Question 1

Which of the following statements about memory is false?

Accepted Answer

Memories are not copies of past experiences that remain in a memory bank. Memories are constructed by the brain and are often influenced by various factors such as emotions, expectations, and context. They are not static and can change over time.

Question 2

The act of incorporating misinformation in our mental reconstruction of past events is known as

Accepted Answer

The act of incorporating misinformation in our mental reconstruction of past events is known as the misinformation effect.

Question 3

Dave typically reads information and watches programming that tends to support his existing beliefs. He is less inclined to seek information that might disprove his preconceptions. Dave's approach illustrates

Accepted Answer

Dave's approach illustrates the confirmation bias, which is the tendency to search for, interpret, or remember information in a way that confirms one's pre-existing beliefs or hypotheses.

Question 4

Studies of judgmental overconfidence show that our expectations for the future are vastly positive

Accepted Answer

Studies on judgmental overconfidence have shown that even though we know we have made mistakes in the past, we tend to have vastly positive expectations for the future. This suggests that our overconfidence is not based on learning from our previous experiences.

Question 5

Upon finding your old report cards, you're surprised that you were just an average student in grade school rather than the "A" student you remember being. What best accounts for this discrepancy?

Accepted Answer

Rosy retrospection refers to the tendency to remember past events more positively than they actually were, which explains why you might remember being a better student than your report cards indicate.

Question 6

On the way to his spring break at the ocean, Ben's flight was delayed by 12 hours. Once on the beach, he was disappointed that the condo was run-down and dirty. After the trip, Ben described his experience in nothing but positive terms. This accounting of the trip best reflects

Accepted Answer

Rosy retrospection is the tendency to remember positive aspects of past events while minimizing negative aspects. In this scenario, Ben may have remembered the enjoyable activities and experiences from his spring break while downplaying the negative details such as the flight delay and poor accommodation. Therefore, his positive description of the trip reflects rosy retrospection.

Question 7

According to research, we reconstruct our past behaviour

Accepted Answer

According to research, we reconstruct our past behaviour to suit our present views. This phenomenon is known as the hindsight bias, where we tend to remember our past behaviours as more consistent with our current beliefs and attitudes. We may also distort or forget information that contradicts our current views. This can be problematic as it can lead to inaccurate memories and a distorted sense of reality.

Question 8

James has performed very well throughout the semester in his logic course. His buddy Kyle, on the other hand, has been consistently scoring in the D-range. Both sign up for a psychology experiment that requires them to engage in several problem-solving tasks. According to the overconfidence phenomenon, which of the following is most likely to happen?

Accepted Answer

The answer of James has performed very well throughout the...

Question 9

According to the textbook, one reason for overconfidence is that people tend to

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the textbook, one reason for...

Question 10

Which of the following is an effective remedy for the overconfidence bias?

Accepted Answer

Encouraging people to consider reasons why their judgments might be wrong can help mitigate overconfidence by prompting them to think more critically and consider alternative perspectives.

Question 11

Amanda stopped at the convenience store on her way home from work, and passed by a man with a baseball bat fleeing the store. She found out that the man had robbed the store clerk and caused damage in the store. While waiting for the police to arrive, all the witnesses were talking about what they remembered and what the assailant looked like. Although Amanda did not recall the man having facial hair, a few other witnesses said he did. When she later thought about what the man looked like, she recalled him having facial hair. This example best represents the

Accepted Answer

This situation best represents the misinformation effect. The misinformation effect occurs when a person's memory is altered by the introduction of false information after the event has occurred. In this case, Amanda's memory was altered by the information provided by other witnesses who claimed that the perpetrator had facial hair, causing her to later recall him as having facial hair even though she initially did not remember that detail.

Question 12

When an experimenter asks people to vividly imagine a childhood incident in which they knocked over a punch bowl at a wedding, approximately _______ will later recall the event as something that actually happened.

Accepted Answer

Research on false memories has shown that around 25% of participants who are asked to imagine a specific childhood event will later recall it as a true memory. This is known as the imagination inflation effect.

Question 13

Steve is typically very confident about his opinions and beliefs-in fact, he is usually more confident than he is accurate about certain things. Steve's thinking illustrates

Accepted Answer

The overconfidence phenomenon refers to the tendency to be more confident in one's judgments and beliefs than the accuracy of the judgments and beliefs warrants. This is exactly what Steve demonstrates, as he is usually more confident than accurate in his opinions and beliefs.

Question 14

The misinformation effect is to _________ as priming is to _________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The misinformation effect is to _________ as...

Question 15

Studies of ____________________ show that our expectations for the future are vastly positive even though we know we have made mistakes in the past.

Accepted Answer

This is the definition of judgmental overconfidence, which is a cognitive bias where individuals overestimate the probability of positive outcomes and underestimate the likelihood of negative outcomes. Studies have shown that even when people have made mistakes in the past, they still have a tendency to be overly optimistic about the future.

Question 16

Studies of the overconfidence phenomenon show that _______________ feeds overconfidence.

Accepted Answer

Studies have consistently shown that overconfidence is often fueled by incompetence or a lack of knowledge or skill in a particular area. Highly competent individuals tend to be more cautious and humble in their approach. Overestimating one's abilities and being unaware of one's limitations can also contribute to overconfidence, but the root cause is often incompetence.

Question 17

Investment experts' belief that their own expertise will enable them to select stocks that will outperform the market average best illustrates

Accepted Answer

The belief of investment experts that they can select stocks that will outperform the market average is an example of overconfidence phenomenon, which refers to people's tendency to be overconfident about their judgments and abilities, particularly in areas where they consider themselves experts. This overconfidence can lead to overestimations of their abilities and underestimations of the complexity of a situation, leading to poor decisions.

Question 18

Cassandra has a 10-page paper due in her social psychology class. She keeps putting off the paper, using the justification that it will only take an evening to write the assignment. When she finally sits down to work on the assignment, it takes her way longer than she originally thought, and she ends up handing it in 3 days late due to her underestimation of the time it took. This example refers to

Accepted Answer

Cassandra's behavior is a classic example of the planning fallacy, which is the tendency to underestimate how long it will take to complete a task despite past experiences to the contrary. She overestimates her ability to complete the paper quickly and underestimates the time it will actually take, resulting in her missing the deadline.

Question 19

One reason people are overconfident is that they are not inclined to seek out information

Accepted Answer

People are often overconfident because they hold beliefs that might not be true, but they are unwilling to seek out information that could potentially disprove those beliefs. This is known as the confirmation bias, where people tend to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs and ignore information that contradicts them. This can lead to overconfidence and poor decision-making.

Question 20

Bem and McConnell had students write essays opposing student control over university curriculum. When asked to recall how they had felt about the same issue a week earlier, most of the students

Accepted Answer

This is an example of the misattribution effect, where individuals remember an event but attribute their original feelings or beliefs to match their current beliefs or feelings. In this case, the students wrote essays opposing student control over the university curriculum, and when asked to recall their original stance, they mistakenly remembered having felt the same as their current belief.

Quiz 3: Social Beliefs and Judgments