1 PYC3701 Social Psychology
PYC3701 EXAM PREPARATION – Assignments and Exams
This document is an easy to read compilation of past UNISA Assignment and Exam
Questions and Answers
Answers are motivated by a combination of:
• Page references to the prescribed textbook
• Short summaries and/or content regarding the relevant topic(s) in question.
(Incorrect options are also marked where applicable, in order to identify and
disregard red-herring alternatives)
Assignments covered are:
• Assignment 01 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 578756 (2015)
• Assignment 02 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 578804 (2015)
• Assignment 01 for Semester 1- Unique Number: 711723 (2016)
• Assignment 02 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 578832 (2015)
• Assignment 02 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 737704 (2016)
• Assignment 01 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 750962 (2016)
• Assignment 02 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 871085 (2016)
• Assignment 01 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 686345 (2018)
• Assignment 02 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 843927 (2018)
• Assignment 01 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 882359 (2018)
• Assignment 02 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 730199 (2018)
Exams covered are:
• May-June 2011
• October-November 2011
• May-June 2012
• October-November 2012
• May-June 2013
• October-November 2013
• May-June 2014
• October-November 2014
• May-June 2015
• October-November 2015
• May-June 2016
• October-November 2016
• May-June 2017
• May-June 2017 (Second Paper)
• October-November 2017
Please note: This document is an additional tool for exam preparation. The Stuvia-user that compiled
and uploaded this document takes no responsibility for incorrect answers. Students must ensure
that they study the prescribed material and understand the content.
,2 PYC3701 Social Psychology
Contents
Assignment 01 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 578756 (2015) ......................................................... 2
Assignment 02 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 578804 (2015) ......................................................... 8
Assignment 01 for Semester 1- Unique Number: 711723 (2016) ........................................................ 13
Assignment 02 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 578832 (2015) ....................................................... 17
Assignment 02 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 737704 (2016) ....................................................... 23
Assignment 01 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 750962 (2016) ....................................................... 28
Assignment 02 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 871085 (2016) ....................................................... 32
Assignment 01 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 686345 (2018) ....................................................... 37
Assignment 02 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 843927 (2018) ....................................................... 41
Assignment 01 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 882359 (2018) ....................................................... 47
Assignment 02 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 730199 (2018) ....................................................... 52
Exam - May/June 2011.......................................................................................................................... 58
Exam - October/November 2011 .......................................................................................................... 78
Exam - May/Jun 2012............................................................................................................................ 95
Exam - October/November 2012 ........................................................................................................ 114
Exam - May/June 2013........................................................................................................................ 132
Exam - October/November 2013 ........................................................................................................ 153
Exam - May/June 2014........................................................................................................................ 171
Exam - October/November 2014 ........................................................................................................ 189
Exam - May/June 2015........................................................................................................................ 207
Exam - October/November 2015 ........................................................................................................ 225
Exam - May/June 2016 ........................................................................................................................ 243
Exam - Oct/Nov 2016 .......................................................................................................................... 261
Exam - May/June 2017 ........................................................................................................................ 279
Exam - May/June 2017 Second Paper ................................................................................................. 297
Exam - Oct/Nov 2017 .......................................................................................................................... 318
Assignment 01 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 578756 (2015)
QUESTION 1
Simple rules for making complex decisions or drawing inferences are known as ___.
1) schemas
2) automaticity
3) heuristics
4) anchoring and adjustment.
,3 PYC3701 Social Psychology
Answer: Alternative 3 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 58
Reasoning: See the definitions of the various concepts in your text book. (For all items relating to
definitions consult the Subject Index at the back of your text book.)
QUESTION 2
Which one of the following individuals is most likely to experience information overload? A person
who is ___.
1) singing in the shower
2) dancing and talking at a party
3) talking on a cell phone while driving a car
4) chatting with his wife while dressing for work.
Answer: Alternative 3 is correct
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 57
Reasoning: Psychologists have recognised for many years that humans have a limited capacity to
process information. Information overload occurs when we receive more information (that
demands our attention) than can be processed.
QUESTION 3
One way that schemas influence social thought is by ___.
