Week 01 Introduction - Practice MCQs 1. According to Allport's classic definition, social psychology examines how which factor shapes people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviours? Stable personality traits that are uninfluenced by context The actual, imagined, or implied presence of others Large-scale economic forces over long periods Biological maturation alone 2. Compared with sociology, social psychology places its main emphasis on what? How social contexts influence individual cognition and behaviour, often via experiments Describing macro-level demographic trends without testing mechanisms Archival analysis of institutions without considering individuals Abandoning empirical methods in favour of philosophy 3. Lewin's claim that "research that produces nothing but books will not suffice" reflects which priority for social psychology? Valuing theory more than evidence Prioritising philosophical debate over data Using research to generate interventions that solve social problems Limiting inquiry to laboratory demonstrations with no real-world aims 4. When Gergen (1973) suggested that establishing general principles could reduce social conflict, he was assuming that social psychology can... Remain purely descriptive and detached from application Focus solely on within-person biology to explain conflict Avoid drawing on evidence when proposing solutions Inform the design of social conditions that benefit society 5. Kahneman's test of learning psychology is best captured by which outcome? Your understanding of real situations changes, not just your store of facts You can memorise every researcher name linked to a topic You recall definitions verbatim without being able to use them You recite classic experiments but cannot explain their meaning 6. During World War I, early applications of social psychology were most visible in which activity? Mapping genetic predispositions for heroism Applying persuasion and crowd psychology in propaganda campaigns Training medics in operant conditioning techniques Comparing national IQ scores to predict battle outcomes 7. In the post-war era, advertising showcased social psychology by doing what? Replacing emotional appeals with strictly rational price lists Avoiding any attempt to shift consumer attitudes Basing campaigns solely on celebrity endorsements without theory Using principles of attitude change to steer purchasing decisions 8. The anti-smoking example highlighted which risk for babies born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy? Improved immunity and calmer temperament No measurable differences from babies of non-smokers Withdrawal-like symptoms and a higher likelihood of SIDS Increased appetite leading to rapid weight gain 9. In Hastorf and Cantril's (1954) study where students watched a Dartmouth vs. Princeton football game, Princeton students tended to report... More fouls committed by Dartmouth than by Princeton Equal numbers of fouls by both teams More fouls committed by Princeton than by Dartmouth That the game contained no fouls worth counting 10. The biased foul counts in the Hastorf and Cantril (1954) study illustrate which concept? Accurate sensory perception unaffected by loyalty Measurement error caused solely by poor video quality Construed reality shaped by group allegiance Genuine differences in how often each team broke rules 11. In the confirmation bias slide, the term referred to the tendency to... Seek out disconfirming evidence before accepting a claim Change beliefs whenever a single contrary fact appears Ignore all prior beliefs while evaluating information Look for evidence that supports a belief more readily than evidence that contradicts it 12. Alex reads only news articles claiming that optimistic people live longer and skips studies that question the claim. This behaviour is an example of... Practising random assignment Confirmation bias Learning through classical conditioning Demonstrating altruistic motivation 13. Which behaviour best matches the slide's phrase "only remembering details that uphold your belief"? Recalling supportive anecdotes while forgetting contradictory cases Designing a study to falsify your current hypothesis Ignoring any evidence until a peer replicates it Switching viewpoints whenever new data appear 14. Gilliam et al. (2016) monitored teachers' expectations of misbehaviour with which tool? Classroom microphones recording verbal cues Heart-rate monitors detecting teacher stress Eye-tracking technology that recorded gaze location End-of-day self-report diaries only 15. What key result emerged from Gilliam et al.'s (2016) preschool classroom study? Teachers watched White girls most because they assumed high disruption Teachers spent more time monitoring Black children, especially Black boys, despite no misbehaviour Teachers distributed visual attention equally across all four children Teachers believed that none of the children could misbehave in the setting 16. Why did the Gilliam et al. (2016) findings raise concern about disciplinary outcomes? They showed eye-tracking cannot capture teacher bias They proved misbehaviour is entirely genetic They demonstrated that preschoolers cannot be objectively observed They suggested heightened monitoring could feed disproportionate punishment 17. A student avoids checking their phone in a silent library because of a posted CCTV sign, even though no staff are nearby. This illustrates which part of Allport's definition? Behaviour driven solely by personal habit Influence of the actual physical presence of others Influence of the implied presence of others Influence of biological maturation 18. Using vivid warnings about infant health risks in anti-smoking messaging draws primarily on which persuasive strategy? A reciprocity norm asking for a small favour A descriptive norm showing everyone else smokes A scarcity appeal emphasising limited availability A fear appeal highlighting potential losses 19. Why is social psychology classified as a scientific discipline? It relies exclusively on philosophical reasoning It tests explanations of social influence through systematic empirical methods It prefers anecdotes over observable data It discourages replication of its studies 20. The historical shift from wartime propaganda to peacetime advertising shows that social psychological tools... Cannot be used outside military contexts Only work when audiences are coerced Became obsolete after World War II Can be adapted to different goals once persuasion principles are known 21. When people "interpret information to support an existing belief," which processing stage of confirmation bias is occurring? Biased interpretation of ambiguous evidence Objective appraisal of all available facts Random fluctuation unrelated to belief Exhaustive search for contradictory data 22. Expecting misbehaviour from a child before observing any, based solely on stereotypes, is an example of... A balanced evaluation free of bias Purely descriptive observation Construing social reality through expectancy-driven monitoring An inevitable outcome of equal attention 23. Focusing on how people think about, influence, and relate to one another means social psychology is centrally concerned with... Molecular mechanisms within neurons The interplay between individual minds and social contexts Geological forces shaping human habitats Evolutionary change across millennia without regard to interaction 24. Kahneman's emphasis on understanding over memorisation encourages students to... Avoid applying theories beyond textbook examples Prioritise rote recall for short-term tests Keep knowledge abstract and detached from life Apply concepts flexibly to novel real-world situations 25. A health campaign that shows someone's behaviour is worse than the national average to motivate change is leveraging... Reinforcement schedules to shape operant behaviour Social comparison to shift perceived norms Punishment to extinguish a conditioned response Genetic screening to predict risk 26. When teachers' attention is guided by stereotypes rather than objective behaviour, which bias is operating? Counter-stereotypic encoding Anchoring and adjustment only Expectancy-driven selective attention Complete immunity to bias 27. Which element of early war-time persuasion foreshadowed later advertising practice? Exclusive reliance on detailed product specifications Emotional appeals and vivid imagery to shift attitudes Total avoidance of slogans or symbols Refusal to tailor messages to target audiences 28. The idea that research should "create social conditions of maximal benefit" aligns with which orientation in social psychology? A focus on laboratory isolation over application Ignoring ethical considerations in pursuit of results Avoiding engagement with social policy Using psychological principles to inform real-world interventions 29. When someone dismisses data challenging their view because it comes from a rival group, which bias is most evident? Purely statistical regression to the mean Motivated reasoning tied to identity Random sampling error only Complete neutrality toward evidence 30. Why do social psychologists study biases like confirmation bias in the first place? They affect socially significant outcomes such as prejudice and public decisions They are unrelated to behaviour outside the lab They are rare enough to ignore They only matter when studying animals rather than people Submit Quiz