Early one morning, Jade is the only passenger on a public bus. After several stops, a second passenger boards and chooses the seat directly beside Jade, even though the bus is otherwise empty. Although Jade often sits beside others when the bus is crowded, in this situation, she feels surprised and uncomfortable. This best illustrates the impact of

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The stem describes Jade as the only passenger at first, then another person sits directly beside her in an otherwise empty bus, which makes Jade feel surprised and uncomfortable. This situation highlights how people respond to deviations from expected social behavior in public spaces.
Option a: social norms. This choice points to the unwritten rules about appropriate behavior in social settings, such as sitting distance and personal space on public transit. When the second passenger violates the usual pattern of spacing, Jade's surprise reflects the power of social norms guiding conduct.
Option b: individualism. This term refers to valuing independence and personal goals over group harmony. The case does not focus on Jade’s personal values or autonomy; it centers on a situational expectation about others’ behavior on a shared space, so this option is not the best fit.
Option c: mood linkage. Mood or affective contagion concerns how others’ emotions influence our own emotional state. While Jade’s discomfort could be emotionally reactive, the core issue is the expectation about seating behavior, not a transfer of mood between people.
Option d: collectivism. Collectivism emphasizes group goals and interdependence within a community. Although the bus setting is communal, the key element here is the violation of a social norm regarding personal space, rather than a focus on group-oriented values, making this option less appropriate.
In summary, the best explanation centers on the violation or enforcement of social norms about personal space on public transportation, which elicited Jade’s surprise and discomfort.

PSY 200 (003) Fall 2025 Introduction to Psychology (TR, 1:30pm)

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

Descriptive norms and injunctive norms must always be aligned, and not differ from each other.

Sally is at her first day of school. She sees everyone else sit on the floor with their legs crossed, so she does the same. She would be said to be following a(n):

Goldstein et al.’s (2008) study on environmental messaging found that participants were more likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviors when a sign in their hotel bathroom sign evoked ___________________ by stating that “75% of guests staying in this room number reused their towels."

The behaviour of people in groups is dictated in large part by _____.

Question at position 12 A(n) ______refers to the perception of what most people would do in a given circumstances.dispositional attributioningroup biasdiscriminative stimulusdescriptive normsituational influence

Why is it important to consider social norms when performing safety analysis?

More Practical Tools for International Students

Exam Browser Assistant

Stylized Writing Assistant

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation Assistant

In-Class Translation Assistant

Class Notes Assistant

Quiz Search Assistant

Past Exam Questions by School

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler