Social Science 101 Final Exam Questions with Correct
Answers.
"Definition of the Situation" - > - How we define a situation determines how we act
- A social situation is whatever the participants agree that it is
- The Thomas Dictum: "If men define situations as real, they are real in their
consequences"
Dispositional Perspective - > "Why did Professor Marr do that?" Because he is the kind of
person who would do that
Situational Perspective - > "Why did Professor Marr do that?" Because of the social
situation in which he did
Rosenhan Experiment - > - The Power of the Situation and Confirmation Bias
- "On Being Sane in Insane Places"
Confirmation Bias - > The tendency to notice and remember things that confirm what we
already believe to be true, and ignore or forget things that could be seen as disproving our
beliefs
Asch Experiment - > - Conformity
- Will people deny what they know to is true in order to conform to the group?
- When naïve subjects tested alone the correct response rate was 99%, but when
confederates were present the correct rate fell to 63%
Conformity - > The action of a subject when she goes along with her peers (people of her
own status), who have no special right to direct her behavior
Milgram Experiment - > - Obedience
- His prediction was that less than 1% of American subjects would obey the scientist's
orders to administer all the electric shocks, but the obedience among American subjects
was 65%
- Their obedience resulted from situational factors instead of dispositional factors
Answers.
"Definition of the Situation" - > - How we define a situation determines how we act
- A social situation is whatever the participants agree that it is
- The Thomas Dictum: "If men define situations as real, they are real in their
consequences"
Dispositional Perspective - > "Why did Professor Marr do that?" Because he is the kind of
person who would do that
Situational Perspective - > "Why did Professor Marr do that?" Because of the social
situation in which he did
Rosenhan Experiment - > - The Power of the Situation and Confirmation Bias
- "On Being Sane in Insane Places"
Confirmation Bias - > The tendency to notice and remember things that confirm what we
already believe to be true, and ignore or forget things that could be seen as disproving our
beliefs
Asch Experiment - > - Conformity
- Will people deny what they know to is true in order to conform to the group?
- When naïve subjects tested alone the correct response rate was 99%, but when
confederates were present the correct rate fell to 63%
Conformity - > The action of a subject when she goes along with her peers (people of her
own status), who have no special right to direct her behavior
Milgram Experiment - > - Obedience
- His prediction was that less than 1% of American subjects would obey the scientist's
orders to administer all the electric shocks, but the obedience among American subjects
was 65%
- Their obedience resulted from situational factors instead of dispositional factors
