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 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.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to believe that we have more control over events than we actually do?

  1. Illusion of control

  2. Optimism bias

  3. Confirmation bias

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

The illusion of control is a cognitive bias that leads us to believe that we have more control over events than we actually do. This can lead us to take unnecessary risks or to blame ourselves for events that are beyond our control.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to remember events that are more emotionally charged or vivid?

  1. Availability heuristic

  2. Hindsight bias

  3. Illusion of control

  4. Peak-end rule
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The peak-end rule is a cognitive bias that leads us to remember events based on how they peaked (the most intense moment) and how they ended, rather than on their overall duration or average intensity.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to believe that we are better than average?

  1. Illusion of superiority

  2. Optimism bias

  3. Confirmation bias

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

The illusion of superiority is a cognitive bias that leads us to believe that we are better than average in various domains, such as intelligence, driving ability, or moral character.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to believe that we are less likely to experience negative events than others?

  1. Optimism bias

  2. Illusion of control

  3. Confirmation bias

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

The optimism bias is a cognitive bias that leads us to believe that we are less likely to experience negative events than others. For example, we may believe that we are less likely to get sick or to lose our job.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to believe that events are more predictable and controllable than they actually are?

  1. Illusion of control

  2. Optimism bias

  3. Confirmation bias

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

The illusion of control is a cognitive bias that leads us to believe that we have more control over events than we actually do. This can lead us to take unnecessary risks or to blame ourselves for events that are beyond our control.

Multiple choice

Which psychological phenomenon refers to the tendency of individuals to believe information that confirms their existing beliefs, while disregarding or discounting information that contradicts them?

  1. Confirmation bias

  2. Selective perception

  3. Illusory correlation

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

Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out and interpret information that supports one's existing beliefs, while ignoring or downplaying information that contradicts those beliefs.