Question 1

The so-called "Sports Illustrated jinx"-the tendency for athletes to experience a dip in performance directly after appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated-can be best explained by ____.

Accepted Answer

Statistical regression, or regression to the mean, explains the "Sports Illustrated jinx" as athletes who perform exceptionally well are likely to appear on the cover, but their subsequent performance naturally regresses to their average, making it seem like a curse when it's actually a statistical inevitability.

Question 2

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 ____.

Accepted Answer

Jacob's decision to stick with his initial answer despite uncertainty is an example of the first instinct fallacy, which is the tendency to stick with initial judgments or decisions, even when new information suggests they may be incorrect.

Question 3

Sometimes people blow on dice when playing a board game to make sure they get the numbers they need to advance in the game. When people believe they can affect the dice by blowing on them they are experiencing the ____.

Accepted Answer

The illusion of control is the belief that people can influence random events through their actions or decisions. In the case of blowing on dice in a board game, people believe they can control the outcome of the roll, when in reality it is purely random. The other answer choices do not accurately describe this phenomenon.

Question 4

Research demonstrates that, in counterfactual thinking, people engage in far more ____ than ____.

Accepted Answer

Upward counterfactual thinking involves imagining better alternatives to past events, which people tend to engage in more frequently than downward counterfactual thinking, where worse alternatives are imagined. This is often motivated by a desire to learn from past mistakes and improve future outcomes.

Question 5

"If only I had decided to take a different route home, I wouldn't have hit that stupid tree and ended up getting this huge ticket! Argh!" This thought is an example of ____.

Accepted Answer

This thought demonstrates counterfactual thinking, which involves imagining alternative outcomes to a situation that has already occurred. The individual is reflecting on how their actions (taking a different route home) could have led to a different outcome (not hitting a tree and avoiding a ticket).

Question 6

Joe takes on his sister's view that all people from "up north" are snobs. Later, Joe learns that his sister's opinion was based on the fact that her boyfriend from "up north" recently dumped her. Yet Joe persists in his belief that people from "up north" are snobby. This best illustrates the ____ effect.

Accepted Answer

Joe's persistence in his belief even after learning the true basis of his sister's opinion suggests that he is experiencing theory perseverance. This phenomenon occurs when people persist in their beliefs despite contradictory evidence. In this case, Joe's initial acceptance of his sister's belief may have activated pre-existing stereotypes or biases he held about people from "up north," causing him to maintain his belief even after learning the true basis of his sister's opinion.

Question 7

Suppose that Mr. Yipol gives 100 students a reading exam. He then selects the five students with the highest scores for a special reading program. At the end of the reading program, he administers the same reading exam again. To Mr. Yipol's astonishment, though, the students actually perform worse this time. While it might well be the case that the reading program actually negatively impacted the students' reading ability, Mr. Yipol would be wise to consider that the decrease could be due to ____.

Accepted Answer

Statistical regression, also known as regression to the mean, is a statistical phenomenon in which extreme scores on a test tend to move closer to the average score when the test is repeated. This means that if Mr. Yipol selected the five students with the highest scores on the first exam, it's likely that their scores would have decreased, even if they hadn't undergone the reading program. Therefore, Mr. Yipol should be cautious in attributing the decrease in scores solely to the reading program.

Question 8

When engaged in debate over especially contentious issues such as racism, religious bias, or marriage equality, people who have polar opposite views often believe that their own views of those the majority. This illustrates the ____ effect.

Accepted Answer

The false consensus effect refers to the tendency for people to overestimate the extent to which others share their beliefs or opinions. In the context of the given scenario, people holding polar opposite views tend to believe that their own views are shared by the majority, and thus, exhibit the false consensus effect.

Question 9

According to the false consensus effect, most people ____.

Accepted Answer

The false consensus effect refers to the tendency for individuals to overestimate the extent to which their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are shared by others. They assume that their opinions are widely held and representative of the majority when, in fact, they may not be. This can lead individuals to believe that their views are more normal or acceptable than they actually are, which can result in a failure to recognize alternative perspectives and consider other viewpoints.

Question 10

The belief that one should not change an answer on a test, even if additional consideration has led one to believe another answer might be the correct one, is called the ____.

