Below is an example of one essay question (see last item) and of five sample multiple choice questions that are presented to give you a flavor of the types of questions to expect on the exams. These multiple choice items were chosen because they illustrate a range of the types of questions that I am most likely to use on exams (i.e., factual questions, theory-related questions, research findings questions, and phenomenon recognition/applications questions). Please note a few things for the multiple-choice questions:
You will find an answer key at the bottom of the page. And no… these questions will not reappear on any exams this semester.
Factual question — Question #1
In general, personality psychologists tend to focus on what makes people __________ whereas social psychologists tend to focus on what makes people __________ .
A) Selfish; Helpful
B) Rational; Irrational
C) Introverted; Extraverted
D) Different; Similar
E) Dysfunctional; Functional
Theory-relevant question — Question #2
Based on Kelly’s covariation model of attribution, which of the following conditions would lead one to form a person attribution instead of attributing that person’s behavior to the stimulus or circumstances:
A) High distinctiveness, high consistency, high consensus
B) High distinctiveness, low consistency, low consensus
C) Low distinctiveness, high consistency, low consensus
D) High distinctiveness, low consistency, high consensus
E) Low distinctiveness, low consistency, low consensus
Research finding question — Question #3
Research by Gilbert et al. (1991) examined the processes by which people accept or reject the validity of what they hear. They found that people automatically __________, but later __________ when controlled processing is engaged:
A) Disbelieve what they hear; May accept the information as true
B) Believe what they hear; May reject the information as false
C) Assess the truthfulness of the information; May accept the information as true
D) Think carefully about the source of the information; May reject the information as false
E) Disbelieve what they hear; Assess the truthfulness of the information
Phenomenon recognition/application question — Question #4
Consider a class where 80% of the students are women and 20% of the students are men. You are told that a student is selected at random who spends weekends watching football games and tinkering with old cars. Concluding that this randomly selected person is a man is a demonstration of a bias based on the __________ heuristic, resulting from __________ .
A) Representativeness; Baserate neglect
B) Simulation; Sampling error
C) Representativeness; Conjunction fallacy
D) Availability; Sampling error
E) Representativeness; Sampling error
Another phenomenon recognition/application question — Question #5
One day you see a famous television news reporter walking down the street puffing away on a cigarette. You are surprised by this person’s smoking because you have never seen this person smoke on television. In all likelihood, your surprise is driven by:
A) Augmenting effects
B) Fundamental attribution error
C) Actor-observer effects
D) Non-common effects
E) Assimilation effects
Sample essay question — Question #6
One might argue that people work hard to form holistic, unified, and integrated impressions of other individuals. Take this position and argue it using relevant research findings and theory. Although many findings and theories are consistent with this position, describe four different pieces of evidence (studies or theories) that is consistent with this position and why it is supportive of this position (5 points per piece of evidence). (Question: 20 points total contribution)
Answer key to multiple choice items:
#1) D
#2) C
#3) B
#4) A
#5) B
Last updated on Monday 24 August 2009