d. ultimately will lead to a better understanding of the causes of mental illness.
Answer: B
Difficulty: 3
Page(s) in Text: 7
Topic: What Is Social Psychology?
Skill: Conceptual
56. Which of the following is false with regard to cross-cultural research in social psychology? Social psychologists
a. find cross-cultural studies of social behavior valuable because these provide a test of the universality of laws of human behavior.
b. have only recently expanded their research beyond the United States.
c. find cross-cultural studies of social behavior valuable because these allow the use of research methods deemed unethical in the United States.
d. find cross-cultural studies of social behavior valuable because these allow the discovery of additional variables that enable more accurate prediction.
Answer: C
Difficulty: 2
Page(s) in Text: 7
Topic: What Is Social Psychology?
Skill: Factual
57. The tendency most people have to discount situational explanations of behavior in favor of personality characteristics or traits is called the
a. character bias.
b. discounting effect.
c. fundamental attribution error.
d. blame assignment bias.
Answer: C
Difficulty: 1
Page(s) in Text: 8
Topic: The Power of the Situation
Skill: Factual
58. Sheila shows up for a blind date with her hair disheveled and her clothes a mess. Her date, Jamal, thinks, “She must be a total slob!” Jamal’s thought about Sheila is an example of
a. individual differences.
b. the fundamental attribution error.
c. a strong social situation.
d. gender differences in perception.
Answer: B
Difficulty: 3
Page(s) in Text: 8
Topic: The Power of the Situation
Skill: Application
59. Which of the following is the best definition of the fundamental attribution error?
a. people’s strong need to see themselves as reasonably good, competent, and decent
b. the subjective way in which an object appears in people’s minds
c. the influence of the real or imagined presence of others