4.3 Psychology of Social Situations

Front

What is the primary function of social norms?

Back

To define expectations and roles in individual and social situations

Answer explanation

✅ Answer: B) To define expectations and roles in individual and social situations
💡 Explanation: Social norms are the unwritten rules about how individuals should behave in specific social situations. These norms influence everything from how we dress to how we interact with others in public.
🔹 Example: In many cultures, shaking hands when meeting someone new is a social norm that establishes respect and politeness.

Front

According to social influence theory, normative social influence occurs when people conform because they want to:

Back

Gain social approval or avoid rejection

Answer explanation

✅ Answer: A) Gain social approval or avoid rejection
💡 Explanation: Normative social influence occurs when individuals change their behavior to fit in with a group, not because they believe the group is right, but because they seek approval or fear rejection.
🔹 Example: A teenager starts wearing a popular brand of shoes even though they don’t like them, simply to fit in with their peers.

Front

Which of the following best describes the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion?

Back

It identifies two main routes of persuasion: central and peripheral.

Answer explanation

✅ Answer: C) It identifies two main routes of persuasion: central and peripheral
💡 Explanation: The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) describes two ways people process persuasive messages:

• Central route – based on logic and careful thought (e.g., scientific evidence). The central route involves thinking about the merits of the argument and weighing the pros and cons. Persuasion via the central route leads to long-lasting change.

• Peripheral route – influenced by superficial cues (e.g., celebrity endorsements). The peripheral route involves other elements of the argument, such as how attractive the speaker is or their success at articulating the message, not the merits of the argument itself.

• 
  🔹 Example: A political candidate uses detailed policy discussions (central route) and also appears with popular celebrities (peripheral route) to appeal to voters.

^{https://www.verywellmind.com/the-elaboration-likelihood-model-of-persuasion-7724707}

Front

The foot-in-the-door technique works by:

Back

Gaining agreement to a small request first, making a larger request more likely to be accepted later

Answer explanation

✅ Answer: C) Gaining agreement to a small request first, making a larger request more likely to be accepted later
💡 Explanation: This persuasion method relies on a person’s tendency to remain consistent. If they agree to a small request, they are more likely to comply with a larger request later.
🔹 Example: A charity asks you to sign a petition (small request), and later asks for a donation (larger request).

_{https://fourweekmba.com/foot-in-the-door-technique/}

Front

The door-in-the-face technique works by:

Back

making a large request first, then a smaller one.

Answer explanation

✅ Answer: C) Making a large request first, then a smaller one.

💡 Explanation: The technique relies on the principle of reciprocity, where people feel obligated to make a concession after someone else has made a concession to them.

The initial request is deliberately designed to be so large that it's almost certain to be rejected. Once the initial request is rejected, the person then makes a smaller, more reasonable request, which is the actual goal. The contrast between the two requests makes the second request seem much more reasonable and acceptable, increasing the likelihood of compliance.

🔹 Example: You ask your parents for $100 (large request), then reduce the amount to $10 (small request).

Front

Which factor is most likely to increase conformity? A lack of social norms in a given situation, A strong sense of personal independence, The presence of a larger group with a unanimous opinion, An individual's prior resistance to authority

Back

The presence of a larger group with a unanimous opinion

Answer explanation

✅ Answer: C) The presence of a larger group with a unanimous opinion
💡 Explanation: Conformity is more likely when a person is surrounded by a group that all shares the same opinion, making it harder to resist social pressure.
🔹 Example: In Asch’s line experiment, people conformed to a group’s incorrect answer simply because everyone else agreed on it.

Front

Research on obedience, such as Milgram’s study, suggests that people are more likely to comply with authority when:

Back

The authority figure is perceived as legitimate and the setting is prestigious

Answer explanation

✅ Answer: C) The authority figure is perceived as legitimate and the setting is prestigious
💡 Explanation: Milgram’s study showed that participants were more likely to obey commands to administer shocks when the experimenter appeared to be a credible scientist in a respected institution.

The Milgram experiment, while groundbreaking in its exploration of obedience to authority, raises significant ethical concerns due to the use of deception, the potential for psychological harm, and the lack of a clear right to withdraw, which led to the development of stricter research ethics guidelines.

🔹 Example: A doctor in a hospital orders a nurse to administer a higher dose of medication than usual. The nurse, trusting the doctor's authority, is likely to comply.

^{https://www.verywellmind.com/the-milgram-obedience-experiment-2795243#:~:text=Ethical%20Concerns%20in%20the%20Milgram%20Experiment&text=Some%20of%20the%20major%20ethical,with%20participants'%20right%20to%20withdraw}

Front

Which concept explains why individuals in a group may put in less effort than they would alone? Options: Social facilitation, Group polarization, Social loafing, Conformity

Back

Social loafing

Answer explanation

✅ Answer: C) Social loafing
💡 Explanation: Social loafing occurs when individuals exert less effort in a group setting because they assume others will do the work.
🔹 Example: In a group project, one member contributes little effort, expecting the others to complete the assignment.

Front

What is the main difference between groupthink and group polarization?

Back

Groupthink leads to poor decision-making due to a desire for harmony, while group polarization amplifies pre-existing attitudes.

Answer explanation

✅ Answer: C) Groupthink leads to poor decision-making due to a desire for harmony, while group polarization amplifies pre-existing attitudes
💡 Explanation:

• Groupthink occurs when people suppress dissenting opinions to maintain group harmony, leading to poor decisions.

• Group polarization strengthens a group’s opinions, making members take more extreme positions.
  🔹 Example:

• Groupthink: A corporate team ignores potential risks of a new product to maintain unity, leading to failure.

• Group Polarization: After discussing politics, a group of moderates becomes either strongly liberal or strongly conservative.

Front

The bystander effect occurs because of:

Back

Diffusion of responsibility, where individuals assume others will take action

Answer explanation

✅ Answer: C) Diffusion of responsibility, where individuals assume others will take action
💡 Explanation: The bystander effect happens when people are less likely to help in an emergency if others are present, assuming someone else will intervene.
🔹 Example: A person collapses in a crowded subway, but no one helps immediately because everyone assumes someone else will act.