psychology beginner 10 sample questions

Conformity And Obedience MCQ Practice Test

Social pressure effects

Q1. Which term describes Solomon Asch's finding that conformity to a unanimous majority rises steeply as the majority grows from one to about three to five people, then levels off?

Explanation: In Asch’s line-judgment experiments (1951–56), adding a second majority member sharply increased conformity and a third more still, but beyond about four to five the effect plateaued; one dissenting confederate, meanwhile, dramatically reduced conformity. Group polarization is deliberation shifting views toward extremes; deindividuation is loss of self-awareness in crowds; social facilitation is performance change under observation. The old key (Group Polarization) described a different phenomenon entirely.

Q2. Which of the following findings from the Milgram experiment suggests that obedience to authority can be influenced by the physical presence of the experimenter?

Explanation: The Milgram experiment found that participants were more likely to administer high levels of shock when the experimenter was physically present in the same room, suggesting that obedience to authority can be influenced by the physical presence of the experimenter.

Q3. Which of the following best describes the phenomenon observed in the Milgram obedience study where participants were instructed to administer electric shocks to another person, but continued to do so even after being told the shocks were causing harm?

Explanation: In the Milgram obedience study, participants experienced an agentic state, where they felt a sense of detachment and responsibility for their actions, leading them to continue administering electric shocks even after being told they were causing harm.

Q4. Which of the following phenomena is an example of how conformity can be influenced by the presence of a minority group?

Explanation: Minority influence theory, developed by social psychologists, suggests that a small group of individuals can influence the opinions of a larger group through persistence and consistency. This theory is an example of how conformity can be influenced by the presence of a minority group.

Q5. Which of the following experiments demonstrated that conformity can be influenced by the presence of a majority group, even when the individual knows they are in the minority?

Explanation: Solomon Asch's experiment in 1951 showed that individuals will often conform to the majority opinion, even when it goes against their own judgment, in order to avoid social rejection. This is an example of informational influence, where the individual changes their opinion based on the information provided by the group.

Q6. Which of the following best describes the phenomenon where individuals are more likely to conform to a group's behavior when they are anonymous, rather than when they are identifiable?

Explanation: Deindividuation Theory suggests that when individuals are anonymous, they are less concerned with maintaining social norms and are more likely to conform to the group's behavior. This is because they feel a sense of diffusion of responsibility and a reduction in self-awareness.

Q7. Which of the following factors contributed to the Milgram obedience study participants' willingness to administer electric shocks to another person?

Explanation: In the Milgram obedience study, participants were more likely to administer electric shocks when they believed the experiment was designed to investigate the effects of punishment on learning. This demonstrates the power of legitimizing factors in influencing obedience.

Q8. Which of the following factors can reduce the likelihood of obedience to an authority figure in a Milgram-style experiment?

Explanation: The presence of a third party who disapproves of the authority figure can reduce the likelihood of obedience to an authority figure in a Milgram-style experiment because it provides an alternative source of social support and can help the participant to feel less isolated and more confident in their ability to disobey the authority figure.

Q9. Which of the following factors, identified by Philip Zimbardo, contributed to the Stanford Prison Experiment's participants' willingness to conform to the roles assigned to them?

Explanation: In the Stanford Prison Experiment, participants were assigned roles as prisoners or guards and were placed in a simulated prison environment. Philip Zimbardo found that the situational factors, such as the physical environment and the roles assigned, played a significant role in shaping the participants' behavior and willingness to conform to their assigned roles. This highlights the importance of situational factors in influencing human behavior and conformity.

Q10. Which of the following is a key difference between the Milgram obedience study and the Asch conformity study?

Explanation: The Milgram study (1961) examined obedience to authority, where participants were instructed to administer electric shocks to another person. In contrast, the Asch study (1951) investigated conformity to group norms, where participants were asked to make judgments about line lengths in the presence of a unanimous group that provided incorrect answers.

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Conformity And Obedience MCQ Practice Test | Mind Hustle