PSY 102 Exam 4 V1 | PSY 102 General Psychology | Actual Q&A with
Rationale (PSY102 Exam 4) | Grand Canyon University
1. When explaining the behavior of others, people tend to underestimate the impact of
situational factors and overestimate the impact of personal disposition. This is known as:
A. Fundamental attribution error
B. Self-serving bias
C. Cognitive dissonance
D. The bystander effect
Answer: A
Rationale: The fundamental attribution error describes our tendency to attribute others’
actions to their character rather than their circumstances. This occurs because an
individual’s personal traits are often more salient to an observer than the complex
situational variables at play. For example, if someone cuts us off in traffic, we assume they
are a bad person rather than considering they might be in an emergency.
2. Which of the following describes the discomfort we feel when our attitudes and behaviors
are inconsistent?
A. Groupthink
B. Cognitive dissonance
C. Social facilitation
D. Deindividuation
Answer: B
Rationale: Cognitive dissonance is a theory developed by Leon Festinger that suggests
people have an inner drive to hold all their attitudes and beliefs in harmony. When there is
an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors, it creates a state of psychological tension.
To reduce this tension, individuals will either change their behavior, change their attitude,
or justify their behavior with new information.
3. In Stanley Milgram’s classic study on obedience, what did researchers find regarding the
majority of participants?
A. Most participants refused to give any shocks beyond the initial level.
B. Only participants with aggressive personalities administered lethal shocks.
C. The majority of participants were willing to administer the highest level of shock.
D. Participants only obeyed if the victim was in the same room.
,Answer: C
Rationale: Milgram’s research demonstrated that a surprising 65% of participants
followed the experimenter’s instructions to administer 450-volt shocks. This study
highlighted the overwhelming power of authority figures over individual conscience and
moral judgment. The findings suggest that under the right conditions, ordinary people can
carry out acts that conflict with their personal values.
4. Solomon Asch’s study using line-length comparisons was designed to measure which social
phenomenon?
A. Obedience
B. Prejudice
C. Conformity
D. Altruism
Answer: C
Rationale: Asch’s experiment showed that individuals often conform to a group’s incorrect
opinion even when the evidence of their own senses tells them otherwise. The study found
that about one-third of participants conformed to the clearly wrong majority. This
illustrates the pressure individuals feel to fit in with a group or avoid the discomfort of
standing out.
5. The tendency for people to exert less effort when working in a group than when working
alone is called:
A. Group polarization
B. Social facilitation
C. Deindividuation
D. Social loafing
Answer: D
Rationale: Social loafing occurs because individuals feel less accountable for the outcome
when they are part of a larger collective. Responsibility is diffused across the group
members, leading some to ‘slack off’ while others do the majority of the work. This
phenomenon is particularly prevalent when individual contributions are not specifically
monitored or evaluated.
6. What occurs when individuals lose self-awareness and self-restraint in group situations
that foster arousal and anonymity?
A. Cognitive dissonance
B. Deindividuation
, C. Groupthink
D. The foot-in-the-door phenomenon
Answer: B
Rationale: Deindividuation explains why people might engage in impulsive, deviant, or
violent acts in situations where they cannot be easily identified, such as in a mob or
wearing a mask. The presence of others provides a sense of anonymity that reduces
personal responsibility. This psychological state often leads to a decrease in self-regulation
and an increase in adherence to group norms, even harmful ones.
7. The bystander effect suggests that a person is less likely to provide help when:
A. The victim is a stranger.
B. The person is in a good mood.
C. The situation is clearly an emergency.
D. There are many other people present.
Answer: D
Rationale: The bystander effect is largely caused by a ‘diffusion of responsibility,’ where
each person assumes someone else will intervene. Studies show that the probability of help
is inversely related to the number of bystanders present. This phenomenon was famously
analyzed following the Kitty Genovese case to understand social inhibition in emergencies.
8. According to Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, which part of the personality operates on the
‘pleasure principle’?
A. Ego
B. Superego
C. Ideal Self
D. Id
Answer: D
Rationale: The Id is the primitive and instinctive component of personality that contains
all the inherited biological components. It demands immediate gratification of all needs,
wants, and urges without regard for social consequences. If these needs are not met
immediately, the result is a state of anxiety or tension.
