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

Which of the following is NOT a type of social cognition?

  1. Stereotyping

  2. Attribution

  3. Self-perception

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

Self-perception is not a type of social cognition, as it refers to the process by which individuals infer their own attitudes and beliefs based on their own behavior.

Multiple choice

The tendency to attribute one's successes to internal factors and one's failures to external factors is known as:

  1. Self-serving bias

  2. Fundamental attribution error

  3. Illusory correlation

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

Self-serving bias refers to the tendency to attribute one's successes to internal factors (e.g., skill, effort) and one's failures to external factors (e.g., bad luck, difficult circumstances).

Multiple choice

What are some of the criticisms of the TAT?

  1. It is too subjective

  2. It is not reliable

  3. It is not valid

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

The TAT has been criticized for being too subjective, not reliable, and not valid.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of services to be consumed by people who are similar to the people who produce them?

  1. Intangibility

  2. Perishability

  3. Heterogeneity

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

Homophily is the tendency of services to be consumed by people who are similar to the people who produce them.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to perceive objects as being whole and complete, even when they are incomplete?

  1. Closure

  2. Proximity

  3. Similarity

  4. Continuity

  5. Figure-ground
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Closure is the tendency to perceive objects as being whole and complete, even when they are incomplete.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to perceive objects that are close together as being related?

  1. Closure

  2. Proximity

  3. Similarity

  4. Continuity

  5. Figure-ground
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Proximity is the tendency to perceive objects that are close together as being related.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to perceive objects that are similar to each other as being related?

  1. Closure

  2. Proximity

  3. Similarity

  4. Continuity

  5. Figure-ground
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Similarity is the tendency to perceive objects that are similar to each other as being related.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to perceive objects that are connected by a continuous line or shape as being related?

  1. Closure

  2. Proximity

  3. Similarity

  4. Continuity

  5. Figure-ground
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Continuity is the tendency to perceive objects that are connected by a continuous line or shape as being related.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to perceive an object as being distinct from its background?

  1. Closure

  2. Proximity

  3. Similarity

  4. Continuity

  5. Figure-ground
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

Figure-ground is the tendency to perceive an object as being distinct from its background.

Multiple choice

The tendency to attribute success to internal factors and failures to external factors is known as:

  1. Self-serving bias

  2. Fundamental attribution error

  3. Illusion of control

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

Self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute success to internal factors and failures to external factors.

Multiple choice

The tendency to overestimate the likelihood of negative events occurring is known as:

  1. Catastrophizing

  2. Negative self-talk

  3. Self-doubt

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

Catastrophizing is the tendency to overestimate the likelihood of negative events occurring.

Multiple choice

The belief that one has the ability to control events and outcomes is known as:

  1. Self-efficacy

  2. Self-esteem

  3. Self-concept

  4. Locus of control
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Locus of control refers to the belief that one has the ability to control events and outcomes.

Multiple choice

What is the placebo effect?

  1. The positive effect of a treatment that is not due to the treatment itself

  2. The negative effect of a treatment that is not due to the treatment itself

  3. The effect of a treatment that is due to the patient's expectations

  4. The effect of a treatment that is due to the doctor's expectations
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The placebo effect is the positive effect of a treatment that is not due to the treatment itself. It is thought to be caused by the patient's expectations of the treatment.

Multiple choice

What is the concept of 'environmental risk perception' related to?

  1. The likelihood of environmental hazards occurring

  2. The severity of environmental hazards

  3. The perceived control over environmental hazards

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

Environmental risk perception encompasses individuals' subjective assessments of the likelihood, severity, and controllability of environmental hazards.

Multiple choice

Which concept refers to the tendency for media outlets to focus on negative stories about racial and ethnic minorities?

  1. Media bias

  2. Agenda-setting theory

  3. Framing theory

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

Negative priming occurs when media coverage of racial and ethnic minorities focuses disproportionately on negative events and issues.