Question 1

_____ uses established rules to draw conclusions,whereas in _____,such rules are not established,and we may not know the consequences of the decisions.

Accepted Answer

Reasoning uses established rules and logical thinking to draw conclusions based on available information, while decision making involves choosing a course of action from various options. Heuristics are mental shortcuts that provide quick and easy solutions to problems, while algorithms are step-by-step procedures that guarantee a correct solution to a problem. Creativity involves generating novel and valuable ideas, which may not have established rules or guidelines to follow. Therefore, the best choice is A, as reasoning involves established rules, whereas decision making may involve some uncertainty and weighing of options.

Question 2

What is the primary disadvantage of using algorithms?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the primary disadvantage of using...

Question 3

Every week during football season,Fred and his friends have fun following the local high school teams.Before the games,Fred never really talks too much about how the games will turn out.On Monday,however,it is a different scenario altogether.Fred is more than happy to share with his friends that the games came out exactly as he thought they would and why.Fred seems to be demonstrating _____.

Accepted Answer

Fred is demonstrating hindsight bias, as he is claiming that he knew how the games would turn out after they have already ended. This bias involves overestimating one's ability to have predicted an outcome after the fact.

Question 4

People often form general rules and concepts based on specific experiences and examples.This type of reasoning is known as _____.

Accepted Answer

Inductive reasoning involves drawing generalized conclusions based on specific examples or evidence. It is a bottom-up approach to reasoning where specific observations are used to make broader generalizations.

Question 5

Maria is extremely active in politics.She has strong conservative beliefs about what is correct and what is not.Each day when she reads the newspaper,she pays close attention to the editorial section in particular.According to the confirmation bias,what will she do when she reads them?

Accepted Answer

The confirmation bias suggests that people tend to seek out and interpret information in a way that confirms their pre-existing beliefs. In this case, Maria's strong conservative beliefs are likely to lead her to seek out and read editorials that she agrees with, while ignoring those that contradict her beliefs. Option B reflects this tendency.

Question 6

When comparing algorithms and heuristics,what is the advantage of using heuristics for solving real-life problems?

Accepted Answer

Heuristics are often faster and more efficient than algorithms because they rely on shortcuts and approximations rather than exhaustive search. This makes them better suited for solving real-life problems where time and resources are limited. While they may not always lead to the most accurate or precise solutions, they are often good enough to achieve the desired outcome.

Question 7

_____ is a characteristic of good problem solvers.

Accepted Answer

The answer of _____ is a characteristic of good problem...

Question 8

If you spend the day imagining the outcome of the upcoming football game,and then a friend asks you what your favorite sport is and you say "football" even though before today basketball was actually your favorite,you have used and/or experienced _____.

Accepted Answer

The person in this scenario is experiencing the availability heuristic, which is when they base their answer on the most easily accessible information (in this case, the outcome of the upcoming football game they've been thinking about all day) rather than their true long-term preference (basketball).

Question 9

The tendency to search for and use information that supports our ideas rather than refutes them is known as _____.

Accepted Answer

Confirmation bias refers to the cognitive process of seeking out and favoring information that confirms our preexisting beliefs or hypotheses, while discounting or ignoring information that does not fit with our beliefs. This bias can lead to flawed reasoning and decision-making, as we may overlook important evidence or alternative explanations.

Question 10

Monique routinely uses a shredder to shred her junk mail into confetti-sized pieces of paper,which she then just throws away.When packing her glassware to move into a new apartment,she runs out of protective styrofoam packing material.Suddenly Monique gets the idea to empty her shredder and use the shredded junk mail confetti for packing material.Monique has _____.

Accepted Answer

Monique has overcome functional fixedness, which is the tendency to think of an object only in its usual or customary way and to overlook other potential uses of it. In this case, Monique was able to see beyond the initial purpose of shredding paper and recognize that the shredded paper could be used as a substitute for styrofoam packing material. The other options (B, C, and D) do not accurately describe Monique's problem-solving approach in this scenario.

Question 11

The fact that we hear about airplane crashes on the news more often than we hear about automobile crashes may lead us to believe that we are more likely to die in a plane than a car.This is an example of a(n)_____.

