Social Science

Cognitive Biases and Decision Making

1,880 Questions

Explore a curated set of questions on cognitive biases, decision making, and behavioral economics. These concepts evaluate how social norms, emotions, and heuristics influence human judgment and group behavior. Master these topics to build a strong foundation for psychology and social science exams.

Behavioral economicsSocial group influencesEmotional decision makingConfirmation bias

Cognitive Biases and Decision Making Questions

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for individuals to attribute their successes to internal factors and their failures to external factors?

  1. Self-Serving Bias

  2. Fundamental Attribution Error

  3. Illusory Correlation

  4. Confirmation Bias
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Self-Serving Bias refers to the tendency for individuals to take credit for positive outcomes while blaming external factors for negative outcomes.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for individuals to perceive others as more similar to themselves than they actually are?

  1. Illusory Correlation

  2. Confirmation Bias

  3. Self-Serving Bias

  4. Similarity Attraction
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Similarity Attraction refers to the tendency for individuals to be drawn to and prefer others who are similar to them in terms of attitudes, values, and beliefs.

Multiple choice

Which social psychological concept involves the tendency for individuals to shift their attitudes and beliefs to align with those of the majority?

  1. Social Identity Theory

  2. Groupthink

  3. Social Loafing

  4. Majority Influence
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Majority Influence describes the pressure individuals feel to conform to the opinions and beliefs held by the majority of a group.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for individuals to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs and disregard information that contradicts them?

  1. Illusory Correlation

  2. Confirmation Bias

  3. Self-Serving Bias

  4. Similarity Attraction
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Confirmation Bias refers to the tendency for individuals to seek out and interpret information in a way that supports their existing beliefs and disregard information that contradicts them.

Multiple choice

Which social psychological concept involves the tendency for individuals to conform to the opinions and beliefs of the majority, even if they privately disagree?

  1. Social Identity Theory

  2. Groupthink

  3. Social Loafing

  4. Majority Influence
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Groupthink describes the phenomenon where individuals in a group suppress their own opinions and conform to the group's consensus, even if they privately disagree.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for individuals to attribute their successes to internal factors and their failures to external factors?

  1. Self-Serving Bias

  2. Fundamental Attribution Error

  3. Illusory Correlation

  4. Confirmation Bias
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Self-Serving Bias refers to the tendency for individuals to take credit for positive outcomes while blaming external factors for negative outcomes.

Multiple choice

Which social psychological concept involves the tendency for individuals to perceive others as more similar to themselves than they actually are?

  1. Illusory Correlation

  2. Confirmation Bias

  3. Self-Serving Bias

  4. Similarity Attraction
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Similarity Attraction refers to the tendency for individuals to be drawn to and prefer others who are similar to them in terms of attitudes, values, and beliefs.

Multiple choice

What is intuition?

  1. A gut feeling

  2. A hunch

  3. A sudden insight

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Intuition is a sudden insight or understanding that comes to us without conscious reasoning.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency for individuals to rely on mental shortcuts or simplified rules of thumb when making decisions?

  1. Framing

  2. Heuristics

  3. Confirmation bias

  4. Availability bias
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Heuristics are mental shortcuts that help individuals make decisions quickly and efficiently. They can be useful in situations where time or information is limited, but they can also lead to biases and errors.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of a cognitive bias that can influence decision-making?

  1. Framing

  2. Confirmation bias

  3. Availability bias

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Cognitive biases are systematic errors in thinking that can lead to poor decision-making. Framing, confirmation bias, and availability bias are all examples of cognitive biases that can influence the way individuals perceive and evaluate information, leading to biased decisions.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency for individuals to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs or hypotheses?

  1. Framing

  2. Confirmation bias

  3. Availability bias

  4. Hindsight bias
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Confirmation bias is the tendency for individuals to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs or hypotheses, while ignoring or discounting information that contradicts them. This can lead to biased decision-making, as individuals may be more likely to consider evidence that supports their preferred course of action.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency for individuals to overestimate the likelihood of events that are easy to recall or imagine?

  1. Framing

  2. Availability bias

  3. Hindsight bias

  4. Anchoring bias
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Availability bias is the tendency for individuals to overestimate the likelihood of events that are easy to recall or imagine. This can lead to biased decision-making, as individuals may be more likely to consider events that are more easily brought to mind, even if they are not actually more likely to occur.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of an environmental influence that can affect decision-making?

  1. Economic conditions

  2. Political climate

  3. Social norms

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Environmental influences are factors outside of an organization that can affect decision-making. Economic conditions, political climate, and social norms are all examples of environmental influences that can shape the way decisions are made. Economic conditions can affect the availability of resources and the costs of different courses of action, while political climate can affect the level of support or opposition for different decisions. Social norms can influence the acceptability of different courses of action.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency for individuals to rely too heavily on the first piece of information they receive when making a decision?

  1. Framing

  2. Anchoring bias

  3. Confirmation bias

  4. Availability bias
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Anchoring bias is the tendency for individuals to rely too heavily on the first piece of information they receive when making a decision. This can lead to biased decision-making, as individuals may be more likely to stick to their initial assessment, even if they receive new information that contradicts it.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of a cognitive bias that can influence decision-making in executive leadership?

  1. Framing

  2. Confirmation bias

  3. Availability bias

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Cognitive biases are systematic errors in thinking that can lead to poor decision-making. Framing, confirmation bias, and availability bias are all examples of cognitive biases that can influence decision-making in executive leadership. Framing refers to the way information is presented, which can affect the way individuals perceive and evaluate it. Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out information that confirms existing beliefs, while ignoring or discounting information that contradicts them. Availability bias is the tendency to overestimate the likelihood of events that are easy to recall or imagine.