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 term for the tendency of people to rely on their intuition and gut feelings when making decisions?

  1. Confirmation bias

  2. Availability heuristic

  3. Representativeness heuristic

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

The illusion of control is the tendency of people to rely on their intuition and gut feelings when making decisions, even when there is no evidence to support their beliefs. This can lead to people making poor security decisions.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of people to believe that they are more likely to experience a positive event than others?

  1. Optimism bias

  2. Illusion of control

  3. Confirmation bias

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

Optimism bias is the tendency of people to believe that they are more likely to experience a positive event than others. This can lead to people being more likely to take risks, such as clicking on suspicious links or opening attachments from unknown senders.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of people to believe that they are less likely to experience a negative event than others?

  1. Optimism bias

  2. Illusion of control

  3. Confirmation bias

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

Optimism bias is the tendency of people to believe that they are less likely to experience a negative event than others. This can lead to people being less likely to take precautions to protect themselves from cybersecurity risks.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of people to rely on their intuition and gut feelings when making decisions?

  1. Confirmation bias

  2. Availability heuristic

  3. Representativeness heuristic

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

The illusion of control is the tendency of people to rely on their intuition and gut feelings when making decisions, even when there is no evidence to support their beliefs. This can lead to people making poor security decisions.

Multiple choice

The concept of 'empathic accuracy' refers to:

  1. The ability to accurately understand and share the emotions of others

  2. The tendency to project one's own emotions onto others

  3. The desire to alleviate the suffering of others

  4. The capacity to feel empathy for oneself
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Empathic accuracy is the ability to accurately understand and share the emotions of others, as opposed to projecting one's own emotions or simply feeling empathy for oneself.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the cognitive distortions and irrational beliefs that may contribute to stalking behavior?

  1. Delusions

  2. Obsessions

  3. Compulsions

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

Delusions are fixed, false beliefs that are not based on reality and can contribute to the irrational thinking and behaviors seen in stalking.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the cognitive distortions and irrational beliefs that may contribute to stalking behavior, such as the belief that the victim is in love with the stalker?

  1. Delusions

  2. Obsessions

  3. Compulsions

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

Delusions are fixed, false beliefs that are not based on reality and can contribute to the irrational thinking and behaviors seen in stalking.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of people to overvalue items they already own?

  1. Sunk cost fallacy

  2. Confirmation bias

  3. Framing effect

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

The endowment effect is the cognitive bias that causes people to place a higher value on items they already own, compared to items they do not own.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of people to be more likely to take a risk when they are presented with a sure gain, compared to when they are presented with a sure loss?

  1. Prospect theory

  2. Risk aversion

  3. Ambiguity aversion

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

Loss aversion is the cognitive bias that causes people to feel the pain of a loss more strongly than the pleasure of a gain.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of people to be more likely to choose an option that is presented as a default, compared to an option that is not presented as a default?

  1. Default effect

  2. Framing effect

  3. Anchoring effect

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

The default effect is the cognitive bias that causes people to be more likely to choose an option that is presented as a default, compared to an option that is not presented as a default.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of people to be more likely to remember information that is presented at the beginning or end of a list, compared to information that is presented in the middle of a list?

  1. Serial position effect

  2. Von Restorff effect

  3. Availability heuristic

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

The serial position effect is the cognitive bias that causes people to be more likely to remember information that is presented at the beginning or end of a list, compared to information that is presented in the middle of a list.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of people to be more likely to believe information that is presented in a vivid or emotional manner, compared to information that is presented in a more neutral manner?

  1. Availability heuristic

  2. Representative heuristic

  3. Framing effect

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

The availability heuristic is the cognitive bias that causes people to be more likely to believe information that is presented in a vivid or emotional manner, compared to information that is presented in a more neutral manner.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of people to be more likely to choose an option that is presented as a sure thing, compared to an option that is presented as a risky option, even if the risky option has a higher expected value?

  1. Risk aversion

  2. Ambiguity aversion

  3. Loss aversion

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

Risk aversion is the cognitive bias that causes people to be more likely to choose an option that is presented as a sure thing, compared to an option that is presented as a risky option, even if the risky option has a higher expected value.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of people to be more likely to choose an option that is presented as a gain, compared to an option that is presented as a loss, even if the loss option has a higher expected value?

  1. Loss aversion

  2. Prospect theory

  3. Risk aversion

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

Loss aversion is the cognitive bias that causes people to be more likely to choose an option that is presented as a gain, compared to an option that is presented as a loss, even if the loss option has a higher expected value.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of people to be more likely to believe information that is presented by an authority figure, compared to information that is presented by a non-authority figure?

  1. Authority bias

  2. Confirmation bias

  3. Framing effect

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

Authority bias is the cognitive bias that causes people to be more likely to believe information that is presented by an authority figure, compared to information that is presented by a non-authority figure.