GRE Subject Test: Psychology : Social Interactions

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Subject Test: Psychology

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Example Questions

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Example Question #1 : Conformity, Influence, & Persuasion

According to inoculation theory, which of the following would be the best protection against a persuasive attack?

Possible Answers:

Anticipating and discrediting the points of the argument prior to the attack

 Anticipating and discrediting the character of the attacker

Anticipating and supporting the points of the argument prior to the attack

Providing arguments to support the initial belief prior to the attack

Correct answer:

Anticipating and discrediting the points of the argument prior to the attack

Explanation:

Inoculation theory suggests that an original belief can be protected against persuasion (i.e. inoculated against a persuasive attack) by anticipating the argument before it occurs and coming up with counter arguments or discrediting the points of the argument. Other answers did include anticipating the argument, but not the second part of inoculation theory (i.e. discrediting the points of the argument). Providing arguments to support the initial belief prior to the attack could be helpful, but does not necessarily protect against a strong counter attack.

Example Question #22 : Gre Subject Test: Psychology

Consider the following scenario: A study group of five students is meeting for a math review before a big test. On the first problem, the students work the problem separately and then share their answers. The first four students give the same answer. When it is the fifth student's turn to share, he decides to say what the other students said even though he got a different answer to the math problem. 

Which classic social psychology study is illustrated best through the scenario? 

Possible Answers:

Soloman Asch's Conformity Study

Phillip Zimbardo's Prison Experiment

Clark and Clark's Doll Preference Experiment

Stanley Milgram's Obedience Experiment

Correct answer:

Soloman Asch's Conformity Study

Explanation:

Soloman Asch's Conformity Study had a very similar set up to the given scenario. In his experiment, a subject was asked to compare lengths of lines that had obvious differences. The subject was in a group of other "subjects" (confederates) and often conformed to the answer that all of the other group members provided rather than sticking to the obviously correct answer. Clark and Clark's doll preference study involved a task for White and Black children to select the doll that they liked most. Milgram's obedience study involved subjects obeying direct instructions from an experimenter to administer shocks to another participant (confederate). Zimbardo's prison experiment involved members of assigned groups assuming roles (i.e. prison guards, prisoners). 

Example Question #1 : Attraction & Close Relationships

__________ attached people report the highest rate of happy and trusting relationships.

Possible Answers:

Avoidant

Securely

Ambivalent 

Anxious

Correct answer:

Securely

Explanation:

John Bowlby and colleagues have studied attachment styles and their correlates by examining the health of adult relationships. The choices provided are terms that Bowlby coined to capture the four major categories of attachment styles. As the name implies, secure attachment denotes the healthiest style and the surest predictor of happy and trusting relationships.

Example Question #2 : Attraction & Close Relationships

Which of the following is not a component of Sternberg's “Triangular Theory of Love?” 

Possible Answers:

Commitment 

Communication

Passion

Intimacy 

Correct answer:

Communication

Explanation:

Sternberg proposed a tri-pointed model of romantic love that he entitled, "Triangular Theory of Love." While communication is always at the core of a healthy relationship, it is not one of the three primary factors in his model whereas the remaining three responses listed in this question are. For Sternberg, intimacy, passion, and commitment coalesce into what he calls consummate love. 

Example Question #3 : Attraction & Close Relationships

When it comes to physical attraction between people of the opposite sex, the "matching hypothesis" implies which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Males seek females like their mothers, and females seek males like their fathers

We are attracted to people who reciprocate our liking of them

Females seek males who match their parents' images

We seek people who are about as attractive as we are

Correct answer:

We seek people who are about as attractive as we are

Explanation:

The 2010 movie 'She's Out of My League' captured this social psychological concept with comedic accuracy. The matching hypothesis describes the well-documented social tendency of pairing with a romantic partner who society would deem roughly equivalent in terms of physical attraction. Even if that's not what we value most highly, looks seem to set a range for whom we consider.

Example Question #4 : Attraction & Close Relationships

Generally speaking, a person is not likely to be attracted to a prospective love interest who possesses which of the following traits?

Possible Answers:

Emotionally reserved

Opinions similar to his or her own

Physically attractive

Near to him or her

Also is attracted to him or her

Correct answer:

Emotionally reserved

Explanation:

The disclosure reciprocity effect describes the process by which the act of two people sharing their feelings and/or secrets can facilitate emotional closeness between the two and increase attraction.

Example Question #21 : Social Interactions

Which of the following correctly identifies the sequence of group formation, according to psychologist Bruce Tuckman?

Possible Answers:

Norming, storming, performing, and forming

Storming, forming, norming, and performing

Forming, storming, performing, and norming

Forming, storming, norming, and performing

Correct answer:

Forming, storming, norming, and performing

Explanation:

Tuckman proposed four elements of group formation in 1965. He proposed that all groups—from therapy groups to school boards—go through these processes. Moreover, the most typical chronological order is forming, storming, norming, and performing. He viewed this progression as both normal and healthy.

Example Question #22 : Social Interactions

A group of biologists at a university appreciate the diversity of their peers’ research in regard to subject matters ranging from oncology to environmental studies; however, they assume that a group of English majors study the same subjects in literature. Which of the following psychological terms best explains the biases that the biologists have to other majors at their university?

Possible Answers:

None of these

In-group heterogeneity

Out-group heterogeneity

Out-group homogeneity

In-group homogeneity

Correct answer:

Out-group homogeneity

Explanation:

Out-group homogeneity is the assumption that the individuals in an out-group are all the same, while the individuals in a specific person’s in-group possess a wide degree of variation. In the example, the biologists appreciate the differences between their work and subject matter but cannot do the same for the English majors—the biologists assume that they study the same literary concepts.

Example Question #23 : Social Interactions

A group of biologists at a university appreciate the diversity of their peers’ research in regard to subject matters ranging from oncology to environmental studies; however, they assume that a group of English majors study the same subjects in literature. Which of the following psychological terms best explains the biases that the biologists have to other majors at their university?

Possible Answers:

None of these 

In-group heterogeneity

Out-group heterogeneity

In-group homogeneity

Out-group homogeneity

Correct answer:

Out-group homogeneity

Explanation:

Out-group homogeneity is the assumption that the individuals in an out-group are all the same, while the individuals in a specific person’s in-group possess a wide degree of variation. In the example, the biologists appreciate the differences between their work and subject matter but cannot do the same for the English majors—the biologists assume that they study the same literary concepts.

Example Question #24 : Social Interactions

People from individualist cultures are least likely to do which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Define themselves in relation to others

Express themselves directly and clearly

Focus on internal attributes

Develop a wide circle of acquaintances 

Correct answer:

Define themselves in relation to others

Explanation:

Members of collectivist cultures are more likely to value harmony, loyalty to one's family, and hierarchical relationships. In contrast, members of individualist cultures tend to value privacy, speaking one's mind, and taking care of the self (as opposed to the family).

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