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

How does purpose affect our judgment of others?

  1. Purpose can influence our perception of others.

  2. Purpose can influence our expectations of others.

  3. Purpose can influence our interactions with others.

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

Purpose can affect our judgment of others in a number of ways. For example, purpose can influence our perception of others, our expectations of others, and our interactions with others.

Multiple choice

How does purpose affect our judgment of risk?

  1. Purpose can influence our perception of risk.

  2. Purpose can influence our tolerance for risk.

  3. Purpose can influence our willingness to take risks.

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

Purpose can affect our judgment of risk in a number of ways. For example, purpose can influence our perception of risk, our tolerance for risk, and our willingness to take risks.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to rely on emotions and personal experiences rather than objective evidence in decision-making?

  1. Rationality

  2. Irrationality

  3. Objectivity

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

Irrationality refers to the inclination to make judgments and decisions based on emotions, personal beliefs, or subjective factors, rather than relying on logical reasoning and objective evidence.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to make decisions based on immediate gratification rather than considering long-term consequences?

  1. Rationality

  2. Irrationality

  3. Short-sightedness

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

Short-sightedness, also known as myopia, refers to the tendency to focus on immediate rewards or benefits while disregarding the potential long-term consequences of one's actions.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to make decisions based on gut feeling or intuition rather than logical analysis?

  1. Rationality

  2. Irrationality

  3. Intuition

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

Intuition refers to the ability to make decisions or form judgments based on subconscious cues, feelings, or hunches, without conscious reasoning or analysis.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to make decisions based on fear, anxiety, or other negative emotions?

  1. Rationality

  2. Irrationality

  3. Intuition

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

Irrationality can manifest in decision-making when individuals allow fear, anxiety, or other negative emotions to override logical reasoning and objective analysis, leading to choices that may not be in their best interests.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of a cognitive bias?

  1. Confirmation bias

  2. Hindsight bias

  3. Framing effect

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

A cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking that occurs when people are processing information. Confirmation bias is a cognitive bias in which people tend to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs, while ignoring information that contradicts them. For example, if someone believes that climate change is not real, they may be more likely to seek out information that supports this belief, while ignoring information that contradicts it.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of a heuristic?

  1. Availability heuristic

  2. Representativeness heuristic

  3. Anchoring bias

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

A heuristic is a mental shortcut that people use to make decisions. The availability heuristic is a heuristic in which people tend to judge the likelihood of an event based on how easily they can remember examples of that event. For example, people may believe that car accidents are more common than plane crashes, simply because they can more easily remember examples of car accidents.

Multiple choice

In behavioral economics, what is the term for the tendency to overvalue items that we own?

  1. Sunk cost fallacy

  2. Endowment effect

  3. Framing effect

  4. Anchoring bias
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The endowment effect refers to the tendency for individuals to place a higher value on items they own compared to identical items they do not own.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of a framing effect?

  1. People are more likely to buy a product if it is presented as being on sale.

  2. People are more likely to donate to a charity if they are given a specific goal to reach.

  3. People are more likely to choose a risky option if it is presented as having a high probability of success.

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

Framing effects occur when the way information is presented influences individuals' choices, even if the underlying facts remain the same.

Multiple choice

In behavioral economics, what is the term for the tendency to make decisions based on emotions rather than rational analysis?

  1. Bounded rationality

  2. Limited information

  3. Social preferences

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

Affect heuristic refers to the tendency to make decisions based on emotions and feelings rather than rational analysis.

Multiple choice

In behavioral economics, what is the term for the tendency to make decisions based on the status quo?

  1. Bounded rationality

  2. Limited information

  3. Social preferences

  4. Status quo bias
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Status quo bias refers to the tendency to prefer the current state of affairs, even if there are potential benefits to changing it.

Multiple choice

In behavioral economics, what is the term for the tendency to make decisions based on the opinions of others?

  1. Bounded rationality

  2. Limited information

  3. Social preferences

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

Herding behavior refers to the tendency to make decisions based on the opinions of others, even if those opinions are not necessarily correct.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the perception of a taste that is not actually present?

  1. Phantom taste

  2. Gustatory hallucination

  3. Lingering taste

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

Phantom taste is the perception of a taste that is not actually present.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the perception of a taste that is caused by a non-food substance?

  1. Phantom taste

  2. Gustatory hallucination

  3. Lingering taste

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

Gustatory hallucination is the perception of a taste that is caused by a non-food substance.