When Jerry Thought He Was the Only Person Who Was

question 134

Multiple Choice

When Jerry thought he was the only person who was assigned the job of contacting alumni for a 15-year reunion,he spent several hours on the phone each evening trying to reach members of his graduating class.When he learned that eight other people were also working on contacting the alumni,he spent only 30 minutes each night making phone calls.The process that would best explain the decrease in Jerry's effort when he learned that he was working as part of a larger group,is

• A) social interference.
• B) social loafing.
• C) the bystander effect.
• D) social dissonance.

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Definitions:

Small Request

A minor or insignificant petition or appeal made to another individual, often as a precursor to asking for a larger favor in compliance theories.

Larger Request

A strategy in persuasion and social influence where a bigger, often less achievable, request is made knowing it could be refused in favor of a smaller one that is the real aim.

Self-perception Theory

A psychological theory that suggests individuals infer their own attitudes and emotional states by observing their own behavior and the context in which it occurs.

Inferences

The process of drawing logical conclusions from available information, premises, or evidence.