Cognition Practice Quiz 2

Cognition Practice Quiz 2 1. Computer search engines’ policy showing you sites based on your previous search patterns is most likely to support which type of cognitive bias? a. Confound bias b. Confirmation bias c. Availability bias d. Heuristic bias 2. Wayne is trying to choose between two muffins. One is advertised as 95% fat free, and the other is marketed as 5% fat. Wayne chooses the first one because it sounds better, even though the fat content in both muffins is the same. What phenomenon does this most clearly illustrate? a. Framing effect b. Hindsight bias c. Mental set d. Functional fixedness 3. Ilayda assumes that her professors spend their free time reading books and engaging in intellectual conversations, because the idea of them spending their time playing volleyball or visiting an amusement park does not fit in with her stereotypes of professors. This exemplifies: a. Representational bias b. Stereotype bias c. Confirmation bias d. Availability heuristic 4. After taking a 10-question pop quiz, John was confident that he got at least 9 questions correct. However, after grading he found that he actually only answered 6 questions correctly. John’s estimation error illustrates: a. Overconfidence b. Heuristics c. Hindsight bias d. System 2 thinking 5. Kurt is trying to find the solution to a problem in which he has certain tools at his disposal to use in this solution. Although there is a simple way to achieve a solution if he uses one of the tools in the novel way, he is tuck and can’t come up with novel use for the tool which would lead to the solution. In problem solving terms, Kurt is experiencing: a. Heuristic inadequacy b. Functional fixedness c. Problem solving block d. Obviousness enclosure 6. Following the September 11th, 2001 plane high-jackings and attacks in the U.S., many Americans chose to drive rather than fly to their destinations, leading to an increase number of road traffic fatalities. One reason for this was the high level of media coverage around the attacks, which caused some people to overestimate the risks involved in flying. Which cognitive heuristic or bias best explains this overestimation? a. Availability heuristic b. Hindsight bias c. Confirmation bias d. Representativeness heuristic 7. Carmela believes her assistant, Lian, is incompetent. She notices only what Lian does wrong while ignoring the above average quality of most of her work. This exemplifies _____ bias a. Anchoring b. Hindsight c. Representational d. Confirmation 8. Concepts are mental groupings created naturally through our _____. a. Behaviours b. Personality c. Genetics d. Experiences 9. The ‘sleeper effect’ refers to the possibility that we may: a. Underestimate the probability of falling asleep while studying b. Overestimate the truth of something due to forgetting the source of the information c. Overestimate our likelihood of accuracy in judgements d. Overestimate the frequency of dangerous events 10. Jackie is attacking a problem and has decided to take a very systematic approach in which the series of steps she takes follow a set of rules and will most likely lead to the correct solution. Jackie is using the a. Heuristic method b. Algorithmic method c. Problem method d. Rule method 11. When a Canucks fan believes that they are the greatest hockey team in the NHL, and only reads positive media reports about the team as a consequence of this belief, which cognitive heuristic or bias are they most clearly showing? a. Representativeness heuristic b. Confirmation bias c. Availability heuristic d. Hindsight bias 12. The day before the June 2011 Stanley Cup Riots in Vancouver, many people thought that the likelihood of another riot like the one in 1994 was fairly unlikely if the Canucks were to lose game 7. However, the day after the riot occurred, many of those same people felt that it had been inevitable and were questioning the decisions to allow so many people to gather downtown to watch the game. Which cognitive bias or heuristic best explains this shift in perspective? a. Representativeness heuristic b. Availability heuristic c. Hindsight bias d. Confirmation bias 13. An anchoring bias occurs when you focus on _____. a. Direct experience vs. indirect experience b. One piece of information vs. all the information c. Empirical knowledge vs. personal opinion d. Personal opinion vs. empirical knowledge 14. Which of the following statements about algorithms is false? a. Algorithms are used frequently in our everyday lives b. Algorithms involve a step-by-step problem-solving formula c. Algorithms are a problem-solving strategy d. Working backwards is an example of an algorithm 15. Many aspects of cognition are _____. a. Related to the amygdala response b. Essential features of adult consciousness c. Not consciously experienced d. More common in males vs. females 16. Kyle is presented with a new type of problem after successfully solving a series of related problems. In this case coming up with a solution will require a new approach because of the change in type of solution required, but Kyle seems stuck, and keeps trying the previous strategy over and over again. It is likely Kyle is having difficulty solving this problem because of his: a. Heuristics problem b. Routine solutions set c. Problem definition fallacy d. Mental Set