Chapter 6
Social Influence in Our Relations With Others
Test Bank
1. The primary goal of Phil Zimbardo’s 1972 Stanford Prison Experiment was to
a. evaluate what individual characteristics would make for the best prison guards.
b. determine if specific personality types contributed to more prison riots.
c. determine the psychological influence of prison life on inmates and guards.
d. evaluate the effects of gender on prison behavior.
2. Applicants for the Stanford Prison Study were screened for physical and mental health, as
well as randomly assigned to the prisoner and guard conditions. This was important because
it
a. minimized the effects of the situation.
b. ruled out the effects of individual differences that could have contributed to differences
in behavior.
c. decreased the insurance premiums charged to the university.
d. protected those individuals running the study from harm.
3. Volunteers began their participation in the Stanford Prison Experiment
a. by showing up to participate.
b. when police cars picked them up at their places of residence.
c. after being arrested for a real crime.
d. by signing up at the cafeteria.
4. One form of punishment the “guards” in the Stanford Prison Experiment relied on involved
prisoner isolation. This is also known as
a. prisoner segregation.
b. individual seclusion.
c. time out.
d. solitary confinement.
5. Chains were locked around the prisoners’ ankles in the Stanford Prison Experiment to
a. slow down their movement.
b. remind them of their status as prisoners.
c. make them easier to control.
d. attach them to their cells.
6. Because they were not allowed to use physical punishment to control the prisoners in the
Stanford Prison Experiment, the guards began to rely on
a. positive reinforcement.
b. negative reinforcement.
c. humiliation and degradation.
d. a 12-step program.
7. What was Dr. Zimbardo’s role in the Stanford Prison Experiment?
a. Clergy
b. Warden
c. Parole officer
d. Guard
8. The Stanford Prison Experiment was originally planned for two weeks. How long did it last?
a. Two days
b. Four days
c. Six days
d. The full two weeks
9. Which of the following best explains why Philip Zimbardo stopped the experiment when he
did?
a. His role in the study made him more aware of the participants’ suffering.
b. A graduate student assistant told him she thought what he was doing was terrible.
c. The debriefing of the participants made him question his treatment of the guards and
prisoners.
d. His personal belief system about prison life caused him to question his study.
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10. The extensive debriefings of the participants in the Stanford Prison Experiment revealed that
participants who had the role of prisoners
a. were not aware of how depersonalized they had become.
b. never abandoned their concerns for others.
c. were struck by the fact that their grasp on reality could be endangered so quickly.
d. were not as shaken up as they previously thought.
11. The extensive debriefings of those participants in the Stanford Prison Experiment revealed
that participants who had the role of guards
a. were faced with the reality of the cruelty they had inflicted on others.
b. avoided blaming the “victims,” in this case the prisoners.
c. were not able to justify their behavior.
d. were not as shaken up as they previously thought.
12. _________ is a voluntary change in belief or behavior with the intent to follow a perceived
social norm.
a. Uniformity
b. Homogeny
c. Standardization
d. Conformity
13. Stacy noticed that all the other girls were wearing dresses to school, and although she
preferred to wear pants, she also began wearing dresses. This is an example of
a. uniformity.
b. homogeny.
c. standardization.
d. conformity.
14. When we are unsure of how to behave, we often look to others to gain information about
rules for appropriate behavior in a culture or subculture. These rules are also known as
a. informal policies.
b. laws.
c. social norms.
d. overgeneralizations.
15. Clapping at the end of a musical performance or play is an example of a(n)
a. rule.
b. law.
c. social norm.
d. overgeneralization.
16. Conformity is necessary for society because it
a. allows people to know to which groups they belong.
b. helps maintain a sense of order.
c. accentuates what makes us different from one another.
d. decreases feelings of belonging.
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17. Conforming to “fit in” with a certain group even though you as an individual may not
believe in the behavior is also known as ________ social influence.
a. normative
b. informational
c. reciprocal
d. responsive
18. Although Gerry doesn’t like the taste of alcoholic beverages, she drinks a beer to “fit in”
with the other kids at a party. Her behavior is an example of ________ social influence.
a. normative
b. informational
c. reciprocal
d. responsive
19. Normative social influence is to ___________as informational social influence is to
a. knowing; belonging.
b. catastrophizing; generalizing.
c. thinking; doing.
d. belonging; knowing.
20. Conformity can be helpful when we are involved in ambiguous situations and don’t know
what to do. In this case, we do what others are doing because it provides us with
a. informational.
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b. acceptance.
c. approval.
d. culture.
