All Free Psychology MCQs with Answers

• A. learned helplessness
• B. the spotlight effect
• C. self-serving bias
• D. an Electra complex

Explanation: Self-serving bias involves taking personal credit for success but blaming external factors for failure, such as officials after a loss.

• A. an external locus of control
• B. the self-serving phenomenon
• C. reaction formation
• D. reciprocal determinism

Explanation: Reciprocal determinism describes the mutual influence of a person’s behavior, personal factors, and social environment: Sally’s hostility…

• A. the Barnum effect
• B. the spotlight effect
• C. the self-reference phenomenon
• D. unconditional positive regard

Explanation: The Barnum effect is the tendency to accept vague, broadly applicable personality statements as uniquely accurate.

• A. unconditional positive regard
• B. attributional style
• C. the spotlight effect
• D. self-serving bias

Explanation: The self-serving bias is the tendency to interpret information in ways that protect or enhance one's self-image, making flattering…

• A. reciprocal determinism
• B. self-serving bias
• C. the spotlight effect
• D. an Electra complex

Explanation: The spotlight effect is the tendency to overestimate how much other people notice our appearance, mistakes, or emotional states.

• A. increased striving for self-esteem
• B. more stereotypic thinking about minorities
• C. more aggressive behavior toward people with opposing views
• D. reduced respect for cultural icons

Explanation: Mortality salience usually strengthens self-esteem efforts, stereotypic judgments, aggression toward worldview opponents, and defense of…

• A. self-actualization
• B. self-efficacy
• C. collectivism
• D. individualism

Explanation: Collectivist cultures define people through their group memberships and prioritize family or group goals over individual preferences.

• A. China
• B. Japan
• C. Africa
• D. United States

Explanation: An independent self-concept, in which identity is based mainly on personal attributes and autonomy, is especially associated with the…

• A. The participants were not conforming to their roles
• B. The guards were not prepared to harass, humiliate and intimidate the prisoners
• C. The prisoners increasingly showed signs of individual and group disintegration
• D. The experiment was set in a real prison with real prisoners, which raised a fierce human rights debate

Explanation: The study was stopped when the prisoners showed serious psychological distress and individual and group disintegration.

• A. Group identity
• B. individual norms
• C. Individual identity
• D. Group norms

Explanation: Sherif showed that groups develop shared norms in an ambiguous situation, while Asch showed that people conform to an established majority…

• A. 1 & 2
• B. 3 & 4
• C. 1 & 3
• D. 2 & 4

Explanation: Unhappy couples often respond to conflict with retaliation and negative reciprocity, in which one hostile response produces another.

• A. People will engage in high levels of destructive obedience when faced with strong situational pressures
• B. People will engage in low levels of destructive obedience when faced with strong situational pressures
• C. People's personality is the strongest determinant of obedient behaviour
• D. People will challenge authority figures when they become distressed by their commands

Explanation: Milgram's obedience study showed that ordinary people may carry out harmful instructions when situational pressures and authority are…

• A. Social support in a broad social network impacts positively on health and stress
• B. Social support in small groups helps one resist pressures to comply with an outside majority or to be obey an immoral authority
• C. Both a & b
• D. Neither a nor b

Explanation: A broad network can provide emotional and practical support that benefits health and reduces stress, while supportive allies can help…

• A. Mutual support
• B. Commitment to relationship
• C. Being in love
• D. Mutual understanding

Explanation: In Rusbult's investment model, commitment is strengthened by satisfaction, attractive alternatives being limited, and investments made in…

• A. Quite ordinary people taking part in a laboratory experiment were not prepared to administer electric shocks just because an experimenter told them to do so
• B. Participants believed that the shocks they administered would not harm anyone
• C. Apparently pathological behaviour may not be due to individual pathology but to particular social circumstances
• D. None of the above

Explanation: Milgram’s findings showed that ordinary people may perform apparently harmful acts when placed under strong situational pressure from an…

• A. The task performed
• B. Prior experience
• C. Presence of others
• D. Group identity

Explanation: Zajonc proposed that the mere presence of other people increases arousal, which facilitates dominant responses.

• A. Bystander intervention
• B. Social facilitation
• C. Bystander apathy
• D. Equity theory

Explanation: The failure of witnesses to help illustrates bystander apathy, also called the bystander effect.

• A. Ignorance about how others interpreted the situation
• B. Diffusion of responsibility made individuals feel less responsible
• C. There were no authority figures present
• D. Fear of feeling embarrassed by acting inappropriately in front of others
• E. a, b and d

Explanation: Latane and Darley identified pluralistic ignorance, diffusion of responsibility and fear of social embarrassment as barriers to…

• A. Improved performance on both well-learned/easy tasks and poorly learned/difficult tasks
• B. Improved performance on well-learned/easy tasks and deterioration in performance on poorly learned/difficult tasks
• C. Deterioration in performance on well-learned/easy tasks and improved performance on poorly learned/difficult tasks
• D. Deterioration in performance on both well-learned/easy tasks and poorly learned/difficult tasks

Explanation: Social facilitation strengthens the dominant response: a well-practised response is usually improved, whereas an incorrect or weak…

• A. Clark Wissler
• B. K. Popper
• C. Frazer
• D. Hoebel

Explanation: Hoebel described a culture trait as an irreducible unit of learned behaviour or a material product resulting from it.