Q&A Hero

Q: when dirk fails his calculus exam, he is most likely to explain the result as being due to: a.not having gone to class or studied enough b.his decision to go out the night before the exam c.his lack of basic ability in mathematics d.the exam having been too difficult to be fair

Q: attributions are our attempts to explain: a.motives b.traits c.preferences d.all of the above

Q: weiners theory argues that in addition to being either personal or situational, attitudes can vary on which dimensions? a.stable/unstable and controllable/uncontrollable b.positive/negative c.controlled/uncontrollable d.positive/negative and stable/unstable

Q: in a recent study, participants were shown 30-second clips of two candidates in a past election with which they were not familiar. the person was asked to determine which candidate had won that election. how accurate do you think the participants were at predicting the winner of the election and why? a.very accurate; a brief slice of behavior provides significant information b.not accurate; 30 seconds would not provide as much information as voters had c.very accurate; all that matters is attractiveness, which can be quickly assessed d.not accurate; the clip would need to be framed in the context of the election

Q: people are often advised not to make hasty decisions about other people. the research on thin slices of behavior would suggest that this advice is: a.good because opinions usually change significantly with more information b.good because information can be evaluated better with more time c.bad because further analysis usually produces less accurate judgments d.incorrect because accurate judgments about many characteristics can be made using little information

Q: guilia is a second-grade teacher. in her class this year, she has a young boy from another country. when she tries to make eye contact with him, he always looks away. what would be the most reasonable thing for guilia to conclude from this? a.the boy is frightened or uncomfortable with her. b.the boy has something that he is ashamed of or trying to hide. c.the boy may have different norms for eye contact. d.the boy may have different values.

Q: babies begin to prefer to look at a picture of a face, rather than a blank outline of a head, when they are less than: a.1 month old b.1 hour old c.1 week old d.1 day old

Q: human beings have evolved as social animals who live in groups, in part because: a.members of the same group do not constitute a danger to each other b.mating within a group increases the probability of a healthy offspring c.groups provide safety from competing groups and predators d.members of the same groups provide less competition for mates

Q: human beings have evolved as social animals who live in groups. as a consequence, we have also evolved mechanisms to: a.detect danger from within ones own group b.distinguish members of ones own group c.integrate into other groups when needed d.both a and b

Q: which of the following questions would not be investigated in social psychology? a.why do romantic relationships often fail? b.why do fraternities continue hazing despite serious consequences? c.why is it so difficult to lose weight or stop smoking? d.why does advertising get us to buy things we do not need?

Q: the stanford prison study illustrates that people: a.are innately violent unless constrained by society b.behave in accord with their roles in a situation c.will obey orders even when they violate their principles d.placed in all-male groups will create dominance hierarchies

Q: among the factors contributing to the mistreatment of prisoners at abu ghraib was that the guards: a.had not received sufficient psychological screening b.were being taunted and insulted by the prisoners c.were under pressure to get critical intelligence from the prisoners d.probably saw the prisoners in a way that dehumanized them

Q: if you had been consulted when abu ghraib was being developed for use by the u.s. military, what advice could you have given about minimizing the probability that the prisoners would be mistreated? a.establish a clear chain of command and clear responsibilities. b.test potential guards and use only those who are psychologically stable. c.encourage values by emphasizing group solidarity as americans. d.make sure that the guards are paid well enough not to resent their work.

Q: adam has been reading the research literature on positive psychology. he has decided to write a letter of thanks to his grandfather, whom he greatly admires. what should happen after adam writes and delivers this letter? a.he will experience an increase in his level of happiness. b.he will start to engage in downward comparisons. c.he will experience an increase in testosterone. d.activity will increase slightly in his amygdala.

Q: according to your textbooks action plan for health and well-being, which kind of food should we avoid? a.poultry b.lean meats c.whole grains d.foods with trans fatty acids

Q: the relationship between religiousness and health can be described as: a.basically negative b.basically positive c.basically random d.difficult to infer

Q: according to your textbook, which of the following statements is not a reason spirituality may contribute to overall well-being? a.members of faith communities gain physical and social support. b.faith gives people a sense of purpose and meaning in their lives. c.many religions have strict rules that people feel compelled to follow. d.many religions support healthy behaviors.

