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Ψ  Note: These questions are part of a larger data base of questions on Chapter 2. The questions are selected to represent the type of question you should expect on unit exam one. You can, in fact, expect to see many of these very same questions on that exam. Exam questions, however, may deal with topics not covered in the self tests or in lectures but are discussed in your textbook. You are responsible for the content of your text book plus the content of lectures, interactive activities, & material on the web site.

    Use these sample questions to test yourself & to practice for the test. Click on your choice to see if you are right.

1.  The tendency to believe that other people are paying closer attention to one's appearance & behavior than they really are.

•  self-reference
 •  spotlight effect
  •  false uniqueness
   •  self-handicapping

2. The tendency for people to overestimate the degree to which their personal mental state is known by others.

•  self-reference
 •  spotlight effect
  •  false uniqueness
   •  illusion of transparency

3.  The beliefs about the self that organize & guide the processing of self-relevant information are called

•  self-schemas.
 •  possible selves.
  •  self-references.
   •  social comparisons.

4.  Which of the following are conceptualized as psychological resources that are instrumental in motivating & defending the self over the lifespan?

•  self-schemas.
 •  possible selves.
  •  self-references.
   •  social comparisons.

5.  For someone with a collectivistic, interdependent sense of self, happiness comes with

•  feeling competent.
 •  positive social engagement.
  •  feeling good about our own abilities & accomplishments.
   •  all of these.

6.  Western cultures are to _________ as Asian cultures are to __________.

•  self-forgetfulness; self-esteem
 •  self-denial; self-acceptance
  •  the actual self; the possible self
   •  the independent self; the interdependent self

7. Re: Self knowledge;

•  self-schemas are self-deceptions.
 •  we know little about ourselves.
  •  self reports are often untrustworthy.
   •  others know us better than we do.

8.  An intuitively obvious & scientifically well-measured tendency of people to assume projects will take less time than they do & that the outcome will be better than is justified by past data or experience is called

•  the planning fallacy.
 •  impact bias.
  •  durability bias.
   •  all of the these. The terms are used interchangeably.

9.  Research on affective forecasting, shows that people regularly overestimate the emotional intensity of events. Particularly for negative events, people fail to consider how coping resources will ameliorate negative affect, a phenomenon termed

•  impact bias.
 •  immune neglect.
  •  ameliorating bias.
   •  Self-handicapping.

10.  That we often have implicit attitudes that differ from our explicit attitudes defines the concept of

•  dual attitudes.
 •  cognitive dissonance.
  •  the self-reference effect.
   •  an independent self-construct.

11.  The disposition to experience oneself as being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness is refferd to as

•  Self Esteem.
 •  Self Efficacy.
  •  Self-Serving Bias.
   •  Perceived Self Control.

12.  The optimum type of self esteem is

•  Low.
 •  High.
  •  Secure.
   •  All are equally adaptive.

13.  Which of the following in particular requires sufficient glucose levels in the brain?

•  Self Esteem
 •  Self Control
  •  Self Efficacy
   •  Self Presehtation

15.  Whish of the following orientations is a belief about whether the outcomes of our actions are contingent on what we do (internal control orientation) or on events outside our personal control (external control orientation)?

•  self-agency
 •  personal control
  •  self-determination
   •  locus of control

16.  External locus of control is related to Seligman's studies of _________ __________ which found that animals & people will learn to simply give up trying when they experience loss of control over what happens to them.

•  Excess Choice
 •  Learned Helplessness
  •  Defensive pessimism
   •  Group-serving bias

17.  The "Tyranny of Freedom" refers to

•  Excess Choice.
 •  Learned Helplessness.
  •  Defensive pessimism.
   •  Group-serving bias.

18.  Explanations for one's own successes that credit internal, dispositional factors and explanations for one's failures that blame external, situational factors are called

•  Self-handicapping.
 • Self-Serving Attributions
  •  Defensive pessimism.
   •  Group-serving bias.

19.  A form of defensive attribution in which people think that positive events are more likely to happen to them than to their peers, and that negative events are less likely to happen to them than to their peers is called

•  Self-handicapping.
 • Self-Serving Attributions
  •  Defensive pessimism.
   •  Unrealistic optimism

20.  A motivated cognitive strategy that helps people manage their anxiety and pursue their goals. Individuals who use this technique set low expectations, and play through extensive mental simulations of possible negative outcomes as they prepare for goal-relevant situations is called

•  Self-handicapping.
 • Self-Serving Attributions
  •  Defensive pessimism.
   •  Unrealistic optimism

21.  For qualities that are both subjective & socially desirable, most people consider themselves to be

•  about average.
 •  better than average.
  •  worse than average.
   •  too unique for comparison.

22.  The tendency to overestimate the commonality of one’s opinions & undesirable behaviors is known as the

•  self-reference effect.
 •  false consensus effect.
  •  false uniqueness effect.
   •  self-handicapping syndrome.

23.  The tendency to underestimate the commonality of one’s abilities & desirable behaviors is known as

•  self-reference effect.
 •  false consensus effect.
  •  false uniqueness effect.
   •  self-handicapping syndrome.

24.  Identical to self-serving bias except that it takes place between groups rather than individuals.

•  Self-handicapping.
 • Self-Serving Attributions
  •  Defensive pessimism.
   •  Group-serving bias.

25.  Projecting one's self-image with behaviors that create a handy excuse for later failure is called

•  Self-handicapping.
 • Self-Serving Attributions
  •  Defensive pessimism.
   •  Group-serving bias.

26.  Which of the following refers to our wanting to present a favorable image both to an external audience (others) & to an internal audience (ourselves)?

•  Self-handicapping.
 •  Self-Serving Attributions
  •  Self-presentation.
   •  Group-serving bias.

27.  Which of the following is a goal-directed conscious or unconscious process in which people attempt to influence the perceptions of other people about a person, object or event; and they do so by regulating & controlling information in social interaction?

•  Self-handicapping.
 •  Impression Management.
  •  Self-presentation.
   •  Group-serving bias.

28.  Normal self-serving bias is

•  adaptive.
 •  maladaptive.
  •  evolutionary neutral.
   •  has no place in human discourse.

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Social Psychology Robert C. Gates