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

Which of the following is a cognitive bias that can affect eyewitness testimony?

  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 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 affect the accuracy of eyewitness testimony.

Multiple choice

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

  1. Confirmation bias

  2. Hindsight bias

  3. Illusory correlation

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

Schema bias is the tendency to interpret new information in a way that is consistent with our existing beliefs and expectations. This can lead to errors in memory and judgment.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a cognitive factor that can influence jury decision-making?

  1. Emotion

  2. Prejudice

  3. Groupthink

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

Emotion, prejudice, and groupthink can all influence jury decision-making. Emotion can lead jurors to be more sympathetic to one side or the other, prejudice can lead jurors to be biased against certain groups of people, and groupthink can lead jurors to conform to the majority opinion, even if they disagree with it.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the phenomenon in which people tend to overestimate the likelihood of rare events?

  1. Availability heuristic

  2. Representativeness heuristic

  3. Anchoring bias

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

The availability heuristic is a cognitive bias that leads people to overestimate the likelihood of events that are easy to remember or imagine. This can lead to errors in judgment and decision-making.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a cognitive factor that can influence the outcome of plea negotiations?

  1. Loss aversion

  2. Framing effects

  3. Anchoring bias

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

Loss aversion, framing effects, and anchoring bias can all influence the outcome of plea negotiations. Loss aversion is the tendency to feel the pain of a loss more strongly than the pleasure of a gain, framing effects are the way in which the presentation of information can influence people's choices, and anchoring bias is the tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information that we receive.

Multiple choice

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

  1. Illusory superiority bias

  2. Confirmation bias

  3. Hindsight bias

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

The illusory superiority bias is a cognitive bias that leads people to overestimate their own abilities and skills. This can lead to errors in judgment and decision-making.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a cognitive factor that can influence the outcome of trials?

  1. Emotion

  2. Prejudice

  3. Groupthink

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

Emotion, prejudice, and groupthink can all influence the outcome of trials. Emotion can lead jurors to be more sympathetic to one side or the other, prejudice can lead jurors to be biased against certain groups of people, and groupthink can lead jurors to conform to the majority opinion, even if they disagree with it.

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.