9. The ‘reality principle’ is the guiding force for which part of the personality?
A. Libido
B. Id
C. Superego
Rationale (PSY102 Exam 4) | Grand Canyon University
1. When explaining the behavior of others, people tend to underestimate the impact of
situational factors and overestimate the impact of personal disposition. This is known as:
A. Fundamental attribution error
B. Self-serving bias
C. Cognitive dissonance
D. The bystander effect
Answer: A
Rationale: The fundamental attribution error describes our tendency to attribute others’
actions to their character rather than their circumstances. This occurs because an
individual’s personal traits are often more salient to an observer than the complex
situational variables at play. For example, if someone cuts us off in traffic, we assume they
are a bad person rather than considering they might be in an emergency.
2. Which of the following describes the discomfort we feel when our attitudes and behaviors
are inconsistent?
A. Groupthink
B. Cognitive dissonance
C. Social facilitation
D. Deindividuation
Answer: B
Rationale: Cognitive dissonance is a theory developed by Leon Festinger that suggests
people have an inner drive to hold all their attitudes and beliefs in harmony. When there is
an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors, it creates a state of psychological tension.
To reduce this tension, individuals will either change their behavior, change their attitude,
or justify their behavior with new information.
3. In Stanley Milgram’s classic study on obedience, what did researchers find regarding the
majority of participants?
A. Most participants refused to give any shocks beyond the initial level.
B. Only participants with aggressive personalities administered lethal shocks.
C. The majority of participants were willing to administer the highest level of shock.
D. Participants only obeyed if the victim was in the same room.
,Answer: C
Rationale: Milgram’s research demonstrated that a surprising 65% of participants
followed the experimenter’s instructions to administer 450-volt shocks. This study
highlighted the overwhelming power of authority figures over individual conscience and
moral judgment. The findings suggest that under the right conditions, ordinary people can
carry out acts that conflict with their personal values.
4. Solomon Asch’s study using line-length comparisons was designed to measure which social
phenomenon?
A. Obedience
B. Prejudice
C. Conformity
D. Altruism
Answer: C
Rationale: Asch’s experiment showed that individuals often conform to a group’s incorrect
opinion even when the evidence of their own senses tells them otherwise. The study found
that about one-third of participants conformed to the clearly wrong majority. This
illustrates the pressure individuals feel to fit in with a group or avoid the discomfort of
standing out.
5. The tendency for people to exert less effort when working in a group than when working
alone is called:
A. Group polarization
B. Social facilitation
C. Deindividuation
D. Social loafing
Answer: D
Rationale: Social loafing occurs because individuals feel less accountable for the outcome
when they are part of a larger collective. Responsibility is diffused across the group
members, leading some to ‘slack off’ while others do the majority of the work. This
phenomenon is particularly prevalent when individual contributions are not specifically
monitored or evaluated.
6. What occurs when individuals lose self-awareness and self-restraint in group situations
that foster arousal and anonymity?
A. Cognitive dissonance
B. Deindividuation
, C. Groupthink
D. The foot-in-the-door phenomenon
Answer: B
Rationale: Deindividuation explains why people might engage in impulsive, deviant, or
violent acts in situations where they cannot be easily identified, such as in a mob or
wearing a mask. The presence of others provides a sense of anonymity that reduces
personal responsibility. This psychological state often leads to a decrease in self-regulation
and an increase in adherence to group norms, even harmful ones.
7. The bystander effect suggests that a person is less likely to provide help when:
A. The victim is a stranger.
B. The person is in a good mood.
C. The situation is clearly an emergency.
D. There are many other people present.
Answer: D
Rationale: The bystander effect is largely caused by a ‘diffusion of responsibility,’ where
each person assumes someone else will intervene. Studies show that the probability of help
is inversely related to the number of bystanders present. This phenomenon was famously
analyzed following the Kitty Genovese case to understand social inhibition in emergencies.
8. According to Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, which part of the personality operates on the
‘pleasure principle’?
A. Ego
B. Superego
C. Ideal Self
D. Id
Answer: D
Rationale: The Id is the primitive and instinctive component of personality that contains
all the inherited biological components. It demands immediate gratification of all needs,
wants, and urges without regard for social consequences. If these needs are not met
immediately, the result is a state of anxiety or tension.
9. The ‘reality principle’ is the guiding force for which part of the personality?
A. Libido
B. Id
C. Superego
