Question 1

After learning that her two best friends had lost their jobs, Mariah began to grossly overestimate the national unemployment rate. Mariah's reaction best illustrates the consequences of

Accepted Answer

Mariah's overestimation of the national unemployment rate is likely due to the availability heuristic, which is the tendency to over-rely on easily accessible or memorable information when making judgments or decisions. In this case, Mariah's personal experience with her friends losing their jobs made unemployment rates more salient and accessible in her mind, leading her to overestimate the prevalence of unemployment in the broader population.

Question 2

Students were asked to figure out the rule used to devise the three-number sequence 2-4-6. After generating sets of three numbers to learn whether their sets met the rule, they typically convinced themselves of the wrong rule. Their errors best illustrate the impact of

Accepted Answer

The students' errors suggest that they were more inclined to search for information that confirmed their initial hypothesis about the rule, i.e., they were showing confirmation bias.

Question 3

Emotion-laden images of unusual but vivid cases of abducted children may lead many parents to experience exaggerated fears of letting their children walk to school. The exaggerated fears best illustrate the impact of

Accepted Answer

The exaggerated fears of parents in response to emotion-laden images is an example of the availability heuristic, where people make judgments based on the ease with which similar instances can be brought to mind. In this case, the media coverage of rare but sensationalized cases of child abduction makes these instances more available in people's minds, leading to exaggerated fears.

Question 4

Myra has such low self-esteem that she is often on the lookout for critical comments about her appearance and personality. Myra's behavior best illustrates the dangers of

Accepted Answer

Myra's behavior of seeking out only critical comments about herself is an example of confirmation bias, which is the tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms our preexisting beliefs and attitudes. In this case, Myra's low self-esteem is likely causing her to seek out negative opinions and ignore positive feedback.

Question 5

State lottery officials send residents a facsimile of a contest-winning check for over $5 million to encourage them to imagine themselves as possible winners. The lottery promoters are most clearly exploiting the influence of

Accepted Answer

The lottery officials are using the availability heuristic, as they are relying on people's tendency to overestimate the likelihood of events that are easy to remember or recall from memory. By sending a facsimile of a contest-winning check for over $5 million, they are making the idea of winning seem more vivid and easy to imagine, and therefore more salient in people's minds.

Question 6

Many people underestimate the number of nonfatal heart attacks because they are not as memorable as heart attacks resulting in death. This illustrates the shortcoming of relying on

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic is a cognitive bias where people tend to rely on easily available information when making judgments or decisions. In this case, people may rely on the more memorable and newsworthy heart attacks resulting in death, rather than considering the less memorable nonfatal heart attacks.

Question 7

A fixation refers to an inability to

Accepted Answer

A fixation means that someone is stuck on a particular way of thinking, so they cannot view a problem from a fresh perspective. Option A refers to categorization abilities, Option B is related to probabilistic thinking, and Option D refers to confirmation bias.

Question 8

A mental set is a

Accepted Answer

A mental set refers to the tendency to approach a problem in a way that has been successful in the past, often leading individuals to overlook other potential solutions. This can hinder creativity and problem-solving abilities. A, B, and D do not accurately describe a mental set.

Question 9

Kevin succeeds in getting his children to do chores by using threats. He fails to recognize that kindness would be even more effective in gaining their cooperation. Kevin's shortsightedness best illustrates a consequence of

Accepted Answer

Kevin's failure to recognize that kindness would be more effective in gaining his children's cooperation suggests that he is stuck in a mental set, or a tendency to approach problems in the same way that has worked in the past. He is unable to adapt to a new situation that requires a different approach to problem-solving.

Question 10

Steve was sure he answered at least 70 questions correctly on his biology test. In fact, he was right on only 55 items. Steve's misjudgment of his test performance illustrates

Accepted Answer

Steve's overestimation of his test performance despite evidence to the contrary is an example of overconfidence bias, which refers to the tendency to have more confidence in our judgments and abilities than is objectively warranted.

Question 11

Brainstorming sessions that encourage people to spontaneously suggest new and unusual solutions to a problem are designed to avoid

Accepted Answer

Brainstorming sessions are aimed at promoting divergent thinking and encouraging people to come up with novel solutions. This requires avoiding fixations, which are rigid and inflexible ways of thinking that impede creativity. Heuristics, prototypes, and semantics are not necessarily obstacles to creativity, and in some cases, they may even facilitate it.

Question 12

The availability heuristic refers to our tendency to

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut where we use the ease with which information comes to mind to judge the likelihood of events. This means that we tend to rely on memorable or easily accessible examples when making decisions or judgments. Option A refers to overconfidence bias, option C refers to confirmation bias, and option D refers to belief perseverance.

Question 13

After taking two years of economics courses, Lionel thinks he knows enough about business to become a millionaire. Lionel should become more aware of

Accepted Answer

Lionel is displaying overconfidence bias, which means he is too confident in his abilities and knowledge about the business. This can lead to poor decision making and failure in entrepreneurship. Knowing about the availability heuristic or bilingual advantage may not necessarily help him avoid this bias. Belief perseverance could be related but is not as directly applicable to Lionel's situation.

Question 14

Many people perceive carjackings as more serious threats to their lives than failing to use seat belts because carjackings are so much more memorable. This best illustrates the importance of

Accepted Answer

The scenario described in the question best illustrates the availability heuristic. This heuristic involves making judgments based on the ease with which examples or instances come to mind. In this case, carjackings may be perceived as a more serious threat because they are reported more frequently in the news and are therefore more readily available in people's minds, leading them to overestimate the likelihood of this event occurring.

Question 15

Many people overestimate how long they actually remain awake during restless nights because their moments of wakefulness are easier to recall than their moments of sleep. This best illustrates the impact of

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic is the cognitive shortcut in which individuals rely on information that is most readily available in their memory when making judgments or decisions. In this case, people overestimate the amount of time they spend awake during restless nights because their moments of wakefulness are more salient and easier to recall than their moments of sleep.

Question 16

People who demonstrate overconfidence are especially likely to

Accepted Answer

The answer of People who demonstrate overconfidence are especially likely...

Question 17

Failing to recognize our potential for error is best demonstrated by

Accepted Answer

Overconfidence refers to the tendency to overestimate one's abilities, knowledge or performance in certain areas, and underestimate potential for error or failure. This cognitive bias can lead to poor decision-making, as individuals may not seek additional information or guidance and may take unnecessary risks. The other options - linguistic determinism, availability heuristic, and framing - refer to different cognitive biases that also impact decision-making, but they do not specifically relate to the tendency to underestimate error.

Question 18

Our intuitions are feelings and thoughts that are best described as

Accepted Answer

Our intuitions are often automatic responses or reactions without conscious reasoning or explicit thought.

Question 19

In suggesting that our ancestral history has prepared us to fear snakes, psychologists are emphasizing that what we fear is influenced by

Accepted Answer

The suggestion that our ancestral history has prepared us to fear snakes implies that this fear is instinctual and therefore influenced by genetic factors.

Question 20

Students routinely underestimate how much time it will take them to complete assignments. This best illustrates the impact of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of overconfidence bias, as students are overconfident in their ability to complete the task within a certain amount of time.

Quiz 9: Thinking, Language, and Intelligence