Social Science

Cognitive Biases and Decision Making

1,902 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 used to describe the tendency of individuals to adopt the beliefs and attitudes of the group they belong to, even if those beliefs and attitudes conflict with their personal beliefs?

  1. Groupthink

  2. Social Identity Theory

  3. Confirmation Bias

  4. Selective Perception
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Groupthink refers to the phenomenon where individuals in a group suppress their personal opinions and conform to the group's consensus, even if they disagree with it. This can lead to flawed decision-making and a lack of critical thinking.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency of individuals to perceive ambiguous or neutral stimuli in a way that confirms their existing beliefs or expectations?

  1. Confirmation Bias

  2. Selective Perception

  3. Cognitive Dissonance

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

Selective Perception refers to the tendency of individuals to selectively attend to information that confirms their existing beliefs and disregard information that contradicts them. This can lead to a distorted perception of reality.

Multiple choice

Which psychological phenomenon refers to the discomfort or tension experienced by individuals when they hold two or more conflicting beliefs, ideas, or values?

  1. Cognitive Dissonance

  2. Selective Perception

  3. Confirmation Bias

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

Cognitive Dissonance is the psychological discomfort experienced when individuals hold conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes. This discomfort motivates individuals to reduce the dissonance by changing their beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of children in middle childhood to view things in black-and-white terms?

  1. Polarized thinking

  2. Dichotomous thinking

  3. All-or-nothing thinking

  4. Concrete thinking
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

All-or-nothing thinking, also known as polarized or dichotomous thinking, is a cognitive bias common in middle childhood, where children tend to view things in extreme categories.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of children in middle childhood to compare themselves to others?

  1. Social comparison

  2. Self-evaluation

  3. Peer evaluation

  4. Self-awareness
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Social comparison is a common behavior in middle childhood, where children compare their abilities, achievements, and possessions to those of their peers.

Multiple choice

How do our personal experiences and biases affect our judgments of objects?

  1. They provide a valuable source of information for making informed judgments.

  2. They can lead to biased and subjective evaluations.

  3. They have no impact on our judgments.

  4. Both A and B.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Our personal experiences and biases can both positively and negatively influence our judgments of objects. They can provide valuable information for making informed judgments, but they can also lead to biased and subjective evaluations.

Multiple choice

What is the role of personal preferences and values in shaping our judgments of objects?

  1. They provide a valuable source of information for making informed judgments.

  2. They can lead to biased and subjective evaluations.

  3. They have no impact on our judgments.

  4. Both A and B.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Our personal preferences and values can both positively and negatively influence our judgments of objects. They can provide valuable information for making informed judgments, but they can also lead to biased and subjective evaluations.

Multiple choice

What is the term for a person's overall evaluation of an attitude object?

  1. Attitude Strength

  2. Attitude Valence

  3. Attitude Salience

  4. Attitude Accessibility
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Attitude Valence refers to the positive or negative evaluation an individual holds towards an attitude object.

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.