There Have Been Great Examples of Social Influence and Terrible

question 106

Multiple Choice

There have been great examples of social influence and terrible examples of social influence. For instance, what do the Heaven's Gate followers and the "Freedom Riders" in the American civil rights movement have in common?

• A) They fell under the spell of strong, punitive, charismatic leaders.
• B) They were frustrated, and this frustration caused them to behave aggressively.
• C) They confronted extreme and confusing situations, and looked to others to decide how to behave.
• D) They lacked independence, and thus surrendered control to powerful others.

---

Definitions:

Perceptual Errors

Mistakes or inaccuracies in the way individuals interpret or understand information, events, or the environment, often due to cognitive biases or misinterpretations.

Halo Effect

A cognitive bias in which one's overall impression of a person influences one's feelings and thoughts about that person's character.

Similarity Error

A bias in decision making or evaluation, where individuals are judged more favorably because they share similarities with the evaluator.

Perceptual Error

A cognitive mistake that occurs when someone misinterprets sensory information or makes incorrect judgments about a scenario or individual.