You Are Taking a University Course with a Combined Graduate

question 165

Multiple Choice

You are taking a university course with a combined graduate and undergraduate enrollment. You know that there are many more undergraduate than graduate students enrolled in this course. There is a woman who looks to be about thirty sitting next to you. If you use only the base rate to guess her student status, you would guess that she is a(n) __________ student because __________.

• A) graduate; she's older
• B) undergraduate; you have a bias to expect undergraduates in your courses
• C) graduate; she fits your schema for graduate students
• D) undergraduate; there are more of them enrolled in the class

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Definitions:

Predispositions

The tendencies or inclinations to think, act, or feel in a particular way before any external influence.

Stimuli

External or internal factors that elicit physiological or psychological responses in an organism.

Traits

To Allport, distinguishing characteristics that guide behavior. Traits are measured on a continuum and are subject to social, environmental, and cultural influences. To Cattell, reaction tendencies, derived by the method of factor analysis, that are relatively permanent parts of the personality.

Functional Similarities

The aspects in which different things show a likeness in purpose, role, or use.