Free Social Psychology MCQs with Answers

• A. moving
• B. unsafe
• C. safe
• D. none of these

Explanation: Scapegoating redirects frustration or aggression toward a relatively safe or vulnerable target rather than its true source.

• A. Guards did not take their roles seriously
• B. guards readily assumed their roles as agents of force
• C. the prisoners and the guards quickly became friendly towards one another
• D. three prisoners were so severely beaten they had to be hospitalized

Explanation: In the Stanford Prison study, guards rapidly adopted authoritative and abusive aspects of their assigned roles, while prisoners showed…

• A. focus
• B. personal identification
• C. reference
• D. comparison

Explanation: A reference group is used as a standard for social comparison, helping people evaluate their attitudes, abilities, or behaviour.

• A. They are always negative
• B. They tend to be rational
• C. Likeable members of rejected group are perceived as an "exception"
• D. University students show more evidence of ethic stereotyping now than they did in the post

Explanation: Stereotypes are not always negative, and they are often oversimplified rather than rational.

• A. internal characteristics
• B. our group of colleagues
• C. external circumstances
• D. our personality type

Explanation: The self-serving attributional bias leads people to explain success through internal causes such as ability or effort, while attributing…

• A. brain storming
• B. group think
• C. the self- censorship effect
• D. the expert power effect

Explanation: Janis used the Bay of Pigs invasion as a classic example of groupthink, in which the desire for group agreement suppresses criticism and…

• A. group prejudice
• B. scapegoating
• C. personal prejudice
• D. discrimination

Explanation: Receiving more traffic citations because a car displayed a militant group's symbol shows discriminatory treatment based on an associated…

• A. Asch
• B. Rubin
• C. Schachter
• D. Zimbardo

Explanation: Solomon Asch demonstrated conformity by showing that people sometimes gave an obviously incorrect answer to match a unanimous group.

• A. Optimistic
• B. Independent
• C. Pessimistic
• D. Interdependent

Explanation: Western individualistic cultures commonly emphasise an independent self, defined by personal traits, goals, and achievements.

• A. Provocative
• B. Demanding
• C. Abusive
• D. Angry

Explanation: Provocation can lead to demanding, abusive, and angry statements as arousal and hostility escalate.

• A. Self- worth
• B. Temperature
• C. Frustration
• D. Provocation

Explanation: Frustration, provocation, and high temperature have established links with increased aggression.

• A. Prosocial behavior
• B. Instinctual
• C. Aggression
• D. ImprintingCounseling Services

Explanation: Konrad Lorenz was an ethologist who studied aggression as an instinctive pattern in animals, including its biological and adaptive basis.

• A. Group think
• B. Diffusion of responsibility
• C. Over- investment
• D. Self doubt

Explanation: Diffusion of responsibility occurs when each person in a group feels less personally responsible for helping, making non-intervention more…

• A. Compliance
• B. Conformity
• C. obedience
• D. Bystander apathy

Explanation: The widely publicized Kitty Genovese case prompted systematic research into why witnesses may fail to help someone in distress, a…

• A. Compliance
• B. Obedience
• C. Rule making
• D. Conformity

Explanation: Asch’s line-judgment experiment showed that people may give an obviously incorrect answer to match a group’s judgment.

• A. Social norming
• B. Norm perpetuation
• C. Compliance manifestation
• D. Norm crystallization

Explanation: Norm crystallization refers to the process by which group norms become firmly established and continue to guide members’ behavior.

• A. The experimenters got enough data
• B. Too many participants quit
• C. The administration could not longer support it
• D. The participants were taking their roles too seriously

Explanation: The Stanford prison experiment was stopped when the guards and prisoners became deeply absorbed in their assigned roles, creating serious…

• A. Implicit guide
• B. Explicit guide
• C. Rule
• D. Social role

Explanation: A rule is a behavioral guideline that specifies what people should or should not do in a particular setting.

• A. Passion
• B. Reciprocity
• C. Physical attractiveness
• D. Similarity

Explanation: Friendships are commonly encouraged by similarity, reciprocity, and physical attractiveness, whereas passion is primarily associated with…

• A. one's biological sex
• B. a sense of being male or female
• C. a set of expected behaviors for males and females
• D. how masculine a boy is or how feminine a girls is

Explanation: A gender role is the set of culturally expected behaviors and characteristics associated with males or females.