Question 1

The representativeness heuristic and the availability heuristic are two rule-of-thumb strategies that help us estimate the likelihood of events.

Accepted Answer

The representativeness heuristic and the availability heuristic are two commonly used mental shortcuts that help us make judgements and decisions quickly. The representativeness heuristic involves judging the probability of an event based on how closely it resembles other events or prototypes in our mental schema. The availability heuristic involves estimating the likelihood of an event based on how easily examples of similar events or information can be recalled from memory. Both of these heuristics can be useful, but they can also lead to biases and errors in judgement, especially when the actual probability of an event does not match our intuitive estimates based on past experience or mental shortcuts.

Question 2

According to the linguistic relativity hypothesis, differences among languages cause differences in the thoughts of their speakers.

Accepted Answer

The linguistic relativity hypothesis, also known as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, proposes that the structure and vocabulary of a language shape the way its speakers perceive and think about the world. Therefore, differences among languages can indeed cause differences in the thoughts of their speakers, supporting the statement as true.

Question 3

When people accept only evidence that conforms to their belief, rejecting or ignoring any evidence that does not conform, they are demonstrating the belief-bias effect.

Accepted Answer

The belief-bias effect refers to the tendency of individuals to accept evidence that confirms their pre-existing beliefs, while rejecting or ignoring evidence that contradicts their beliefs. Therefore, when people only accept evidence that conforms to their beliefs and ignore other evidence, they are demonstrating the belief-bias effect.

Question 4

While evaluating evidence that seems to confirm a hoped-for finding, people may overlook flaws in the research or argument. This is an example of the wishful thinking bias.

Accepted Answer

The statement accurately describes the wishful thinking bias, which is the tendency for people to believe in evidence that supports their desired outcome while ignoring or dismissing evidence that contradicts it. This bias can lead individuals to overlook flaws in research or analysis when evaluating evidence that appears to confirm their hopes or beliefs.

Question 5

One important property of language is displacement, meaning that speakers can generate an infinite number of new and different phrases and sentences.

Accepted Answer

Displacement refers to the ability to talk about things that are not present in the immediate environment, not the ability to generate infinite phrases. The latter is known as productivity or creativity in language.

Question 6

State lottery commissions capitalize on the availability heuristic by running many TV commercials showing that lucky person who won the $100 million Powerball. A vivid memory is created, which leads viewers to an inaccurate estimate of the likelihood that the event will happen to them.

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic is the tendency to rely on easily accessible and memorable information when making judgments or decisions. Lottery commissions use this by making the memory of someone winning the jackpot vivid and easily accessible through frequent TV commercials. This leads people to overestimate the chances of winning the lottery, as they base their estimates on the vivid memory rather than the actual statistical probability.

Question 7

When we use the availability heuristic, we estimate the likelihood of an event on the basis of how readily available other instances of the event are in our memory.

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic involves making judgments based on the ease with which examples come to mind. We tend to overestimate the likelihood of events that are more memorable, perhaps because of their emotional impact, vividness, or recent occurrence.

Question 8

Eleanor Rosch found that even though Dani-speaking people in New Guinea have words for only two colors in their language, they seemed to remember and perceive color in much the same way as English-speaking people from the United States.

Accepted Answer

Eleanor Rosch's research suggested that color perception is universal and not entirely dependent on language, as the Dani people could still recognize and remember colors similarly to English speakers despite having fewer color terms.

Question 9

Research on bilingualism has shown that balanced proficiency in two languages may result in delayed language development, learning problems, and lower intelligence.

Accepted Answer

Research on bilingualism actually shows that balanced proficiency in two languages has cognitive benefits, such as enhanced executive functioning, and does not result in delayed language development, learning problems, or lower intelligence. However, bilingualism can be a risk factor for language delay if one or both languages are not supported adequately.

Question 10

Every language has a unique syntax, or set of rules for combining words.

Accepted Answer

Syntax refers to the set of rules for arranging words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. Each language has its own syntax that governs the way in which words can be combined to form grammatically correct sentences. Therefore, the statement is true that every language has a unique syntax.

Question 11

The representativeness heuristic occurs when a rare event makes a vivid impression on people, and they overestimate the likelihood of it occurring again.

Accepted Answer

The representativeness heuristic involves judging the probability of an event by comparing it to an existing prototype in our minds, not by the vividness of a rare event. The description given is more aligned with the availability heuristic.

Question 12

Bilingualism is defined as being fluent in two or more languages.

Accepted Answer

Bilingualism is the ability to speak, read, and write fluently in two or more languages, so the statement is true.

Question 13

Philip is perfectly fluent in English and French. Research has shown that such balanced proficiency in two languages helps build up a cognitive reserve that can protect against cognitive decline in late adulthood.

Accepted Answer

Research has indeed shown that balanced proficiency in two languages can help build up cognitive reserve, which may offer protection against cognitive decline in late adulthood. Studies have demonstrated that bilingualism enhances cognitive control, attention, and working memory, as well as other cognitive functions such as executive functioning and creativity. These benefits of bilingualism may be attributed to the fact that the brain has to constantly regulate and switch between two language systems, which provides a form of mental exercise that can potentially slow down the cognitive aging process.

Question 14

People tend to believe evidence that confirms what they want to believe is true, a bias that is sometimes called the wishful thinking bias.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. The wishful thinking bias is a cognitive bias that causes individuals to believe information that confirms their preexisting beliefs or desires. This bias can lead individuals to reject evidence that contradicts their beliefs and to accept evidence that supports their wishes or desires.

Question 15

Parents with children in day care may be motivated to embrace research findings that emphasize the benefits of day care for young children and discount findings that emphasize the benefits of home-based care. This is an example of the belief-bias effect.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of confirmation bias, where individuals favor information that confirms their preexisting beliefs or values.

Question 16

The confirmation bias is the tendency to search for information or evidence that confirms a belief, while making little or no effort to search for information that might disprove the belief.

Accepted Answer

The confirmation bias is defined as the tendency to seek out information that confirms pre-existing beliefs, while ignoring or discounting information that contradicts those beliefs. This leads to a confirmation or strengthening of these beliefs, while potentially inhibiting the ability to see or accept alternative perspectives.

Question 17

Bilingualism is defined as having fluency in one language.

Accepted Answer

Bilingualism is actually defined as having fluency in two languages.

Question 18

One day Lacey had an intuitive hunch that she would hear from an old grade-school friend, and sure enough, her friend e-mailed her. Lacey is now convinced that she is psychic. This is an example of the fallacy of positive instances.

Accepted Answer

The fallacy of positive instances occurs when someone draws a general conclusion from a few specific examples without considering other possible outcomes. In this case, Lacey concluded that she has psychic abilities based on one correct prediction, but this is not enough evidence to support such a claim.

Question 19

Faced with evidence that seems to contradict a hoped-for finding, people may object to a study's methodology. This is an example of the fallacy of positive instances.

Accepted Answer

The fallacy of positive instances refers to the tendency to notice and remember instances that confirm our beliefs while ignoring those that do not. Objecting to a study's methodology due to contradictory evidence is more related to confirmation bias or cognitive dissonance.

Question 20

Only the Inuit (Eskimo) people of northern Canada have dozens of words for snow, a fact that supports Benjamin Whorf's view that language determines perception.

Accepted Answer

This statement is a common misconception, but it is not entirely true. While the Inuit do have multiple words for snow, it is not an unusually large number compared to other languages. Additionally, Whorf's theory of linguistic relativity (also known as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis) suggests that language influences thought and perception, but it does not determine it completely.

Quiz 7: Thinking, Language, and Intelligence