Jacob is taking his economics final exam. He answers question #31 with "D" but isn't sure about it. After answering all the other questions, he goes back to 31 and starts to believe that perhaps "C" was the right answer. He decides to stick with "D," most likely because of ____.
A)downward counterfactual thinking
B)upward counterfactual thinking
C)debiasing
D)the first instinct fallacy

Question

Jacob is taking his economics final exam.  He answers question #31 with "D" but isn't sure about it.  After answering all the other questions, he goes back to 31 and starts to believe that perhaps "C" was the right answer.  He decides to stick with "D," most likely because of ____.
A)downward counterfactual thinking
B)upward counterfactual thinking
C)debiasing
D)the first instinct fallacy

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Jacob's decision to stick with his initial answer, despite reconsidering it, is an example of the first instinct fallacy. This fallacy is the mistaken belief that one's first answer on a test is more likely to be correct than a changed answer.

Jacob Is Taking His Economics Final Exam