21. Parker wasn’t sure what the best strategy for studying for his upcoming exam would be, so
he asked another student who had taken the class. Since she had used the online quizzes and
found them helpful, he chose to use them, too. This is an example of _______ social
influence.
a. informational
b. acceptance
c. approval
d. normative
22. Everyone told Zach the first exam for Dr. Desmond would be tough, but he chose to ignore
their advice and didn’t study as much as he should have. In this case, it was unfortunate that
he was not persuaded by ______ social influence.
a. informational
b. acceptance
c. approval
d. cultural
23. ____________ in the situation leads to increased conformity.
a. Confidence
b. Knowledge
c. Ambiguity
d. Experience
24. Which of the following best describes the relationship between group size and conformity?
a. As the number of people increases, the degree to which we conform is directly
proportional.
b. There is no relationship between group size and our likelihood to conform.
c. Conformity increases as the group grows to about five. Additional members make little
or no difference.
d. Group size only influences conformity when groups are crowd size.
25. Culture influences conformity in that collectivistic cultures value ____________ and,
therefore, value conformity.
a. information
b. idealization
c. independence
d. group harmony
26. ____________ goes beyond conformity because it involves a response to an overt request.
a. Informational social influence
b. Normative social influence
c. Agreement
d. Compliance
27. Believing it is important to pay back favors is also known as
a. commitment.
b. liking.
c. reciprocity.
d. approval.
28. Like many times before, Suzanne watched her friend Stan’s house while he was away on
business. In return, he shoveled her walk after it snowed. These behaviors illustrate the norm
of
a. reciprocity.
b. liking.
c. authority.
d. scarcity.
29. Sometimes, we comply with another person’s request to build a reciprocity “savings
account.” According to your text, the benefit to us would be
a. we will have more money.
b. the person we help won’t ask us for another favor.
c. we increase the likelihood they will remember our compliance and return the favor.
d. we will like them more.
30. One study had individuals participate in an “art appreciation study.” In one condition of the
real study on reciprocity, one participant (actually a confederate to the experiment) offered
the other participant a Coke. After the experiment, the confederate asked the real participant
to buy a raffle ticket. What was the outcome of this study?
a. Participants across the Coke/no Coke conditions were equally likely to buy raffle
tickets.
b. Only participants in the no Coke condition bought raffle tickets.
c. Neither participants in the Coke or no Coke conditions bought raffle tickets.
d. Participants in the Coke condition bought, on average, twice as many raffle tickets as
participants in the no Coke condition.
31. According to ________________ psychology, we feel a strong obligation to reciprocate
because social exchange has been a crucial component in individual and group survival.
a. developmental
b. humanistic
c. evolutionary
d. behaviorism
32. Sondra wanted to stay out with friends until 10 p.m. on Saturday. Rather than ask her mom
if she could come home at 10, Sondra asked her mom if she could stay out until midnight.
When Mom said no (an answer Sondra expected), Sondra replied, “Oh, Mom! How about
until 10 then?” Which technique is Sondra using to get her way?
a. Get what you want
b. Door in the face
c. Foot in the door
d. Pane in the window
33. When it comes to the principle of reciprocity, the best way to avoid obligations if you find
yourself feeling suspicious of an individual’s motive for a request is to
a. say yes to the request.
b. say no to the request.
c. have someone else fulfill the request.
d. ask the individual his or her motives.
34. According to the principle of commitment, once we make a small commitment to a person
or idea,
a. there is less of a chance we will make a larger commitment later.
b. there is more of a chance we will make a larger commitment later.
c. we are equally likely to make a similar commitment later.
d. we are likely to make a similar commitment to someone else later.
35. Jessica borrowed a pencil from a classmate on Tuesday. On Thursday, she asked the same
classmate to borrow a calculator. Based on the principle of commitment, predict what the
classmate will do?
a. Loan her another pencil.
b. Refuse to loan her the calculator.
c. Loan her another student’s calculator.
d. Loan her the calculator.
36. The effectiveness of the “foot–in-the-door” technique comes from
a. our need for consistency, which motivates us to maintain a commitment.
b. our need for approval.
c. the pressure others put on us.
d. our desire to help others.
37. Publicly announcing your intentions to change a behavior before you start utilizes the
principle of _________ in a positive way.
a. approval
b. commitment
c. scarcity
d. liking
38. Jason announced to everyone that on Monday he was going to the gym. This public
announcement uses the principle of _________ in a positive way.
a. approval
b. commitment
c. scarcity
d. liking
39. According to Cialdini, two signs you are about to agree to a request that makes you
uncomfortable include a(n) _____________and asking yourself, “If I had to do this over
again and knew at the beginning what I know now, would I do it again?”
a. tightening in your stomach
b. check of the credentials of the requestor
c. evaluation of others in comparable situations
d. consideration of past experiences
40. The principle of social proof involves
a. having others prove why their behavior is more appropriate in a given situation.
b. going along with a belief or behavior because it looks like many others are doing the
same thing.
c. a mathematical formula for estimating how many others would behave similarly if in
your situation.
d. refusing to do something because others have already done it.
41. One principle of social proof, _____, suggests that once we know others in the neighborhood
or at the store are engaged in a behavior, we are more likely to do it, too.
a. consistency
b. behaviorism
c. complacency
d. consensus