Test: Social Psychology - 1 - MCAT MCQ

The behavior of the group, where individuals gather around and record the altercation without intervening or seeking help, is an example of the bystander effect. The bystander effect refers to the phenomenon where individuals are less likely to intervene in an emergency situation when there are more people present. In this case, the presence of a group of individuals creates a diffusion of responsibility, leading to a decreased likelihood of personal intervention. The bystanders may assume that someone else will take action or feel less individually responsible due to the presence of others.

To minimize the effects of social loafing, Miss McLain can grade both the group as a whole and each individual group member on the project. This approach encourages each student to contribute actively and take responsibility for their own work within the group. By evaluating both the group's overall performance and the individual contributions, it promotes accountability and reduces the tendency for individuals to rely on others to carry the workload. This can help motivate students to put in their best effort and discourage social loafing.

The theory of social facilitation suggests that the presence of an audience can enhance performance on well-practiced or dominant tasks. In Tim's case, singing is his well-developed skill, so the presence of an audience may improve his singing performance. However, dancing is an area where Tim has less experience, so the presence of an audience may increase self-consciousness and anxiety, leading to impaired performance in dancing. This is because social facilitation effects are more likely to occur when individuals are confident and competent in the task at hand.

The behavior of a cyber bully represents the group dynamic of deindividuation. Deindividuation occurs when individuals feel a sense of anonymity and reduced self-awareness in a group setting, which can lead to a loss of inhibitions and a decrease in personal responsibility for their actions. In the context of cyber bullying, the online environment provides a sense of anonymity, allowing individuals to engage in aggressive and hurtful behavior that they might not exhibit in face-to-face interactions. This lack of personal accountability and the perception of reduced consequences contribute to the deindividuation process.

To reduce groupthink among the scientists, the leader can introduce the strategy of inviting a subset of individuals in the group to critique animal research. By encouraging diverse perspectives and allowing for critical evaluation of the topic, the leader creates an environment that fosters open discussion and challenges the prevailing views or biases within the group. This approach helps to prevent groupthink, which is a phenomenon where the desire for consensus and harmony in a group overrides critical thinking and results in flawed decision-making. By actively seeking dissenting opinions and alternative viewpoints, the leader promotes a more comprehensive consideration of the issue at hand.

Group polarization refers to the phenomenon where group discussions and interactions lead to the strengthening of the initial attitudes and beliefs of group members. In this scenario, the caution and concern of the individual group members regarding the possibility of rain on the hike are likely to be amplified through group discussion. As the group members share their concerns and reasons for being cautious, they may become even more convinced of the potential dangers of hiking in the rain. This intensification of their initial cautious attitudes is an example of group polarization. It can lead to a more extreme decision, such as canceling the hike, as the group members collectively reinforce and amplify their shared concerns.

Normative conformity refers to the tendency to conform to social norms in order to gain acceptance or avoid social rejection. In this scenario, Idris feels pressured by his new friends to drink at social events in order to fit in and avoid being socially rejected. He conforms to their expectations and engages in drinking despite his personal reservations about it. This represents normative conformity.

Compliance refers to changing one's behavior in response to a direct request or influence from others. In this case, Idris complies with the requests and pressures of his friends to drink, even though he privately believes that drinking is problematic. He goes along with their demands to avoid social rejection, demonstrating compliance.

Therefore, the change in Idris' behavior can be described as normative conformity (conforming to fit in and avoid social rejection) and compliance (changing behavior in response to direct requests or pressure from others).

Affect-as-information theory proposes that individuals use their emotional reactions as a basis for judgment and decision-making. According to this theory, if a persuasive message evokes positive emotions, individuals are more likely to be persuaded by it.

The bystander effect occurs when individuals are less likely to intervene in an emergency situation when there are more people present. This is because the presence of others creates a diffusion of responsibility, where individuals believe that someone else will take action, leading to a decreased likelihood of personal intervention.

Groupthink is the tendency for individuals within a group to conform to the group's opinion or behavior, even when the group's decision may be objectively wrong or irrational. In groupthink, the desire for group harmony and conformity overrides critical thinking and individual dissent.