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 to interpret ambiguous situations as threatening or dangerous?

  1. Hostility bias

  2. Negativity bias

  3. Confirmation bias

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

Negativity bias refers to the tendency to focus on negative information or experiences more than positive ones. It can lead to a distorted view of reality and contribute to feelings of pessimism and anxiety.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the phenomenon where people tend to estimate numerical quantities based on their physical distance from a reference point?

  1. Numerical distance effect

  2. Spatial-numerical association

  3. Number line effect

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

The numerical distance effect refers to the phenomenon where people tend to estimate numerical quantities based on their physical distance from a reference point. For example, people may estimate that a number is larger if it is presented further away from a starting point on a number line.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the phenomenon where people tend to associate certain numbers with specific spatial locations?

  1. Spatial-numerical association

  2. Number line effect

  3. Magnitude effect

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

Spatial-numerical association refers to the phenomenon where people tend to associate certain numbers with specific spatial locations. For example, people may associate smaller numbers with the left side of space and larger numbers with the right side.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the phenomenon where people tend to estimate numerical quantities based on their size or magnitude?

  1. Magnitude effect

  2. Numerical distance effect

  3. Spatial-numerical association

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

The magnitude effect refers to the phenomenon where people tend to estimate numerical quantities based on their size or magnitude. For example, people may estimate that a number is larger if it is presented in a larger font or if it is associated with a larger object.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the phenomenon where people tend to estimate numerical quantities based on their position on a mental number line?

  1. Number line effect

  2. Magnitude effect

  3. Numerical distance effect

  4. Spatial-numerical association
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The number line effect refers to the phenomenon where people tend to estimate numerical quantities based on their position on a mental number line. For example, people may estimate that a number is larger if it is presented further to the right on a horizontal number line.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the phenomenon where people tend to associate certain numbers with specific colors?

  1. Color-number association

  2. Numerical synesthesia

  3. Number-form association

  4. Spatial-numerical association
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Color-number association refers to the phenomenon where people tend to associate certain numbers with specific colors. This association is often idiosyncratic and varies across individuals, but some common associations include the color red with the number 1, the color blue with the number 2, and the color green with the number 3.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the phenomenon where people tend to estimate numerical quantities based on their shape or form?

  1. Number-form association

  2. Magnitude effect

  3. Numerical distance effect

  4. Spatial-numerical association
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Number-form association refers to the phenomenon where people tend to estimate numerical quantities based on their shape or form. For example, people may associate smaller numbers with rounded shapes and larger numbers with angular shapes.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency for people to favor members of their own group?

  1. In-group bias.

  2. Out-group bias.

  3. Stereotyping.

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

In-group bias is the tendency for people to favor members of their own group. This can lead to discrimination against members of other groups.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency to overvalue items that we own or are associated with?

  1. Sunk Cost Fallacy

  2. Anchoring Bias

  3. Confirmation Bias

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

The endowment effect is a cognitive bias that leads people to place a higher value on items that they own or are associated with, compared to items that they do not own.

Multiple choice

Which cognitive bias leads individuals to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs while ignoring information that contradicts them?

  1. Confirmation Bias

  2. Hindsight Bias

  3. Framing Effect

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

Confirmation bias is a cognitive bias that leads people to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs while ignoring information that contradicts them.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency to make decisions based on emotions rather than rational analysis?

  1. Framing Effect

  2. Availability Heuristic

  3. Affect Heuristic

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

The affect heuristic is a cognitive bias that leads people to make decisions based on emotions rather than rational analysis.

Multiple choice

Which cognitive bias leads individuals to believe that they are less likely to experience negative events than others?

  1. Optimism Bias

  2. Pessimism Bias

  3. Illusion of Control

  4. Self-Serving Bias
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Optimism bias is a cognitive bias that leads individuals to believe that they are less likely to experience negative events than others.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency to place too much emphasis on recent information when making decisions?

  1. Recency Bias

  2. Availability Heuristic

  3. Framing Effect

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

Recency bias is a cognitive bias that leads people to place too much emphasis on recent information when making decisions.

Multiple choice

Which cognitive bias leads individuals to believe that they have more control over events than they actually do?

  1. Illusion of Control

  2. Optimism Bias

  3. Pessimism Bias

  4. Self-Serving Bias
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The illusion of control is a cognitive bias that leads individuals to believe that they have more control over events than they actually do.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency to attribute our successes to internal factors and our failures to external factors?

  1. Self-Serving Bias

  2. Confirmation Bias

  3. Hindsight Bias

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

Self-serving bias is a cognitive bias that leads people to attribute their successes to internal factors and their failures to external factors.