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 is an example of a spurious correlation?

  1. People who eat more ice cream tend to get more sunburns.

  2. People who wear glasses tend to be more intelligent.

  3. People who live in colder climates tend to drink more coffee.

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

A spurious correlation is a correlation between two variables that is not caused by a causal relationship between the two variables. In each of the examples given, there is a correlation between two variables, but the correlation is not caused by a causal relationship between the two variables.

Multiple choice

What is the endowment effect?

  1. The tendency for individuals to place a higher value on items that they own compared to items that they do not own.

  2. The tendency for individuals to overvalue the status quo.

  3. The tendency for individuals to be more risk-averse in the domain of losses than in the domain of gains.

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

The endowment effect is the tendency for individuals to place a higher value on items that they own compared to items that they do not own, even if the items are objectively the same.

Multiple choice

What is the status quo bias?

  1. The tendency for individuals to prefer the status quo over change, even if the change would be beneficial.

  2. The tendency for individuals to overvalue the status quo.

  3. The tendency for individuals to be more risk-averse in the domain of losses than in the domain of gains.

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

The status quo bias is the tendency for individuals to prefer the status quo over change, even if the change would be beneficial.

Multiple choice

What is the framing effect?

  1. The tendency for individuals to make different decisions depending on how the options are presented.

  2. The tendency for individuals to overvalue the status quo.

  3. The tendency for individuals to be more risk-averse in the domain of losses than in the domain of gains.

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

The framing effect is the tendency for individuals to make different decisions depending on how the options are presented, even if the underlying options are objectively the same.

Multiple choice

What is the anchoring effect?

  1. The tendency for individuals to use an initial piece of information as a reference point for making subsequent judgments.

  2. The tendency for individuals to overvalue the status quo.

  3. The tendency for individuals to be more risk-averse in the domain of losses than in the domain of gains.

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

The anchoring effect is the tendency for individuals to use an initial piece of information as a reference point for making subsequent judgments, even if the initial information is irrelevant or misleading.

Multiple choice

What is the availability heuristic?

  1. The tendency for individuals to judge the likelihood of an event based on how easily they can recall examples of the event.

  2. The tendency for individuals to overvalue the status quo.

  3. The tendency for individuals to be more risk-averse in the domain of losses than in the domain of gains.

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

The availability heuristic is the tendency for individuals to judge the likelihood of an event based on how easily they can recall examples of the event, even if the examples are not representative of the overall population.

Multiple choice

What is the representativeness heuristic?

  1. The tendency for individuals to judge the likelihood of an event based on how similar it is to other events that they have experienced.

  2. The tendency for individuals to overvalue the status quo.

  3. The tendency for individuals to be more risk-averse in the domain of losses than in the domain of gains.

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

The representativeness heuristic is the tendency for individuals to judge the likelihood of an event based on how similar it is to other events that they have experienced, even if the events are not necessarily related.

Multiple choice

What is the confirmation bias?

  1. The tendency for individuals to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs.

  2. The tendency for individuals to overvalue the status quo.

  3. The tendency for individuals to be more risk-averse in the domain of losses than in the domain of gains.

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

The confirmation bias is the tendency for individuals to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs, while ignoring information that contradicts their beliefs.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency of media to focus on negative news and events?

  1. Negativity bias

  2. Sensationalism

  3. Framing

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

Negativity bias refers to the tendency of media to focus on negative news and events, which can have a significant impact on public opinion and political discourse.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency of media to focus on negative news and events?

  1. Negativity bias

  2. Sensationalism

  3. Framing

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

Negativity bias refers to the tendency of media to focus on negative news and events, which can have a significant impact on public opinion and political discourse.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the phenomenon where individuals tend to associate with others who are similar to them?

  1. Homophily

  2. Heterophily

  3. Social attraction

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

Homophily refers to the tendency of individuals to associate with others who are similar to them in terms of characteristics such as age, race, gender, and social class.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the phenomenon where individuals' behavior and attitudes are influenced by the people they interact with?

  1. Social influence

  2. Social contagion

  3. Social learning

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

Social influence refers to the process by which individuals' behavior and attitudes are shaped by the people they interact with.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the phenomenon where individuals tend to form social ties with others who are geographically close to them?

  1. Proximity

  2. Homophily

  3. Social attraction

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

Proximity refers to the tendency of individuals to form social ties with others who are geographically close to them.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the phenomenon where individuals tend to form social ties with others who are different from them?

  1. Homophily

  2. Heterophily

  3. Social attraction

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

Heterophily refers to the tendency of individuals to form social ties with others who are different from them in terms of characteristics such as age, race, gender, and social class.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the phenomenon where individuals tend to form social ties with others who are similar to them in terms of social status?

  1. Status homophily

  2. Heterophily

  3. Social attraction

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

Status homophily refers to the tendency of individuals to form social ties with others who are similar to them in terms of social status.