Question 1

Barbara was shocked when her candidate was not elected.She had assumed that everyone felt as she did and everyone supported her candidate's ideas.This scenario exemplifies
A)false consensus effect.
B)self-serving bias.
C)unrealistic optimism.
D)defensive pessimism.

Accepted Answer

The false consensus effect is the tendency for individuals to overestimate the extent to which others share their beliefs or opinions. In this scenario, Barbara assumes that everyone supports her candidate's ideas, which is an example of the false consensus effect. The self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute one's successes to personal factors but one's failures to situational factors, which is not evident in this scenario. Unrealistic optimism refers to an individual's tendency to overestimate the likelihood of positive and underestimate the likelihood of negative outcomes, which is not relevant in this scenario. Defensive pessimism refers to the strategy of anticipating the worst possible outcome and using this as motivation to work towards a better outcome, which is not relevant in this scenario.

Question 2

Wilson and Ross (2001)found that when describing their old precollege selves,university students offered _____ negative _____ positive statements.
A)more; than
B)less; than
C)as many; as
D)double as many; as

Accepted Answer

C

Question 3

Compared with people in general,most people see themselves as _____ in their self-assessments.
A)less healthy
B)less ethical
C)more biased
D)more friendly

Accepted Answer

This is known as the "better-than-average effect" or "illusory superiority" where people tend to overestimate their positive qualities and abilities compared to others. This effect has been found across various domains such as intelligence, driving abilities, and even moral goodness. Therefore, most people see themselves as more friendly than others.

Question 4

The tendency to perceive oneself favorably is referred to as
A)self-esteem.
B)self-efficacy.
C)self-deprecating bias.
D)self-serving bias.

Accepted Answer

The tendency to perceive oneself favorably is known as the self-serving bias, where individuals tend to attribute positive outcomes to themselves (such as success or achievements) and negative outcomes to external factors (such as the situation or other people). This bias can help enhance a person's self-esteem and may contribute to their overall sense of well-being.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true about false uniqueness effect?
A)It is the anticipation of problems and motivation of effective action.
B)It is unrealistic optimism about future life events.
C)It is the tendency to see our talents and moral behaviors as relatively unusual.
D)It is the tendency to see oneself as superior to others.

Accepted Answer

False uniqueness effect refers to the tendency to see our talents and moral behaviors as relatively unusual. This can lead to overestimating the uniqueness of our positive qualities and underestimating our negative qualities.

Question 6

Rebecca,a teenager,has recently started smoking cigarettes.On being reprimanded by her parents,she replied saying "So what? I smoke,but doesn't everyone?" In this scenario,Rebecca's overestimation of the number of people who smoke exemplifies
A)false consensus effect.
B)pluralistic ignorance.
C)defensive pessimism.
D)unrealistic optimism.

Accepted Answer

Rebecca's belief that everyone smokes reflects an overestimation of the prevalence of smoking, which is a cognitive bias called false consensus effect. This bias leads individuals to believe that their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are more common than they actually are.

Question 7

Most people perceive themselves as
A)less intelligent than others.
B)less attractive than others.
C)much less prejudiced than others.
D)knowing others better than we know ourselves.

Accepted Answer

Most people tend to perceive themselves as less prejudiced than others, a phenomenon related to the bias blind spot where individuals see themselves as less biased than other people.

Question 8

Assuming that other people are as prejudiced against a certain group as we are can easily be explained by
A)unrealistic optimism.
B)self-serving bias.
C)false uniqueness effect.
D)false consensus effect.

Accepted Answer

False consensus effect is the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors. Assuming that others are as prejudiced against a certain group as we are is an example of false consensus effect.

Question 9

Sally has done well in her statistics class so far this term.Despite her good grades,Sally is worried that she will not do well on her upcoming test.So she studies extra hard.Which of the following best accounts for Sally's study pattern?
A)defensive pessimism
B)unrealistic optimism
C)false uniqueness
D)false consensus

Accepted Answer

Defensive pessimism is a strategy where a person sets low expectations to reduce anxiety and then works hard to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Sally's worry about not doing well and her studying extra hard are consistent with this strategy.

