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 tendency of individuals to think and act in the same way as the rest of the group, even if they disagree with the group's opinion?

  1. Conformity

  2. Compliance

  3. Obedience

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

Groupthink is the term for the tendency of individuals to think and act in the same way as the rest of the group, even if they disagree with the group's opinion.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of individuals to shift their opinions and behaviors in order to match the opinions and behaviors of the majority?

  1. Conformity

  2. Compliance

  3. Obedience

  4. Majority influence
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Majority influence is the term for the tendency of individuals to shift their opinions and behaviors in order to match the opinions and behaviors of the majority.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency of humans to rely too heavily on AI systems and to reduce their own cognitive effort?

  1. Automation bias

  2. Overreliance on AI

  3. AI complacency

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

Automation bias refers to the tendency of humans to rely too heavily on AI systems and to reduce their own cognitive effort, which can lead to errors and accidents.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is NOT a type of cognitive bias that can affect how we interpret information visualizations?

  1. Confirmation bias

  2. Framing effect

  3. Anchoring bias

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

Salience bias is not a type of cognitive bias. The options listed are all examples of cognitive biases that can influence our interpretation of information.

Multiple choice

What is the tendency to conform to the opinions or behaviors of others?

  1. Social cognition

  2. Obedience

  3. Conformity

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

Conformity is the tendency to change one's own behavior or beliefs in order to match those of a group or majority.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to obey authority figures without question?

  1. Authoritarianism

  2. Obedience

  3. Conformity

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

Authoritarianism is the tendency to obey authority figures without question, regardless of the morality or legitimacy of their orders.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to conform to the opinions or behaviors of a group?

  1. Social cognition

  2. Obedience

  3. Conformity

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

Conformity is the tendency to change one's own behavior or beliefs in order to match those of a group or majority.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to think and act in a way that is consistent with the norms and values of a group?

  1. Social cognition

  2. Obedience

  3. Conformity

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

Groupthink is the tendency to think and act in a way that is consistent with the norms and values of a group, even if it means suppressing individual dissent or critical thinking.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to attribute one's own successes to internal factors and one's own failures to external factors?

  1. Self-serving bias

  2. Confirmation bias

  3. Hindsight bias

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

Self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute one's own successes to internal factors (such as ability or effort) and one's own failures to external factors (such as bad luck or unfair circumstances).

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.