Question 1

Seventy percent of the students in a classroom are women and 30 percent are men. One student is described as ambitious, athletic, and assertive. Why are most people likely to think this description refers to a male student?

Accepted Answer

The representativeness bias leads people to make judgments based on how similar something is to a typical or representative example. In our society, stereotypically, men are considered to be more ambitious, athletic, and assertive than women. Therefore, people might assume that the student being described as such is likely to be male, even though the gender distribution in the classroom is heavily skewed towards women.

Question 2

Many of the "flaws" in our reasoning abilities caused by our use of heuristics are the by-product of

Accepted Answer

Heuristics are mental shortcuts that help us make decisions quickly and efficiently. While they may lead to errors in judgment or decision-making, overall they are an adaptive strategy that helps us navigate a complex world with limited time and resources. Therefore, the flaws in our reasoning caused by the use of heuristics are not due to classical conditioning, insanity, fuzzy logic, or our changing brains, but rather are a necessary tradeoff for making quick and efficient decisions.

Question 3

The concept of the confirmation bias specifically assumes that we are most likely to believe

Accepted Answer

The confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out and believe information that supports our pre-existing beliefs or opinions. This means that we are more likely to accept information that agrees with our thinking, rather than information that refutes it.

Question 4

When solving a maze, some people start at the end. This strategy is known as

Accepted Answer

Working backward involves starting from the end goal and then attempting to figure out the steps to get there. This can be a useful strategy when solving mazes or other problems where the end goal is clear but the steps to get there are not immediately obvious. The other options (inversion, reversibility, means-ends analysis, and anchoring bias) do not accurately describe this strategy.

Question 5

One of the reasons that people use algorithms is that they

Accepted Answer

Algorithms are step-by-step procedures used to solve a particular problem. If they are executed properly, they will always give the correct output. Therefore, E is the best choice. A, B, and D are incorrect because algorithms may not always be intuitive or obvious, they must be precise, and they do not change over time unless they are updated by their creators. C is incorrect because algorithms can solve a wide range of problems, not just certain ones.

Question 6

Jada keeps spanking her children when they misbehave, even though it is obvious that this is not an effective form of punishment for her children. Why does Jada keep spanking?

Accepted Answer

Jada's behavior suggests that she has a mental set, or a fixed approach to problem-solving. She may believe that spanking is the only effective form of punishment and is resistant to considering other options.

Question 7

Which problem-solving strategy did the Wright brothers use to solve the challenge of powered human flight?

Accepted Answer

The Wright brothers broke the problem of powered human flight into subgoals, such as developing a light and powerful engine and designing a stable and controllable aircraft. They tackled and solved each subgoal one by one, ultimately achieving powered flight.

Question 8

Most people would guess that more women die of breast cancer than of heart disease, even though the opposite is true. People might be misled because we hear about breast cancer quite a bit in the media. Thus, we fall victim to

Accepted Answer

The availability bias occurs when we make judgments based on the examples or information that come to mind most easily. Since breast cancer is more frequently mentioned in the media, it is more easily available in our memory, leading us to overestimate its prevalence.

Question 9

Agatha Harkness-Smythe is determined to ban guns in the United States. This is a controversial topic and social scientists have debated whether the ownership of guns by citizens increases or decreases crime. Agatha could go to the library and look up studies on the linkage between guns and crime rates. Instead, Agatha just reads the local newspaper and only cuts out articles about robberies in which the "bad guy" used a firearm. Agatha is demonstrating

Accepted Answer

Agatha is demonstrating confirmation bias by only seeking out information that confirms her preexisting belief that guns should be banned, and ignoring information that contradicts it.

Question 10

Riley has figured out how to unlock his bedroom door with a paper clip. What has he most likely overcome in his new use of the paper clip?

Accepted Answer

Functional fixedness is a cognitive barrier that limits a person's ability to think about finding new uses for familiar objects. By using a paper clip to unlock his bedroom door, Riley has overcome functional fixedness by finding a new use for the object beyond its intended purpose.

Question 11

John learns about Michelle, a student at a state university in New York, who has blond hair, enjoys summer, and likes the beach. John assumes she is from California (given the stereotypes about women from California) despite the fact that over 85% of students at this state university are from New York. This is best explained by

Accepted Answer

John's assumption about Michelle's place of origin is based on his reliance on stereotypes rather than the base rate of where most of the students at the state university come from. This is an example of the representativeness bias.

Question 12

A loose screw on the visor causes it to drop down while Ben drives; however, he keeps forgetting to take a screwdriver out to the car to fix it. When he notices the visor drop again, he reaches into his pocket for a dime and uses it to tighten the screw holding the visor. What problem-solving difficulty did Ben overcome?

Accepted Answer

Ben was initially stuck in functional fixedness, assuming he needed a screwdriver to tighten the screw. However, he overcame this obstacle by using a dime as an alternative tool to solve the problem.

Question 13

You believe that a test is going to turn out badly, but then you get an A on that test. If you then tell friends that you knew all along that you would do well on the test, you are showing

Accepted Answer

The behavior described in the scenario is an example of hindsight bias, which is the tendency to perceive past events as more predictable than they actually were. In this case, the individual is revising their initial belief about their performance on the test to align with the outcome, suggesting that they always knew they would do well (even though this may not have been the case).

Question 14

A heuristic is BEST described as a

Accepted Answer

A heuristic is a mental shortcut or rule of thumb that allows individuals to make quick and simplified judgments or decisions without necessarily following a step-by-step process or guaranteeing success.

Question 15

An advantage of algorithms over heuristics is that

Accepted Answer

Algorithms guarantee a correct answer, whereas heuristics are simply educated guesses that may not always lead to the right solution.

Question 16

An advantage of using a heuristic over an algorithm is that the heuristic

Accepted Answer

One advantage of using a heuristic is that it can be quicker than an algorithm because it involves making educated guesses or estimates rather than following a set of predetermined steps. However, this speed comes at the cost of potentially sacrificing accuracy.

Question 17

The use of a(n) ________ in problem solving guarantees success, but using a(n) ________ does not guarantee success.

Accepted Answer

An algorithm is a step-by-step procedure that, if followed correctly, will always lead to a solution. Therefore, using an algorithm guarantees success in problem solving. On the other hand, using a heuristic (a mental shortcut or rule of thumb) does not guarantee success because it involves making an educated guess or estimation, which may not always be accurate.

Question 18

Alex and Barbara are asked to estimate the size of a crowd. Alex is asked whether the crowd is bigger or smaller than 10,000, whereas Barbara is asked whether the crowd is bigger or smaller than 2,000. The fact that Alex would give a larger estimate could best be explained by

Accepted Answer

Alex's estimate is influenced by the anchor of 10,000, which is a form of anchoring bias.

Question 19

Rob is preparing Chicken Baskini for Patty when he realizes that the chicken is supposed to be pounded out. So, he goes to the store to buy a cooking mallet. Rob never thought of using his rolling pin to flatten the chicken because of

Accepted Answer

Functional fixedness is the tendency to only use an object for its intended purpose and to overlook alternative uses. In this case, Rob never considered using his rolling pin because he only thought of it as a tool for making dough. This is an example of functional fixedness.

Question 20

A person who uses a drop of super glue to seal a paper cut on her finger has overcome the obstacle to effective problem solving called

Accepted Answer

Functional fixedness refers to the inability to see an object as having uses beyond its typical function. In this scenario, the person was able to see that super glue could serve as a sealant for her paper cut, rather than only recognizing its typical function as an adhesive.

Quiz 6: Thinking and Intelligence