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 tendency of media consumers to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs?

  1. Confirmation Bias

  2. Selective Perception

  3. Selective Exposure

  4. Selective Retention
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Selective Exposure refers to the tendency of individuals to actively seek out information that aligns with their existing beliefs and avoid information that challenges them.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of media consumers to actively seek out information that challenges their existing beliefs?

  1. Confirmation Bias

  2. Selective Perception

  3. Selective Exposure

  4. Counter-Attitudinal Seeking
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Counter-Attitudinal Seeking refers to the tendency of individuals to actively seek out information that contradicts their existing beliefs in order to challenge and refine their understanding.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of media consumers to interpret media messages based on their own experiences and beliefs?

  1. Confirmation Bias

  2. Selective Perception

  3. Selective Exposure

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

Selective Perception refers to the tendency of individuals to interpret media messages in a way that aligns with their existing beliefs and values.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of media consumers to remember information that confirms their existing beliefs and forget information that challenges them?

  1. Confirmation Bias

  2. Selective Perception

  3. Selective Exposure

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

Selective Retention refers to the tendency of individuals to selectively remember information that aligns with their existing beliefs and forget information that contradicts them.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of media consumers to interpret media messages in a way that is consistent with their existing beliefs and values?

  1. Confirmation Bias

  2. Selective Perception

  3. Selective Exposure

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

Confirmation Bias refers to the tendency of individuals to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs and to interpret ambiguous information in a way that supports those beliefs.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency of media consumers to actively avoid information that challenges their existing beliefs?

  1. Confirmation Bias

  2. Selective Perception

  3. Selective Exposure

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

Selective Avoidance refers to the tendency of individuals to actively avoid information that contradicts their existing beliefs in order to maintain their cognitive consistency.

Multiple choice

Which theory suggests that individuals tend to attribute their successes to internal factors and their failures to external factors?

  1. Self-Serving Bias

  2. Fundamental Attribution Error

  3. Confirmation Bias

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

The self-serving bias is a cognitive bias in which individuals tend to attribute their successes to internal factors, such as their abilities or efforts, and their failures to external factors, such as bad luck or difficult circumstances.

Multiple choice

What is the tendency to form an overall impression of a person based on a single trait or behavior called?

  1. Halo Effect

  2. Horns Effect

  3. Confirmation Bias

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

The halo effect is a cognitive bias in which an individual's overall impression of a person is influenced by a single trait or behavior, either positive or negative.

Multiple choice

Which theory proposes that individuals tend to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs and disregard information that contradicts them?

  1. Confirmation Bias

  2. Illusory Correlation

  3. Fundamental Attribution Error

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

Confirmation bias is a cognitive bias in which individuals tend to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs and disregard information that contradicts them.

Multiple choice

What is the tendency to perceive a relationship between two events that are not necessarily causally linked called?

  1. Illusory Correlation

  2. Confirmation Bias

  3. Fundamental Attribution Error

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

Illusory correlation is a cognitive bias in which individuals perceive a relationship between two events that are not necessarily causally linked.

Multiple choice

What is the process by which individuals form impressions of others based on their physical appearance, behavior, and communication style called?

  1. Impression Formation

  2. Social Comparison

  3. Attribution

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

Impression formation is the process by which individuals form impressions of others based on their physical appearance, behavior, and communication style.

Multiple choice

What is the process by which individuals infer the causes of their own and others' behavior called?

  1. Attribution

  2. Impression Formation

  3. Social Comparison

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

Attribution is the process by which individuals infer the causes of their own and others' behavior.

Multiple choice

What is the tendency to perceive others as being more similar to oneself called?

  1. Similarity Bias

  2. Contrast Effect

  3. Illusory Correlation

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

Similarity bias is the tendency to perceive others as being more similar to oneself.

Multiple choice

What is the tendency to perceive others as being more different from oneself called?

  1. Contrast Effect

  2. Similarity Bias

  3. Illusory Correlation

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

Contrast effect is the tendency to perceive others as being more different from oneself.

Multiple choice

What is the tendency to perceive others as being more attractive or desirable when they are similar to oneself called?

  1. Similarity Bias

  2. Contrast Effect

  3. Illusory Correlation

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

Similarity bias is the tendency to perceive others as being more attractive or desirable when they are similar to oneself.