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

Which of the following is an example of self-serving bias?

  1. A student who gets a good grade on a test attributes it to their hard work and intelligence.

  2. A student who gets a bad grade on a test attributes it to the difficulty of the test or the unfairness of the teacher.

  3. An athlete who wins a game attributes it to their skill and determination.

  4. An athlete who loses a game attributes it to bad luck or the unfairness of the referees.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
Correct answer
Explanation

All of the above are examples of self-serving bias. In each case, the person is attributing their success to internal factors and their failure to external factors.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to seek out information that confirms one's existing beliefs and to avoid information that challenges them?

  1. Self-serving bias

  2. Confirmation bias

  3. Hindsight bias

  4. Illusion of control
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out information that confirms one's existing beliefs and to avoid information that challenges them.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of confirmation bias?

  1. A person who believes in climate change only reads articles and watches news programs that support the idea of climate change.

  2. A person who does not believe in climate change only reads articles and watches news programs that challenge the idea of climate change.

  3. A person who is undecided about climate change reads articles and watches news programs from both sides of the issue.

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This is an example of confirmation bias because the person is only seeking out information that confirms their existing belief in climate change.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to believe that one has more control over events than one actually does?

  1. Self-serving bias

  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 is the tendency to believe that one has more control over events than one actually does.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of illusion of control?

  1. A person who believes that they can control the weather by performing certain rituals.

  2. A person who believes that they can win the lottery by buying more tickets.

  3. A person who believes that they can get a promotion at work by working harder.

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This is an example of illusion of control because the person believes that they have control over an event (the weather) that they actually have no control over.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is NOT a common type of decision-making 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 typically considered to be a common type of decision-making bias, as it is more often associated with memory and perception.

Multiple choice

What is the best way to avoid decision-making biases?

  1. Be aware of your own biases

  2. Gather information from a variety of sources

  3. Consider the opinions of others

  4. Use decision-making tools and models
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The best way to avoid decision-making biases is to be aware of your own biases and to take steps to mitigate them.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the psychological phenomenon where individuals tend to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs while avoiding information that contradicts them?

  1. Confirmation bias

  2. Disconfirmation bias

  3. Cognitive dissonance

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

Confirmation bias is the psychological phenomenon where individuals tend to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs while avoiding information that contradicts them. This bias can lead to distorted perceptions of reality and difficulty in changing one's beliefs.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the psychological phenomenon where individuals tend to attribute their successes to internal factors (e.g., skill, effort) and their failures to external factors (e.g., luck, circumstances)?

  1. Self-serving bias

  2. Fundamental attribution error

  3. Illusion of control

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

Self-serving bias is the psychological phenomenon where individuals tend to attribute their successes to internal factors (e.g., skill, effort) and their failures to external factors (e.g., luck, circumstances). This bias helps maintain a positive self-image and protect self-esteem.

Multiple choice

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

  1. Availability heuristic

  2. Representative heuristic

  3. Anchoring bias

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

Availability heuristic is the psychological phenomenon where individuals tend to overestimate the likelihood of rare events and underestimate the likelihood of common events. This bias is based on the ease with which information comes to mind.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the psychological phenomenon where individuals tend to make judgments and decisions based on their initial impressions of a person or situation?

  1. Halo effect

  2. Primacy effect

  3. Recency effect

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

Halo effect is the psychological phenomenon where individuals tend to make judgments and decisions based on their initial impressions of a person or situation. This bias can lead to inaccurate and unfair evaluations.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the psychological phenomenon where individuals tend to remember information that is presented at the beginning and end of a list more easily than information presented in the middle?

  1. Serial position effect

  2. Primacy effect

  3. Recency effect

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

Serial position effect is the psychological phenomenon where individuals tend to remember information that is presented at the beginning and end of a list more easily than information presented in the middle. This effect is due to the fact that information presented at the beginning and end of a list is more likely to be rehearsed and consolidated in memory.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the level of confidence and reliance that humans place in autonomous systems?

  1. System reliability

  2. Human-machine trust

  3. User satisfaction

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

Human-machine trust refers to the extent to which humans believe that autonomous systems are reliable, competent, and predictable, influencing their willingness to interact with and rely on these systems.

Multiple choice

In Attribution Theory, what is the term used to describe the tendency to attribute success or failure to internal factors such as ability or effort?

  1. Internal Attribution

  2. External Attribution

  3. Stable Attribution

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

Internal Attribution refers to the belief that outcomes are a result of one's own abilities or efforts.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the ability to understand that others have different beliefs, desires, and intentions than oneself?

  1. Theory of mind

  2. Empathy

  3. Perspective-taking

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

Theory of mind is the ability to understand that others have different mental states than oneself.