Q: mike and heather have a disagreeable marriage. they fight often and no longer believe they are in love. mike and heather will typically show _____ levels of oxytocin compared to when they were in love. a.similar b.lower c.higher d.more variable

Q: if people suddenly stopped producing the hormone oxytocin: a.mothers would bond less with their newborn babies b.men would become aggressive, whereas women would become prosocial c.women would become aggressive, whereas men would become prosocial d.interpersonal attachment would not be affected

Q: safia is a moderately healthy person. she has a small network of acquaintances and friends. if safia wants to get all the health benefits associated with social support, she should increase: a.her support network, including people who provide encouragement b.her buffering threshold and the number of new friends she makes c.the size of her network and her leadership capacity d.her social integration and dominance expressions

Q: if aimee wants to increase her life span by a few years, which of the following pieces of advice is recommended? a.pamper yourself. b.increase your social support network. c.spend more time interacting with nature. d.spend more time on hobbies.

Q: dr. z., a mad scientist, wants to create a human population that is completely submissive and trusting so he can take over the world. to accomplish this transformation, he should increase humans secretion of the hormone: a.oxytocin b.norepinephrine c.testosterone d.peptide

Q: the first few times they met, doug and susie were both releasing oxytocin. therefore: a.doug and susie will tend to perceive each other as trustworthy individuals b.susie will tend to trust doug, but he may not trust her c.doug will tend to trust susie, but she may not trust him d.neither will trust the other

Q: if human beings had more receptors for the hormone oxytocin, people would be: a.less trusting b.less curious c.more trusting d.more curious

Q: which hormone appears to be associated with increased trust? a.androgen b.estrogen c.oxytocin d.testosterone

Q: research has shown that the correlation between trust and physical health is: a.mostly positive b.mostly negative c.mostly random d.unable to be assessed scientifically

Q: which hormone is assumed to stimulate infant/mother bonding during breast feeding? a.serotonin b.oxytocin c.peptide d.androgen

Q: according to your textbook, those who are likely to liver longer and have better health are characterized by: a.an emotion-focused approach to coping b.rumination c.seeking out information d.social support

Q: having a higher level of social support is: a.negatively correlated with health problems b.correlated with type a personality c.important to health for children but less so for adults d.unrelated to gender

Q: which of the following people would experience the most distress over a stressful situation? a.pam, a woman in a happy marriage b.donna, a single mom of three who works full time c.alex, a man in a happy marriage with two children d.gerard, a man in a domestic partnership

Q: research on the relationship between marital status and well-being generally shows that: a.being married has a positive effect on health and well-being b.being married has a negative effect on health and well-being c.being married has neither a positive nor a negative effect on health and well-being d.being in a traditional marriage, but not a homosexual marriage, has a positive effect on health and well-being

Q: safia feels less stressed when she can talk to her friends about her job difficulty. it is helpful for her to know that people care about her. this best describes: a.eustress b.the buffering hypothesis c.conformity d.the social networking hypothesis

Q: mohamed is experiencing a large amount of work stress lately, but his coworkers are helping him cope with the stress by encouraging him and telling him how much they appreciate his hard work. these circumstances are a good example of: a.hardy friendships b.the social networking hypothesis c.positive stress d.the buffering hypothesis

Q: according to _____, people who receive direct emotional support are better able to cope with stress. a.social support theory b.the buffering hypothesis c.the broaden-and-build theory d.the emotional trust hypothesis

Q: fewer colds and flus, a better-functioning immune system, and reduced risk of serious diseases, such as heart disease, can be expected from which of the following? a.increasing the positive emotions one experiences b.decreasing the number of people in ones social network c.being single versus married d.increasing ones social and work responsibilities

Q: according to your textbook, a large study found what type of relationship between peoples attitudes and their health? a.people with positive attitudes are unhealthier than people with negative attitudes. b.people with positive attitudes are healthier than people with negative attitudes. c.people with positive attitudes are equally as healthy as people with negative attitudes. d.the results of the study were inconclusive.

Q: serena is experiencing mild depression. she would like to help herself feel happier. which of the following activities should elevate serenas mood, at least for a few weeks? a.asking for a promotion at work b.making one new friend a day for a month or more c.writing a letter to someone expressing positive and negative feelings about past events d.expressing gratitude to someone who has helped her

Q: researchers who are part of the positive psychology movement would look to which of the following well-known, classical psychologists as a role model? a.hans selye b.abraham maslow c.b. f. skinner d.sigmund freud

Q: dr. zakaria, a young faculty member at xyz university, is interested in how personal characteristics such as hopefulness, trustworthiness, and kindness affect self-perceived happiness. dr. zakaria is most likely a: a.cognitive psychologist b.positive psychologist c.psychoanalyst d.humanistic psychologist

Q: which of the following states is not characterized as one of the three components of happiness? a.being acknowledged by others as a successful person b.having meaning in life c.having positive emotions and pleasure d.being engaged in life

