Psychology Degree Social and Group Behavior 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In group polarization, group discussion tends to shift members' initial positions toward:
- A moderate compromise position
- The most extreme view held by any member
- A more extreme version of their pre-discussion tendency (Correct answer)
- The opinion of the highest-status member
Correct answer: A more extreme version of their pre-discussion tendency
Group polarization causes the group's average position to become more extreme in the direction of the members' initial leanings after discussion.
Question 2: Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments revealed that the percentage of participants who delivered the maximum shock level was approximately:
- 15%
- 35%
- 65% (Correct answer)
- 85%
Correct answer: 65%
In Milgram's original study, approximately 65% of participants delivered the maximum 450-volt shock, demonstrating the powerful influence of authority.
Question 3: Normative social influence differs from informational social influence in that normative influence involves conforming to:
- The factual information provided by others
- The desire to be accurate in ambiguous situations
- The desire to be liked and accepted by others (Correct answer)
- The explicit commands of authority figures
Correct answer: The desire to be liked and accepted by others
Normative social influence is driven by the desire for social approval and acceptance, not by genuine belief change, while informational influence involves using others as guides to reality.
Question 4: The concept of 'minimal group paradigm' was developed to show that:
- Groups need strong shared history to show ingroup favoritism
- Arbitrary, meaningless categorization is sufficient to produce ingroup favoritism (Correct answer)
- Ingroup bias only occurs under competitive conditions
- Status differences drive intergroup discrimination
Correct answer: Arbitrary, meaningless categorization is sufficient to produce ingroup favoritism
Tajfel's minimal group paradigm demonstrated that even random, meaningless group assignments produce ingroup favoritism and outgroup discrimination.
Question 5: What is the central premise of terror management theory?
- People avoid groups that remind them of death
- Awareness of mortality motivates people to uphold cultural worldviews that provide symbolic immortality (Correct answer)
- Fear of death increases prosocial behavior
- Terror increases conformity to majority group norms
Correct answer: Awareness of mortality motivates people to uphold cultural worldviews that provide symbolic immortality
Terror management theory proposes that human culture and self-esteem serve as buffers against the anxiety caused by awareness of inevitable death.
Question 6: Which research finding best illustrates the concept of deindividuation?
- People work less hard in groups than alone
- Anonymity in crowds increases antisocial behavior (Correct answer)
- Groups make riskier decisions than individuals
- People mimic the emotions of those around them
Correct answer: Anonymity in crowds increases antisocial behavior
Deindividuation occurs when anonymity in a crowd reduces self-awareness and personal accountability, often leading to behaviors individuals would not perform alone.
Question 7: The 'door-in-the-face' compliance technique works primarily through the principle of:
- Commitment and consistency
- Reciprocal concessions (Correct answer)
- Social proof
- Authority
Correct answer: Reciprocal concessions
The door-in-the-face technique works because when a requester makes a large request and then concedes by making a smaller request, the target feels obligated to reciprocate by also conceding.
Psychology Degree Social and Group Behavior 3
In group polarization, group discussion tends to shift members' initial positions toward: