Chapter 03 Perceiving Ourselves and Others Answer Key
Multiple Choice Questions
1.
Which statement about perception is NOT true?
A.
We often perceive others accurately, even with minimal information.
B.
Our evaluations of others can be more accurate if we have less, rather than more,
information.
C.
When we form our perception of others, our first impression is always accurate.
D.
More information does not necessarily make our perception of someone more accurate.
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Analyze
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 03-01 Explain perception.
Topic: Perception
2.
The process of making meaning from what we experience in the world around us is called
A.
selection.
B.
perception.
C.
interpretation.
D.
organization.
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 03-01 Explain perception.
Topic: Perception
3.
Which type of perception do you use when you try to decide if your best friend is angry, based
on his behavior?
A.
Interpersonal
B.
Physiological
C.
Environmental
D.
Intrapersonal
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Understand
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 03-01 Explain perception.
Topic: Perception
4.
Arianna has an argument with her boyfriend and storms out of the house. He does not call or
text her all morning, and Arianna is convinced that he is ignoring her. In this example,
Arianna’s realization that her boyfriend is not contacting her exemplifies which stage of the
perceptual process?
A.
Intention
B.
Interpretation
C.
Organization
D.
Selection
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Analyze
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 03-01 Explain perception.
Topic: The Perceptual Process
5.
In class, you notice a classmate smiling at you. In which stage of the perceptual process are
you engaged?
A.
Selection
B.
Interpretation
C.
Evaluation
D.
Organization
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Apply
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 03-01 Explain perception.
Topic: The Perceptual Process
6.
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic that makes a given stimulus more likely to be
selected for attention?
A.
Repetition
B.
Intensity
C.
Unexpectedness
D.
Familiarity
Type of question: Understand
7.
The ______ stage of the perceptual process helps you make sense of information by allowing
you to see its similarities to and differences from other things you know about.
A.
application
B.
organization
C.
selection
D.
interpretation
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Learning Objective: 03-01 Explain perception.
Topic: The Perceptual Process
8.
In the sitcom
The Big Bang Theory
, several main characters, who are acclaimed and
successful scientists, try unsuccessfully to approach attractive women for dates. In the
perceptual process, which stage is likely contributing to the characters’ lack of success, given
that the women perceive them as “geeky,” unattractive, socially awkward men?
A.
Organization
B.
Selection
C.
Interpretation
D.
Application
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Analyze
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 03-01 Explain perception.
Topic: The Perceptual Process
9.
What types of constructs emphasize people’s social or professional position?
A.
Physical
B.
Interaction
C.
Role
D.
Psychological
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 03-01 Explain perception.
Topic: The Perceptual Process
10.
When Cy meets his best friend’s father, Cy admires the man’s confidence and self-
assuredness. Later, when Cy learns that his friend’s father is a top attorney with a prominent
law firm, he is not surprised. When Cy readily accepts the father’s profession as appropriate
based on Cy’s first impression, Cy is relying on ______ constructs.
A.
role
B.
physical
C.
psychological
D.
interaction
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Evaluate
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 03-01 Explain perception.
Topic: The Perceptual Process
11.
Wendy decides that Dale, the new guy at work, must be romantically interested in her
because Dale brings her coffee every morning. By assigning meaning to Dale’s behavior,
Wendy is in which stage of perception?
A.
Organization
B.
Evaluation
C.
Selection
D.
Interpretation
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Apply
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 03-02 Describe and give examples of how selection, organization, and interpretation occur during
perception.
Topic: The Perceptual Process
12.
When your best friend does you an unexpected favor, you interpret it as a sincere sign of
friendship, but if a coworker does you the same favor, you are more likely to wonder whether
he or she has an ulterior motive. This difference in interpretation is due to what influencing
factor on interpretation?
A.
Interaction construct
B.
Knowledge of the individual
C.
Closeness of the relationship
D.
Personal experience
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Analyze
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 03-02 Describe and give examples of how selection, organization, and interpretation occur during
perception.
Topic: The Perceptual Process
13.
Which statement about the perceptual process is most accurate?
A.
The perceptual process is linear.
B.
The three stages of the perceptual process overlap.
C.
The three stages of the perceptual process always follow the same order.
D.
The perceptual process varies from one person to another.
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Evaluate
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 03-02 Describe and give examples of how selection, organization, and interpretation occur during
perception.