1) acting as a filter to direct our attention towards some information and away from other
information
2) increasing our cognitive load by activating more information from our long-term memory
stores
3) ensuring that inconsistent information is stored in our memories and retrieved rapidly
4) activating the availability heuristic and enabling automatic priming.
Answer: Alternative 1 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pp.65-68
Reasoning: Schemas act as a kind of filter so as to prevent us from suffering from cognitive
overload. Schemas can also be described as a mental structure of preconceived ideas, a
framework representing some aspect of the world, or a system of organising and perceiving new
information. They influence attention and the absorption of new knowledge: People are more
likely to notice things that fit into their schema, while re-interpreting contradictions to the schema
as exceptions or distorting them to fit.
QUESTION 4
Christine encounters a member of a certain political group whose views and attributes are
inconsistent with (Christine's) schemas about that group. What is the most likely conclusion that
Christine will make?
1) Christine will place this individual into a subtype of those who do not confirm her schema
2) Christine will suppress conscious awareness of this conflicting information, but it will exert
an influence on her behaviour without her awareness
3) Christine will not lose confidence in her ability to create schemas
4) Christine will completely change her schema about the group.
Answer: Alternative 1 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pp.65-68
,4 PYC3701 Social Psychology
Reasoning: Schemata have a tendency to remain unchanged, even in the face of contradictory
information. Therefore, Christine will place an individual (who differs from her schema) into a
subgroup.
QUESTION 5
In thinking about a major assignment that is due in one week, Maria focuses on the tasks to be
accomplished and how she thinks she will approach each task. She does not spend much time
thinking about how long similar tasks have taken her in the past. As a result, she is likely to
underestimate the amount of time needed for the assignment. This is probably because Maria ___.
1) entered a planning or narrative mode of thought
2) activated an inappropriate schema
3) fallen prey to the negativity bias
4) engaged in magical thinking.
Answer: Alternative 1 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 76
Reasoning: The planning fallacy is a phenomenon in which predictions about how much time will
be needed to complete a future task display an optimistic bias (underestimate the time needed).
This phenomenon occurs regardless of the individual's knowledge that past tasks of a similar
nature have taken longer to complete than generally planned.
QUESTION 6
Khuze has been very depressed for about six months and has difficulty remembering when he was
not depressed. This phenomenon illustrates the effects of ___.
1) mood-dependent memory
2) mood-assimilation memory
3) mood-deleting memory
4) mood-congruent memory.
Answer: Alternative 1 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 82
Reasoning: Mood dependence is the facilitation of memory when mood at retrieval is identical to
the mood at encoding. When humans encode a memory, they not only record the visual and
other sensory data, they also store their mood and emotional state. An individual's present mood
thus affects the memories that are most easily available to them: When in a good mood we can
easily recall good memories (and vice versa).
QUESTION 7
Which one of the following is not an example of a basic channel of nonverbal communication?
1) Posture.
2) Talking.
3) Eye contact.
4) Facial expression.
Answer: Alternative 2 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 91
Reasoning: Talking is a verbal form of communication.
QUESTION 8
Which statement best describes the attribution process? The process by which we ___.
1) combine information about others into unified impressions of them
,5 PYC3701 Social Psychology
2) focus attention inward for reflection
3) seek to understand the causes of the behaviour of others and ourselves
4) attempt to shift blame away from ourselves.
Answer: Alternative 3 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 103
Reasoning: See the definition of attribution in your text book.
QUESTION 9
The fundamental attribution error refers to our tendency to ___.
1) assume that we can do no wrong
2) overestimate the role of situations in causing others' behaviour
3) overestimate the role of dispositions in causing others' behaviour
4) overestimate the role of situations in causing our own behaviour.
Answer: Alternative 3 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 108
Reasoning: See the definition of the fundamental attribution error in your text book.
QUESTION 10
Asch (1946) defined central traits as those traits that were ___.
1) located near the middle of a list of traits
2) crucial in shaping the overall impression of a stranger
3) crucial for making cognitive decisions about the other traits
4) formed by our implicit personality theories.
Answer: Alternative 2 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 116
Reasoning: See your text book for the definition of central traits.
QUESTION 11
Research from the cognitive perspective on impression formation suggests that we form our
impressions of other people in part by ___.
