Which of the following is an example of the "curse of knowledge" in cognitive psychology?

• A. A teacher struggles to explain a basic concept to students because she assumes they already understand it as well as she does.
• B. A person forgets where they placed their keys after a long day at work.
• C. An individual is able to solve a puzzle faster after repeated practice.
• D. A student uses mnemonic devices to remember a list of vocabulary words.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of the 'curse of knowledge' in cognitive psychology, which refers to the difficulty that someone who knows information well has in imagining what it is like for someone else not to know it.
2. Identify the key feature of the curse of knowledge: assuming others have the same background knowledge or understanding as oneself, which can lead to communication problems.
3. Examine each option to see if it involves this assumption or difficulty in perspective-taking:
4. Recognize that the example where a teacher struggles to explain a basic concept because she assumes students understand it as well as she does fits the curse of knowledge, as it shows the expert's difficulty in imagining the novice's perspective.
5. Confirm that the other options do not involve this cognitive bias but instead describe unrelated phenomena such as forgetting, improved performance through practice, or use of memory aids.