Question 1

In a new reality TV show, people from different cultures are put into situations where they must solve a series of problems. On the first day, they receive an instruction booklet that gives them their first problem. They must start a fire in a fire pit, but the wood next to the fire pit is wet. Based on evidence about cultural effects on problem solving, which of the following actions would you expect from a contestant who has a field independent style?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In a new reality TV show, people...

Question 2

Max is using a consumer buying guide to help him decide which cars would be good to buy. Max decides not to buy any car with a mechanical reliability rating of less than six, a crash rating of less than seven, a leg-room rating of less than five, and a fuel efficiency rating of less than six. Which strategy is Max using?

Accepted Answer

Max is using the elimination by aspects strategy by eliminating cars that do not meet his criteria for mechanical reliability, crash rating, leg-room, and fuel efficiency. This strategy involves eliminating options that do not meet certain criteria until only one option remains.

Question 3

If you estimate the probability of an event based on how similar it is to the prototype of that event, which heuristic are you using?

Accepted Answer

The representativeness heuristic involves judging the probability of an event based on how similar it is to the prototype of that event. This can lead to errors in judgement as the prototype may not accurately reflect the true probability of the event occurring.

Question 4

According to definitions in your text, when people decide to place bets on horse races, games of chance, and athletic events, what are they doing?

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to definitions in your text, when...

Question 5

In a new reality TV show, people from different cultures are put into situations where they must solve a series of problems. On the first day, they receive an instruction booklet that gives them their first problem. They must start a fire in a fire pit, but the wood next to the fire pit is wet. Based on evidence about cultural effects on problem solving, which of the following actions would you expect from a contestant who has a holistic, yet field dependent style?

Accepted Answer

A contestant with a holistic, yet field dependent style is likely to look at the entire environment as a whole and consider all options before making a decision. Therefore, they would most likely explore the area to find dry wood that could be used to start the fire.

Question 6

Individuals from East Asian cultures tend to focus on context and the relationships among elements in a field. What is this cognitive style called?

Accepted Answer

The cognitive style where individuals from East Asian cultures focus on context and relationships among elements in a field is called holistic. They tend to see things as interconnected and consider the bigger picture rather than breaking things down into individual components (analytic). This is also referred to as a "big picture" thinking style.

Question 7

Which type of individual is more likely to experience functional fixedness when attempting to solve a problem?

Accepted Answer

Field dependent individuals tend to rely more on context and external cues when solving problems. This reliance on context may make it more difficult for them to see beyond the typical use or function of an object, leading to functional fixedness. In contrast, field independent individuals tend to rely more on internal information and are more likely to think outside the box, making them less likely to experience functional fixedness.

Question 8

Which of the following provides evidence that our decisions about preferences are often based on information that should be irrelevant?

Accepted Answer

The fact that people rate identical wines differently based on price tags suggests that the price tag is providing irrelevant information about the quality of the wine, but still impacting people's preferences. This shows that irrelevant information can influence our preferences. The other options (A, C, and D) provide evidence of other aspects of human decision-making, but do not directly address the influence of irrelevant information on preferences.

Question 9

Which type of culture facilitates a field dependent style?

Accepted Answer

Societies that are sedentary and depend on agriculture usually have a more collectivistic culture, which emphasizes social harmony and cooperation, rather than individualism. This type of culture tends to facilitate a field-dependent style of thinking, which emphasizes the relationships and interdependence among objects or people, rather than their attributes or characteristics.

Question 10

If you are using the availability heuristic, what are you using to estimate the probability of an event?

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic involves using the ease with which relevant instances of the event come to mind to estimate its probability. So, option A is the correct answer. Option B (how long it has been since the event last occurred) and option D (how similar it is to the prototype of that event) may be used in other types of heuristics, but not in the availability heuristic. Option C (whether the event occurs in combination with another event) does not relate to the availability heuristic.

