Question 1

Cognitive biases are:&#10;A) systematic distortions of otherwise correct thinking processes&#10;B) biases that happen due to inauthentic behavior&#10;C) a term to describe someone's racial prejudices&#10;D) misperceptions that happen when one is emotional&#10;E) none of the above

Accepted Answer

Cognitive biases are systematic errors in thinking that affect the decisions and judgments that people make. They are often a result of the brain's attempt to simplify information processing. They are not necessarily related to inauthentic behavior, racial prejudices, or only occurring when one is emotional, but rather are pervasive effects on human cognition.

Question 2

Cognitive errors are:&#10;A) errors based on one's lack of intelligence or authenticity&#10;B) mistakes in thinking, or deviations from normal, &#34;correct&#34; thinking processes&#10;C) racial prejudices in one's thinking&#10;D) misperceptions that happen when one is emotional&#10;E) none of the above

Accepted Answer

Cognitive errors are essentially mistakes in our thinking processes, where we deviate from what is considered logical or "correct" thinking. These errors are not necessarily related to intelligence, authenticity, racial prejudices, or emotional states, but rather to the way we process and interpret information.

Question 3

Thinking about the ways that we think is called:&#10;A) cognitive psychology&#10;B) uber-cognition&#10;C) supracognition&#10;D) metacognition&#10;E) none of the above

Accepted Answer

Metacognition refers to the awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes. It involves thinking about one's own thinking, which is the definition provided in the question.

Question 4

Media bias is:&#10;A) another term for cognitive bias&#10;B) prejudice and stereotyping against the media, particularly by advocacy groups&#10;C) intentional and purposeful slanting of the news to a specific viewpoint or ideology&#10;D) the mental processing that influences our perceptions and our reasoning&#10;E) none of the above

Accepted Answer

Media bias refers to the intentional and purposeful slanting of news and information to reflect a specific viewpoint or ideology, often to influence public opinion or perceptions.

Question 5

Which of the following phrases is best described by this definition: Biases toward conflict, toward the new and shocking, toward a narrative structure and toward expediency?&#10;A) cognitive biases&#10;B) cognitive errors&#10;C) biases in professional journalism&#10;D) heuristic devices&#10;E) none of the above

Accepted Answer

The definition provided describes biases in professional journalism. These biases include a preference for stories that are conflict-driven, novel, structured as narratives, and timely, reflecting the tendencies of media professionals to select and frame news stories in ways that attract audience interest and engagement.

Question 6

What is reflective practice?&#10;A) the practice of identifying and evaluating automatic perceptions and judgments that have grown up around repeated experience&#10;B) something that professionals can do to improve their performance on the job&#10;C) another term for experiential learning&#10;D) a subset of metacognition&#10;E) A and B

Accepted Answer

Reflective practice involves both identifying and evaluating automatic perceptions and judgments (A) and is a method professionals use to improve their job performance (B). It is more specific than experiential learning (C) and, while related to metacognition (D), is not merely a subset of it.

Question 7

Learning by doing is also called:&#10;A) experiential learning&#10;B) reflective practice&#10;C) theory-based learning&#10;D) educating in action&#10;E) none of the above

Accepted Answer

Experiential learning is the process of learning through experience, and is more specifically defined as "learning through reflection on doing," which aligns with the concept of "learning by doing."

Question 8

The four steps of experiential learning for journalists, in order, are:&#10;A) do journalism, apply the strategy on the next story; reflect on performance, form an improvement strategy&#10;B) do journalism; reflect on performance; form an improvement strategy; apply the strategy on the next story.&#10;C) reflect on performance; form an improvement strategy; apply the strategy on the next story; do journalism&#10;D) form an improvement strategy; do journalism; apply the strategy on the next story; reflect on performance.&#10;E) none of the above

Accepted Answer

The correct sequence for experiential learning, particularly in journalism, involves first doing journalism, then reflecting on the performance, followed by forming an improvement strategy based on that reflection, and finally applying the strategy on the next story. This cycle ensures continuous learning and improvement.

Question 9

A beat blog, talking with sources, hearing from critics and reviewing reader/viewer/listener comments are all examples of:&#10;A) experiential learning&#10;B) feedback&#10;C) website development&#10;D) comment analysis&#10;E) all of the above

Accepted Answer

These activities are all forms of receiving feedback, which is crucial for understanding audience reactions, improving content, and engaging with the community.

Question 10

An example of an improvement strategy is:&#10;A) familiarizing oneself with local slang before a neighborhood interview&#10;B) dressing more appropriately for a conservative setting&#10;C) doing research to separate rhetoric from fact&#10;D) learning the differences between subcultures within an immigrant group&#10;E) all of the above

Accepted Answer

Each option represents a strategy to improve understanding, communication, or adaptability in different contexts, which are all aspects of an improvement strategy.

Deck 2: Habits of Thought