Q: Which equation best represents the planning fallacy, where people underestimate the time needed to complete a task?

$$\text{Estimated Time} \u003c \text{Actual Time}$$

Q: Which formula best represents the optimistic bias, where people believe positive outcomes are more likely for themselves?

$$P(\text{Positive Outcome for Self}) \u003e P(\text{Positive Outcome for Others})$$

Q: Which equation best represents the self-serving bias in attribution?

$$\text{Success} \rightarrow \text{Internal Attribution}$$; $$\text{Failure} \rightarrow \text{External Attribution}$$

Question 1

Which of the following best describes the main advantage of using schemas in social cognition?

Accepted Answer

Schemas help us organize information and provide continuity between past and present experiences.

Question 2

A person listens to a true crime podcast and then perceives a stranger as aggressive. Which concept best explains this phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

Priming

Question 3

Which heuristic is most likely to cause someone to overestimate the likelihood of rare but dramatic events, such as airplane crashes after 9/11?

Accepted Answer

Availability heuristic

Question 4

A student assumes that most of their classmates share their political views, even though this is not the case. Which cognitive bias is being demonstrated?

Accepted Answer

False consensus bias

Question 5

According to Kelley’s Covariation Model, which three types of information are used to determine whether a behavior is caused by internal or external factors?

Accepted Answer

Consensus, distinctiveness, consistency

Question 6

Which equation best represents the planning fallacy, where people underestimate the time needed to complete a task?

Accepted Answer

$$	ext{Estimated Time} \u003c 	ext{Actual Time}$$

Question 7

Which of the following is a disadvantage of relying on schemas?

Accepted Answer

Schemas can lead to biased interpretations and reinforce stereotypes.

Question 8

A person buys a lottery ticket because they focus on the possibility of winning, ignoring the low statistical probability. Which heuristic is at play?

Accepted Answer

Representativeness heuristic

Question 9

Which of the following best illustrates the self-fulfilling prophecy in social cognition?

Accepted Answer

A person’s expectations cause them to treat others in ways that make those expectations come true.

Question 10

Which thinking style is most common in East Asian cultures, according to the study materials?

Accepted Answer

Holistic thinking

Question 11

A person is overly confident in their investment decisions, leading to financial mistakes. Which cognitive bias is responsible?

Accepted Answer

Overconfidence bias

Question 12

Which formula best represents the optimistic bias, where people believe positive outcomes are more likely for themselves?

Accepted Answer

$$P(	ext{Positive Outcome for Self}) \u003e P(	ext{Positive Outcome for Others})$$

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of automatic thinking?

Accepted Answer

Effortful

Question 14

According to attribution theory, which type of attribution is made when someone blames a person’s mood for their behavior?

Accepted Answer

Internal (personal) attribution

Question 15

Which facial muscles are involved in a Duchenne (genuine) smile according to the Facial Action Coding System (FACS)?

Accepted Answer

Zygomatic major and orbicularis oculi

Question 16

Which equation best represents the self-serving bias in attribution?

Accepted Answer

$$	ext{Success} ightarrow 	ext{Internal Attribution}$$; $$	ext{Failure} ightarrow 	ext{External Attribution}$$

Question 17

Which of the following is a recommended method for improving reasoning and reducing cognitive biases?

Accepted Answer

Considering the opposite viewpoint

Question 18

A person attributes their own failure on a test to the difficulty of the questions, but attributes another student’s failure to lack of intelligence. Which bias is illustrated?

Accepted Answer

Actor-observer bias

Question 19

Which of the following emotions is considered universal according to Darwin’s theory?

Accepted Answer

Surprise

Question 20

Which concept explains why highly fluent stimuli are perceived as more true and have greater influence on perception?

Accepted Answer

Processing fluency

Social Cognition: Schemas, Heuristics, Culture, and Attribution

Study Guide - Practice Questions

Study Guide - Flashcards