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 used to describe the tendency to make the same mistake repeatedly in chess?

  1. Chess blindness

  2. Blunder

  3. Repetition compulsion

  4. Cognitive bias
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Repetition compulsion refers to the tendency to repeat a mistake or pattern of behavior, even when it has negative consequences.

Multiple choice

Which psychological factor can lead to players becoming overly cautious and missing opportunities in chess?

  1. Fear of losing

  2. Perfectionism

  3. Risk aversion

  4. Lack of confidence
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Fear of losing can lead players to become overly cautious and avoid taking risks, which can result in missed opportunities.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency to make mistakes or play poorly due to psychological factors rather than technical errors?

  1. Mental block

  2. Tilt

  3. Choking

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

Tilt refers to a state of mental and emotional distress that can lead to poor decision-making and a decline in performance.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency to make the same mistake repeatedly in chess, despite knowing it is a mistake?

  1. Perseveration

  2. Stubbornness

  3. Cognitive bias

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

Perseveration refers to the tendency to persist in a particular pattern of behavior or thought, even when it is no longer effective or appropriate.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to believe that one's own lies are true?

  1. Self-deception

  2. Rationalization

  3. Confirmation bias

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

Self-deception is the act of intentionally misleading oneself about one's own beliefs, desires, or actions.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to believe that others are more likely to lie to us than they actually are?

  1. Lying bias

  2. Deception bias

  3. Truth bias

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

Deception bias is the tendency to overestimate the frequency of deception by others, leading to a distorted perception of the prevalence of lying.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the phenomenon where individuals tend to be more honest when they are physically close to others?

  1. Proximity effect

  2. Distance effect

  3. Social facilitation effect

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

The proximity effect refers to the tendency for individuals to be more truthful and honest when they are in close physical proximity to others.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for individuals to believe that they are better at detecting lies than they actually are?

  1. Illusion of truth effect

  2. Illusion of control effect

  3. Illusion of superiority effect

  4. Illusion of invulnerability effect
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The illusion of superiority effect refers to the tendency for individuals to overestimate their abilities, including their ability to detect lies.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for individuals to be more likely to lie when they are communicating via text or email rather than face-to-face?

  1. Online disinhibition effect

  2. Face-to-face inhibition effect

  3. Texting effect

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

The online disinhibition effect refers to the tendency for individuals to engage in more risky or uninhibited behaviors when communicating online, including lying.

Multiple choice

Which psychological phenomenon refers to the tendency for individuals to conform to the beliefs and behaviors of the majority, even if they personally disagree?

  1. Groupthink

  2. Social facilitation

  3. Social loafing

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

Groupthink refers to the phenomenon where individuals suppress their personal opinions and conform to the beliefs and behaviors of the majority within a group, often leading to irrational or unethical decision-making.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for individuals to be more likely to lie when they are communicating with someone they do not know well?

  1. Stranger effect

  2. Acquaintance effect

  3. Friend effect

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

The stranger effect refers to the tendency for individuals to be more likely to lie to someone they do not know well, as they may feel less accountable for their actions.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is NOT a type of cognitive bias?

  1. Confirmation bias

  2. Hindsight bias

  3. Framing bias

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

Hindsight bias is not a type of cognitive bias. It is a phenomenon that occurs when people believe that they could have predicted an event after it has already happened.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to favor information that confirms our existing beliefs?

  1. Confirmation bias

  2. Hindsight bias

  3. Illusion of control

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

Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out and interpret information in a way that confirms our existing beliefs, while ignoring or downplaying information that contradicts them.

Multiple choice

Which cognitive bias leads us to overestimate the likelihood of rare events?

  1. Availability heuristic

  2. Representativeness heuristic

  3. Illusion of control

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

The availability heuristic is a cognitive bias that leads us to overestimate the likelihood of events that are easily recalled or that come to mind quickly.

Multiple choice

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

  1. Self-serving bias

  2. Fundamental attribution error

  3. Illusion of control

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

The self-serving bias is a cognitive bias that leads us to attribute our successes to internal factors, such as our abilities or efforts, and our failures to external factors, such as bad luck or difficult circumstances.