PSYC 331 LATEST 2026 STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔What is cognitive dissonance? - ✔✔The experience of holding two or more
incompatible beliefs, causing discomfort that one is motivated to relieve.
✔✔Who developed the theory of cognitive dissonance? - ✔✔Leon Festinger
✔✔What event did Festinger study to understand cognitive dissonance? - ✔✔A group
believing the world would end in 1954 and their reactions when it did not.
✔✔What was the outcome of Festinger's experiment with participants paid to lie? -
✔✔Those paid $1 rated the task as more enjoyable than those paid $20.
✔✔What did Milgram's obedience studies investigate? - ✔✔Why individuals comply with
authority figures even against their moral beliefs.
✔✔What was the setup of Milgram's obedience experiment? - ✔✔Participants believed
they were administering electric shocks to a learner for wrong answers.
✔✔What was the maximum voltage in Milgram's shock generator? - ✔✔450 volts
✔✔What was the role of the confederate in Milgram's experiment? - ✔✔To act as the
learner receiving shocks.
✔✔What did Milgram's studies reveal about human behavior? - ✔✔Many people are
willing to obey authority figures even when it conflicts with their personal ethics.
✔✔What was the primary method used by Asch in his conformity experiments? -
✔✔Visual judgment tasks with confederates providing misleading answers.
✔✔What impact did World War II have on social psychology research? - ✔✔It led to
increased interest in group dynamics and experimental social psychology.
✔✔What did Festinger's study of the doomsday cult reveal about cognitive dissonance?
- ✔✔Members rationalized their beliefs after the predicted event did not occur.
✔✔How did Asch's research contribute to understanding social behavior? - ✔✔It
highlighted the influence of group pressure on individual decision-making.
✔✔What did participants in Asch's study report feeling after the experiment? - ✔✔They
felt upset due to the pressure to conform.
, ✔✔What was the significance of the number of confederates in Asch's experiments? -
✔✔The effect of conformity peaked with seven confederates.
✔✔What did Milgram's experiment demonstrate about authority? - ✔✔It showed that
authority can compel individuals to act against their moral judgments.
✔✔What type of psychology did Lewin's work influence? - ✔✔Experimental social
psychology.
✔✔What was the primary goal of Milgram's obedience studies? - ✔✔To understand the
psychological mechanisms behind obedience to authority.
✔✔What was the reaction of Festinger's participants after the failed prophecy? -
✔✔They felt both upset and relieved, believing their faith prevented the disaster.
✔✔What did Festinger's controlled experiment with boring tasks reveal? -
✔✔Participants paid less experienced greater cognitive dissonance and rated the task
more positively.
✔✔What was the main ethical concern raised by Milgram's obedience studies? -
✔✔The potential psychological harm to participants believing they were harming others.
✔✔What did Asch's research lead to in terms of future studies? - ✔✔It inspired further
research on conformity and group dynamics.
✔✔What was the main objective of Milgram's obedience experiment? - ✔✔To
investigate how far participants would go in administering shocks to another person
when prompted by an authority figure.
✔✔What percentage of participants continued to administer shocks to the maximum
level in Milgram's study? - ✔✔Approximately 65% of participants.
✔✔What did Milgram's colleagues predict about participant behavior in the experiment?
- ✔✔They predicted that most participants would stop administering shocks once the
learner showed signs of distress.
✔✔What ethical concern arose from Milgram's research? - ✔✔The lack of immediate
debriefing and concern for participants' emotional well-being.
✔✔What was the outcome of Milgram's second funding application to the NSF? - ✔✔It
was turned down due to ethical concerns for the welfare of subjects.
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔What is cognitive dissonance? - ✔✔The experience of holding two or more
incompatible beliefs, causing discomfort that one is motivated to relieve.
✔✔Who developed the theory of cognitive dissonance? - ✔✔Leon Festinger
✔✔What event did Festinger study to understand cognitive dissonance? - ✔✔A group
believing the world would end in 1954 and their reactions when it did not.
✔✔What was the outcome of Festinger's experiment with participants paid to lie? -
✔✔Those paid $1 rated the task as more enjoyable than those paid $20.
✔✔What did Milgram's obedience studies investigate? - ✔✔Why individuals comply with
authority figures even against their moral beliefs.
✔✔What was the setup of Milgram's obedience experiment? - ✔✔Participants believed
they were administering electric shocks to a learner for wrong answers.
✔✔What was the maximum voltage in Milgram's shock generator? - ✔✔450 volts
✔✔What was the role of the confederate in Milgram's experiment? - ✔✔To act as the
learner receiving shocks.
✔✔What did Milgram's studies reveal about human behavior? - ✔✔Many people are
willing to obey authority figures even when it conflicts with their personal ethics.
✔✔What was the primary method used by Asch in his conformity experiments? -
✔✔Visual judgment tasks with confederates providing misleading answers.
✔✔What impact did World War II have on social psychology research? - ✔✔It led to
increased interest in group dynamics and experimental social psychology.
✔✔What did Festinger's study of the doomsday cult reveal about cognitive dissonance?
- ✔✔Members rationalized their beliefs after the predicted event did not occur.
✔✔How did Asch's research contribute to understanding social behavior? - ✔✔It
highlighted the influence of group pressure on individual decision-making.
✔✔What did participants in Asch's study report feeling after the experiment? - ✔✔They
felt upset due to the pressure to conform.
, ✔✔What was the significance of the number of confederates in Asch's experiments? -
✔✔The effect of conformity peaked with seven confederates.
✔✔What did Milgram's experiment demonstrate about authority? - ✔✔It showed that
authority can compel individuals to act against their moral judgments.
✔✔What type of psychology did Lewin's work influence? - ✔✔Experimental social
psychology.
✔✔What was the primary goal of Milgram's obedience studies? - ✔✔To understand the
psychological mechanisms behind obedience to authority.
✔✔What was the reaction of Festinger's participants after the failed prophecy? -
✔✔They felt both upset and relieved, believing their faith prevented the disaster.
✔✔What did Festinger's controlled experiment with boring tasks reveal? -
✔✔Participants paid less experienced greater cognitive dissonance and rated the task
more positively.
✔✔What was the main ethical concern raised by Milgram's obedience studies? -
✔✔The potential psychological harm to participants believing they were harming others.
✔✔What did Asch's research lead to in terms of future studies? - ✔✔It inspired further
research on conformity and group dynamics.
✔✔What was the main objective of Milgram's obedience experiment? - ✔✔To
investigate how far participants would go in administering shocks to another person
when prompted by an authority figure.
✔✔What percentage of participants continued to administer shocks to the maximum
level in Milgram's study? - ✔✔Approximately 65% of participants.
✔✔What did Milgram's colleagues predict about participant behavior in the experiment?
- ✔✔They predicted that most participants would stop administering shocks once the
learner showed signs of distress.
✔✔What ethical concern arose from Milgram's research? - ✔✔The lack of immediate
debriefing and concern for participants' emotional well-being.
✔✔What was the outcome of Milgram's second funding application to the NSF? - ✔✔It
was turned down due to ethical concerns for the welfare of subjects.