Topic: The Perceptual Process
14.
Which of the following statements most accurately describes the order in which perceptual
stages occur?
A.
In the perceptual process, we usually notice only one construct at a time.
B.
Even though perception happens in stages, the stages don’t always take place in the same
order.
C.
The perceptual process is always logical and linear.
D.
Selection depends on personal experience, knowledge, and the closeness of the
relationship.
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Evaluate
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 03-02 Describe and give examples of how selection, organization, and interpretation occur during
perception.
Topic: The Perceptual Process
15.
Perry, an American student, and Sun Yi, his girlfriend from Taiwan, are arguing. While Perry
expresses himself loudly, Sun Yi tries a less aggressive approach. They both grow increasingly
frustrated because Perry thinks that Sun Yi won’t address the conflict directly, and Sun Yi
thinks that Perry is behaving selfishly. What perceptual influence could be at work in this
situation?
A.
Primacy
B.
Stereotypes
C.
Culture
D.
Perceptual sets
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Analyze
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 03-03 Explain the reasons we commit perceptual errors.
Topic: Perceptual Errors
16.
A ______ is a generalization about a group or category of people that can have a powerful
influence on how we perceive other people and their communicative behavior.
A.
stereotype
B.
perceptual set
C.
construct
D.
characteristic
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 03-03 Explain the reasons we commit perceptual errors.
Topic: Stereotypes
17.
Identify the concept best represented by the following thought process: (1) He is a man. (2)
Men don’t know how to express their feelings. (3) Therefore, he must not know how to
express his emotions.
A.
Construct
B.
Interpretation
C.
Stereotype
D.
Recency
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Analyze
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 03-03 Explain the reasons we commit perceptual errors.
Topic: Stereotypes
18.
The belief that all homeless people are lazy is an example of which perceptual influence?
A.
Generalization
B.
Construct
C.
Perceptual set
D.
Stereotype
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Apply
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 03-03 Explain the reasons we commit perceptual errors.
Topic: Stereotypes
19.
We have a tendency to remember information that supports our stereotypes while forgetting
information that doesn’t. Which of the following best describes this tendency?
A.
Self-serving bias
B.
Self-fulfilling prophecy
C.
Selective memory bias
D.
Fundamental attribution error
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Understand
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 03-03 Explain the reasons we commit perceptual errors.
Topic: Stereotypes
20.
According to a principle known as ______, our first impressions of someone’s communicative
behaviors seem to stick in our minds more than second or third impressions do.
A.
the recency effect
B.
perceptual sets
C.
stereotypes
D.
the primacy effect
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Understand
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 03-03 Explain the reasons we commit perceptual errors.
Topic: The Primacy Effect
21.
A stand-up comedian’s last joke is one of the most important jokes because of which
principle?
A.
Perceptual effect
B.
Recency effect
C.
Primacy effect
D.
Construct effect
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 03-03 Explain the reasons we commit perceptual errors.
Topic: The Recency Effect
22.
When giving a speech, you must offer strong opening and closing statements because of what
influence on perception?
A.
Primacy/Recency
B.
Stereotyping
C.
Culture/Co-culture
D.
Selective memory bias
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Apply
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 03-03 Explain the reasons we commit perceptual errors.
Topic: The Primacy Effect
Topic: The Recency Effect
23.
A ______ is a predisposition to perceive only what we want or expect to perceive.
A.
stereotype
B.
memory bias
C.
perceptual set
D.
context
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 03-03 Explain the reasons we commit perceptual errors.
Topic: Perceptual Sets
24.
At the mall, Miles sees a friend he hasn’t spoken to in a few years. She is pushing a baby in a
stroller. Because of the yellow blanket in the stroller, Miles assumes that the baby is a girl and
exclaims, “She is beautiful!” When Miles’s friend informs him that the baby is a boy, Miles
says, “Oh, of course. Just look at how strong he is!” Which of the following terms best
describes Miles’s apparent change in perception with regard to the baby’s sex?
A.
Bias
B.
Stereotype
C.
Context
D.
Perceptual set
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Apply
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 03-03 Explain the reasons we commit perceptual errors.
Topic: Perceptual Sets
25.