1) multiplying available information and adding an importance factor that depends on the
situation
2) adding discrete pieces of information about them
3) discounting some information if we suspect impression management is a factor in the other
person's presentation of themselves
4) averaging available information about them.
Answer: Alternative 4 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 116
Reasoning: See the discussion of impression formation in Chapter 3 of your text book.
QUESTION 12
Our personal beliefs about the way that certain traits occur together are known as ___.
1) central trait theories
2) peripheral trait theories
3) conceptual personality theories
4) implicit personality theories.
, 6 PYC3701 Social Psychology
Answer: Alternative 4 is correct.
Refer: Feedback on previous assignment
Reasoning: See the definition of implicit personality theories in your text book.
QUESTION 13
When individuals mentally compare their current outcomes with more favourable possible
outcomes, they are engaging in ___.
1) mitigating social comparison
2) downward counterfactuals
3) dissatisfaction social comparison
4) upward counterfactuals.
Answer: Alternative 4 is correct.
Refer: Feedback on previous assignment
Reasoning: See your textbook for the definition of 'upward counterfactuals'.
QUESTION 14
A readiness to see negative outcomes as due to discrimination is called ___.
1) gender-based exclusion
2) prejudice targeting
3) stereotype threat
4) stigma consciousness.
Answer: Alternative 3 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 157
Reasoning: Stereotype threat is a particular kind of social identity threat that occurs when people
believe they might be judged in light of a negative stereotype about their social identity or that
they inadvertently act in some way to confirm a negative stereotype in their group.
QUESTION 15
Overall, the relationship between attitudes and behaviour is ___.
1) based on personality attributes
2) based on gender
3) usually not reliable, with some exceptions
4) reliable, with some exceptions.
Answer: Alternative 4 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pp. 174-180
Reasoning: See the discussion on the relationship between attitudes and behaviour in your text
book.
QUESTION 16
The strongest attitudes for an individual are usually acquired through ___.
1) peer influence
2) cognitive processes
3) direct experience
4) social learning.
Answer: Alternative 3 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 168
PYC3701 EXAM PREPARATION – Assignments and Exams
This document is an easy to read compilation of past UNISA Assignment and Exam
Questions and Answers
Answers are motivated by a combination of:
• Page references to the prescribed textbook
• Short summaries and/or content regarding the relevant topic(s) in question.
(Incorrect options are also marked where applicable, in order to identify and
disregard red-herring alternatives)
Assignments covered are:
• Assignment 01 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 578756 (2015)
• Assignment 02 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 578804 (2015)
• Assignment 01 for Semester 1- Unique Number: 711723 (2016)
• Assignment 02 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 578832 (2015)
• Assignment 02 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 737704 (2016)
• Assignment 01 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 750962 (2016)
• Assignment 02 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 871085 (2016)
• Assignment 01 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 686345 (2018)
• Assignment 02 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 843927 (2018)
• Assignment 01 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 882359 (2018)
• Assignment 02 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 730199 (2018)
Exams covered are:
• May-June 2011
• October-November 2011
• May-June 2012
• October-November 2012
• May-June 2013
• October-November 2013
• May-June 2014
• October-November 2014
• May-June 2015
• October-November 2015
• May-June 2016
• October-November 2016
• May-June 2017
• May-June 2017 (Second Paper)
• October-November 2017
Please note: This document is an additional tool for exam preparation. The Stuvia-user that compiled
and uploaded this document takes no responsibility for incorrect answers. Students must ensure
that they study the prescribed material and understand the content.