Accepted Answer

The scenario given is an example of the availability heuristic. This heuristic refers to the tendency of people to estimate the probability of an event occurring based on how easily an example or instance can be brought to mind. In this case, the availability heuristic suggests that because airplane crashes receive more media attention, people tend to overestimate the likelihood of dying in a plane crash compared to a car crash.

Question 12

Psychological research involves studying a sample of participants in order to draw conclusions about the population from which the sample is drawn.This is an example of _____.

Accepted Answer

Inductive reasoning involves making broad generalizations from specific observations. In psychological research, when researchers study a sample and then generalize their findings to a larger population, they are using inductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning, on the other hand, starts with a general statement or hypothesis and examines the possibilities to reach a specific, logical conclusion. Algorithms and artificial intelligence are not directly related to the process of generalizing from a sample to a population.

Question 13

Carlos believes that all of the people from another part of his town are snobs.He believes that the students from this area are rich and drive expensive sports cars to school.He is scheduled to perform with a few of these students in an all-county musical presentation.If he assumes that these particular students will also be rich and snobby,he is using _____.

Accepted Answer

Carlos is using deductive reasoning to assume that the particular students he'll be performing with are also rich and snobby based on his belief that all people from that area of town are snobs.

Question 14

Developing a criterion for determining the effectiveness of the solution occurs during which step of the problem-solving process?

Accepted Answer

Evaluating solutions involves developing a criterion for determining the effectiveness of the solution. This step helps to determine whether the solution is suitable and effective in solving the identified problem. A criterion helps to measure the effectiveness of the solution and determine whether it has met the needs of the problem.

Question 15

Carla is a first-semester freshman at State University.She succeeded in high school by cramming for exams and relying on parental pressure to get homework done.Now,however,she is finding that these strategies are no longer viable ways to succeed.According to the text,Carla should _____.

Accepted Answer

The passage suggests that Carla's old strategies are not working in college, and so she needs to come up with new approaches to succeed. Therefore, the best choice is A, which suggests that Carla should "think outside the box" and try different methods to achieve success in college. Choices B and C are not realistic or helpful options, and there is no information in the passage to support choice D.

Question 16

_____ is the tendency to report falsely,after the fact,that we accurately predicted an outcome.It is sometimes referred to as the "I knew it all along effect."

Accepted Answer

Hindsight bias is the tendency to believe, after the fact, that one would have predicted or expected the outcomes of an event. This bias can occur when the outcome of an event is known and individuals look back at how they thought about the event before it occurred. They may falsely believe that they predicted the outcome or that the outcome was more predictable than it actually was. It is also known as the "I knew it all along effect."

Question 17

Bertha met two students from another school at a convention.She enjoyed their company a great deal and was very impressed with how nice they were.Bertha now believes that all of the students from that school must also be nice and is considering transferring there.Bertha is using _____.

Accepted Answer

Bertha is using inductive reasoning because she is making a generalization about all students at the other school based on her experience with only two of them.

Question 18

Heuristics and algorithms differ in terms of their _____.

Accepted Answer

Heuristics are mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that prioritize speed over accuracy in decision-making, while algorithms are step-by-step procedures that prioritize accuracy over speed. Therefore, the main difference between heuristics and algorithms is in their speed of processing.

Question 19

_____ involves reasoning from a general case that we know to be true to a specific instance.

Accepted Answer

Deductive reasoning involves starting with a general principle or theory, and then applying it to a specific case to draw a logical conclusion. It is often used in mathematics, logic, and philosophy. Inductive reasoning, on the other hand, involves starting with specific observations or examples and then drawing a general conclusion or hypothesis. Algorithms and heuristics are problem-solving strategies that can be used with both types of reasoning, but they do not involve the process of reasoning itself.

Question 20

Cathy just got transferred to a new department,but she has long believed that her new supervisor is a cranky,disagreeable,critical person.According to the confirmation bias,what will Cathy most likely do on her first day in the new supervisor's department?

Accepted Answer

According to the confirmation bias, people tend to focus on information that confirms their preexisting beliefs or attitudes. In this case, Cathy has a negative belief about her new supervisor, so she is likely to look for negative behaviors that confirm her belief. Therefore, she will most likely look for negative behaviors on the part of her supervisor on her first day in the new department.

Quiz 7: Thinking, intelligence, and Language

_ uses established rules to draw conclusions,whereas in _,such rules are not established,and we may not know the consequences of the decisions.