Question 1

The representativeness heuristic leads us to _____.

Accepted Answer

The representativeness heuristic is a mental shortcut that involves judging the likelihood of an event or situation occurring based on how similar it is to the typical case or category. It means we often judge the probability of category membership by how much an individual instance resembles our mental representation of that category.

Question 2

A heritability estimate of 100 percent for intelligence in a given population means that the variation in intelligence for this population is determined _____.

Accepted Answer

A heritability estimate of 100 percent for intelligence means that all variations in intelligence in the given population are due to genetics and not environmental experiences.

Question 3

Mistakenly believing that two events are related is called _____.

Accepted Answer

Illusory correlation is the mistaken belief that two events are related when they are not, and can lead to misconceptions and stereotypes. Functional fixedness is the tendency to think of an object only for its typical use and not for other possible uses. The Flynn effect refers to the increase of IQ scores over time due to cultural and educational advancements. The conjunction fallacy is the mistaken belief that a specific combination of events is more probable than the individual events alone.

Question 4

If you compute the area of a room by using the formula length $\times$ width = area, you are using _____.

Accepted Answer

The formula length x width = area is a set of step-by-step instructions, making it an algorithm. It is a precise method for computing the area of a room. Heuristics are mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that may not always result in the correct answer. The conjunction rule and the anchoring and adjustment heuristic are not applicable to this scenario.

Question 5

The folding problem in which you are asked to estimate the thickness of a 0.1 millimeter sheet of paper folded in on itself 100 times illustrates how the _____ can lead to dramatic underestimates of the correct answer to an estimation problem.

Accepted Answer

The anchoring and adjustment heuristic is when people rely too heavily on the first piece of information they are given (the anchor) and adjust insufficiently from that starting point. In this problem, people may anchor on their knowledge of the thickness of a single sheet of paper (0.1 millimeter) and fail to adjust adequately for the compounding effect of folding it 100 times, leading to a dramatic underestimation of the correct answer. The other heuristics listed do not apply as directly to this specific problem.

Question 6

Which statement about test reliability and validity is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A test must be reliable (consistent in its measurements) to be valid (accurate in measuring what it is supposed to measure), but a test can be reliable without being valid.

Question 7

Which intelligence theorist proposed three types of intelligence-analytical, practical, and creative?

Accepted Answer

Robert Sternberg proposed the triarchic theory of intelligence, which includes three types of intelligence: analytical intelligence (academic problem-solving), practical intelligence (street smarts), and creative intelligence (innovative thinking).

Question 8

In the 2-4-6 problem, participants demonstrate _____ in testing their hypotheses.

Accepted Answer

In the 2-4-6 problem, participants often demonstrate confirmation bias by testing hypotheses in a way that would only confirm their existing beliefs rather than challenge them. They tend to select number sequences that fit their initial rule hypothesis, ignoring sequences that could disprove it.

Question 9

Overestimating the probability of dying in an airplane crash is likely the result of using the _____.

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic involves making judgments based on the ease with which examples come to mind. When it comes to airplane crashes, they tend to receive a significant amount of media attention, leading people to overestimate their likelihood of occurring.

Question 10

A person who questions the validity of the research findings that indicate smoking leads to health problems because he knows someone who has smoked most of his life and has no health problems is using _____.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of "person-who reasoning," where an individual's argument or belief is based on anecdotal evidence from a single or a few cases, rather than on broader statistical or scientific evidence.

Question 11

Which intelligence theorist emphasized the g factor?

Accepted Answer

Spearman emphasized the g factor in his theory of intelligence, which suggests that intelligence is a single general factor that underlies all mental abilities.

Question 12

The Flynn effect refers to the observation that average intelligence test scores in the United States and other Western industrialized nations have _____ over the past century.

Accepted Answer

The Flynn effect refers to the increase in average intelligence test scores in industrialized nations over the past century.

Question 13

The intelligence test scores for _____ are most strongly correlated.

Accepted Answer

Identical twins share 100% of their genetic material, whereas fraternal twins share only 50%. Therefore, if intelligence is largely determined by genetics, we would expect to see a higher correlation in the intelligence test scores of identical twins reared apart compared to any other group.

