Class 12 Chapter 6.
Attitude and Social Cognition MCQs
1. Derek’s attitude towards capital punishment began to change when he was asked to present
arguments to support it in a debate. This attitude change can be explained by:
a. concept of balance b. emotional appeal c. cognitive dissonance d. two step model
Ans: c
2. Ria begins liking history in grade 10 because of her liking for the teacher who teaches the subject
in a very interesting and well researched manner. Ria has learned this positive attitude towards the
subject by:
a. modeling b. association c. norms d. reward and punishment
Ans: a
3. Sneha’s attitude towards her favorite cookie changes when she sees her idol model talking
negatively about the harmful effects of that cookie and substitutes it with a healthier snack. This
change in Sneha’s attitude has taken place on the basis of the _______ model of attitude change.
a. P-O-X model b. two step concept
c. cognitive dissonance model d. attitude characteristics don’t change
Ans: b
4. Cluster of ideas regarding the characteristics of a specific group is known as:
a. discrimination b. stereotype c. belief d. attitude
Ans: b
5. Maria has been having pain in her teeth. Her friend advises her to change to brand X toothpaste
which may be helpful. However, Maria doesn’t change it. But when she visits the dentists he advises
on the same toothpaste, Maria gets it and start suing that toothpaste. Such a change in Maria’s
attitude is because of ________ of the source.
a. attractiveness b. emotional appeal c. credibility d. rational appeal
Ans: c
6. The _______ mode of message transmission is more effective in bringing about an attitude
change.
a. pamphlets b. face to face c. mass media d. digital
Ans: b
7. The _______ of an attitude indicates how positive or negative an attitude is.
a. extremeness b. simplicity c. valence d. centrality
Ans: a
8. _______ groups indicate to an individual the norms regarding acceptable behaviour and ways of
thinking.
a. formal b. professional c. social d. reference
Ans: d
9. Kamran’s attitude towards online shopping of grocery was negative before covid happened.
However, after the lockdown, on seeing some of his friends and relatives shopping for grocery online,
he gradually began ordering things online. Now Kamran totally shops online even when stores are
open and available for offline shopping. This kind of change in attitude is called ______ change.
a. negative b. insignificant c. congruent d. incongruent
Ans: d
10. In the formative stage, attitudes are more like
a. behaviours b. opinions c. views d. goals
Ans: b
11. People who learn prejudiced attitudes may develop ________ personality and may have low
adjusting capacity.
a. antisocial b. discriminatory c. prejudiced d. stereotyped
Ans: c
12. when the majority group places the blame on a minority group, it is referred a to as:
a. negative attitude b. prejudice c. scapegoating d. stereotype
Ans: c
13. If the message generates too much fear, it is going to create _______ effect.
a. more persuasive b. insignificant c. less persuasive d. congruent
Ans: c
14. When people continue to hold stereotypes, thinking that there must be some truth in it, it is
referred to as:
a. discrimination b. prejudice c. self-fulfilling prophecy d. kernel of truth
Ans: d
15. Choose the features of attitude from the options given below:
a. A-B-C components
b. Extremeness and centrality
c. schemas and stereotypes
d. values and beliefs
Ans: b
16. The Nazis committed atrocities against the Jews. This is an example of ________.
a. discrimination b. scapegoating c. prejudice d. stereotype
Ans: a
17. Anna, the head girl of a school, gives more opportunities to the members of Red house than
those of Blue or Green house. This is because she feels they are less capable. She even ignores the
advice of her teachers to give equal opportunities to all the houses. Which strategy will help in
handling this prejudice?
a. highlighting group identity rather than individual identity.
b. increasing her interaction with the members of all the Houses.
c. keeping the Red House members higher in power or status.
d. Creating an environment for all the Houses to meet in a competitive rather than cooperative
context. b
18. Which one of the following is a feature of an attitude?
a. centrality b. behavioural c. cognitive d. affective
Ans: a
19. In the following question, a statement of Assertion is followed by a statement of Reason R. mark
the correct choice.
Assertion A: We assign causes to the behaivour shown in specific social situations. This process is
called attribution.
Reason R: We are also interested in why people behave in the ways they do. Therefore, we assign a
cause to a behaviour.
a. Both Assertion and Reason are true and Reason R is the correct explanation of Assertion A.
b. Both Assertion A and Reason R are true, but Reason R is not the correct explanation of Assertion
A.
c. Assertion is true, but reason is false
d. Assertion is false, but Reason is true.
Ans: a
20. The fact that two elements, aspects, or components of an attitude should be in the same
direction is called _________.
a. cognitive imbalance b. cognitive balance c. cognitive dissonance d. cognitive consistency
Ans: d
21. Which of the following statements is true or false?
A. The fact that the target of attitude change has a regard and liking for the source is referred to as
Attractiveness.