Q: the most central goal of the positive psychology movement is to: a.promote positive change in society, such as by advocating for peace b.convince people that they have much in life to be grateful for c.study and understand psychological well-being d.train people to become positive and more effective leaders

Q: according to the results of one study, those members of ethnic minorities in the united states who are more _____ are most likely to exercise regularly. a.independent b.nonacculturated c.acculturated d.aligned with their ethnic group

Q: in which of the following groups are people most likely to exercise regularly? a.european americans b.hispanic americans c.asian americans d.african americans

Q: milo is training for an international chess competition and thinks that if he increases his brain volume he will do better in the competition. which of the following actions should milo take to increase his brain volume? a.reduce the number of hours he watches television b.go on a vegetarian diet c.pray d.exercise

Q: exercise could be described as miracle gro for our brains. this is because the fertilizer miracle gro is for grass what exercise is for: a.reproductive hormones b.the glands c.the bloodstream d.neurons

Q: for weeks, niesha has had a cut on her hand that has not healed. according to evidence presented in the text, what can she do to increase her skins healing? a.eat less fat and sugar b.increase the number of hours she spends in prayer c.do aerobic exercise regularly d.practice zen meditation

Q: kristines frequent drug use has resulted in some short- and long-term memory impairment. now that kristine has quit using drugs, which of the following should her doctor recommend to help kristine enhance her memory functioning? a.prayer b.exercise c.social support d.increasing her self-esteem

Q: research on the effects of exercise has shown that it can have beneficial effects on: a.cognition b.memory c.depression d.all of the above

Q: if cigarettes contained no nicotine, the brains dopamine neurons would be: a.overstimulated by smoking b.less affected by smoking c.inhibited by smoking d.easily activated at first but inactive after the first cigarette

Q: if people did not possess dopamine neurons, addiction to nicotine would be: a.less likely b.more likely c.unaffected d.strong at first and weak later

Q: approximately how many teenagers who start smoking will continue smoking into adulthood? a.10 percent b.30 percent c.50 percent d.80 percent

Q: jamie has an older brother who smokes. jamie is: a.less likely to start smoking than other kids b.more likely to start smoking than other kids c.no more and no less likely to start smoking than other kids d.more likely to be a problem drinker, whether or not he smokes

Q: evidence suggests that some individuals are more prone to become regular smokers than are others. one factor involves: a.a greater tendency to have acetylcholine pathways in the brain b.a cascade of hpa activation c.parents and peers who smoke d.the absence of antidrug programs in school

Q: lashawna has no siblings, and her parents do not smoke. jayda has an older brother and mother who smoke. who would be more likely to start smoking, and why? a.lashawna, because her dopamine neurons are more sensitive to nicotine b.lashawna, because smoking would be a novel and exciting experience c.jayda, because her family members act as role models for smoking d.both girls are equally likely to start smoking

Q: based on what you know about the prevalence rates of smoking, where would you expect to find the most lung cancer deaths in the next 20 years? a.urban cities in the united states b.rural communities in the united states c.china d.france

Q: which of the following conditions is an effect of chronic smoking? a.liver failure b.immune disorders c.heart disease d.brain tumors

Q: according to your textbook, being encouraged by peers and enhancing ones self-image are reasons why people: a.eat too much b.engage in emotional coping c.start smoking d.develop a type a personality

Q: research suggests that the average adult smoker, compared to the nonsmoker: a.can plan to live about a decade less b.underestimates the number of people who smoke c.did not try cigarettes until college d.overestimates the number of health problems he or she has

Q: which country has the highest proportion of smokers worldwide? a.united states b.india c.china d.japan

Q: one difference between anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa involves: a.the degree of psychological disturbance present b.whether periods of dieting occur c.the amount of food that is typically consumed d.the race and class of the people who engage in each

Q: of those who develop anorexia nervosa, what percentage eventually dies from the disorder? a.12 percent b.10 15 percent c.1520 percent d.2535 percent

Q: your sister has been quite thin ever since the eighth grade, but expresses a great fear of becoming fat and is always looking for ways to lose more weight. she is likely suffering from: a.hypothyroidism b.the absence of a set-point for weight control c.anorexia nervosa d.bulimia nervosa

Q: anorexia nervosa and bulimia differ in that: a.anorexia is associated with a higher mortality rate than bulimia b.anorexia is more common among men than bulimia c.persons suffering from anorexia tend to recover more quickly than those with bulimia d.those with bulimia are very underweight and practice restrained eating

