily examples can be retrieved from memory, often causing biased judgments.
Question 5: The norm of reciprocity in helping behavior suggests that people help others because:
- They empathize strongly with the victim's emotional state
- They expect that others will help them in return in the future (Correct answer)
- Social norms demand impartial concern for all people
- Helping reduces personal distress caused by witnessing suffering
Correct answer: They expect that others will help them in return in the future
The reciprocity norm reflects an expectation of mutual aid—people help because social norms dictate that giving creates an obligation for future return.
Question 6: Groupthink is most likely to develop in decision-making groups that are characterized by:
- High diversity of opinion and open dissent
- High cohesiveness, insulation from outside views, and directive leadership (Correct answer)
- Low time pressure and access to expert advice
- Rotating leadership and anonymous voting procedures
Correct answer: High cohesiveness, insulation from outside views, and directive leadership
Janis identified high cohesiveness, insulation, and strong directive leadership as the antecedent conditions that make groupthink most likely to emerge.
Question 7: Which term describes the cognitive shortcut where we assume that someone who is attractive also has other positive qualities like intelligence and kindness?
- Contrast effect
- Halo effect (Correct answer)
- Primacy effect
- Confirmation bias
Correct answer: Halo effect
The halo effect occurs when a positive impression in one area (attractiveness) creates a global positive evaluation that spills over to unrelated traits.
BAPSY Social Psychology Principles 5
Which concept describes the tendency to like people more simply because we have been repeatedly exposed to them?