One Reason That People Are Willing to Obey Persons in Authority

question 56

Multiple Choice

One reason that people are willing to obey persons in authority who order them to engage in destructive behaviors is that ________.

• A)total submission to the commands of authority figures is always an appropriate course of action
• B)the authority figure may inadvertently stimulate heuristic mental processes that limit our ability to think about what we are doing
• C)authority figures are selected on the basis of their superior knowledge and understanding in most situations
• D)the authority figure relieves those who obey of responsibility for their actions
• E)the authority figure represents a significant threat to those who do not obey

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Definitions:

Recall

The mental process of retrieving information from the past, often without the aid of explicit cues.

Events

Occurrences or happenings that are significant in some way to the environment or individuals.

Mood-congruent Memory

The tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current mood.

State-dependent Memory

The phenomenon where information learned in a particular state of mind is more easily recalled when in that same state.