,2 PYC3701 Social Psychology
Contents
Assignment 01 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 578756 (2015) ......................................................... 2
Assignment 02 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 578804 (2015) ......................................................... 8
Assignment 01 for Semester 1- Unique Number: 711723 (2016) ........................................................ 13
Assignment 02 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 578832 (2015) ....................................................... 17
Assignment 02 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 737704 (2016) ....................................................... 23
Assignment 01 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 750962 (2016) ....................................................... 28
Assignment 02 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 871085 (2016) ....................................................... 32
Assignment 01 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 686345 (2018) ....................................................... 37
Assignment 02 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 843927 (2018) ....................................................... 41
Assignment 01 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 882359 (2018) ....................................................... 47
Assignment 02 for Semester 2 - Unique Number: 730199 (2018) ....................................................... 52
Exam - May/June 2011.......................................................................................................................... 58
Exam - October/November 2011 .......................................................................................................... 78
Exam - May/Jun 2012............................................................................................................................ 95
Exam - October/November 2012 ........................................................................................................ 114
Exam - May/June 2013........................................................................................................................ 132
Exam - October/November 2013 ........................................................................................................ 153
Exam - May/June 2014........................................................................................................................ 171
Exam - October/November 2014 ........................................................................................................ 189
Exam - May/June 2015........................................................................................................................ 207
Exam - October/November 2015 ........................................................................................................ 225
Exam - May/June 2016 ........................................................................................................................ 243
Exam - Oct/Nov 2016 .......................................................................................................................... 261
Exam - May/June 2017 ........................................................................................................................ 279
Exam - May/June 2017 Second Paper ................................................................................................. 297
Exam - Oct/Nov 2017 .......................................................................................................................... 318
Assignment 01 for Semester 1 - Unique Number: 578756 (2015)
QUESTION 1
Simple rules for making complex decisions or drawing inferences are known as ___.
1) schemas
2) automaticity
3) heuristics
4) anchoring and adjustment.
,3 PYC3701 Social Psychology
Answer: Alternative 3 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 58
Reasoning: See the definitions of the various concepts in your text book. (For all items relating to
definitions consult the Subject Index at the back of your text book.)
QUESTION 2
Which one of the following individuals is most likely to experience information overload? A person
who is ___.
1) singing in the shower
2) dancing and talking at a party
3) talking on a cell phone while driving a car
4) chatting with his wife while dressing for work.
Answer: Alternative 3 is correct
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 57
Reasoning: Psychologists have recognised for many years that humans have a limited capacity to
process information. Information overload occurs when we receive more information (that
demands our attention) than can be processed.
QUESTION 3
One way that schemas influence social thought is by ___.
1) acting as a filter to direct our attention towards some information and away from other
information
2) increasing our cognitive load by activating more information from our long-term memory
stores
3) ensuring that inconsistent information is stored in our memories and retrieved rapidly
4) activating the availability heuristic and enabling automatic priming.
Answer: Alternative 1 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pp.65-68
Reasoning: Schemas act as a kind of filter so as to prevent us from suffering from cognitive
overload. Schemas can also be described as a mental structure of preconceived ideas, a
framework representing some aspect of the world, or a system of organising and perceiving new
information. They influence attention and the absorption of new knowledge: People are more
likely to notice things that fit into their schema, while re-interpreting contradictions to the schema
as exceptions or distorting them to fit.
QUESTION 4
Christine encounters a member of a certain political group whose views and attributes are
inconsistent with (Christine's) schemas about that group. What is the most likely conclusion that
Christine will make?
1) Christine will place this individual into a subtype of those who do not confirm her schema
2) Christine will suppress conscious awareness of this conflicting information, but it will exert
an influence on her behaviour without her awareness
3) Christine will not lose confidence in her ability to create schemas
4) Christine will completely change her schema about the group.
Answer: Alternative 1 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pp.65-68
,4 PYC3701 Social Psychology
Reasoning: Schemata have a tendency to remain unchanged, even in the face of contradictory
information. Therefore, Christine will place an individual (who differs from her schema) into a
subgroup.
QUESTION 5
In thinking about a major assignment that is due in one week, Maria focuses on the tasks to be
accomplished and how she thinks she will approach each task. She does not spend much time
thinking about how long similar tasks have taken her in the past. As a result, she is likely to
underestimate the amount of time needed for the assignment. This is probably because Maria ___.
1) entered a planning or narrative mode of thought
2) activated an inappropriate schema
3) fallen prey to the negativity bias
4) engaged in magical thinking.
Answer: Alternative 1 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 76
Reasoning: The planning fallacy is a phenomenon in which predictions about how much time will
be needed to complete a future task display an optimistic bias (underestimate the time needed).
This phenomenon occurs regardless of the individual's knowledge that past tasks of a similar
nature have taken longer to complete than generally planned.
