Question 1

According to the discussion of representativeness,

Accepted Answer

A) we believe that random-looking outcomes are more likely than orderly-looking outcomes. 
B) we take sample size into account when we make decisions. 
C) we take base rates into account when we make decisions. 
D) we are underconfident when we make decisions in a laboratory setting. 
A) we believe that random-looking outcomes are more likely than orderly-looking outcomes. 
B) we take sample size into account when we make decisions. 
C) we take base rates into account when we make decisions. 
D) we are underconfident when we make decisions in a laboratory setting. A

Question 2

At midterm,a college determines that 300 of its students are at risk for suspension this semester.Its tutoring center argues that,with a series of targeted emails encouraging students to come in for help,it can promise to certainly save 100 of those students from suspension.However,an external firm approaches the college with an offer to start a new program,with a 1/3 chance of preventing all 300 students from being suspended (and a 2/3 chance of saving none of these students).Under which circumstances is the college most likely to hire the external firm?

Accepted Answer

A) the tutoring center and the external firm emphasize the number of students to be "saved" in their presentations 
B) the tutoring center and the external firm emphasize the number of students who will be suspended under each of their programs 
C) the tutoring center emphasizes the potential number of students to be suspended,while the external firm emphasizes the potential number of students saved from suspension 
D) both the tutoring center and the external firm place equal emphasis on the students to be "saved" and the students who will be suspended under each approach 
A) the tutoring center and the external firm emphasize the number of students to be "saved" in their presentations 
B) the tutoring center and the external firm emphasize the number of students who will be suspended under each of their programs 
C) the tutoring center emphasizes the potential number of students to be suspended,while the external firm emphasizes the potential number of students saved from suspension 
D) both the tutoring center and the external firm place equal emphasis on the students to be "saved" and the students who will be suspended under each approach B

Question 3

According to the discussion of logical reasoning,

Accepted Answer

A) conditional reasoning does not seem to require the use of working memory. 
B) conditional reasoning is the one area in which negative information and positive information are equally easy to process. 
C) people usually perform better on conditional reasoning problems if the statements are concrete,rather than abstract. 
D) surprisingly,people actually have more trouble solving a concrete problem than an abstract problem. 
A) conditional reasoning does not seem to require the use of working memory. 
B) conditional reasoning is the one area in which negative information and positive information are equally easy to process. 
C) people usually perform better on conditional reasoning problems if the statements are concrete,rather than abstract. 
D) surprisingly,people actually have more trouble solving a concrete problem than an abstract problem. C

Question 4

Which of the following kinds of propositional reasoning is actually valid?

Accepted Answer

A) Affirming the antecedent 
B) Affirming the consequent 
C) Denying the antecedent 
D) Disproving the antecedent 
A) Affirming the antecedent 
B) Affirming the consequent 
C) Denying the antecedent 
D) Disproving the antecedent

Question 5

According to the research on overconfidence,

Accepted Answer

A) overconfidence can be easily demonstrated in the laboratory,but not in real-world situations. 
B) politicians-like other people-are frequently overconfident. 
C) overconfidence is limited to decision making; it does not seem to apply to other cognitive tasks. 
D) overconfidence seems to apply to about 40% of the population; about 30% are accurate,and the remaining 30% are underconfident. 
A) overconfidence can be easily demonstrated in the laboratory,but not in real-world situations. 
B) politicians-like other people-are frequently overconfident. 
C) overconfidence is limited to decision making; it does not seem to apply to other cognitive tasks. 
D) overconfidence seems to apply to about 40% of the population; about 30% are accurate,and the remaining 30% are underconfident.

Question 6

Barnett believes that "most people" share his political views.However,Barnett is basing his judgment on the views of his close friends,with whom he discusses politics most frequently,and with whom he shares core values and attitudes.Barnett is relying on the _____ heuristic.

Accepted Answer

A) representativeness 
B) availability 
C) anchoring and adjustment 
D) conjunction 
A) representativeness 
B) availability 
C) anchoring and adjustment 
D) conjunction

Question 7

Which of the following students provides the most accurate information about the belief-bias effect?

