Free Social Psychology MCQs with Answers

• A. convince themselves they really didn't perform the behavior
• B. change their attitude to make it more consistent with the behavior
• C. change their attitude to make it less consistent with their behavior
• D. do nothing

Explanation: Counter-attitudinal behavior creates inconsistency between what a person believes and does.

• A. what people look for in prospective mates
• B. the overall value of romantic love
• C. passionate love as a prerequisite for marriage
• D. the tradition of prearranged marriages

Explanation: Across cultures, people commonly show preferences for certain qualities in prospective mates, such as kindness, reliability, and…

• A. observers to favor external attributions in explaining the behavior of others
• B. observers to favor internal attributions in explaining the behavior of others
• C. actors to favor external attributions in explaining the behavior of others
• D. actors to favor situational attributions in explaining the behavior of others

Explanation: The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to overemphasize personal qualities and underestimate situational forces when explaining…

• A. internal- stable
• B. internal- unstable
• C. external- stable
• D. external- unstable

Explanation: Saying he did not work hard locates the cause within Bashir, making it an internal attribution.

• A. external
• B. internal
• C. situational
• D. high consensus

Explanation: Laziness is a personal characteristic attributed to the child, so the explanation is internal.

• A. overestimate how often short men are insecure
• B. underestimate are frequency of short men in population
• C. overestimate the frequency of short men in the population
• D. falsely assume the shortness in men cause insecurity

Explanation: Illusory correlation makes a person perceive a stronger relationship between two events than actually exists.

• A. Special types of schemas that are part of people's shared cultural background
• B. Widely held beliefs that people have certain characteristics because of their membership in a particular group
• C. equivalent prejudice
• D. both a and b

Explanation: Stereotypes are shared beliefs about the characteristics of members of a social group and function as group-related schemas.

• A. drawing an illusory correlation
• B. false consensus effect
• C. the fundamental attribution error
• D. a defensive attribution

Explanation: Rasheed explains the customer's mistake by blaming the person's character, calling him an idiot, while ignoring possible situational…

• A. group leadership styles
• B. group norms
• C. group dynamics
• D. group interactions

Explanation: Group dynamics is the study of how groups form, operate, influence members, and change over time.

• A. a lack of critical thinking results from a strong desire for group harmony
• B. people lose self - awareness in group situations that foster anonymity
• C. can physical or verbal behavior is intended to hurt or destroy
• D. the pursuit of self- interest leads to collective harm

Explanation: A social trap occurs when individually attractive or self-interested choices produce harmful consequences for everyone collectively, such…

• A. superordinate goals
• B. group polarization
• C. ingroup bias
• D. social traps

Explanation: Sherif used a shared problem requiring cooperation, such as restoring a water supply, to create a superordinate goal.

• A. the reciprocity norm
• B. the scapegoat theory
• C. ingroup bias
• D. the just- world phenomenon

Explanation: Scapegoat theory proposes that frustration or failure is displaced onto a vulnerable out-group.

• A. the fundamental attribution error
• B. the just- world phenomenon
• C. the mere exposure effect
• D. the reciprocity norm

Explanation: The reciprocity norm creates pressure to return a favor after receiving something from another person or organization.

• A. The patterns of behaviour that are considered ideal and satisfy the actor
• B. Cultural meanings assigned to a particular action independently of the wishes
• C. Shared expectations of behaviour that connote what is considered socially desirable and appropriate
• D. some define ideals about what is wrong and what is right

Explanation: Social norms are shared expectations that guide behaviour by indicating what a group regards as acceptable, desirable, or appropriate.

• A. task difficulty and group size
• B. the group leader's personality and group unanimity
• C. group size and the subjects' intelligence
• D. group size and group unanimity

Explanation: Asch found conformity was strongly affected by group size and unanimity: pressure rises as the group grows, especially when all members…

• A. raking leaves
• B. bicycle racing
• C. washing dishes
• D. solving a crossword puzzle

Explanation: Observers usually improve performance on simple or well-practised tasks but can impair difficult or unfamiliar tasks because arousal…

• A. door- in- the- face-effect
• B. foot- in- the- door effect
• C. low- ball technique
• D. high- ball technique

Explanation: The foot-in-the-door effect occurs when agreement with a small initial request increases later compliance with a larger request.

• A. complementary need theory
• B. social exchange theory
• C. gain- loss theory
• D. social comparison theory

Explanation: Social exchange theory views relationships as exchanges in which people weigh rewards, costs, and expected benefits.

• A. TV has little effect on the behavior of children
• B. TV only increases aggressive behavior in children
• C. TV only increases prosocial behavior in children
• D. the amount of TV viewing may be related to aggressive behavior later in life

Explanation: Research does not support the claim that television has only one type of effect; content, viewing amount, and other influences all matter.

• A. norming
• B. forming a social contract
• C. conformity
• D. standardization

Explanation: Conformity is the adjustment of one's behaviour or judgments to match group expectations or the behaviour of other group members.