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 name of the phenomenon in which people tend to remember the beginning and end of a list of items better than the items in the middle?

  1. Serial position effect

  2. Primacy effect

  3. Recency effect

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

The serial position effect is a cognitive bias that leads people to remember the beginning and end of a list of items better than the items in the middle. This is due to the primacy effect, which is the tendency to remember the first items in a list, and the recency effect, which is the tendency to remember the last items in a list.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a cognitive factor that can influence the outcome of witness identification procedures?

  1. Confirmation bias

  2. Hindsight bias

  3. Illusory correlation

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

Confirmation bias, hindsight bias, and illusory correlation can all influence the outcome of witness identification procedures. Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out information that confirms our existing beliefs, hindsight bias is the tendency to believe that we could have predicted an event after it has already happened, and illusory correlation is the tendency to perceive a relationship between two events that are not actually related. All of these biases can lead to errors in witness identification.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the phenomenon in which people tend to be more confident in their judgments when they are made in the presence of others?

  1. Social proof

  2. Groupthink

  3. Anchoring bias

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

Social proof is a cognitive bias that leads people to conform to the beliefs and behaviors of others. This can lead to errors in judgment and decision-making.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the phenomenon in which people tend to remember events in a way that is consistent with their cultural beliefs and values?

  1. Cultural bias

  2. Confirmation bias

  3. Hindsight bias

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

Cultural bias is a cognitive bias that leads people to interpret information in a way that is consistent with their cultural beliefs and values. This can lead to errors in judgment and decision-making.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the phenomenon in which people tend to remember events in a way that is consistent with their personal goals and desires?

  1. Self-serving bias

  2. Confirmation bias

  3. Hindsight bias

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

Self-serving bias is a cognitive bias that leads people to remember events in a way that is consistent with their personal goals and desires. This can lead to errors in judgment and decision-making.

Multiple choice

What does it mean when someone leans towards you?

  1. They are interested in what you have to say.

  2. They are trying to intimidate you.

  3. They are feeling shy or uncomfortable.

  4. They are bored or uninterested.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Leaning towards someone is often a sign of interest and engagement. It shows that the person is paying attention to what you are saying and is interested in your conversation.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a cognitive bias that can affect our ability to acquire knowledge?

  1. Confirmation bias

  2. Hindsight bias

  3. Framing bias

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

Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts that can lead us to make errors in judgment. There are many different types of cognitive biases, but some of the most common ones that can affect our ability to acquire knowledge include confirmation bias, hindsight bias, and framing bias. Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out information that confirms our existing beliefs, while ignoring information that contradicts them. Hindsight bias is the tendency to believe that we could have predicted an event after it has already happened. Framing bias is the tendency to make different decisions depending on how the options are presented to us.

Multiple choice

What is the hyperbolic discounting bias?

  1. The tendency for people to discount future outcomes more heavily than present outcomes.

  2. The tendency for people to discount present outcomes more heavily than future outcomes.

  3. The tendency for people to discount outcomes that are certain more heavily than outcomes that are uncertain.

  4. The tendency for people to discount outcomes that are uncertain more heavily than outcomes that are certain.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The hyperbolic discounting bias is the tendency for people to discount future outcomes more heavily than present outcomes. This means that people are more likely to choose an outcome that occurs in the present, even if it is less valuable than an outcome that occurs in the future.

Multiple choice

What is the exponential discounting bias?

  1. The tendency for people to discount future outcomes more heavily than present outcomes.

  2. The tendency for people to discount present outcomes more heavily than future outcomes.

  3. The tendency for people to discount outcomes that are certain more heavily than outcomes that are uncertain.

  4. The tendency for people to discount outcomes that are uncertain more heavily than outcomes that are certain.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The exponential discounting bias is the tendency for people to discount future outcomes more heavily than present outcomes. This means that people are more likely to choose an outcome that occurs in the present, even if it is less valuable than an outcome that occurs in the future.

Multiple choice

What is the quasi-hyperbolic discounting bias?

  1. The tendency for people to discount future outcomes more heavily than present outcomes at short delays, but to discount future outcomes less heavily than present outcomes at long delays.

  2. The tendency for people to discount present outcomes more heavily than future outcomes at short delays, but to discount present outcomes less heavily than future outcomes at long delays.

  3. The tendency for people to discount outcomes that are certain more heavily than outcomes that are uncertain at short delays, but to discount outcomes that are certain less heavily than outcomes that are uncertain at long delays.

  4. The tendency for people to discount outcomes that are uncertain more heavily than outcomes that are certain at short delays, but to discount outcomes that are uncertain less heavily than outcomes that are certain at long delays.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The quasi-hyperbolic discounting bias is the tendency for people to discount future outcomes more heavily than present outcomes at short delays, but to discount future outcomes less heavily than present outcomes at long delays. This means that people are more likely to choose an outcome that occurs in the present, even if it is less valuable than an outcome that occurs in the future, but this tendency decreases as the delay between the present and the future outcome increases.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for individuals to conform to the norms and expectations of their group?

  1. Groupthink

  2. Social loafing

  3. Diffusion of responsibility

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

Groupthink is the tendency for individuals in a group to conform to the norms and expectations of the group, often leading to a lack of critical thinking and decision-making errors.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working in a group compared to when working alone?

  1. Social loafing

  2. Groupthink

  3. Diffusion of responsibility

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

Social loafing is the tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working in a group compared to when working alone, often due to a lack of individual accountability.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for individuals to shift responsibility for a task or decision to others in a group?

  1. Diffusion of responsibility

  2. Groupthink

  3. Social loafing

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

Diffusion of responsibility is the tendency for individuals to shift responsibility for a task or decision to others in a group, often leading to a lack of accountability and decreased performance.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for groups to make more extreme decisions than individuals would make on their own?

  1. Group polarization

  2. Groupthink

  3. Social loafing

  4. Diffusion of responsibility
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Group polarization is the tendency for groups to make more extreme decisions than individuals would make on their own, often due to a desire for consensus and a lack of critical thinking.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency to attribute one's own emotions to others?

  1. Projection

  2. Transference

  3. Displacement

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

Projection is the defense mechanism by which individuals attribute their own thoughts, feelings, or motives to others.