Question 11

Based on a past experience that involved temper tantrums, Sue decides not to take her two five-year-old grandsons to the movies at the same time. Which decision-making strategy is Sue using?

Accepted Answer

Sue is using the availability heuristic by relying on her past experience with temper tantrums to make her decision. She is using the most immediately available information to guide her decision-making.

Question 12

Imagine you have a problem to solve that has some similarities to problems you have previously solved. If focusing on the similarities leads you relatively quickly to a solution, then which heuristic do you benefit from?

Accepted Answer

Searching for analogies involves finding similarities between the current problem and previously solved problems. If these similarities lead to a solution, then this heuristic has been effective in solving the problem.

Question 13

What is decision making?

Accepted Answer

Decision making involves evaluating multiple alternatives and selecting the best one. Option B correctly describes this process. Options A, C, and D all describe various aspects of problem solving, which is related to but not the same as decision making.

Question 14

Which strategy do people tend to use when making a decision involving relatively few options?

Accepted Answer

When making a decision involving relatively few options, people tend to use an additive strategy where they weigh the pros and cons of each option and assign points or values to each criterion before adding up the scores to arrive at a decision. This strategy works well when there are few options to consider and when the decision involves complex or subjective criteria.

Question 15

What is the term used to describe people who rely on internal frames of reference when orienting themselves in space, and who also tend to analyze and try to restructure the physical environment rather than accepting it as it is?

Accepted Answer

Individuals who rely on internal frames of reference and tend to analyze and restructure their physical environment are considered field independent. They rely less on external cues and instead use their own perceptions and cognitive processes to navigate and understand their surroundings.

Question 16

Sheila is trying to decide between being a psychology major and being a biology major. As part of her decision, she makes a list of all the courses that she is interested in taking in each discipline. She puts a star next to courses that are particularly appealing. What strategy is Sheila using?

Accepted Answer

Sheila is using the additive strategy, where she lists and evaluates the appealing aspects of each option to make a decision.

Question 17

Why do cognitive psychologists focus on the mistakes that people tend to make in decision making?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive psychologists focus on mistakes in decision making because understanding these errors can provide insight into the normal process of decision making. By identifying common errors, psychologists can develop strategies to improve decision making for individuals and society as a whole. Additionally, by studying how and why mistakes occur, researchers can uncover potential cognitive biases and limitations in the human brain.

Question 18

Darcy enjoys a day at the racetrack and doesn't really care if she ends up with a little more or little less money at the end of the day. What most likely influences Darcy's decision to go to the racetrack?

Accepted Answer

Darcy's decision is most likely influenced by subjective utility, which refers to the personal satisfaction or enjoyment she may gain from the experience of going to the racetrack. She does not seem to be primarily focused on the potential financial gains or losses (expected value) or any objective measures of utility (objective utility). The option of unexpected value is not relevant in this case as Darcy does not seem to have any specific expectations about the outcome of her betting at the racetrack.

Question 19

Ella and her team are struggling to come up with a way to promote a new product in an advertising campaign. They seem to have hit a barrier in their discussions and they are not able to make decisions or solve immediate problems. Ella suggests that they all go home and 'sleep on it', and start fresh the next day. What is a likely benefit of Ella's suggestion?

Accepted Answer

Ella's suggestion to take a break and come back fresh the next day is an example of the incubation effect. This effect refers to the unconscious processing that occurs when we stop actively working on a problem and take a break. When we come back to the problem later, we may have new insights and be better able to solve the problem. This is because our brains continue to work on the problem even when we are not consciously thinking about it.

Question 20

In order to decide which car to buy, Jaleel makes a list of desired qualities and rates each of the cars he is considering on a scale of one to ten. After totalling the points each car receives on all the desired qualities, he is going to purchase the car with the most points. Which decision-making strategy is Jaleel using?

Accepted Answer

Jaleel is using the additive decision-making strategy, where he is adding up the points each car receives on all the desired qualities before making a purchase decision.

Quiz 8: B: Language and Thought