Question 1

Witnesses to the sniper attacks in Maryland and Virginia describe seeing a white work van in the vicinity of the incidents.These descriptions lead police,investigators,and citizens to try to solve the problem (i.e.,find the killers)based on this information.Because the snipers actually drove a dark sedan,they are able to continue their terrible deeds longer.The people trying to solve the crime are operating under ____.

Accepted Answer

A mental set is a tendency to approach a problem in a particular way based on a previous successful solution. In this case, the witnesses and investigators were focused on finding a white work van and did not consider the possibility of a dark sedan, which allowed the snipers to continue their attacks longer.

Question 2

Yassir is a researcher in the field of artificial intelligence.When building computers that are able to form natural concepts and think more like humans,Yassir is likely to use the ____ approach.

Accepted Answer

The neural network approach is based on the structure and functioning of the human brain and is commonly used in developing AI systems that can process and learn from large amounts of data, recognize patterns, and make decisions based on that information. This approach is particularly effective in creating machines that can recognize speech, images, and other sensory inputs, and can understand natural language.

Question 3

Which situation is likely to displease the typical undergraduate more? (Assume all four situations apply to the person and that the person would have to pay for each with his or her own money.)

Accepted Answer

While all four situations may be frustrating, a new fee for a previously free service (ID activation) may seem particularly unfair or unexpected. Additionally, it is a recurring fee each semester, whereas the other three situations may be one-time costs.

Question 4

Connie believes that she has severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)because she has been coughing and sneezing for the past few days.However,Connie fails to realize that if she truly had SARS,she would be exhibiting several other symptoms as well.Connie seems to be ____.

Accepted Answer

Connie is ignoring negative evidence because she is only focusing on the coughing and sneezing symptoms and not considering the other symptoms that are characteristic of SARS.

Question 5

To solve theproblem of low employee morale at Initech,Mr.Lumberg hires consultants who are experts in human resources.We can expect the consultants to more clearly visualize the problem and make connections between behaviors and outcomes because experts are more likely to use ____ as they process information

Accepted Answer

Experts tend to use chunking as they process information, which allows them to more efficiently organize and interpret information based on their extensive knowledge and experience in a particular field. This helps them visualize problems and make connections more effectively.

Question 6

After watching the winner of American Idol tell her story of going from a simple girl to a famous singer,Sun was convinced that she too could be on the show and become famous.Sun's reaction demonstrates how people tend to ____. exaggerate the expected value of a future outcome

Accepted Answer

Sun's reaction suggests that she is overestimating the probability of her becoming famous through American Idol, which is an unlikely event. This tendency is common among people when they are emotionally invested in a particular outcome or have a strong desire for it to happen. They tend to focus on the positive aspects and ignore the negative factors, leading them to exaggerate the expected value of the future outcome.

Question 7

Benji receives a $50 bonus this month because he had the highest sales at work.He likes the bonus,but in Benji's view it doesn't compensate for his $50 speeding ticket.Benji's feelings are best described by ____.

Accepted Answer

Benji's feelings of the $50 bonus not being sufficient to compensate for his $50 speeding ticket suggest that he is experiencing loss aversion. This refers to the cognitive bias where individuals experience a greater psychological impact from losses compared to gains of equal value. In this case, Benji perceives the loss of the speeding ticket as more significant than the gain of the bonus, despite the fact that the two are equal in value.

Question 8

Ron lost $20 playing the slots in Atlantic City.However,he found $20 on the subway.Even though Ron comes out even in terms of cash,he still feels pretty badly about losing money in the slot machines.In fact,he actually feels neutral about finding the $20 on the subway.Ron's feelings can be explained best by ____.

Accepted Answer

Ron's feelings are consistent with loss aversion, which refers to the tendency for people to experience the pain of losses more acutely than the pleasure of gains. Even though he comes out even in terms of cash, he still feels bad about losing money at the casino. His neutral feelings about finding $20 on the subway suggest that he is not experiencing the pleasure of gains to the same degree as the pain of losses.

Question 9

Gordon perceives a $10 discount on a $40 sweater to be more positive than a $10 discount on a $300 TV.Gordon's varying perceptions of $10 in each situation reflects ____.

Accepted Answer

Gordon's varying perceptions of $10 in each situation reflect a biased perception of utility, where he places a higher value on the $10 discount on the $40 sweater due to his personal preferences and biases. This is an example of how individuals may not always make rational judgments when it comes to economic decision-making.

Question 10

James spends months developing a theory of decision making.But in an experimental test,only half of the participants respond as his theory predicted.James concludes that the rest of the subjects did not understand the directions and proclaims that the experiment is evidence in favor of his theory.This is an example of the ____.

