Final answer:
The correct answer is D) Situational factors may influence the decision to volunteer. Social psychology emphasizes the role of situational factors in determining behavior, including the decision to participate in research. It suggests an interaction of both situational and dispositional influences shaping human actions.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Rosenthal and Rosnow (1975), the correct statement regarding situational factors affecting the decision of a volunteer to participate in research is D) Situational factors may influence the decision to volunteer. Social psychology, which focuses on how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are affected by others, places significant emphasis on situational factors such as cultural influences, social roles, and norms over dispositional factors like personality traits. These situational influences can determine how a person behaves in various environments, including whether one will volunteer for research studies or not.
Social psychologists assert that both situational and dispositional factors interact to shape behavior, a perspective called interactionism. Situational factors provide external cues that guide people's actions and attitudes in specific contexts, influencing decisions such as whether or not to volunteer for research. It's understood that while personality may play a role, the decision to volunteer is not solely based on internal disposition, but also on external contextual factors, which can be as significant as personal traits in guiding behavior.