QUESTION 6
Khuze has been very depressed for about six months and has difficulty remembering when he was
not depressed. This phenomenon illustrates the effects of ___.
1) mood-dependent memory
2) mood-assimilation memory
3) mood-deleting memory
4) mood-congruent memory.
Answer: Alternative 1 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 82
Reasoning: Mood dependence is the facilitation of memory when mood at retrieval is identical to
the mood at encoding. When humans encode a memory, they not only record the visual and
other sensory data, they also store their mood and emotional state. An individual's present mood
thus affects the memories that are most easily available to them: When in a good mood we can
easily recall good memories (and vice versa).
QUESTION 7
Which one of the following is not an example of a basic channel of nonverbal communication?
1) Posture.
2) Talking.
3) Eye contact.
4) Facial expression.
Answer: Alternative 2 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 91
Reasoning: Talking is a verbal form of communication.
QUESTION 8
Which statement best describes the attribution process? The process by which we ___.
1) combine information about others into unified impressions of them
,5 PYC3701 Social Psychology
2) focus attention inward for reflection
3) seek to understand the causes of the behaviour of others and ourselves
4) attempt to shift blame away from ourselves.
Answer: Alternative 3 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 103
Reasoning: See the definition of attribution in your text book.
QUESTION 9
The fundamental attribution error refers to our tendency to ___.
1) assume that we can do no wrong
2) overestimate the role of situations in causing others' behaviour
3) overestimate the role of dispositions in causing others' behaviour
4) overestimate the role of situations in causing our own behaviour.
Answer: Alternative 3 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 108
Reasoning: See the definition of the fundamental attribution error in your text book.
QUESTION 10
Asch (1946) defined central traits as those traits that were ___.
1) located near the middle of a list of traits
2) crucial in shaping the overall impression of a stranger
3) crucial for making cognitive decisions about the other traits
4) formed by our implicit personality theories.
Answer: Alternative 2 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 116
Reasoning: See your text book for the definition of central traits.
QUESTION 11
Research from the cognitive perspective on impression formation suggests that we form our
impressions of other people in part by ___.
1) multiplying available information and adding an importance factor that depends on the
situation
2) adding discrete pieces of information about them
3) discounting some information if we suspect impression management is a factor in the other
person's presentation of themselves
4) averaging available information about them.
Answer: Alternative 4 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 116
Reasoning: See the discussion of impression formation in Chapter 3 of your text book.
QUESTION 12
Our personal beliefs about the way that certain traits occur together are known as ___.
1) central trait theories
2) peripheral trait theories
3) conceptual personality theories
4) implicit personality theories.
, 6 PYC3701 Social Psychology
Answer: Alternative 4 is correct.
Refer: Feedback on previous assignment
Reasoning: See the definition of implicit personality theories in your text book.
QUESTION 13
When individuals mentally compare their current outcomes with more favourable possible
outcomes, they are engaging in ___.
1) mitigating social comparison
2) downward counterfactuals
3) dissatisfaction social comparison
4) upward counterfactuals.
Answer: Alternative 4 is correct.
Refer: Feedback on previous assignment
Reasoning: See your textbook for the definition of 'upward counterfactuals'.
QUESTION 14
A readiness to see negative outcomes as due to discrimination is called ___.
1) gender-based exclusion
2) prejudice targeting
3) stereotype threat
4) stigma consciousness.
Answer: Alternative 3 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 157
Reasoning: Stereotype threat is a particular kind of social identity threat that occurs when people
believe they might be judged in light of a negative stereotype about their social identity or that
they inadvertently act in some way to confirm a negative stereotype in their group.
QUESTION 15
Overall, the relationship between attitudes and behaviour is ___.
1) based on personality attributes
2) based on gender
3) usually not reliable, with some exceptions
4) reliable, with some exceptions.
Answer: Alternative 4 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pp. 174-180
Reasoning: See the discussion on the relationship between attitudes and behaviour in your text
book.
QUESTION 16
The strongest attitudes for an individual are usually acquired through ___.
1) peer influence
2) cognitive processes
3) direct experience
4) social learning.
Answer: Alternative 3 is correct.
Refer: Prescribed textbook, pg. 168