B. According to the P-O-X Model, a state of balance is found two sides are positive and one side is
negative.
a. Both are true b. Both are false c. A is true and B is false d. B is true and A is false
Ans: c
22. Vedant learns to observe facts and make offerings in the temple as a ritual every month just like
he had seen his father doing his entire life. Vedant’s attitude towards religious has been learnt by
______.
a. association b. modeling c. reinforcement d. cultural norms
Ans: b
23. Who proposed the concept of balance in the process of attitude change?
a. Festinger b. Richard La Piere c. Fritz Heider d. S.M. Mohsin
Ans: c
24. Identify whether the following statements are true
A. Values and attitudes that can be changed easily
B. Attitudes are not behaviours in themselves
a. both are true b. both are false c. A is true and B is false d. B is true and A is false
Ans: d
25. Richard La Piere’s research with American hoteliers and a Chinese couple revealed that
a. Attitudes always predict people’s behaviour patterns
b. Attitudes may not predict people’s behaviour patterns
c. Negative correlation between attitude and behaviour
d. Positive correlation between attitude and behaviour
Ans: d
26. A student forms his/her impression about a new teacher in school. The teacher about whom the
impression is formed is called _______ and the student who forms the impression is called a
_______.
a. target, observer b. actor, observer c. target, perceiver d. actor, perceiver
Ans: b
27. The larger the group the less effort each member puts in. This is called _________.
a. social facilitation b. group polarization c. co-action d. social-loafing
Ans: d
28. Which of the following source characteristic can affect attitude change?
a. creditability b. height c. self-esteem d. self-efficacy
Ans: a
29. Social psychology deals with behaviour that take place in:
a. the virtual presence of others b. the physical presence of others
c. both a and b d. none of the above
Ans: c
30. The presence of forming impression of others is called:
a. attribution b. social cognition c. impression formation d. social inhibition
Ans: c
31. The improvement/decline in performance in the presence of others is called:
a. social facilitation/inhibition b. impression formation c. attribution d. social cognition
ans: a
32. Social psychologists use which of the following to establish cause-effect relationhsips in
explaining social behaviour?
a. folk wisdom b. systematic and objective observations c. common sense d. personal opinions
Ans: b
33. What are the three components of attitude?
a. affective, behavioural and cognitive b. positive, negative and neutral
c. emotion, action and thought d. none of the above
Ans: a
34. what is the difference between attitude and behaviour?
a. attitude refers to a tendency to behave or act in a certain way, whereas behaviour is the actual
action or conduct
b. attitude is a set of beliefs and values, whereas behaviour is an emotional component
c. attitude and behaviour are the same thing
d. none of the above
Ans: a
35. what are beliefs?
a. the emotional component of attitudes b. the cognitive component of attitudes
c. the tendency to act in a certain way d. none of the above
Ans: b
36. What are values?
a. attitudes that contain a “should’ or “ought’ aspect
b. attitudes that are extremely positive or negative
c. attitudes that are difficult to change d. none of the above
Ans: a
37. What does the valence of an attitude refer to?
a. the extent to which an attitude is positive or negative b. the complexity of an attitude
c. the role of a particular attitude in the attitude system d. none of the above
Ans: a
38. What does simplicity or complexity(multiplexity) refer to?
a. the role of a particular attitude in the attitude system
b. How many attitude there are within a broader attitude
c. the emotional component of attitudes
d. none of the above
Ans: b
39. What does centrality refer to?
a. the extent to which an attitude is positive or negative
b. the role of a particular attitude in the attitude system
c. the tendency to act in a certain way
d. none of the above
Ans: b
40. What is an example of value?
a. the extent to which an attitude is positive or negative
b. How many attitude there are within a broader attitude
c. attitudes that contain a “should’ or “ought’ aspect
d. none of the above
Ans: c
41. What is the difference between beliefs and attitudes?
a. beliefs refer to the cognitive component of attitudes whereas attitudes are the emotional
component
b. beliefs are the same as values, whereas attitudes are not
c. beliefs form the ground on which attitudes stand whereas attitudes are formed from values
d. none of the above
Ans: c
42. what is one way attitudes can be learned by association?
a. through observing others b. through being rewarded or punished
c. through exposure to information d. through group or cultural norms
Ans: d
43. What is an example of learning attitudes through modelling?
a. developing a liking for a subject because of a teacher
b. being praised for showing a particular attitude
c. observing others being rewarded or punished for expressing thoughts or behaviour
d. learning attitudes through group or cultural norms
Ans: c
44. What are norms?
a. written rules about behaviour b. unwritten rules about behaviour
c. attitudes learned through group or cultural norms
d. positive or negative attitdes formed through exposure to information
Ans: b
45. How can an individual develop a positive attitude towards a behaviour associated with feelings of
devotion?