Accepted Answer

A) Tabitha: "The belief-bias effect means that novices are not as accurate as experts when solving reasoning problems." 
B) Pilar: "The belief-bias effect demonstrates that top-down processes are active when we use deductive reasoning." 
C) Joell: "Flexible thinkers are especially likely to make mistakes due to the belief-bias effect." 
D) Abilash: "The belief-bias effect operates for syllogisms,but not for conditional reasoning problems." 
A) Tabitha: "The belief-bias effect means that novices are not as accurate as experts when solving reasoning problems." 
B) Pilar: "The belief-bias effect demonstrates that top-down processes are active when we use deductive reasoning." 
C) Joell: "Flexible thinkers are especially likely to make mistakes due to the belief-bias effect." 
D) Abilash: "The belief-bias effect operates for syllogisms,but not for conditional reasoning problems."

Question 8

Suppose that a politician is drafting her position paper on the educational situation in her district.She is trying to decide whether she should say,"If we adopt Plan A,we estimate that 10% of our students will drop out of high school before graduating." Alternately,she might say,"If we adopt Plan A,we estimate that 90% of our students will graduate from high school." She would probably find that her audience responds differently to these two versions of her talk,because of

Accepted Answer

A) the belief-bias effect. 
B) the anchoring and adjustment heuristic. 
C) the hindsight bias. 
D) the framing effect. 
A) the belief-bias effect. 
B) the anchoring and adjustment heuristic. 
C) the hindsight bias. 
D) the framing effect.

Question 9

Suppose that a student named John is asked to judge how many students are enrolled in his introductory biology class.He replies,"about 100….well,maybe between about 90 and 110." Based on the discussion of confidence intervals,you predict that

Accepted Answer

A) John's estimate probably relies too heavily on the ease with which examples come to mind. 
B) John is likely to be heavily influenced by the confirmation bias. 
C) John probably relied too heavily on the initial anchor of 100 students. 
D) John probably would have been wiser to use the representativeness heuristic to estimate the confidence intervals. 
A) John's estimate probably relies too heavily on the ease with which examples come to mind. 
B) John is likely to be heavily influenced by the confirmation bias. 
C) John probably relied too heavily on the initial anchor of 100 students. 
D) John probably would have been wiser to use the representativeness heuristic to estimate the confidence intervals.

Question 10

One reason that decision makers often use the representativeness heuristic inappropriately is that

Accepted Answer

A) they pay too much attention to the base rate. 
B) they do not pay enough attention to sample size. 
C) their decisions are influenced too greatly by a large sample size. 
D) they estimate frequency in terms of how easily they can think of examples that have a particular characteristic. 
A) they pay too much attention to the base rate. 
B) they do not pay enough attention to sample size. 
C) their decisions are influenced too greatly by a large sample size. 
D) they estimate frequency in terms of how easily they can think of examples that have a particular characteristic.

Question 11

Research on the conjunction fallacy shows that

Accepted Answer

A) people pay more attention to statistical probability than to heuristic strategies. 
B) people pay too much attention to sample size. 
C) people sometimes believe that the probability of a combination of two attributes is statistically more likely than the probability of one of those attributes. 
D) people simply misunderstand the instructions because the material is so vivid; when the task is explained,the conjunction fallacy disappears. 
A) people pay more attention to statistical probability than to heuristic strategies. 
B) people pay too much attention to sample size. 
C) people sometimes believe that the probability of a combination of two attributes is statistically more likely than the probability of one of those attributes. 
D) people simply misunderstand the instructions because the material is so vivid; when the task is explained,the conjunction fallacy disappears.

Question 12

12-105.Schwartz and his colleagues examined the relationship between decision-making style and measures of depression.Their results showed that people with a maximizing decision-making style

Accepted Answer

A) tended to be less depressed,probably because they were pleased with their high-quality decisions. 
B) tended to be less depressed,probably because they enjoyed the process of decision making. 
C) tended to be more depressed,probably because they experience regret that the items they did not select might be better. 
D) tended to be more depressed,probably because they spent so much time on the process of decision making. 
A) tended to be less depressed,probably because they were pleased with their high-quality decisions. 
B) tended to be less depressed,probably because they enjoyed the process of decision making. 
C) tended to be more depressed,probably because they experience regret that the items they did not select might be better. 
D) tended to be more depressed,probably because they spent so much time on the process of decision making.

Question 13

In contrast to the representativeness heuristic,the availability heuristic

Accepted Answer

A) begins with a specific situation,and you must judge its likelihood. 
B) begins with a set of assumptions. 
C) involves recalling some examples of a general category. 
D) is related to hindsight bias. 
A) begins with a specific situation,and you must judge its likelihood. 
B) begins with a set of assumptions. 
C) involves recalling some examples of a general category. 
D) is related to hindsight bias.

Question 14

Suppose that you hear about a friend who graduated from your college in performing arts.In addition,suppose that you judge that she is more likely to be selling insurance and active in community theater than she is to be selling insurance.You have committed

Accepted Answer

A) the anchoring and adjustment heuristic. 
B) the crystal-ball technique. 
C) the belief-bias effect. 
D) the conjunction fallacy. 
A) the anchoring and adjustment heuristic. 
B) the crystal-ball technique. 
C) the belief-bias effect. 
D) the conjunction fallacy.

Question 15

According to the discussion in Chapter 12,the belief-bias effect

Accepted Answer

A) is an example of overreliance on bottom-up processing. 
B) is likely to operate for people who have difficulty thinking flexibly. 
C) reveals that people provide irrational answers on logical reasoning tasks. 
D) arises from the general human tendency to answer "true," rather than "false." 
A) is an example of overreliance on bottom-up processing. 
B) is likely to operate for people who have difficulty thinking flexibly. 
C) reveals that people provide irrational answers on logical reasoning tasks. 
D) arises from the general human tendency to answer "true," rather than "false."

Question 16

Suppose that a friend is wondering what ever happened to a classmate named Bob who attended your high school and was on the wrestling team.You say that Bob is now a banker.Your friend says,"Well,Bob is likely to be a banker who is still interested in sports,rather than just a plain banker." Your friend has just demonstrated

Accepted Answer

A) the availability heuristic. 
B) the conjunction fallacy. 
C) an illusory correlation. 
D) the confirmation bias. 
A) the availability heuristic. 
B) the conjunction fallacy. 
C) an illusory correlation. 
D) the confirmation bias.

Question 17

Research on the belief-bias effect shows that

Accepted Answer

A) it is especially likely to operate for experts. 
B) people who earn high scores on a test of flexible thinking are especially likely to demonstrate the belief-bias effect. 
C) familiar statements often lead people to use "common sense" rather than logical reasoning. 
D) it emphasizes how people exaggerate their bottom-up processing. 
A) it is especially likely to operate for experts. 
B) people who earn high scores on a test of flexible thinking are especially likely to demonstrate the belief-bias effect. 
C) familiar statements often lead people to use "common sense" rather than logical reasoning. 
D) it emphasizes how people exaggerate their bottom-up processing.

Question 18

A likely explanation for the illusory correlation effect is that

Accepted Answer

A) people choose a stereotype as an anchor,and they make only small adjustments based on that anchor. 
B) people believe that correlations are illusions,somewhat similar to optical illusions. 
C) we pay too much attention to just one cell in the matrix,rather than the three other possible combinations of variables. 
D) we select the least available cell as an anchor,and then we make adjustments away from that anchor. 
A) people choose a stereotype as an anchor,and they make only small adjustments based on that anchor. 
B) people believe that correlations are illusions,somewhat similar to optical illusions. 
C) we pay too much attention to just one cell in the matrix,rather than the three other possible combinations of variables. 
D) we select the least available cell as an anchor,and then we make adjustments away from that anchor.

Question 19

Your text discussed a classic study in which people were asked which cards they would need to turn over in order to find out whether a rule about the letters and numbers on the cards was true or false.What did the study show?

Accepted Answer

A) People rely too heavily on denying the consequent. 
B) People have difficulty understanding double negatives. 
C) People typically avoid trying to disproving their hypotheses. 
D) People overuse bottom-up processing. 
A) People rely too heavily on denying the consequent. 
B) People have difficulty understanding double negatives. 
C) People typically avoid trying to disproving their hypotheses. 
D) People overuse bottom-up processing.

