Question 1

The inability to see a problem from a new perspective is called

Accepted Answer

Fixation is the inability to see a problem from a fresh perspective, hindering problem-solving and creativity. Divergent thinking refers to the generation of multiple ideas and solutions, while heuristics are mental shortcuts used to make decisions quickly. Framing refers to how a problem is presented or perceived.

Question 2

A reliance on quick intuitive judgments is best illustrated by our use of

Accepted Answer

Heuristics are mental shortcuts that rely on intuition, and involve making quick judgments based on limited information in order to make decisions. Examples of heuristics include the availability heuristic (judging the likelihood of an event based on how easily examples come to mind), the representativeness heuristic (judging the likelihood of an event based on our preconceived notions about what it "should" look like), and the anchoring and adjustment heuristic (using an initial piece of information as a starting point and adjusting from there).

Question 3

In contrast to our explicit conscious reasoning,our seemingly effortless and automatic feelings or thoughts are called

Accepted Answer

The term "intuitions" refers to our unconscious, automatic thoughts or feelings that often guide our behavior without us being fully aware of them. This is in contrast to explicit conscious reasoning, which requires effort and concentration. The other options (fixations, aptitudes, algorithms) do not accurately describe this concept.

Question 4

The vivid memories of the 9/11 terrorist tragedy unduly inflated many people's estimates of the risks associated with air travel.This best illustrates the importance of

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic is the tendency to overestimate the likelihood of events that are most memorable or easily recalled. In this case, the 9/11 terrorist attacks were a highly memorable event that led many people to overestimate the risk of flying, even though statistically speaking, flying is a safe mode of transportation.

Question 5

Andy's new employer looks somewhat similar to a TV actor who played the role of a very dishonest politician.Without consciously realizing the similarity,Andy experienced an immediate gut-level distrust of his new employer.His reaction best illustrates the impact of

Accepted Answer

Andy's immediate gut-level distrust is a result of intuition, which is an unconscious and automatic cognitive process that relies on past experiences and emotions to make judgments and decisions. Intuition can be beneficial in certain situations, but it can also lead to biases and errors in judgment.

Question 6

Because she believes that boys are naughtier than girls,Mrs.Zumpano,a second-grade teacher,watches boys more closely than she watches girls for any signs of misbehavior.Mrs.Zumpano's surveillance strategy best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Mrs. Zumpano's behavior demonstrates confirmation bias, as she is seeking out information that confirms her pre-existing belief that boys are naughtier than girls and disregarding information that contradicts her belief.

Question 7

Dean overestimates the proportion of family chores for which he takes sole responsibility because it's easier for him to recall what he has done than to recall what other family members have done.This best illustrates the impact of

Accepted Answer

The scenario described suggests that Dean is relying on the availability heuristic, as he is more likely to remember his own contributions to household chores than those of his family members. This is a cognitive bias in which people base their beliefs and judgments on the most readily available information, rather than taking into account all available information.

Question 8

Our tendency to judge the likelihood of an event on the basis of how readily we can remember instances of its occurrence is called

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut that occurs when people make judgments about the likelihood of an event based on how easily an example or instances comes to mind. This can be problematic because it can lead people to overestimate the frequency or likelihood of an event based on the vividness or recency of information.

Question 9

Some people are unable to arrange six matchsticks to form four equilateral triangles because they fail to consider a three-dimensional arrangement.This best illustrates the effects of ________ on problem solving.

Accepted Answer

Fixation refers to being stuck on one way of thinking or solving a problem, which prevents individuals from considering other possibilities or solutions. In this scenario, individuals are fixated on arranging the matchsticks in a two-dimensional manner, rather than considering a three-dimensional arrangement.

Question 10

By encouraging people to imagine their homes being destroyed by winds from a hurricane,insurance salespeople are especially successful at selling expensive homeowners' policies.They are most clearly exploiting the influence of

Accepted Answer

Encouraging people to imagine their homes being destroyed by winds from a hurricane utilizes the availability heuristic, as it presents a vivid mental image of potential danger that is easily accessible in the person's mind. This can lead them to overestimate the likelihood of such an event occurring and thus be more likely to purchase expensive homeowners' policies to protect against it.

