In One Study, Research Participants Were Asked to Discuss the Case

question 39

Multiple Choice

In one study, research participants were asked to discuss the case of supposed juvenile delinquent named Johnny Rocco. Each discussion group consisted of five real participants and three accomplices-a "mode" accomplice (who adopted the majority viewpoint) , a "deviant" accomplice (who held extreme views that were different from the majority viewpoint) , and a "slider" (who started out extreme, but eventually adopted the majority viewpoint) . When participants were asked, at the end of the discussion, to "vote one group member out of the group," who was MOST often voted out?

• A)The "mode" accomplice
• B)The "deviant" accomplice
• C)The "slider" accomplice
• D)Both "slider" and "deviant" accomplices (equally)

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Definitions:

Simulation Heuristic

The tendency to judge the frequency or likelihood of an event by the ease with which you can imagine (or mentally simulate) it.

Representativeness Heuristic

The tendency to judge the frequency or likelihood of an event by the extent to which it resembles the typical case.

Actor/observer Bias

The tendency to attribute one's own actions to external factors while attributing others' actions to their character or disposition.

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that simplify decision-making processes but sometimes lead to biased or inaccurate judgments.