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 ability to perceive events or information about the future before they occur?

  1. Precognition

  2. Clairvoyance

  3. Psychokinesis

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

Precognition is the ability to perceive or know about future events or information before they happen.

Multiple choice

How do stereotypes influence our social cognition?

  1. They lead us to make errors in judgment.

  2. They make us more likely to conform to social norms.

  3. They make us more likely to discriminate against others.

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

Stereotypes can lead us to make errors in judgment, to conform to social norms, and to discriminate against others. They can also make us more likely to see what we expect to see, even when it is not there.

Multiple choice

What is attribution theory?

  1. A theory that explains how people explain the causes of their own and others' behavior.

  2. A theory that explains how people make decisions.

  3. A theory that explains how people remember information.

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Attribution theory is a theory that explains how people explain the causes of their own and others' behavior. It proposes that people use a variety of cues to make attributions, including the person's behavior, the situation, and their own beliefs and expectations.

Multiple choice

What is the fundamental attribution error?

  1. The tendency to attribute others' behavior to internal factors, such as their personality or intentions.

  2. The tendency to attribute one's own behavior to external factors, such as the situation or other people.

  3. The tendency to attribute others' behavior to external factors, such as the situation or other people.

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to attribute others' behavior to internal factors, such as their personality or intentions, while attributing one's own behavior to external factors, such as the situation or other people.

Multiple choice

In cultures with low Uncertainty Avoidance, decisions are typically made:

  1. Quickly and impulsively

  2. Slowly and deliberately

  3. After consulting with others

  4. Based on intuition and gut feeling
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

In cultures with low Uncertainty Avoidance, decisions are typically made quickly and impulsively. This is because there is a low tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty, and people are more comfortable making decisions without having all the information.

Multiple choice

Which economic concept refers to the idea that individuals are influenced by emotions and biases when making economic decisions?

  1. Rational Expectations

  2. Bounded Rationality

  3. Irrational Exuberance

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

Prospect theory suggests that individuals' decision-making is influenced by emotions, biases, and reference points, leading to deviations from rational economic behavior.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to attribute internal causes to negative events and external causes to positive events?

  1. Self-serving bias

  2. Fundamental attribution error

  3. Confirmation bias

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

The self-serving bias refers to the tendency to attribute positive outcomes to internal factors and negative outcomes to external factors, maintaining a positive self-image.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to catastrophize or exaggerate the negative aspects of a situation?

  1. Negative thinking

  2. Catastrophizing

  3. All-or-nothing thinking

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

Catastrophizing is the tendency to exaggerate the negative aspects of a situation and assume the worst possible outcome.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to blame oneself for negative events, even when there is no clear evidence of personal responsibility?

  1. Self-blame

  2. Self-criticism

  3. Negative self-talk

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

Self-blame, self-criticism, and negative self-talk are all forms of self-judgment that can contribute to stress and low self-esteem.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to focus on the negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positive ones?

  1. Negative thinking

  2. Catastrophizing

  3. All-or-nothing thinking

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

Negative thinking is the tendency to focus on the negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positive ones, which can lead to stress and low mood.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is NOT a common challenge in measuring public opinion?

  1. Sampling error

  2. Non-response bias

  3. Social desirability bias

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

Framing effects are not typically considered a challenge in measuring public opinion, as they are more related to how questions are asked and presented.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency for public opinion to change over time?

  1. Opinion volatility

  2. Public opinion dynamics

  3. Agenda-setting

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

Opinion volatility refers to the tendency for public opinion to fluctuate over time, often in response to changing circumstances or events.

Multiple choice

Which concept refers to the tendency of individuals to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs while avoiding information that challenges them?

  1. Confirmation Bias

  2. Selective Perception

  3. Agenda-Setting

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

Confirmation Bias describes the tendency of individuals to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs while avoiding information that challenges them, leading to a reinforcement of their views.

Multiple choice

The tendency to favor one's own group over other groups is known as:

  1. Social identity

  2. In-group bias

  3. Out-group homogeneity

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

In-group bias refers to the tendency to favor one's own group over other groups, often leading to positive evaluations of the in-group and negative evaluations of the out-group.

Multiple choice

The tendency to conform to the norms and expectations of a group is known as:

  1. Social influence

  2. Groupthink

  3. Social facilitation

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

Social influence refers to the process by which individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are affected by others, leading to conformity, obedience, or other forms of influence.