Question 11

We fear too little those events that will claim lives

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is B) undramatically because it suggests that events that do not have dramatic or sensational aspects are often underestimated in terms of their potential danger or impact on life, aligning with the idea that we may not fear them as much as we should.

Question 12

One reason people fear flying more than driving is that the two activities involve differences in

Accepted Answer

Perceived control is the concept that individuals feel more comfortable and have less fear when they believe they have control over a situation. When driving, people feel more in control of the situation and the vehicle they are operating, whereas in flying, they are not in control of the plane. This lack of perceived control can cause individuals to feel more anxious and scared when flying compared to driving.

Question 13

Scientists are trained to carefully observe and record any research outcomes that are inconsistent with their hypotheses.This practice most directly serves to reduce

Accepted Answer

The practice of carefully observing and recording any research outcomes that are inconsistent with their hypotheses serves to reduce confirmation bias, which is the tendency to look for and interpret information in a way that confirms preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.

Question 14

A fixation is most likely to inhibit

Accepted Answer

Fixation refers to the inability to see a problem from a new perspective, which can hinder creativity. It does not necessarily have an impact on confirmation bias, overconfidence, or belief perseverance.

Question 15

Public fears of gun violence tend to increase dramatically for a brief time after highly publicized mass shootings.This best illustrates the impact of

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut in which we judge the likelihood of an event based on how readily we can recall similar events. After a highly publicized mass shooting, the event is easily recalled and therefore perceived as more likely to occur. This leads to an increase in public fears of gun violence, even though the actual probability of being involved in a mass shooting is quite low.

Question 16

A televised image of a starving child had a greater impact on Mr.White's perception of how widespread hunger is than did a statistical chart summarizing the worldwide scope of the problem.This suggests that his understanding of the world hunger problem was influenced by

Accepted Answer

The fact that the televised image had a greater impact on Mr.White's perception suggests that he was influenced by the availability heuristic, which is the tendency to rely on easily available or vivid information when making judgments about the frequency or likelihood of an event. The statistical chart may have been less impactful because it did not present the information in a memorable or emotionally compelling way.

Question 17

During high school,Charlie found it easy to get away with cheating on his tests.College is a different story,so Charlie spends as many hours devising new ways to cheat as it would take him to study and perform well in an honest fashion.Charlie's shortsightedness best illustrates the consequences of

Accepted Answer

Charlie's behavior of continuing to cheat despite the potential consequences suggests that he is fixated on this strategy and unable to see the long-term consequences of his actions.

Question 18

Business managers are often overly confident of their own hiring ability because they are more likely to monitor the successes of people they hired than the achievements of those they rejected.This illustrates that overconfidence may be encouraged by

Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of confirmation bias, where individuals seek out information that confirms their beliefs or decisions, while overlooking information that contradicts them. Here, business managers are focusing on the successes of the people they hired, ignoring the achievements of the rejected candidates. This creates a false sense of confidence in their hiring ability, leading to overconfidence.

Question 19

Overconfidence refers to the tendency to

Accepted Answer

Overconfidence refers to the tendency to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments, and to underestimate the extent to which they may be wrong. It involves a confidence in one's abilities or judgments that is greater than the actual abilities or accuracy demonstrated by evidence. Option A refers to confirmation bias, Option B refers to the tendency to seek out information that confirms our pre-existing beliefs, and Option D refers to availability heuristic.

Question 20

A single memorable case of welfare fraud can have a greater impact on people's estimates of welfare abuse than do statistics showing that this case is actually the exception to the rule.This illustrates that judgments are influenced by

Accepted Answer

The scenario described in the question is an example of the availability heuristic, where people tend to overestimate the frequency of an event based on how easily they can recall instances of it. The single memorable case of welfare fraud is easily available in people's minds, making them believe that welfare abuse is more widespread than it actually is.

Quiz 8: Thinking, Language, and Intelligence