a. through observing others b. through being rewarded or punished
c. through exposure to information d. through group or cultural norms
Ans: d
46. Which factors plays a significant role in shaping attitude formation during the early years of life?
a. personal experience b. reference groups
c. media-related influences d. family and school environment
Ans: d
47. Which factor can influence attitude formation towards political, religious and social groups?
a. personal experience b. reference groups
c. media-related influences d. family and school environment
Ans: b
48. Which factor can lead to attitude formation and change through strengthening the cognitive and
affective components of attitudes?
a. personal experience b. reference groups
c. media-related influences d. family and school environment
Ans: c
49. Which factor involves the learning of attitudes through group or cultural norms?
a. personal experience b. reference groups
c. media-related influences d. family and school environment
Ans: b
50. Which factor can be harnessed to create positive attitudes to facilitate social harmony?
a. personal experience b. reference groups
c. media-related influences d. family and school environment
Ans: c
51. Which concept emphasis the cognitive component of an attitude?
a. balance b. cognitive dissonance c. two-step concept d. none of the above
Ans: b
52. According to the two-step concept, what is the first step in attitude change?
a. the target changes their behaviour towards the attitude object
b. the source identifies with the target
c. the target identifies with the source
d. the source changes their behaviour towards the attitude object
Ans: c
53. What is the P-O-X triangle in attitude change?
a. a concept proposed by Leon Festinger b. a concept proposed by Fritz Heider
c. a concept proposed by S.M. Mohsin d. none of the above
Ans: b
54. Which of the following is not a component of the attitude in the ‘P-O-X’ triangle?
a. person b. object c. experience d. another person
Ans: c
55. According to the concept of cognitive dissonance, what happens when an individual finds that
two cognitions in an attitude are dissonant?
a. they change their behaviour towards the attitude object
b. they change one of the cognition to be in line with the other
c. they stop thinking about the attitude object d. none of the above
Ans: b
56. Which of the following characteristic of attitudes that makes them difficult to change?
a. Positivity b. complexity c. extremeness d. peripheral
Ans: c
57. Which of the following factors affects attitude change based on the qualities of the target?
a. source characteristic b. message characteristic c. target characteristic d. none of the above
Ans: c
58. According to the text, which type of message appeal is more likely to change attitudes?
a. rational appeal b. emotional appeal c. both are equally effective d. neither is effective
Ans: c
59. Which of the following is a source characteristic that affect attitude change?
a. positivity b. complexity c. credibility d. extremeness
Ans: c
60. People with strong prejudice are:
a. more likely to change their attitudes
b. less likely to change their attitudes
c. equally likely to change their attitudes as people without strong prejudices
d. not mentioned in the text as a factor affecting attitude change
Ans: b
61. What is the definition of a stereotype?
a. a positive attitude towards a particular group
b. a negative attitude towards a particular group
c. a cluster of ideas regarding the characteristics of a specific group
d. none of the above
Ans: c
62. Which of the following is NOT a source of prejudice?
a. learning b. a strong social identity and ingroup bias
c. stereotyping d. scapegoating
Ans: c
63. What is the Kernal of truth concept?
a. a phenomenon by which the majority group places the blame on a minority outgroup for its own
social, economic or political problems
b. sometimes people may continue to hold stereotypes because they think that there must be some
truth in what everyone says about the other group
c. a group- based way of expressing frustration
d. none of the above
Ans: b
64. What is self-fulfilling prophecy?
a. a phenomenon by which the majority group places the blame on a minority outgroup for its own
social, economic or political problems
b. sometimes people may continue to hold stereotypes because they think that there must be some
truth in what everyone says about the other group
c. in some cases, the group that is target of prejudice is itself responsible for continuing the prejudice
by confirming negative expectations
d. none of the above
Ans: c
65. What is scapegoating?
a. a phenomenon by which the majority group places the blame on a minority outgroup for its own
social, economic or political problems
b. sometimes people may continue to hold stereotypes because they think that there must be some
truth in what everyone says about the other group
c. a group- based way of expressing frustration
d. none of the above
Ans: a
66. What does extremeness of an attitude indicate?
a. how simple or complex an attitude is
b. how positive or negative an attitude is
c. the role of a particular attitude in the attitude system
d. none of the above
Ans: b
67. How can an individual develop a positive attitude towards yoga and health?
a. through observing others
b. through being rewarded or punished
c. through exposure to information
d. through group or cultural norms
Ans: a
