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 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.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the phenomenon where individuals tend to conform to the moral norms of their social group, even if they personally disagree with them?

  1. Moral relativism

  2. Moral absolutism

  3. Moral conformity

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

Moral conformity refers to the tendency of individuals to adjust their moral beliefs and behaviors to align with the norms of their social group, regardless of their personal convictions.

Multiple choice

Groupthink is a phenomenon that occurs when:

  1. Group members strive for consensus at the expense of critical thinking

  2. Group members suppress their own opinions to conform with the group

  3. Group members become overly optimistic about the group's decision-making abilities

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

Groupthink occurs when group members strive for consensus at the expense of critical thinking, suppress their own opinions to conform with the group, and become overly optimistic about the group's decision-making abilities.

Multiple choice

The escalation of commitment bias refers to the tendency of decision-makers to:

  1. Continue investing in a failing course of action

  2. Ignore negative feedback

  3. Become more confident in their decisions over time

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

The escalation of commitment bias refers to the tendency of decision-makers to continue investing in a failing course of action, ignore negative feedback, and become more confident in their decisions over time.

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 a common type of decision-making bias because it refers to the tendency to believe that an event was more predictable than it actually was.

Multiple choice

The 'elaboration likelihood model' in communication suggests that:

  1. Individuals process information more deeply when they are highly motivated and have the cognitive resources

  2. People tend to rely on heuristics and shortcuts when processing information

  3. Attitudes are formed solely through rational and logical thinking

  4. Communication effectiveness is solely determined by the persuasiveness of the message
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The 'elaboration likelihood model' posits that individuals engage in more extensive and thoughtful processing of information when they are motivated and have the cognitive capacity to do so.