Question 1

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 2

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

Accepted Answer

People tend to avoid seeking out information that might disprove what they already believe, which can lead to overconfidence.

Question 3

Which of the following statements about memory is false?

Accepted Answer

Memories are not exact replicas of past experiences. They are instead representations of those experiences that are created and manipulated by our brain. Memories can also be influenced by various factors such as emotions, expectations, and biases. Therefore, memories are not stored in a memory bank waiting to be withdrawn, but rather are constantly being reconstructed and updated.

Question 4

Studies of the overconfidence phenomenon show that _______________ feeds overconfidence.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that individuals who are less competent tend to be more overconfident than those who are more competent. This is because they may lack the knowledge or experience to accurately assess their abilities and risk factors.

Question 5

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

Steve's tendency to be more confident than accurate reflects the overconfidence phenomenon, which refers to the tendency for people to be overly confident in their judgments and decisions. This can lead to errors in decision-making and a failure to consider alternative perspectives or information.

Question 6

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 7

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

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that people tend to have judgmental overconfidence, meaning they believe in their abilities to predict the future even though they have made mistakes in the past. This leads to unrealistic expectations for the future.

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

Dave's approach of seeking information that supports his existing beliefs and ignoring information that might disprove his preconceptions is an example of the confirmation bias. This bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.

Question 9

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

Accepted Answer

Getting people to think about why their judgments might be wrong can help them recognize the potential for overconfidence and consider alternative perspectives. This can lead to more accurate judgments and reduce the impact of the overconfidence bias. Delaying feedback and informing people about the bias may also be helpful, but alone may not be as effective as having people actively question their own judgments.

Question 10

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. The priming effect refers to the phenomenon where exposure to a stimulus affects the response to a subsequent stimulus. Confirmation bias is a tendency to interpret information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs. Belief perseverance is the tendency to cling to one's initial beliefs even after receiving new information that contradicts or disconfirms the basis of those beliefs.

Question 11

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 phenomenon is known as "attitude polarization" or "belief perseverance," where people tend to cling to their original beliefs even when presented with new information or evidence that contradicts those beliefs. In this case, the students were likely influenced by the arguments presented in their essays, leading them to mistakenly remember having held the same attitude all along.

Question 12

On the way to his spring break at the ocean, Ben's flight was delayed 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 past events more positively than they actually were, often due to the passage of time or the desire to focus on the positive aspects. Despite experiencing delays and disappointment during his spring break, Ben chose to focus on the positive aspects of his experience and remembered it in a more positive light.

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

The investment experts' belief in their own expertise despite evidence suggesting that stock-picking is difficult and that most professionals do not outperform the market average is an example of the overconfidence phenomenon, in which people tend to overestimate the accuracy of their knowledge and judgments.

Question 14

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 didn't 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 scenario best represents the misinformation effect, where witnessing additional information or hearing from others can alter one's memory of an event or experience. Amanda's memory of the assailant's physical appearance was influenced by the accounts of witnesses who claimed he had facial hair, leading to a false recollection of his appearance.

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

Studies on judgmental overconfidence, which refers to our tendency to overestimate our abilities and likelihood of success, show that even though we are aware of our past mistakes, we still have vastly positive expectations for the future. This is due to a cognitive bias that leads us to believe that our previous failures were exceptions, and that we are generally competent and effective.

Question 16

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 memory has shown that asking someone to vividly imagine a false event can create a false memory. In a study by Loftus and Pickrell (1995), 25% of participants who were asked to imagine knocking over a punch bowl at a wedding later recalled the event as a real memory.

Question 17

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 18

According to research, we reconstruct our past behaviour

Accepted Answer

According to research, we tend to reconstruct our past behaviour to suit our present views, beliefs and attitudes. This means we may remember or interpret our actions in a way that aligns with our current values and perspectives. This phenomenon is known as confirmation bias, which can influence how we perceive and remember our past behaviour.

Question 19

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, when they are asked how they think they will perform, who will be rate themselves as most confident?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

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 is taking 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

This scenario refers to the planning fallacy, which is a tendency to underestimate how long it will take to complete a task, even when past experiences indicate otherwise. Cassandra is overconfident in her ability to complete the paper in a short amount of time and does not take into account unexpected obstacles that may arise. This leads her to underestimate the time required, which ultimately causes her to turn in the paper late.

Quiz 3: Social Beliefs and Judgments