Question

James, Wendy, Evan, Ethan, and Janet are all college seniors who are planning their senior thesis - a requirement for graduation at their school. Given the following situations, who is most likely to complete the thesis first?A) Janet, who sees herself as a "rebel" because she doesn't always complete work her professors expect of her, but does always learn the materials needed for exams.
B) James, who is the first person in his family to have attended college.
C) Evan, who is unrealistically optimistic about the outcomes he expects and his own abilities.
D) Ethan, who has a relatively low sense of self-efficacy where writing papers is concerned.
E) Wendy, whose older brother finished college last year and serves as a role model for her.

Answer 1

The correct answer is E) Wendy, whose older brother finished college last year and serves as a role model for her.

Explanation:

Factors such as family, habits, personality traits, among others, influence to a great extent the way people behave and think and therefore are determinant on whether an individual achieves a specific objective, for example, completing a senior thesis.

In this context, a positive role model such as an older brother will influence positively a student to complete this goal faster. This means, in the case of Wendy because there is already someone in her family who finished college and because she wants to emulate his behavior and achievements, it is likely she is highly motivated to complete this goal and can do it faster than others; besides, her brother could help her in the process. Also, attitudes such as being a rebel, unrealistically optimistic or considering one as not efficient do not help students to focus on a goal and complete it in a short time.