Question 10

Blaming a tree for getting in your way after you crash your car is an example of
A)poor self-control.
B)poor self-efficacy.
C)poor self-esteem.
D)self-serving bias.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of self-serving bias, where a person tends to attribute their successes to internal factors (such as their own abilities) and their failures to external factors (such as the tree getting in the way). It involves a tendency to protect one's own ego and maintain a positive self-image.

Question 11

Danny's parents gifted him a new sport bike.Although his father advised him to take safety precautions while riding the bike,he went out for a ride without any safety gear.While riding,Danny fell down from the bike and sustained injuries.In this scenario,Danny's belief that he was immune to misfortune exemplifies
A)self-serving bias.
B)unrealistic optimism.
C)false consensus effect.
D)false uniqueness effect.

Accepted Answer

Danny's belief that he was immune to misfortune and did not need any safety gear while riding his new sport bike exemplifies unrealistic optimism. This is a cognitive bias where people tend to overestimate the probability of positive events happening to them while underestimating the likelihood of negative events. The belief that one is invulnerable to misfortune is a classic example of unrealistic optimism.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true in the context of self-serving bias?
A)People readily acknowledge that they themselves are biased and tend to see others around them as more objective.
B)People attribute success to their ability and effort,but they attribute failure to external factors,such as bad luck.
C)People would rather see themselves as undeserving than blame failure or rejection on something external,even another's prejudice.
D)People tend to see themselves as less insightful and less competent at their jobs than others based on their self-assessments.

Accepted Answer

Self-serving bias refers to the tendency of individuals to attribute success to internal factors such as ability and effort, while attributing failures to external factors such as bad luck. Option A is incorrect as self-serving bias involves seeing oneself as more objective than others. Option C is incorrect as individuals tend to attribute failures to external factors rather than blame themselves or others. Option D is incorrect as self-serving bias often involves overestimating one's competence and abilities.

Question 13

Which of the following statements is representative of self-serving bias?
A)"I won the election because my opponent didn't try very hard."
B)"I won the election because of my hard work on the campaign trail."
C)"I lost the election because of the political climate,which I couldn't do anything about."
D)"I won the election because of my knowledge and expertise."

Accepted Answer

Self-serving bias is the tendency for people to attribute successes to their own internal qualities (such as skills or abilities) while attributing failures to external factors (such as luck or others' actions). Option A exemplifies self-serving bias as the person attributes their success to their opponent's lack of effort, rather than their own qualities or hard work.

Question 14

Saying "I earned an A on my psychology test" but "My instructor gave me a C on my psychology test" exemplifies how we associate ourselves with
A)failure and distance ourselves from success.
B)success and distance ourselves from failure.
C)rewards and distance ourselves from punishment.
D)punishment and distance ourselves from rewards.

Accepted Answer

In the first statement, the person takes personal responsibility for their success, indicating that they associate themselves with success. In the second statement, the person attributes their grade to the instructor, indicating a distance from failure.

Quiz 4: Self-Serving Bias

Barbara was shocked when her candidate was not elected.She had assumed that everyone felt as she did and everyone supported her candidate's ideas.This scenario exemplifies

Wilson and Ross (2001) found that when describing their old precollege selves,university students offered _ negative _ positive statements.

Compared with people in general,most people see themselves as _____ in their self-assessments.

The tendency to perceive oneself favorably is referred to as

Which of the following statements is true about false uniqueness effect?

Rebecca,a teenager,has recently started smoking cigarettes.On being reprimanded by her parents,she replied saying "So what? I smoke,but doesn't everyone?" In this scenario,Rebecca's overestimation of the number of people who smoke exemplifies

Most people perceive themselves as

Assuming that other people are as prejudiced against a certain group as we are can easily be explained by

Sally has done well in her statistics class so far this term.Despite her good grades,Sally is worried that she will not do well on her upcoming test.So she studies extra hard.Which of the following best accounts for Sally's study pattern?

Blaming a tree for getting in your way after you crash your car is an example of

Which of the following statements is true in the context of self-serving bias?

Which of the following statements is representative of self-serving bias?

Saying "I earned an A on my psychology test" but "My instructor gave me a C on my psychology test" exemplifies how we associate ourselves with