In One Well-Known Study on Empathy, Participants Had to Watch

question 41

Multiple Choice

In one well-known study on empathy, participants had to watch a confederate ("Elaine") receive electric shocks. They were told either that they had to watch 10 full trials of shocks, or that they could leave after watching the first two trials only. They were also told that their values and interests were similar to those of the confederate (similar group) , or that their values and interests were different from those of the confederate (dissimilar group) . After the first two trials had been completed, participants were asked whether they would switch places with the confederate-she was apparently very upset by the shocks due to a negative childhood experience with electricity. Which group almost never agreed to switch places?

• A) The 10-trial high-similarity group
• B) The 10-trial low-similarity group
• C) The two-trial high-similarity group
• D) The two-trial low-similarity group

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Definitions:

Electrical Conductivity

A measure of how well a material allows the flow of electric current through it.

Valence Shell

Outermost orbital shell in an atom. The number of electrons in the valence plays a role in defining the electrical and physical characteristics of an element.

Chemical Properties

Characteristics of a substance that dictate how it reacts with other substances to form new products.

Electrical Resistance

The measure of the difficulty electrons face in flowing through a conductor, resulting in heat generation and energy dissipation.