Q: for which of the following groups would an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa be most typical? a.teenage african american girls b.race and class are not important risk factors for these conditions c.teenage asian women d.college-age white women

Q: a study described in your textbook showed that when normal people are malnourished for a prolonged period of time, they: a.gain 100 or more pounds when they go back to normal eating b.permanently stay thin and find it hard to gain back the weight they lost c.become obsessed with food, much like people with eating disorders d.report more positive emotions because of the positive social feedback they receive

Q: dieting as a method of controlling weight has proved ineffective in part because: a.the diet causes metabolism to increase such that the body becomes highly efficient in using the calories that are available b.weight gain occurs more rapidly after each episode of dieting is terminated c.the body lacks a set-point for regulating weight d.most people have a set-point that is set too high

Q: restrained eaters eat according to: a.internal hunger cues b.what they perceive others want them to eat c.rigid rules d.relatively random patterns

Q: attempting to restrain the amount you eat in order to control your weight: a.is still the best long-term weight-loss strategy yet discovered b.works for only about 60 percent of people over time c.can result in overeating when one perceives the diet has been broken by eating a forbidden food d.works best for those who are very overweight rather than moderately overweight

Q: john comes from a family in which everyone is overweight, even though people in the family appear to eat only moderate amounts of food. these circumstances are consistent with research showing that: a.food habits are primarily influenced by family attitudes b.the environment is more important than our genes in determining eating behavior c.genes play an important role in who becomes overweight d.food habits are determined by what foods are presented to us

Q: the body mass index (bmi) of an adopted child will show _____ the bmi of the adoptive parents and _____ the bmi of the biological parents. a.similarity to; similarity to b.similarity to; dissimilarity to c.dissimilarity to; similarity to d.dissimilarity to; dissimilarity to

Q: people who are overweight sometimes experience terrible social stigma. in what area of the world would social stigma about being overweight be less severe or even absent? a.some countries in western europe b.some countries in africa c.the united states d.any country where food is abundant

Q: if people in other countries become more like americans in their eating and exercise habits, one day those countries obesity rates will be close to: a.10 percent b.30 percent c.50 percent d.70 percent

Q: dora is a moderately obese woman with a full figure. however, dora is not confronted with social stigma about being overweight. on the contrary, she is often complemented on how attractive she is. dora: a.is probably a hardy person b.probably lives in a developing country c.will nevertheless experience some negative psychological symptoms that are caused by her weight d.will experience a lack of congruent self-concept

Q: dieting behavior: a.is largely successful in dealing with weight problems if it can be maintained for long periods of time b.is typically counterproductive for long-term weight loss c.often works for males but is less effective for females d.is on the decline in developed countries

Q: research in different cultural contexts reveals that obesity is: a.stigmatized in some of them and respected in others b.universally rejected and devalued c.associated with lower economic status, particularly in developing countries d.positively associated with social status in most cultures

Q: being very overweight is: a.primarily linked to personality b.a major health problem in contemporary society c.primarily a result of overeating d.primarily a result of genetic factors

Q: angelique and patrice are both in seventh grade. angelique has high self-esteem, and patrice has low self-esteem. which person is more likely to perceive herself as obese, if either, and why? a.angelique, because girls with high self-esteem tend to underestimate the health risks of many behaviors b.patrice, because girls with low self-esteem tend to underestimate the health risks of many behaviors c.neither is more likely to become obese d.patrice, but the reasons for the relationship are unclear

Q: evidence that humans have a set-point for weight is reflected in the fact that: a.when prisoners were fed large amounts of food they gained less weight than they should have and returned to their normal weight when they resumed a regular diet b.when people diet frequently, they wind up gaining more weight than those who do not c.studies of semistarvation have shown that long-term reduction in food intake causes people to lose interest in food and eating d.as less food is consumed, the bodys ability to use the energy contained in the food is reduced

Q: your roommate, who is very overweight, has an identical twin whom you have never met and who lived with an adoptive family while growing up. given what you know about genetic and environmental factors in weight status, you would: a.be unclear about the weight status of the twin b.guess that the twin had a similar weight status to his adoptive family members c.ask for more information on the attitudes of the adoptive parents toward being overweight d.guess that the twin is likely to be overweight

Q: claude bouchard conducted research on the effects of overfeeding on weight gain and found that identical twins were similar in the amount of weight they gained. this study provides evidence for which of the following statements? a.environment plays an important role in weight gain. b.being an identical twin is stressful and therefore likely to cause weight gain. c.weight gain is inevitable for most people if they overeat. d.genes play an important role in weight gain.