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

The tendency to pay more attention to negative information than positive information is known as:

  1. Negativity bias

  2. Positivity bias

  3. Salience bias

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

Negativity bias is the tendency to pay more attention to negative information than positive information.

Multiple choice

The tendency to pay more attention to stimuli that are novel or unexpected is known as:

  1. Negativity bias

  2. Positivity bias

  3. Salience bias

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

Salience bias is the tendency to pay more attention to stimuli that are novel or unexpected.

Multiple choice

The tendency to pay more attention to stimuli that are located in the center of our visual field is known as:

  1. Negativity bias

  2. Positivity bias

  3. Salience bias

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

Spatial bias is the tendency to pay more attention to stimuli that are located in the center of our visual field.

Multiple choice

According to the Elaboration Likelihood Model, which route to persuasion is more likely to result in long-lasting attitude change?

  1. Central Route

  2. Peripheral Route
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Central Route involves careful consideration of the message and arguments, leading to more enduring attitude change.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for people to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs and avoid information that contradicts them?

  1. Confirmation Bias

  2. Backfire Effect

  3. Framing Effect

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

Confirmation Bias refers to the tendency to seek and interpret information in a way that supports one's existing beliefs.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for people to conform to the opinions and behaviors of the majority?

  1. Groupthink

  2. Social Proof

  3. Normative Influence

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

Social Proof refers to the tendency to conform to the opinions and behaviors of others, especially when those others are perceived as experts or peers.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for people 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. Backfire Effect
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Self-Serving Bias refers to the tendency to attribute positive outcomes to internal factors and negative outcomes to external factors.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for people to overestimate the likelihood of rare events and underestimate the likelihood of common events?

  1. Availability Heuristic

  2. Representativeness Heuristic

  3. Framing Effect

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

Availability Heuristic refers to the tendency to estimate the likelihood of an event based on how easily examples of that event come to mind.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for people to be more persuaded by arguments that are presented first?

  1. Primacy Effect

  2. Recency Effect

  3. Framing Effect

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

Primacy Effect refers to the tendency for individuals to be more persuaded by arguments that are presented first in a sequence.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency for people to be more persuaded by arguments that are presented last?

  1. Primacy Effect

  2. Recency Effect

  3. Framing Effect

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

Recency Effect refers to the tendency for individuals to be more persuaded by arguments that are presented last in a sequence.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency of the media to focus on sensational and negative aspects of aging?

  1. Ageism

  2. Negative Framing

  3. Media Bias

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

Negative Framing refers to the media's tendency to present aging in a negative light, emphasizing decline, frailty, and dependency, rather than highlighting the positive aspects of aging.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the tendency to experience positive emotions more intensely and frequently than negative emotions?

  1. Positive affectivity

  2. Negative affectivity

  3. Emotional lability

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

Positive affectivity refers to the tendency to experience positive emotions more intensely and frequently than negative emotions. It is associated with a lower risk of depression and other mental health problems.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency of individuals to make irrational or emotionally driven financial decisions?

  1. Behavioral economics

  2. Cognitive bias

  3. Heuristics

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

Behavioral economics is the study of how individuals make financial decisions, and how these decisions are influenced by psychological and emotional factors.

Multiple choice

Which cognitive bias leads individuals to overestimate the likelihood of rare events and underestimate the likelihood of common events?

  1. Availability bias

  2. Confirmation bias

  3. Framing bias

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

Availability bias is the cognitive bias that leads individuals to overestimate the likelihood of rare events and underestimate the likelihood of common events.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the tendency of individuals to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs and ignore information that contradicts them?

  1. Confirmation bias

  2. Framing bias

  3. Hindsight bias

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

Confirmation bias is the tendency of individuals to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs and ignore information that contradicts them.