MCAT Psychology and Sociology Freestanding Practice Questions: self-identity and group identity

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1. Agent(s) of socialization include:

I. parents.

II. teachers.

III. friends.

  • A. I only
  • B. I and II
  • C. II and III
  • D. I, II, and III

2. Eli studies really hard for his chemistry class but keeps getting poor scores on quizzes and lab assignments. Eventually, he begins to feel like nothing he does will improve his performance in chemistry. When faced with future chemistry assignments, Eli doesn't even bother trying because he feels destined to fail at chemistry. This can best be described as:

  • A. learned helplessness.
  • B. an internal locus of control.
  • C. incongruity.
  • D. the fundamental attribution error.

3. If one of the members of a group of monkeys warns the others of an impending attack by a lion by making a lot of noise, jumping up and down, and waving its arms, thus drawing the lion's attention, this can best be defined as an act of:

  • A. social isolation.
  • B. exclusive fitness.
  • C. role-playing.
  • D. altruism.

4. When new members of a society eventually become indistinguishable from the rest of society, adopting the language, norms, and customs, which process has occurred?

  • A. Multiculturalism
  • B. Amalgamation
  • C. Assimilation
  • D. Groupthink

5. A researcher randomly surveys people asking them how they found out about their most recent job, either through an acquaintance or through a close friend. The researcher concluded that the results proved the social network theory, which suggests:

  • A. more respondents found their jobs from an acquaintance rather than a close friend.
  • B. more respondents found their jobs from a close friend rather than an acquaintance.
  • C. half of the respondents found their jobs from an acquaintance while the other half of the respondents found their jobs from a close friend.
  • D. a majority of respondents found their jobs on their own.

6. A doctor does a check up on a 40-year-old patient and talks to him in a serious and professional manner. A few moments later, the same doctor goes to a different room to do a routine check up on a 5-year-old patient. The doctor makes funny faces throughout the check-up in order to make the patient laugh. This scenario is most closely related to which concept?

  • A. Deviance
  • B. Impression management
  • C. Conflict theory
  • D. Symbolic interactionism

7. George Herbert Mead explains that the final step to forming a self is through the ability of seeing oneself. This ability to examine oneself leads to the idea that individuals have two aspects of self: the "I" and the "Me." Which of the following is true about the "I" and the "Me?"

I. The "I" is the observer while the "Me" is the observed.

II. The "I" prevents the "Me" from violating social norms in a particular setting.

III. It is possible for an individual to reflect on the "I" and the "Me."

  • A. I only
  • B. II only
  • C. I and II only
  • D. I and III only

8. Despite having a stake in an upcoming election, a citizen eligible to vote declines to go to the polls, declaring that her vote is too small to make a difference and she knows her candidate will win anyway. Her behavior is most demonstrative of which of the following?

  • A. Social loafing theory
  • B. Opponent-process theory
  • C. Regression to the mean
  • D. Group polarization