Psychology Degree Social and Group Behavior 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to equity theory, people in relationships feel most satisfied when:
- They receive more benefits than their partner
- Their ratio of inputs to outcomes matches their partner's ratio (Correct answer)
- Both partners receive equal absolute amounts
- They contribute more than they receive
Correct answer: Their ratio of inputs to outcomes matches their partner's ratio
Equity theory predicts satisfaction when the ratio of one's inputs (contributions) to outcomes (benefits) equals the ratio for the other person, not when amounts are identical.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the 'mere exposure effect' in interpersonal attraction?
- People are attracted to those who expose their vulnerabilities
- Repeated exposure to a stimulus increases liking for it (Correct answer)
- Attraction increases when people are exposed to mutual friends
- Physical proximity creates attraction through familiarity with appearance only
Correct answer: Repeated exposure to a stimulus increases liking for it
Zajonc's mere exposure effect demonstrates that simply encountering a stimulus repeatedly increases positive feelings toward it, even without conscious awareness.
Question 3: The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency to:
- Attribute one's own failures to situational factors
- Overestimate dispositional factors and underestimate situational factors in explaining others' behavior (Correct answer)
- Make self-serving attributions for success and failure
- Assume others share one's own beliefs and values
Correct answer: Overestimate dispositional factors and underestimate situational factors in explaining others' behavior
The fundamental attribution error (also called correspondence bias) is the tendency to explain others' behavior in terms of personal traits while underestimating situational influences.
Question 4: In the context of aggression, the frustration-aggression hypothesis was revised to propose that frustration leads to aggression only when:
- The frustrating agent is weaker than the frustrated person
- Frustration creates negative affect, which is the proximate cause of aggression (Correct answer)
- The frustrated person has a history of aggressive behavior
- The frustration occurs in a public setting
Correct answer: Frustration creates negative affect, which is the proximate cause of aggression
Berkowitz revised the original Dollard et al. hypothesis, proposing that frustration leads to aggression by inducing negative affect, and any unpleasant stimuli—not just frustration—can trigger aggression.
Question 5: Social loafing is most likely to be reduced when:
- Group size is increased
- Individual contributions are identifiable and evaluated (Correct answer)
- The task is simple and repetitive
- Group members do not know each other
Correct answer: Individual contributions are identifiable and evaluated
Social loafing diminishes when individual contributions can be identified and evaluated, as accountability restores personal responsibility.
Question 6: According to Janis, which of the following is NOT a symptom of groupthink?
- Illusion of invulnerability
- Collective rationalization
- Pressure toward uniformity
- Increased critical evaluation of alternatives (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Increased critical evaluation of alternatives
Groupthink is characterized by suppressed critical thinking, not increased evaluation; symptoms include illusions of invulnerability, collective rationalization, self-censorship, and pressure on dissenters.
Question 7: The boomerang effect in persuasion occurs when:
- A persuasive message causes attitude change in the intended direction
- A message backfires and causes attitude change opposite to what was intended (Correct answer)
- Persuasion effects fade over time and return to baseline
- Repeated messages produce increasingly stronger attitude change
Correct answer: A message backfires and causes attitude change opposite to what was intended
The boomerang effect (or psychological reactance) occurs when persuasive attempts cause people to adopt attitudes opposite to those advocated, often because the message threatens their sense of autonomy.
Psychology Degree Social and Group Behavior 5
According to equity theory, people in relationships feel most satisfied when: