Deck 6: Section 2: Thinking and Intelligence

Question 1

For days, Dianne had been trying to think of a way to approach her parents about her desire to transfer to a new college. While watching a TV commercial about vacation areas, Dianne suddenly looked at her problem from a new perspective and thought of a solution. Dianne's behavior BEST illustrates _____.

A) a release from interference
B) use of the availability heuristic
C) a shift to conjunctive thinking
D) the occurrence of insight

Answer 1

the occurrence of insight

Question 2

Board games are examples of _____ problems and deciding on a major in college is an example of a(n) _____ problem.

A) well-defined; ill-defined
B) well-defined; well-defined
C) ill-defined; well-defined
D) ill-defined; ill-defined

Answer 2

well-defined; ill-defined

Question 3

Mental set is _____.

A) the inability to create a new interpretation of a problem
B) the inability to see that an object can have a function other than its typical one
C) the tendency to use previously successful solution strategies without considering others that may be more appropriate for a current problem
D) a step-by-step procedural set that guarantees a correct solution

Answer 3

the tendency to use previously successful solution strategies without considering others that may be more appropriate for a current problem

Question 4

A situation in which there is a specific goal, but it is not clear how to reach that goal is called _____.

A) thinking
B) a problem
C) an ill-defined problem
D) a well-defined problem

Question 5

When Melinda dropped her watch behind a bookcase that was too heavy for her to move, she failed to realize that she could use a coat hanger to reach behind the bookcase and get the watch. Melinda's failure to consider using a coat hanger BEST illustrates _____.

A) mental set
B) anchoring and adjustment
C) functional fixedness
D) belief perseverance

Question 6

Trevor did not think to use the plastic bag he was carrying as a raincoat when he was caught in a downpour, BEST illustrating _____.

A) functional fixedness
B) the availability heuristic
C) fixation
D) mental set

Question 7

Mental set is to _____ as fixation is to _____.

A) interpreting the problem; interpreting the problem
B) solving the problem; solving the problem
C) interpreting the problem; solving the problem
D) solving the problem; interpreting the problem

Question 8

Despite many unsuccessful attempts, Steve repeatedly tries to change the settings on his cell phone by using the same menu selections. By not trying a different set of options from the menu, Steve is displaying a form of _____.

A) means-end analysis
B) anchoring
C) functional fixedness
D) fixation

Question 9

A board game, such as Monopoly, is an example of a(n) _____ problem and determining the number of square feet in a room before purchasing carpet is an example of a(n) _____ problem.

A) well-defined; ill-defined
B) well-defined; well-defined
C) ill-defined; well-defined
D) ill-defined; ill-defined

Question 10

Unable to find a needle and thread, Kim doesn't consider using a stapler to temporarily fix the hem of her skirt. Her failure to consider the stapler BEST illustrates _____.

A) functional fixedness
B) a fixation
C) confirmation bias
D) mental set

Question 11

The tendency for most people to try to solve the four-straight-lines version of the nine-circle problem by keeping their lines within the "mental square" illustrates _____.

A) functional fixedness
B) fixation
C) an ill-defined problem
D) an algorithm

Question 12

Which is NOT an ill-defined problem?

A) determining how to arrange the furniture in your bedroom
B) determining the number of square feet in your bedroom before purchasing carpet
C) determining how to convince your spouse that you need new carpet for your bedroom
D) All the answers are correct.

Question 13

After solving a series of mathematical problems using a complicated formula, Mark uses the same formula to solve another problem he could have solved using a much simpler formula. Mark's continued reliance on the complicated formula BEST illustrates which of the following?

A) confirmation bias
B) use of the availability heuristic
C) mental set
D) use of means-end analysis

Question 14

Which is the MOST well-defined problem?

A) writing a poem
B) painting a watercolor picture
C) creating a garden
D) solving a mathematics problem

Question 15

A well-defined problem has clear specifications of the _____.

A) start state (where you are)
B) goal state (where you want to be)
C) processes for reaching the goal state (how to get there)
D) All the answers are correct.

Question 16

What is the difference between a well-defined and an ill-defined problem?

A) In a well-defined problem, the process to achieve the goal is immediately apparent.
B) In an ill-defined problem, the start state, goal state, or process to achieve the goal is unclear.
C) In an ill-defined problem, the goal state cannot be determined.
D) Only well-defined problems have a start state and a goal state.

Question 17

An ill-defined problem is missing a clear specification of which of the following?

A) the start state
B) the goal state
C) the processes for reaching the goal state
D) An ill-defined problem is missing a clear specification of at least one of these.

Question 18

Processing information to solve problems, reason, and make judgments and decisions is called _____.

A) problem solving
B) thinking
C) reasoning
D) intelligence

Question 19

As per the text, why is the OTTFFSS series problem difficult?

A) The goal is unclear.
B) The start state is unclear.
C) People do not use the correct strategy.
D) People immediately try a new strategy.

Question 20

Functional fixedness occurs during the _____ stage of problem solving.

A) definition
B) processing
C) goal-setting
D) solution

Question 21

Prior to estimating the number of people attending a concert, Edward was asked whether there were more or fewer than 1,000 people and Ellen was asked if there were more or fewer than 4,000 people. Edward's estimate of the number of people was much less than Ellen's estimate, suggesting their estimates were influenced by use of the _____.

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

Question 22

To locate a missing receipt that Dennis knows he put in a file, Dennis systematically goes through each of the folders he uses, starting with A and working his way toward Z. This search procedure MOST closely resembles which problem-solving strategy?

A) an algorithm
B) a heuristic
C) anchoring and adjustment
D) mental set

Question 23

Elliott's credit card bill includes a minimum payment amount. Compared to a situation in which a minimum payment amount is not provided, it is likely that Elliott will make a _____ partial payment, reflecting his use of the _____ heuristic.

A) smaller; anchoring and adjustment
B) smaller; representativeness
C) larger; anchoring and adjustment
D) larger; representativeness

Question 24

Tim is trying to solve a maze that has 10 paths from the starting point, only one of which leads to the goal. For this type of problem, which would be the BEST approach?

A) means-end analysis
B) anchoring and adjustment
C) working backward
D) insight

Question 25

When asked to quickly estimate the product of 8*7*6*5*4*3*2*1, people give a much larger answer than when asked to quickly estimate the product of 1*2*3*4*5*6*7*8. This BEST illustrates the dynamics involved in using _____.

A) the anchoring and adjustment heuristic
B) the working backward heuristic
C) means-end analysis
D) an algorithm

Question 26

People are likely to use _____ to solve anagrams.

A) trial and error
B) heuristics
C) insight
D) algorithms

Question 27

Laura wants to buy a car so she is attempting to solve the problems of getting money for a down payment and establishing credit. She realizes there are multiple steps she must follow to achieve her goal. The problem-solving technique that involves accomplishing one step at a time to move closer to a goal is called _____, and the individual steps are called _____.

A) means-end analysis; increments
B) means-end analysis; subgoals
C) conjunctive analysis; increments
D) conjunctive analysis; subgoals

Question 28

When Olivia and Amanda met for the first time, Olivia's first impression was that Amanda was rather unfriendly. Although subsequent meetings indicted that Amanda may really be friendly, Olivia failed to substantially change her initial impression. This tendency to cling to an initial impression is similar to processes that occur when people _____.

A) use means-end analysis
B) work backward
C) use the anchoring and adjustment heuristic
D) overlook the conjunction rule

Question 29

Casey is trying to find a creative solution to a problem she is having with her roommate. Because research suggests that frontal cortex activity may _____ insight, when she "thinks outside the box," Casey would likely be _____ successful at solving the problem than would a patient with frontal lobe damage.

A) inhibit; more
B) inhibit; less
C) encourage; more
D) encourage; less

Question 30

The steps used to solve long division and multiplication problems represent the use of _____ in problem solving.

A) heuristics
B) mental set
C) algorithms
D) insight

Question 31

Cory had been working on a calculus problem for several hours when the best strategy for solving the problem suddenly came to him. It was as if the correct solution path made sense all at once. This BEST illustrates what psychologists call _____.

A) means-end analysis
B) working backward to solve a problem
C) insight
D) mental set

Question 32

The Tower of Hanoi problem (reconfiguring disks on pegs) is best solved using the _____ heuristic, whereas the water lily problem (determining when the pond is half covered) is best solved using the _____ heuristic.

A) working backward; means-end
B) means-end; working backward
C) means-end; anchoring and adjustment
D) anchoring and adjustment; working backward

Question 33

A(n) _____ is a step-by-step procedure that guarantees a correct solution to a problem.

A) algorithm
B) heuristic
C) mental set
D) means-end analysis

Question 34

A problem-solving strategy that makes use of subgoals in reducing the distance between start states and goal states is _____.

A) means-end analysis
B) the anchoring and adjustment heuristic
C) working backward
D) an algorithm

Question 35

Although Terry knew he was supposed to stop at the grocery store on the way home from the gym, he drove right past the store and did not realize he'd forgotten until pulling into his garage. This BEST illustrates what is known as _____.

A) mental set
B) mindless behavior
C) fixation
D) insight

Question 36

Stuart knew the key to his girlfriend's apartment was on her key ring, so he systematically tried each successive key until finding the one that unlocked her front door. This strategy illustrates problem solving by means of using _____.

A) an algorithm
B) a mental set
C) the availability heuristic
D) the working backward heuristic

Question 37

One block to problem solving can be mindless behavior, which is _____.

A) when we rely on an educated guess
B) rigid, habitual behavior that ignores problem details
C) working backward to solve a problem
D) when we rely on the anchoring and adjustment heuristic

Question 38

Rigid habitual behavior in which we fail to carefully attend to the details of the present situation is to _____ as a new way to understand a problem that immediately gives you the solution is to _____.

A) fixation; insight
B) mindless behavior; mental set
C) mindless behavior; insight
D) mental set; fixation

Question 39

Which would be an example of an algorithm?

A) determining which material to study more in-depth for your next psychology exam
B) deciding how much food will be consumed by guests at an upcoming picnic you are planning
C) calculating miles per gallon on a long-distance trip you just completed
D) determining the best strategy for getting your parents to buy you a car

Question 40

In an effort to quickly solve puzzles we might use _____, but to guarantee solutions we should use _____.

A) prototypes; heuristics
B) algorithms; prototypes
C) heuristics; algorithms
D) algorithms; heuristics

Question 41

Carol judges the probability of category membership by how well an object resembles a category. Carol is doing which of the following?

A) using the representativeness heuristic
B) committing the conjunction fallacy
C) committing the gambler's fallacy
D) using the availability heuristic

Question 42

College students incorrectly judge that death by plane crash is more frequent than death from asthma. In fact, asthma is 20 times more likely to cause death. Which of the following explains this error in judgment?

A) use of the means-end analysis heuristic
B) use of the availability heuristic
C) use of the representativeness heuristic
D) use of the conjunction rule

Question 43

Implicit procedural memory is to the _____ as explicit episodic memory is to the _____.

A) cerebellum and basal ganglia; hippocampus
B) hippocampus; cerebellum and basal ganglia
C) medulla and pons; hypothalamus
D) hypothalamus; medulla and pons

Question 44

The availability heuristic is _____.

A) a rule of thumb for judging the probability of category membership by how well an object resembles a category
B) the fact that the likelihood of two uncertain events occurring together cannot be greater than the likelihood of either event occurring alone
C) the belief that a chance event that has not occurred for a while is more likely to occur
D) a rule of thumb that the more easily we remember an event, the more probable it is

Question 45

Talking about his acquaintance Doug who is really "into" technology, Dave says that it is more likely that Doug has both a Blu-ray player and a flat screen TV than just a Blu-ray player. Apparently influenced by the _____ heuristic, Dave has _____.

A) representativeness; committed the conjunction fallacy
B) representativeness; created an illusory correlation
C) availability; committed the conjunction fallacy
D) availability; created an illusory correlation

Question 46

Most people incorrectly think that "r" appears more often as the first letter of a word than as the third letter. This belief stems from the use of the _____ heuristic, based on the way we _____.

A) availability; organize words in memory
B) availability; automatically categorize items
C) representativeness; organize words in memory
D) representativeness; automatically categorize items

Question 47

The gambler's fallacy is _____.

A) a rule of thumb for judging the probability of a gambling event being more favorable to a casino than to a gambler
B) the belief that a chance event is always going to have a 50 percent probability of occurring
C) the belief that a chance event that has not occurred for a while is more likely to occur
D) None of the answers are correct.

Question 48

Which of the following may lead to use of the availability heuristic?

A) particularly vivid events
B) events that have happened recently
C) when we can easily recall memories of an event
D) All the answers are correct.

Question 49

Rafael is attempting to solve a Tower of Hanoi problem that includes four disks. What is the minimum number of moves required to solve a four-disk version of the problem?

A) 7
B) 15
C) 16
D) 64

Question 50

With respect to the "Linda" problem in the textbook, people judge that it is more likely that Linda is a bank teller and active in the feminist movement because they _____ and misuse the _____.

A) use the conjunction rule; representativeness heuristic
B) commit the conjunction fallacy; availability heuristic
C) use the conjunction rule; availability heuristic
D) commit the conjunction fallacy; representativeness heuristic

Question 51

John is using fast, intuitive processing to judge the likelihood that he will do well on a test. John's thinking is characteristic of _____ processing, which is _____.

A) System 1; more reliable than System 2
B) System 1; less reliable than System 2
C) System 2; more reliable than System 1
D) System 2; less reliable than System 1

Question 52

After several highly publicized instances of deadly shark attacks, many people stopped swimming in the ocean. It appears that vivid media coverage prompted people to use _____ to judge the probability of death by shark attack.

A) the availability heuristic
B) a mental set
C) means-end analysis
D) the representativeness heuristic

Question 53

In the game of roulette, a wheel spins and a ball lands at random in one of an equal number of black and red slots. Because the ball landed in a red slot four times in a row, Cal believes it will land in a black slot on the next spin. Which MOST accurately describes the validity of Cal's belief?

A) Cal is most likely correct because the law of averages should apply.
B) Cal is most likely correct because the probability of a ball landing in a red slot increases for any spin that immediately follows a black outcome.
C) Cal is incorrect in believing that random outcomes alternate more than they really do.
D) Cal is incorrect because the ball would need to land in the red slot several more times in a row before increasing its likelihood of landing in a black slot.

Question 54

After learning that the parents of both of her roommates were divorced, Meghan began to overestimate the divorce rate. Meghan's conclusion BEST illustrates the misuse of the _____.

A) availability heuristic
B) anchoring and adjustment heuristic
C) the conjunction rule
D) the conjunction fallacy

Question 55

Which is an example of an erroneous belief that may arise from subjective, informal hypothesis testing?

A) Heredity most likely plays a larger role in determining intelligence than does environment.
B) Average intelligence test scores have improved steadily in Western industrialized countries.
C) Mental telepathy is an extension of our sensory abilities.
D) More people die from diabetes than from airplane crashes.

Question 56

Which statement about categorization is FALSE?

A) Recognition involves putting people and objects into categories.
B) We judge categorical probabilities differently than we recognize patterns.
C) Pattern recognition is an example of an automatic process.
D) Our first impression of people is often based on categorical resemblance.

Question 57

On a roulette wheel, there are an equal number of red (R) and black (B) slots into which a ball may fall at random. Suppose a roulette wheel is spun five times. Which sequence of outcomes is more likely?

A) B R B R B
B) B B B R R
C) R R B B R
D) All the answers are equally likely.

Question 58

Because he heard news reports nightly concerning the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, Kevin overestimated his risk of being a victim of a terrorist attack. Kevin's overestimate was likely influenced by _____.

A) belief perseverance
B) illusory correlation
C) the availability heuristic
D) the representativeness heuristic

Question 59

Which contributes to both the gambler's fallacy and the conjunction fallacy?

A) the representativeness heuristic
B) mental set
C) the anchoring and adjustment heuristic
D) fixation

Question 60

David judges the joint occurrence of two uncertain events as being more likely than the occurrence of either of the events alone. David is doing which of the following?

A) using the representativeness heuristic
B) using the availability heuristic
C) committing the conjunction fallacy
D) displaying confirmation bias

Question 61

The tendency to seek evidence that supports our hypotheses is known as _____.

A) the availability heuristic
B) the confirmation bias
C) the representativeness heuristic
D) the verification bias

Question 62

A police detective continues to pursue the individual he feels is guilty of a robbery in the face of increasing evidence to the contrary. It is likely that the detective is experiencing _____.

A) belief perseverance
B) confirmation bias
C) person-who reasoning
D) illusory correlation

Question 63

Stan loves junk food and eats it every day in vast quantities. Stan's wife keeps telling him that research results show that he is killing himself with his diet, but Stan simply points to his grandfather who lived to be 92 and ate junk food most of his life. Stan is using _____ to justify his junk food eating behavior.

A) means-end analysis
B) illusory correlation
C) person-who reasoning
D) both person-who reasoning and illusory correlation

Question 64

Donald argues vehemently that women drive more recklessly than men do despite his awareness of statistics from multiple sources that indicate his argument is not correct. Donald is MOST specifically demonstrating _____.

A) means-end analysis
B) functional fixedness
C) the conjunction fallacy
D) belief perseverance

Question 65

Dr. Huang knows that the base rate for a disease is 5 percent. Out of 1,000 people, this base rate indicates that _____ would have the disease. To test a patient, Dr. Huang will use a test that will correctly show that the disease is present in 80 percent of the people who actually have the disease. Thus, the _____ rate for the test is 80 percent.

A) 5; sensitivity
B) 5; true negative
C) 50; sensitivity
D) 50; true negative

Question 66

Questioning a well-established finding because you know an individual who violates the finding is to _____ as clinging to your viewpoints despite evidence to the contrary is to _____.

A) belief perseverance; illusory correlation
B) illusory correlation; belief perseverance
C) person-who reasoning; illusory correlation
D) person-who reasoning; belief perseverance

Question 67

Because Tim is likely to notice when it rains after he washes his car, he believes there is a relationship between washing his car and the occurrence of rain. This perceived relationship BEST illustrates which of the following?

A) confirmation bias
B) belief perseverance
C) an illusory correlation
D) person-who reasoning

Question 68

Because Janet is particularly likely to notice when the phone rings while she is in the shower, she believes that there is a relationship between taking a shower and receiving a phone call. This perceived relationship BEST illustrates _____.

A) belief perseverance
B) an illusory correlation
C) confirmation bias
D) person-who reasoning

Question 69

System 1 is to _____ as System 2 is to _____.

A) availability; representativeness
B) representativeness; availability
C) reflective; automatic
D) automatic; reflective

Question 70

Dr. Barba, like most doctors, tends to _____ the probability that a person has a disease when a test result is positive. To accurately calculate this probability, one of the factors that Dr. Barba needs to know is the percentage of people in the population who actually have the disease, which is known as the _____ rate.

A) overestimate; base
B) overestimate; sensitivity
C) underestimate; base
D) underestimate; sensitivity

Question 71

Greg believes that female drivers make more careless mistakes on the road than do male drivers, so he watches female drivers more closely than male drivers. Greg's behavior BEST illustrates _____.

A) the availability heuristic
B) fixation
C) confirmation bias
D) belief perseverance

Question 72

Miss Binder, a second-grade teacher, thinks that girls pass more notes in class than boys, so she watches the girls more closely than the boys. Miss Binder's behavior BEST illustrates which of the following?

A) belief perseverance
B) confirmation bias
C) a fixation
D) the representativeness heuristic

Question 73

What is the tendency to cling to one's beliefs in the face of contradictory evidence?

A) belief bias
B) confirmation bias
C) belief perseverance
D) illusory belief

Question 74

Suppose you are given the following problem: "There are four cards showing E, J, 2, & 5. On one side of each card is a letter, and on the other side is a number. Consider this rule: "If a card has a vowel on one side, then it has an odd number on the other side." Select the card or cards that you definitely must turn over to determine whether the rule is true or false for the four cards indicated.

A) the E card only
B) the E and 2 cards
C) the E and 5 cards
D) the J and 5 cards

Question 75

Imagine a base rate of 1 percent for a disease, a false positive rate of 10 percent, and a sensitivity rate of 90 percent for the screening test for the disease. Using natural frequencies, which of the following is the closest estimate of the conditional probability that a person actually has the disease given a positive test result?

A) 8 percent
B) 10 percent
C) 16 percent
D) 20 percent

Question 76

To determine if a relationship exists between eating spinach and being strong, in addition to considering the number of people who eat spinach and are strong, we also have to consider which of the following?

A) the number of people who eat spinach and are not strong
B) the number of people who do not eat spinach and are strong
C) the number of people who do not eat spinach and are not strong
D) All the answers are correct.

Question 77

The errors made when trying to determine the rule for Wason's "2-4-6 task" BEST illustrate _____.

A) an illusory correlation
B) the availability heuristic
C) the confirmation bias
D) a mental set

Question 78

In the British researcher Peter Wason's "2-4-6 task," Zach thought the rule was "numbers under 10 that increased by 2." To attempt to disconfirm this hypothesis, which sequence(s) should he test?

A) 1-3-5
B) 8-10-12
C) 4-7-9
D) Either 8-10-12 or 4-7-9 could be used to disconfirm the hypothesis.

Question 79

What is the tendency to erroneously believe that two variables are related when they actually are not?

A) correlation bias
B) belief bias
C) belief perseverance
D) illusory correlation

Question 80

Despite his awareness of scientific evidence indicating fortunetellers are unable to forecast the future, Justin believes they can. He bases his belief on the fact that his friend Ronnie won $100 after a fortune teller told Ronnie that something good would happen to him. Justin is experiencing _____ resulting from _____.

A) a fixation; person-who reasoning
B) a fixation; the conjunction fallacy
C) belief perseverance; person-who reasoning
D) belief perseverance; the conjunction fallacy