Accepted Answer

This scenario demonstrates confirmation bias because James is only interpreting the results that support his theory and ignoring the results that do not. He assumes that the subjects who did not respond as predicted simply didn't understand the instructions, rather than considering that his theory may be flawed.

Question 11

Dr.Bond would like to create facial recognition software for use in banks,airports,and other security-sensitive work environments.This software will be based on a neural network model,which has shown promise,but may still fall short of human perception.Such limitations may include ____.

Accepted Answer

The statement mentions "neural network model, which has shown promise, but may still fall short of human perception," and one of the limitations mentioned is "slow learning of how to classify visual patterns." Therefore, option D is the best choice. The other options are not mentioned or are not relevant to the limitations of the neural network model described.

Question 12

One day,a tree on the Lakewood Golf Course was hit by lightning.The following weekend,Galen continues his golf game near that tree during a thunderstorm because he is certain that lightning will not strike there twice.Galen's decision is based on ____.

Accepted Answer

Galen's decision is based on the gambler's fallacy, which is the belief that an event is less likely to occur if it has already occurred recently. Galen believes that since the tree was already struck by lightning, it is unlikely to happen again in the same spot. However, this belief is incorrect, as lightning can strike the same spot multiple times.

Question 13

Dora is trying to decide whether to buy the regular laundry detergent or one that is environmentally safe.When evaluating these options,Dora hopes to make the best choice in order to maximize the ____of her decision.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dora is trying to decide whether to...

Question 14

Jerry is deciding which of two women to ask out on a date.He lists the positive and negative attributes of each woman: how attractive she is and whether she has good table manners.Kramer tells Jerry that he should also rate how much he values each of these attributes before making his decision.This rating of the subjective value of attributes is called ____.

Accepted Answer

Utility is the rating of the subjective value of attributes. Therefore, option A is the correct choice. Option B, C, and D are irrelevant to the given scenario.

Question 15

Hannah knows her patient has muscle pain and suspects a strained muscle.She then asks the patient only about symptoms associated with a strained muscle and not about symptoms associated with other conditions involving muscle pain.Hannah is exhibiting ____.

Accepted Answer

Hannah is exhibiting confirmation bias by only considering symptoms that align with her initial hypothesis of a strained muscle and not considering other possible conditions that could be causing the muscle pain.

Question 16

When asked why she decided to attend the University of Illinois over all the other Big Ten schools,Dornita said that the school's proximity to home was a major reason.The importance Dornita places on proximity is called ____.

Accepted Answer

The importance that Dornita places on proximity is a reflection of the utility that she derives from attending a school close to home. Utility is the subjective value or satisfaction that an individual derives from a particular outcome or decision.

Question 17

Leslie visits her garden to discover that her tomatoes and beans have been eaten by an animal.Certain it's a deer,she constructs a fence around the garden.A week later,the vegetables have been eaten again,so she installs an even taller fence.Leslie has not considered that an animal may be burrowing into her garden,likely because ____.

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic refers to the phenomenon where people make judgments or decisions based on easily accessible information or examples. In this case, Leslie may have assumed that a deer was responsible for the damage because it was the most easily accessible or common animal in her area that could cause such damage. Therefore, she may have overlooked the possibility of another animal or a different cause for the damage.

Question 18

Lola loves to gamble at the casino boats.She tells you that even though the odds of winning big are low,she is certain that she can win back at least the same amount of money she pays into the slot machines.By determining the odds of winning on the machines,you use a simple equation to show Lola that her ____ is actually negative,and therefore,she should not play the machines if she wants to come out ahead.

Accepted Answer

The equation that Lola needs to understand is the expected value, which takes into account the probability of winning and the amount that can be won. If the expected value is negative, it means that on average, she will lose money over time. Therefore, Lola should not play the machines if she wants to come out ahead. The other answer choices are not relevant to the situation.

Question 19

Yasuo has played a slot machine at a riverboat casino nine straight times and lost on each play.He believes that he will win on the tenth play because "he is due." Yasuo is exhibiting ____.

Accepted Answer

The gambler's fallacy is the belief that the probability of a specific event occurring increases after repeated failures. In Yasuo's case, he believes that he is "due" for a win because he has lost nine times in a row, which is an example of the gambler's fallacy.

Question 20

Ashley learns that if her car does not start on the first try,pressing the gas pedal before trying to start it again will get the car to work.The next time Ashley's car does not start,she tries pressing the gas pedal,but this does not work.She concludes that her car needs repairs and does not notice that she is simply out of gas.Ashley is experiencing ____.

Accepted Answer

Ashley is experiencing a mental set, which is a tendency to approach situations in a certain way because that method worked in the past. She applied the same solution (pressing the gas pedal) without considering other possibilities, like being out of gas.

Quiz 7: Thought and Language