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 term for the tendency to remember information that is presented in a distinctive or unusual way?

  1. Primacy effect

  2. Recency effect

  3. Self-reference effect

  4. Von Restorff effect
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Von Restorff effect refers to the tendency to remember information that is presented in a distinctive or unusual way.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to remember information that is presented repeatedly?

  1. Primacy effect

  2. Recency effect

  3. Repetition effect

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

The repetition effect refers to the tendency to remember information that is presented repeatedly.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to remember information that is presented in a meaningful or organized way?

  1. Primacy effect

  2. Recency effect

  3. Organization effect

  4. Mnemonic device effect
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The organization effect refers to the tendency to remember information that is presented in a meaningful or organized way.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency for memories to be distorted or altered over time?

  1. Memory Decay

  2. Memory Consolidation

  3. Memory Interference

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

Memory Reconstruction refers to the tendency for memories to be distorted or altered over time, as they are influenced by new information, beliefs, and expectations.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency for memories to fade over time?

  1. Memory Decay

  2. Memory Consolidation

  3. Memory Interference

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

Memory Decay refers to the gradual loss of information from memory over time, as memories become less accessible and weaker.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a characteristic of risk-taking?

  1. Individuals are willing to pay a premium to avoid risk.

  2. Individuals are indifferent between risky and certain outcomes.

  3. Individuals prefer risky outcomes over certain outcomes.

  4. Individuals are unwilling to take any risks.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Risk-taking is the tendency for individuals to prefer risky outcomes over certain outcomes, even if the expected value of the risky outcome is lower.

Multiple choice

What is the Hawthorne effect?

  1. The tendency for employees to perform better when they know they are being observed.

  2. The tendency for employees to perform worse when they know they are being observed.

  3. The tendency for employees to perform the same regardless of whether they are being observed.

  4. The tendency for employees to perform better when they are given positive feedback.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Hawthorne effect refers to the phenomenon where employees may alter their behavior simply because they are aware that they are being observed, regardless of the specific conditions of the experiment.

Multiple choice

Which media effect refers to the tendency of individuals to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs?

  1. Confirmation Bias

  2. Selective Exposure

  3. Agenda-Setting Effect

  4. Framing Effect
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Selective Exposure is the tendency of individuals to actively seek out information that aligns with their existing beliefs and avoid information that contradicts them.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of media messages to influence an individual's mood or emotional state?

  1. Framing

  2. Priming

  3. Agenda-Setting

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

Priming refers to the process by which media messages can activate certain associations in an individual's mind, making them more likely to think about or respond to certain things in a particular way.

Multiple choice

Which media effect refers to the tendency of individuals to seek out information that is consistent with their existing beliefs?

  1. Confirmation Bias

  2. Selective Exposure

  3. Agenda-Setting

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

Confirmation Bias is the tendency of individuals to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs and avoid information that contradicts them.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency for individuals to perceive ambiguous situations as threatening or hostile?

  1. Hostile Attribution Bias

  2. Confirmation Bias

  3. Projection

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

Hostile Attribution Bias refers to the tendency to interpret ambiguous behaviors or situations as hostile or aggressive, even when there is no clear evidence to support such an interpretation.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency for individuals to perceive and interpret information in a way that confirms their existing beliefs and expectations?

  1. Confirmation bias

  2. Selective perception

  3. Illusory correlation

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

Confirmation bias, selective perception, and illusory correlation are all terms used to describe the tendency for individuals to perceive and interpret information in a way that confirms their existing beliefs and expectations.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to attribute hostile intent to others, even when it is not present?

  1. Hostile attribution bias

  2. Defensive pessimism

  3. Catastrophizing

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

Hostile attribution bias is the tendency to interpret others' actions as hostile or threatening, even when they are not intended to be.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to redirect anger towards a safer or less threatening target?

  1. Catharsis

  2. Suppression

  3. Displacement

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

Displacement is the tendency to redirect anger towards a safer or less threatening target, often someone who is not the source of the original anger.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to attribute one's own negative feelings and behaviors to external factors?

  1. Catharsis

  2. Suppression

  3. Displacement

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

Projection is the tendency to attribute one's own negative feelings and behaviors to external factors, often other people or situations.