Question 14

The tendency to think of only the most typical uses of objects in a problem setting is called _____.

Accepted Answer

Functional fixedness is the tendency to think of objects only in terms of their typical use or function, which can hinder problem-solving abilities. Fixation and anchoring refer to different cognitive biases that can also affect problem-solving. Mental set refers to the tendency to approach a problem in a certain way based on past experiences, which can also limit one's ability to find new solutions.

Question 15

In the Linda problem, if you judge that it is more likely that Linda is a bank teller and active in the feminist movement than that Linda is a bank teller, you are using the _____ heuristic and committing the _____ fallacy.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of using the representativeness heuristic, where people judge probabilities based on the degree to which the situation is representative of their stereotypes or knowledge, leading to the conjunction fallacy, which occurs when it is assumed that specific conditions are more probable than a single general one.

Quiz 6: Section 3: Thinking and Intelligence

The representativeness heuristic leads us to _____.

A heritability estimate of 100 percent for intelligence in a given population means that the variation in intelligence for this population is determined _____.

Mistakenly believing that two events are related is called _____.

If you compute the area of a room by using the formula length $\times$ width = area, you are using _____.

The folding problem in which you are asked to estimate the thickness of a 0.1 millimeter sheet of paper folded in on itself 100 times illustrates how the _____ can lead to dramatic underestimates of the correct answer to an estimation problem.

Which statement about test reliability and validity is FALSE?

Which intelligence theorist proposed three types of intelligence-analytical, practical, and creative?

In the 2-4-6 problem, participants demonstrate _____ in testing their hypotheses.

Overestimating the probability of dying in an airplane crash is likely the result of using the _____.

A person who questions the validity of the research findings that indicate smoking leads to health problems because he knows someone who has smoked most of his life and has no health problems is using _____.

Which intelligence theorist emphasized the g factor?

The Flynn effect refers to the observation that average intelligence test scores in the United States and other Western industrialized nations have _____ over the past century.

The intelligence test scores for _____ are most strongly correlated.

The tendency to think of only the most typical uses of objects in a problem setting is called _____.

In the Linda problem, if you judge that it is more likely that Linda is a bank teller and active in the feminist movement than that Linda is a bank teller, you are using the _ heuristic and committing the _ fallacy.

Quiz 6: Section 3: Thinking and Intelligence

The representativeness heuristic leads us to _____.

A heritability estimate of 100 percent for intelligence in a given population means that the variation in intelligence for this population is determined _____.

Mistakenly believing that two events are related is called _____.

If you compute the area of a room by using the formula length ×\times× width = area, you are using _____.

The folding problem in which you are asked to estimate the thickness of a 0.1 millimeter sheet of paper folded in on itself 100 times illustrates how the _____ can lead to dramatic underestimates of the correct answer to an estimation problem.

Which statement about test reliability and validity is FALSE?

Which intelligence theorist proposed three types of intelligence-analytical, practical, and creative?

In the 2-4-6 problem, participants demonstrate _____ in testing their hypotheses.

Overestimating the probability of dying in an airplane crash is likely the result of using the _____.

A person who questions the validity of the research findings that indicate smoking leads to health problems because he knows someone who has smoked most of his life and has no health problems is using _____.

Which intelligence theorist emphasized the g factor?

The Flynn effect refers to the observation that average intelligence test scores in the United States and other Western industrialized nations have _____ over the past century.

The intelligence test scores for _____ are most strongly correlated.

The tendency to think of only the most typical uses of objects in a problem setting is called _____.

In the Linda problem, if you judge that it is more likely that Linda is a bank teller and active in the feminist movement than that Linda is a bank teller, you are using the _____ heuristic and committing the _____ fallacy.

If you compute the area of a room by using the formula length $\times$ width = area, you are using _____.

In the Linda problem, if you judge that it is more likely that Linda is a bank teller and active in the feminist movement than that Linda is a bank teller, you are using the _ heuristic and committing the _ fallacy.