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 phenomenon where we tend to focus on negative or threatening stimuli more than positive or neutral stimuli called?

  1. Cocktail party effect

  2. Stroop effect

  3. Attentional bias

  4. Priming effect
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Attentional bias towards negative stimuli is a common phenomenon, often referred to as negativity bias. It refers to our tendency to focus on negative or threatening information more readily than positive or neutral information.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of an attentional bias towards negative stimuli?

  1. A student being more attentive to negative feedback on their assignment than to positive feedback

  2. A news viewer being more drawn to stories about disasters than to stories about positive events

  3. A person being more likely to remember negative experiences than positive experiences

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

Attentional bias towards negative stimuli can influence our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, sometimes leading to anxiety, depression, or other mental health concerns.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the phenomenon where we tend to focus on stimuli that are presented repeatedly or frequently?

  1. Cocktail party effect

  2. Stroop effect

  3. Attentional bias

  4. Priming effect
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Priming effect refers to the phenomenon where our attention is drawn to stimuli that have been recently presented or encountered. This can influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, making us more likely to notice and respond to similar stimuli in the future.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of a priming effect?

  1. A student being more likely to answer a question correctly after seeing a related concept in a lecture

  2. A person being more likely to buy a product after seeing an advertisement for it

  3. A driver being more likely to notice a certain type of car after seeing it in a movie

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

Priming effects can be used in various contexts, such as advertising, education, and psychology, to influence people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the phenomenon where we tend to focus on stimuli that are presented in a salient or distinctive manner?

  1. Cocktail party effect

  2. Stroop effect

  3. Attentional bias

  4. Salience effect
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Salience effect refers to the phenomenon where our attention is drawn to stimuli that stand out from their surroundings due to their brightness, color, size, or other distinctive features.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of a salience effect?

  1. A person being more likely to notice a brightly colored sign than a plain one

  2. A driver being more likely to notice a flashing light than a steady light

  3. A student being more likely to remember a concept that is presented in a visually appealing way

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

Salience effects can be used in various contexts, such as design, marketing, and education, to capture people's attention and convey important information.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the phenomenon where we tend to focus on stimuli that are associated with our goals or intentions?

  1. Cocktail party effect

  2. Stroop effect

  3. Attentional bias

  4. Goal-directed attention
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Goal-directed attention refers to the phenomenon where our attention is drawn to stimuli that are relevant to our current goals or intentions. This allows us to prioritize and focus on information that is important for achieving our objectives.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of goal-directed attention?

  1. A student being more likely to notice information related to their upcoming exam

  2. A person being more likely to notice a sale sign when they are looking for a specific product

  3. A driver being more likely to notice road signs that indicate the direction to their destination

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

Goal-directed attention helps us to filter out irrelevant information and focus on what is essential for achieving our goals, enabling us to navigate our environment and perform tasks effectively.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the phenomenon where voters are more likely to vote for candidates who are seen as honest and trustworthy?

  1. The incumbency effect

  2. The challenger effect

  3. The character effect

  4. The anti-incumbent effect
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The character effect refers to the tendency of voters to support candidates who are seen as honest and trustworthy, especially when the incumbent is associated with political scandals.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency for individuals to attribute their own positive behaviors to internal factors and their negative behaviors to external factors?

  1. Self-Serving Bias

  2. Fundamental Attribution Error

  3. Confirmation Bias

  4. Hindsight 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 their successes while blaming external factors for their failures.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the phenomenon where individuals tend to perceive ambiguous or neutral situations as threatening or dangerous?

  1. Hostile Attribution Bias

  2. Confirmation Bias

  3. Hindsight Bias

  4. Illusion of Control
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Hostile attribution bias refers to the tendency for individuals to interpret the actions of others as hostile or threatening, even when there is no clear evidence to support such an interpretation.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the phenomenon where individuals tend to overestimate the likelihood of rare events and underestimate the likelihood of common events?

  1. Availability Heuristic

  2. Confirmation Bias

  3. Hindsight Bias

  4. Illusion of Control
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Availability heuristic refers to the tendency for individuals to judge the likelihood of an event based on how easily examples of that event come to mind.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the phenomenon where individuals tend to believe that they have more control over events than they actually do?

  1. Availability Heuristic

  2. Confirmation Bias

  3. Hindsight Bias

  4. Illusion of Control
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Illusion of control refers to the tendency for individuals to overestimate their ability to control events, even when they have little or no actual control.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a type of decision-making bias?

  1. Confirmation bias

  2. Framing bias

  3. Anchoring bias

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

All of the above are types of decision-making biases. Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out information that confirms our existing beliefs, framing bias is the tendency to make different decisions depending on how the options are presented, and anchoring bias is the tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information we receive.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a way to overcome decision-making biases?

  1. Be aware of your own biases.

  2. Seek out information that challenges your existing beliefs.

  3. Consider the long-term consequences of your decisions.

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

All of the above are ways to overcome decision-making biases. Being aware of your own biases helps you to avoid making decisions that are influenced by those biases, seeking out information that challenges your existing beliefs helps to ensure that you are making an informed decision, and considering the long-term consequences of your decisions helps to avoid unintended negative consequences.