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 best explains the central tendency error?

  1. The tendency of people to rate attractive individuals more favourably for their personality traits or characteristics (some desirable trait) than those who are less attractive.

  2. The tendency of not using an extreme scale scores on the judgement scale and most of the rates are clustered in the middle.

  3. The error caused by the tendency of the lenient rater to put most of the rates on the higher side of the scale, while the tough rater places them on the lower side of the scale.

  4. The tendency of the rater to remember the recent actions of the employee at the time of rating.

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The central tendency error refers to the tendency of not using extreme scale scores on the judgement scale and most of the rates are clustered in the middle.

Multiple choice organization of commerce and management employee selection process meaning and steps in selection meaning, importance, methods and procedure of selection steps in employee selection process

When an interviewer judges a person on a single important trait/attribute. i.e., those communicates well can sell the product. Such mistake of the interviewer is called __________. 

  1. resort to snap judgment

  2. stereotyping

  3. leniency

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

When an interviewer judges a person on a single important trait/attribute. i.e., those communicates well can sell the product. Such mistake of the interviewer is called halo effect.This type of mistakes are often done by the applicants while giving interview for a vacant job position. This mistakes should be avoided as they are not appreciated by the interviewer.

Multiple choice

Prior hypothesis, representativeness, illusion of control & _______________ are main types of Cognitive Bias.

  1. Circle of friends

  2. Escalating commitment

  3. Cultural assimilation

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

Escalating commitment is a cognitive bias where an individual or group faces increasingly negative outcomes from a decision but continues the behavior instead of altering course. Along with prior hypothesis, representativeness, and illusion of control, it represents a major systematic error in decision-making.

Multiple choice

An educated guess or statement about what is going to happen is called a(n) _____.

  1. Controlled Variable

  2. Problem

  3. Observation

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

A hypothesis is a proposed explanation or educated guess about a phenomenon or future event that can be tested through experimentation. Controlled variables are kept constant to ensure a fair test, problems are questions being investigated, and observations are facts gathered using the senses.

Multiple choice

What is a consequence of not following the rule of odds?

  1. The viewer will feel nauseated

  2. The viewers eye will fall onto the empty space

  3. The viewer will feel more engaged

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The rule of odds suggests that an odd number of subjects is more visually appealing. If not followed, the composition may feel balanced in a way that causes the viewer's eye to wander or get stuck in the empty space between pairs.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is NOT a bottom-up factor influencing perception?

  1. Stimulus intensity

  2. Past experiences

  3. Context

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

Bottom-up factors are stimulus-driven and include characteristics of the stimulus itself, such as its intensity, size, and color. Past experiences and context are top-down factors, which are influenced by our prior knowledge and expectations.

Multiple choice

The tendency to perceive objects as complete and whole, even when they are partially hidden or incomplete, is known as:

  1. Figure-ground segregation

  2. Closure

  3. Proximity

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

Closure is the tendency to perceive objects as complete and whole, even when they are partially hidden or incomplete. Figure-ground segregation is the process of separating an object from its background. Proximity and similarity are Gestalt principles that influence how we group objects together.

Multiple choice

The tendency to perceive objects that are similar in appearance as belonging to the same group is known as:

  1. Figure-ground segregation

  2. Closure

  3. Proximity

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

Similarity is a Gestalt principle that states that we tend to perceive objects that are similar in appearance as belonging to the same group. Figure-ground segregation, closure, and proximity are other Gestalt principles that influence how we group objects together.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of a top-down factor influencing perception?

  1. Stimulus intensity

  2. Past experiences

  3. Context

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

Top-down factors are influenced by our prior knowledge, expectations, and beliefs. Past experiences, context, and attention are all examples of top-down factors that can influence how we perceive sensory information.

Multiple choice

The tendency to perceive objects as being more stable and unchanging than they actually are is known as:

  1. Perceptual constancy

  2. Illusion

  3. Hallucination

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

Perceptual constancy is the tendency to perceive objects as being more stable and unchanging than they actually are. Illusions are misperceptions of sensory information. Hallucinations are experiences of sensory information in the absence of an external stimulus. Delusions are fixed, false beliefs that are not based in reality.