When someone undergoes chemotherapy and his or her cancer goes into remission, some
individuals in that person’s life will believe that the remission is an answer to their prayers,
while others will believe that the remission is a natural response to the chemotherapy. Which
of the following factors might account for this difference in beliefs about the cancer
remission?
A.
Perceptual set
B.
Memory bias
C.
Self-serving bias
D.
Selection
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Apply
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 03-03 Explain the reasons we commit perceptual errors.
Topic: Perceptual Sets
26.
You notice that your cousin is ignoring her fiancé. When you begin to wonder why she is
behaving the way she is, you are looking for ______ in relation to her behavior.
A.
Context
B.
Interpretation
C.
Attribution
D.
Perceptual set
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Understand
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 03-04 Examine various behaviors and explain how one might attribute each to locus, stability, or
controllability.
Topic: Attribution
27.
Which of the following is NOT a dimension of attribution?
A.
Focus
B.
Stability
C.
Controllability
D.
Locus
Type of question: Analyze
28.
Which term refers to the location of our behavior, whether within ourselves or outside
ourselves?
A.
Stability
B.
Controllability
C.
Locus
D.
Context
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 03-04 Examine various behaviors and explain how one might attribute each to locus, stability, or
controllability.
Topic: Attribution
29.
If you assign an external attribution to your professor’s late arrival to class, thinking, “She
must have hit heavy traffic on the way to campus,” what are you examining in order to
understand the behavior?
A.
Reason
B.
Locus
C.
Cause
D.
Explanation
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Apply
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 03-04 Examine various behaviors and explain how one might attribute each to locus, stability, or
controllability.
Topic: Attribution
30.
If you perceive that your boss is late for your appointment because she has chosen to
socialize with other coworkers beforehand, you are making a(n) ______ attribution.
A.
stable
B.
external
C.
controllable
D.
internal
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Apply
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 03-04 Examine various behaviors and explain how one might attribute each to locus, stability, or
controllability.
Topic: Attribution
31.
Roommates Meliah and Jean have an argument before going to bed. Meliah is so upset by the
conflict that she forgets to load the dishwasher, as she has agreed to do every night. Jean is
sure that Meliah deliberately avoided doing the dishes to get back at her. As a result, rather
than apologize in the morning as she had planned to do, Jean continues the argument. What
has Jean erroneously evaluated in this instance?
A.
Locus
B.
Controllability
C.
Attribution
D.
Stability
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Apply
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 03-04 Examine various behaviors and explain how one might attribute each to locus, stability, or
controllability.
Topic: Attribution
32.
What term refers to our tendency to attribute our successes to stable, internal causes while
attributing our failures to unstable, external causes?
A.
Attribution
B.
Self-serving bias
C.
Fundamental attribution error
D.
Selfishness
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 03-05 Differentiate self-serving bias and fundamental attribution error.
Topic: Self-Serving Bias
33.
If you do really well on a test, you credit your preparation, but if you do poorly, you blame the
noise in the classroom. This is an example of what attribution error?
A.
Fundamental attribution
B.
External locus
C.
Controllability
D.
Self-serving bias
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 03-05 Differentiate self-serving bias and fundamental attribution error.
Topic: Self-Serving Bias
34.
Nicole’s husband forgets their wedding anniversary. Nicole knows that her husband has been
distracted by clients at work, so she isn’t angry. When Nicole’s husband brings her flowers the
next day, she believes that he is a thoughtful husband. This tendency for Nicole to attribute
negative behaviors to external factors and positive behaviors to internal factors most likely
reflects which attribution error?
A.
Self-serving bias
B.
Fundamental attribution
C.
Locus
D.
Stability
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Analyze
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 03-05 Differentiate self-serving bias and fundamental attribution error.
Topic: Self-Serving Bias
35.
Which term refers to the tendency to attribute other people’s behaviors to internal rather than
external causes?
A.
Fundamental attribution error
B.
Locus
C.
Self-serving bias
D.
Stability
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 03-05 Differentiate self-serving bias and fundamental attribution error.
Topic: Fundamental Attribution Error
36.
Good communicators bear in mind that others’ behaviors are often responses to external
forces, thus avoiding what problem?
A.
Stability
B.
Self-serving bias
C.
Fundamental attribution error
D.
Controllability
AACSB: Knowledge Application
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Bloom’s: Analyze
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 03-05 Differentiate self-serving bias and fundamental attribution error.
Topic: Fundamental Attribution Error