Who Likes Whom?

Note: These questions are part of a larger data base of questions on module 26. The questions 
are selected to represent the type of question you should expect on unit exam three. 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. ----

1. Which of the following proverbs finds greatest support in the research on social attraction?

 “familiarity breeds contempt.”
 “birds of a feather flock together.”
 “you can’t tell a book by its cover.”
 “absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

2. The fact that we like those people whom we associate with good feelings is most clearly consistent 
with which of the following theories of attraction? 

 reward theory 
 two-factor theory 
 James-Lange theory 
 cognitive dissonance theory 

3. Being excluded, avoided, or given the silent treatment leads people to 

 experience anger & indignation. 
 feel a sense of humor at the situation. 
 experience a depressed mood & anxiety. 
 ignore the relationship & make no effort to restore it. 

4. Functional distance refers to 

 how often people’s paths cross. 
 the natural geographic route between two locations. 
 the distance between peoples' homes “as the crow flies.” 
 the direction & route of travel one uses when deliberately seeking out a given person. 

5. Acts of excluding or ignoring are called 

 bullying. 
 ostracism. 
 loneliness. 
 avoidant attachment. 

6. Research on proximity & social attraction generally supports the view that 

 familiarity leads to liking. 
 familiarity breeds contempt. 
 distance makes the heart grow fonder. 
 proximity leads to affection & animosity with equal frequency. 

7. Small average differences between attractive & unattractive people in areas like 
self-confidence & social skills are probably the result of 

 self-fulfilling prophecies. 
 psychological reactance to social expectations. 
 social & economic differences in family background. 
 personality traits that are genetically linked with physical appearance. 

8. Studies of computer composites of faces show that 

 perfectly average is quite attractive. 
 perfectly average is quite unattractive. 
 modest caricatures of attractive features are quite unattractive. 
 no relationship between average characteristics & attractiveness exists. 

9. The mere-exposure effect works with which of the following stimuli? 

 people’s faces 
 musical selections 
 nonsense syllables 
 all of these! 

10. To men who have recently been viewing pornographic material, average women seem _______ attractive, confirming 
the _______.

•  less; contrast effect 
 •  more; contrast effect 
  •  less; mere exposure effect 
   •  more; mere exposure effect
   
11. Which of the following is associated with physical attractivness?

•  personality characteristics 
 •  the likelihood of HIV infection 
  •  popularity/good interpersonal skills 
   •  masculinity in men/femininity in women
   
12. Which of the following statments is true?

•  There is little support for the similarity-attraction hypothesis. 
 •  Research finds that people who like each other are no more similar in attitudes than randomly matched pairs. 
  •  The tendency to like others who agree with us has been shown in cultures as diverse as Japan, Mexico, & the U.S. 
   •  Studies have shown that the number of shared attitudes is important in determining liking, but not the proportion of 
   shared attitudes.
   
13. The tendency for people to choose as partners persons who possess attributes similar to their own is known as the 

•  equity hypothesis. 
 •  matching hypothesis. 
  •  complementarity hypothesis. 
   •  need compatibility hypothesis.
   
14. John was new on campus & wanted to start meeting other students, so he started:

•  sitting in the middle of the class. 
 •  talking as much as possibe in class. 
  •  looking for lonely people with whom to converse. 
   •  sharing her homework with students who were behind in their classes.
   
15. If you saw a funny movie with someone, you would

•  like the film more. 
 •  like the person more. 
  •  think that the person was funny. 
   •  respond to the person as you normally would.
   
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                             Social Psychology
                               Robert C. Gates