Question 20

According to the discussion of sample size and representativeness,

Accepted Answer

A) a small sample is more reliable than a large sample. 
B) when a sample is large,people trust the results more than they should. 
C) people tend to pay too much attention to the base rate. 
D) people frequently commit the small-sample fallacy. 
A) a small sample is more reliable than a large sample. 
B) when a sample is large,people trust the results more than they should. 
C) people tend to pay too much attention to the base rate. 
D) people frequently commit the small-sample fallacy.

According to the discussion of representativeness,

According to the discussion of logical reasoning,

Which of the following kinds of propositional reasoning is actually valid?

According to the research on overconfidence,

Barnett believes that "most people" share his political views.However,Barnett is basing his judgment on the views of his close friends,with whom he discusses politics most frequently,and with whom he shares core values and attitudes.Barnett is relying on the _____ heuristic.

Which of the following students provides the most accurate information about the belief-bias effect?

Suppose that a student named John is asked to judge how many students are enrolled in his introductory biology class.He replies,"about 100….well,maybe between about 90 and 110." Based on the discussion of confidence intervals,you predict that

One reason that decision makers often use the representativeness heuristic inappropriately is that

Research on the conjunction fallacy shows that

12-105.Schwartz and his colleagues examined the relationship between decision-making style and measures of depression.Their results showed that people with a maximizing decision-making style

In contrast to the representativeness heuristic,the availability heuristic

Suppose that you hear about a friend who graduated from your college in performing arts.In addition,suppose that you judge that she is more likely to be selling insurance and active in community theater than she is to be selling insurance.You have committed

According to the discussion in Chapter 12,the belief-bias effect

Research on the belief-bias effect shows that

A likely explanation for the illusory correlation effect is that

Your text discussed a classic study in which people were asked which cards they would need to turn over in order to find out whether a rule about the letters and numbers on the cards was true or false.What did the study show?

According to the discussion of sample size and representativeness,

An Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

Perceptual Processes I: Visual and Auditory Recognition

Perceptual Processes II: Attention and Consciousness

Working Memory

Long-Term Memory

Memory Strategies and Metacognition

Mental Imagery and Cognitive Maps

General Knowledge

Language I: Introduction to Language and Language Comprehension

Language II: Language Production and Bilingualism

Problem Solving and Creativity

Cognitive Development Throughout the Lifespan

Filters

Exam 12: Deductive Reasoning and Decision Making

According to the discussion of representativeness,

According to the discussion of logical reasoning,

Which of the following kinds of propositional reasoning is actually valid?

According to the research on overconfidence,

Barnett believes that "most people" share his political views.However,Barnett is basing his judgment on the views of his close friends,with whom he discusses politics most frequently,and with whom he shares core values and attitudes.Barnett is relying on the _____ heuristic.

Which of the following students provides the most accurate information about the belief-bias effect?

Suppose that a student named John is asked to judge how many students are enrolled in his introductory biology class.He replies,"about 100….well,maybe between about 90 and 110." Based on the discussion of confidence intervals,you predict that

One reason that decision makers often use the representativeness heuristic inappropriately is that

Research on the conjunction fallacy shows that

12-105.Schwartz and his colleagues examined the relationship between decision-making style and measures of depression.Their results showed that people with a maximizing decision-making style

In contrast to the representativeness heuristic,the availability heuristic

Suppose that you hear about a friend who graduated from your college in performing arts.In addition,suppose that you judge that she is more likely to be selling insurance and active in community theater than she is to be selling insurance.You have committed

According to the discussion in Chapter 12,the belief-bias effect

Research on the belief-bias effect shows that

A likely explanation for the illusory correlation effect is that

Your text discussed a classic study in which people were asked which cards they would need to turn over in order to find out whether a rule about the letters and numbers on the cards was true or false.What did the study show?

According to the discussion of sample size and representativeness,

An Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

Perceptual Processes I: Visual and Auditory Recognition

Perceptual Processes II: Attention and Consciousness

Working Memory

Long-Term Memory

Memory Strategies and Metacognition

Mental Imagery and Cognitive Maps

General Knowledge

Language I: Introduction to Language and Language Comprehension

Language II: Language Production and Bilingualism

Problem Solving and Creativity

Cognitive Development Throughout the Lifespan

Filters