Accepted Answer

The first instinct fallacy is the belief that the initial response or answer to a question is usually correct and should not be changed. Therefore, the best choice in this scenario is D. The other options do not accurately describe this belief. The false consensus effect is the tendency to overestimate how much others share our beliefs or behaviors. Magical thinking refers to superstitious or irrational beliefs that events are influenced by supernatural forces. Contamination refers to the introduction of unwanted variables or substances into a sample or experiment.

Question 11

The illusion of control tends to produce ____.

Accepted Answer

The illusion of control is the belief that we have more control over outcomes than we actually do. This commonly leads to individuals feeling more confident in their abilities to make risky decisions, such as gambling or playing the stock market, because they believe they have more control over the outcome than they actually do. Therefore, the illusion of control tends to produce more risky behavior.

Question 12

Suppose that a coin is flipped 20 times. The first 19 flips are all heads. Is the last flip more likely to be heads, more likely to be tails, or equally likely to be heads or tails? When people engage in the gambler's fallacy, they ____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Suppose that a coin is flipped 20...

Question 13

Theory perseverance is the idea that ____.

Accepted Answer

Theory perseverance is the idea that once the mind draws a conclusion or forms a theory, it tends to stick with it, even if new evidence points to the need for a change. This cognitive bias can hinder scientific progress as well as affect decision making in other areas of life. Option B is partially correct, but it only addresses the role of evidence in science, not the cognitive bias of individuals to stick to their own conclusions. Option C is a false statement as social conformity does not necessarily lead to the success of a theory. Option D is partially correct, but it only considers the consistency of a theory, not the human tendency to stick to a conclusion even in the face of contradicting evidence.

Question 14

Which of the following kinds of thinking can help explain the first instinct fallacy?

Accepted Answer

Counterfactual thinking involves imagining alternative scenarios and outcomes that could have happened, which can lead to the belief that one's first instinct was correct, even if it wasn't.

Question 15

People apply the ____ exclusively to their own desirable behaviors.

Accepted Answer

The false uniqueness effect is the tendency for people to overestimate the uniqueness of their own desirable behaviors and underestimate the extent to which others engage in similar behaviors. Therefore, people apply the false uniqueness effect exclusively to their own desirable behaviors. The gain-loss effect refers to the fact that people often appreciate things more when they work hard to obtain them, the fundamental attribution error is the tendency for people to attribute others' behaviors to dispositional factors rather than situational factors, and the self-fulfilling prophecy is a phenomenon in which people's beliefs and expectations about others can lead them to behave in ways that ultimately confirm those beliefs and expectations. None of these concepts are directly related to the idea that people apply the false uniqueness effect exclusively to their own desirable behaviors.

Question 16

The false consensus effect refers to the tendency for people to ____.

Accepted Answer

The false consensus effect refers to the tendency for people to overestimate the number of people who agree with them, leading them to perceive their own attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors as more commonplace than they actually are.

Question 17

The belief that people can control totally chance situations is the ____.

Accepted Answer

The illusion of control refers to the belief that people have that they can control outcomes of chance situations, even though the outcomes are completely outside of their control.

Question 18

Tom believes that he is exceptionally insightful when it comes to understanding and helping others. In fact, he brags that he is probably one in a million when it comes to insight. Assuming Tom is not quite as special as he thinks he is, Tom's perception of himself most likely reflects the ____ effect.

Accepted Answer

The false uniqueness effect is the tendency for people to underestimate the commonality of their abilities and their desirable or successful behaviors, and to overestimate their uniqueness or distinctiveness. Tom's belief that he is one in a million when it comes to insight suggests that he is overestimating his uniqueness and underestimating the commonality of other people's abilities to understand and help others.

Question 19

Which of the following is an explanation for the false consensus effect, but not an explanation for the false uniqueness effect?

Accepted Answer

The false consensus effect occurs when individuals overestimate how much others share their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Using themselves as an "anchor" when judging others is a cognitive bias that explains why people might assume their own views are more common than they actually are. This is specific to the false consensus effect and does not explain the false uniqueness effect, which involves underestimating how common one's abilities and positive behaviors are among others.

Question 20

Research indicates that people are especially likely to engage in the false consensus effect when it comes to ____, and especially likely to engage in the false uniqueness effect when it comes to ____.

Accepted Answer

The false consensus effect occurs when people overestimate how much others share their beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors, often seen with their undesirable characteristics. Conversely, the false uniqueness effect is when individuals think their positive qualities or abilities are more unique than they actually are, typically regarding their desirable characteristics.

Quiz 5: Social Cognition