Social psychology worksheet with answers

Free printable Social psychology worksheet: 8 problems from easy to exam level, with an answer key. Print it or save it as a PDF.

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Name: ____________________   Date: ____________

1.Easy

The bystander effect means that:

  1. AGroups make riskier decisions
  2. BBystanders are usually the main cause of the accidents they witness
  3. CPeople are less likely to help when others are present
  4. DPeople always help when they see an emergency
2.Easy

Attitudes are typically described as having which three components?

  1. ASensory, short-term and long-term
  2. BConscious, preconscious and unconscious
  3. CId, ego and superego
  4. DAffective, behavioural and cognitive
3.Easy

Social facilitation means that the presence of others:

  1. AHas no effect on performance
  2. BAlways worsens performance, whatever kind of task is being done
  3. CMakes people forget instructions
  4. DImproves performance on simple or well-learned tasks
4.Medium

A friend suggests hitting a punching bag to "get anger out of your system". What does research by Bushman and others suggest?

  1. AVenting has no effect on mood or on later behaviour
  2. BVenting like this tends to increase later aggression
  3. CVenting helps only if done in front of the target
  4. DVenting reliably reduces anger and so lowers later aggression
5.Medium

A smoker who knows smoking is harmful tells himself "the research isn't really conclusive". In dissonance terms, he is reducing dissonance by:

  1. AIncreasing the importance of the conflict
  2. BConforming to a group norm
  3. CChanging one of the conflicting cognitions
  4. DChanging his behaviour
6.Medium

In Hofling's hospital study, a "doctor" phoned nurses and told them to give a dose of an unfamiliar drug that exceeded the label's maximum. Almost all the nurses started to comply. This shows:

  1. AObedience to authority in a real-world setting
  2. BInformational influence from the drug label
  3. CConformity to a group of peers
  4. DSocial loafing among hospital staff
7.Hard

Baumrind criticised Milgram's obedience study mainly because:

  1. AParticipants were paid so much that they felt obliged
  2. BParticipants were deceived and put under severe stress
  3. CThe shocks were real and physically harmed the learner
  4. DThe sample was too small to generalise from at all
8.Hard

The contact hypothesis states that contact reduces prejudice best when groups:

  1. AHave equal status, shared goals, cooperation and institutional support
  2. BAre brought together by force, without any support from the authorities
  3. CMeet only once briefly
  4. DCompete against each other

Answer key

  1. 1. C · People are less likely to help when others are present
  2. 2. D · Affective, behavioural and cognitive
  3. 3. D · Improves performance on simple or well-learned tasks
  4. 4. B · Venting like this tends to increase later aggression
  5. 5. C · Changing one of the conflicting cognitions
  6. 6. A · Obedience to authority in a real-world setting
  7. 7. B · Participants were deceived and put under severe stress
  8. 8. A · Have equal status, shared goals, cooperation and institutional support

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