Passage
Almost 70% of Americans today are either overweight or obese, but only 34% think they weigh too much. This is in contrast to 1990, when 54% of Americans were overweight or obese and 46% reported being at least somewhat overweight. In other words, the gap between what we weigh and what we think we weigh is getting bigger.Epidemiologists argue that this discrepancy can be partly explained by the widespread resetting of norms regarding "normal weight" and "obesity." As close friends, coworkers, and family members gain weight, one's concept of what a body of acceptable weight looks like becomes modified. What was once considered overweight is now considered the norm, if only because it is so common (Figure 1) .
Figure 1 Actual vs. ideal weight (in pounds) for Americans, 1990-2015This sheds new light on recent efforts to stop the obesity epidemic in America. Experts have long contended that awareness efforts don't work because overweight individuals are already aware that they are overweight and that obesity causes health problems. These latest data suggest that many overweight Americans don't even realize that they are overweight. Epidemiologists are now suggesting that a more successful strategy to get Americans to lose weight might be to first succeed at convincing them that being overweight is not normal.
-Based on the information in the final paragraph, a successful strategy for promoting weight loss would be to counteract which cognitive bias?

Question

Passage
Almost 70% of Americans today are either overweight or obese, but only 34% think they weigh too much. This is in contrast to 1990, when 54% of Americans were overweight or obese and 46% reported being at least somewhat overweight. In other words, the gap between what we weigh and what we think we weigh is getting bigger.Epidemiologists argue that this discrepancy can be partly explained by the widespread resetting of norms regarding "normal weight" and "obesity." As close friends, coworkers, and family members gain weight, one's concept of what a body of acceptable weight looks like becomes modified. What was once considered overweight is now considered the norm, if only because it is so common (Figure 1) .

Figure 1 Actual vs. ideal weight (in pounds) for Americans, 1990-2015This sheds new light on recent efforts to stop the obesity epidemic in America. Experts have long contended that awareness efforts don't work because overweight individuals are already aware that they are overweight and that obesity causes health problems. These latest data suggest that many overweight Americans don't even realize that they are overweight. Epidemiologists are now suggesting that a more successful strategy to get Americans to lose weight might be to first succeed at convincing them that being overweight is not normal.
-Based on the information in the final paragraph, a successful strategy for promoting weight loss would be to counteract which cognitive bias?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

11ecba2d_0d0b_1f86_a3bf_dd92a613bb63_MD0008_00 Confirmation bias is a type of cognitive bias (common error in thinking) in which individuals tend to embrace evidence supporting their beliefs, dismiss or ignore evidence refuting their beliefs, and interpret ambiguous evidence as support. For example, an individual who prefers a particular presidential candidate might listen only to media reports predicting a win while ignoring other evidence that the candidate will lose. According to the passage, overweight Americans may not realize they are overweight due to changing social norms about acceptable body size. As others (friends, coworkers) gain weight, being overweight tends to look increasingly normal, making it easier to believe that being too heavy is merely average. In other words, overweight Americans might look only at evidence confirming their belief that their own weight is normal, ignoring evidence that it is not. Therefore, a successful strategy for promoting weight loss would be to counteract confirmation bias. (Choice B) Self-serving bias occurs when success is credited to internal factors but failure is blamed on external factors. For example, a good grade is attributed to being smart (internal), whereas a bad grade is attributed to the questions being unfair (external). The passage does not discuss how individuals attribute success or failure. (Choice C) Actor-observer bias occurs when an individual is more likely to blame his or her own bad behavior on external circumstances. For example, an individual may cut someone off in traffic, but would excuse their behavior due to running late. The passage does not discuss how individuals attribute their behavior. (Choice D) Hindsight bias is a cognitive bias in which an event is perceived as being likely or predictable after it has occurred, even if it was not likely to happen. For example, after a team scores an upset victory, people might declare that they knew it would happen all along. Educational objective: Confirmation bias is a type of cognitive bias in which an individual believes evidence supporting pre-existing beliefs, dismisses or ignores evidence refuting beliefs, and interprets ambiguous evidence as support.

Passage Almost 70% of Americans Today Are Either Overweight or Obese