A Majority of Respondents in a National Survey Agreed That

question 213

Multiple Choice

A majority of respondents in a national survey agreed that "classroom prayer should not be allowed in public schools." Only 33 percent of respondents in a similar survey agreed that "classroom prayer in public schools should be banned." These differing findings best illustrate the importance of

• A) representative samples.
• B) the placebo effect.
• C) random assignment.
• D) wording effects.

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Definitions:

Denial

A psychological defense mechanism where a person refuses to accept reality or facts, thereby blocking external events from awareness.

Rationalization

A psychological strategy where debatable actions or emotions are rationalized in an apparent logical way to evade the actual reason behind them.

Projection

A defense mechanism whereby individuals attribute their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or attributes onto others.

Repression

Repression is a defense mechanism in psychology where an individual unconsciously blocks distressing thoughts, feelings, or memories from their conscious awareness.