QCM : Understanding Social Psychology Biases and Influence — 12 questions

Explication

Attribution Theory explains how individuals interpret and assign causes to behaviors, whether their own or others', helping us understand social perception and judgment.

Explication

Ross (1977) is the author who highlighted the fundamental attribution error, which involves overemphasizing personality traits and underestimating situational influences when explaining others’ behavior. The other options refer to different psychologists and theories: Jones & Davis (1965) introduced Correspondence Bias, Milgram (1963) studied obedience, and Tajfel & Turner (1979) developed Social Identity Theory.

Explication

The Self-Serving Bias functions primarily to protect self-esteem by attributing positive outcomes to internal factors and negative outcomes to external factors, thereby maintaining a positive self-image.

Explication

The Bystander Effect was first established through the experimental research conducted by Darley and Latané, which was published in 1968. This study is considered the foundational work that introduced and demonstrated the phenomenon in social psychology.

Explication

The bystander effect is a specific manifestation of diffusion of responsibility, where individuals are less likely to help in emergencies because they assume others will intervene, illustrating the broader psychological process of diffusion of responsibility.

Explication

Davis (1983) proposed the empathy-altruism hypothesis, which suggests that genuine altruistic helping is motivated by empathy for others, rather than self-interest. The other options are associated with different theories: Hamilton with kin selection, Trivers with reciprocal altruism, and Batson with related research on empathy and helping but not the original formulation of the empathy-altruism hypothesis.

Explication

Prejudice and discrimination contribute to social inequalities and division by unfairly marginalizing groups, leading to social stratification and conflict. This is a well-established effect in social psychology, whereas the other options are either contrary to the typical outcomes of prejudice or are not supported as direct consequences.

Explication

The most effective way to apply knowledge of in-group bias and out-group homogeneity is through interventions like diversity training that promote shared identities and common goals, which can reduce biases and improve relations. Ignoring differences or avoiding interactions do not address biases constructively, and focusing only on personality traits ignores the social context that influences bias.

Explication

The correct answer is that the Just-World Hypothesis involves the belief that the world is fair and that people get what they deserve. This core assumption leads to victim-blaming and rationalizations of injustice, which are key features of the hypothesis. The other options are incorrect because they do not reflect the central belief of the Just-World Hypothesis; they either misrepresent its focus or describe unrelated ideas.

Explication

Implicit bias is defined as unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that influence perceptions and actions without awareness, which makes it different from conscious or explicit biases. The correct answer reflects this definition, while the other options describe conscious prejudice, stereotypes, or explicit beliefs, which are not implicit biases.

Explication

The 'Door-in-the-Face' technique was developed and popularized by Robert Cialdini and colleagues in 1975. It involves making a large request that is likely to be refused, followed by a smaller, more reasonable request. Floyd & Boren (1970) are associated with the foot-in-the-door technique, Gouldner (1960) with reciprocity, and Milgram (1963) with obedience to authority.

Explication

Self-perception theory explains how individuals infer their own attitudes by observing their behavior, especially when internal cues are weak or ambiguous. The Barnum Effect causes people to accept vague personality descriptions as highly accurate, influencing their self-assessment. Both serve the function of shaping how individuals interpret and understand their own attitudes and perceptions.