Question 1

Creativity is a process that produces ________ responses that contribute to the solutions of problems.
A) novel
B) similar
C) odd
D) questionable
E) personal

Accepted Answer

Creativity involves generating new and original solutions to problems, therefore, the best choice is "novel" as it means new, innovative, or unique. The other options, such as "similar," "odd," "questionable," and "personal" do not accurately describe the type of responses that creativity aims to produce.

Question 2

You believe that a test is going to turn out badly, but then you get an A on that test. If you then tell friends that you knew all along that you would do well on the test, you are showing
A) hindsight bias.
B) the anchoring bias.
C) student bias.
D) the availability bias.
E) convergent thinking.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of hindsight bias, where the individual feels that they knew the outcome all along, despite their initial belief or uncertainty.

Question 3

John learns about Michelle, a student at a state university in NY, who has blond hair, enjoys the summer, and likes the beach. John assumes she is from California (given the stereotypes about women from California) despite the fact that over 85% of students at this state university are from NY. This is best explained by
A) divergent thinking.
B) algorithms.
C) knowledge of the base rate.
D) the representativeness bias.
E) convergent thinking.

Accepted Answer

John's assumption about Michelle is an example of the representativeness bias, where he relies too heavily on stereotypes and ignores base rate information (i.e., the fact that most students at the state university are from NY).

Question 4

Which of the following is true of creativity?
A) Creative people have unique personality flaws.
B) Creativity first involves becoming an expert in a specific field.
C) Low motivation can facilitate creativity.
D) A person can become an expert after a year of creative study.
E) Creative achievement requires great leap of imagination.

Accepted Answer

Creativity often requires a deep understanding and expertise in a specific field, which allows individuals to make novel connections and generate innovative ideas.

Question 5

Seventy percent of the students in a classroom are women and 30 percent are men. One student is described as ambitious, athletic, and assertive. Why are most people likely to think this description refers to a male student?
A) They are using the availability bias.
B) They are using the representativeness bias.
C) People seek only confirming information.
D) People tend to make relative comparisons.
E) People base their assumptions on what the media tells us is common.

Accepted Answer

The most likely reason for people to think that the student described as ambitious, athletic, and assertive is male is because they are using the representativeness bias. This bias causes people to make judgments based on stereotypes and prototypes, and the stereotype of an ambitious, athletic, and assertive person is often associated with males.

Question 6

A hypothetical construct cannot be
A) defined.
B) changed.
C) described
D) observed.
E) discussed.

Accepted Answer

A hypothetical construct is an abstract concept that cannot be directly observed. It can only be inferred from observable behaviors, and cannot be defined, changed or described in concrete terms.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT true of highly creative people?
A) They are very interested in the problem.
B) They prefer to work in large groups.
C) They prefer more complex problems.
D) They enjoy interacting with other creative thinkers.
E) They question how problems are presented.

Accepted Answer

Highly creative people tend to prefer working alone or in small groups, rather than in large groups. The other statements are generally true of highly creative individuals.

Question 8

A person who is a fine guitar player would be said to have a(n) ________ for playing the guitar.
A) schema
B) prototype
C) aptitude
D) algorithm
E) divergence

Accepted Answer

"Aptitude" refers to a natural ability or talent for a particular activity, which fits the description of someone who is a fine guitar player. "Schema" refers to a cognitive framework for organizing knowledge, "prototype" refers to a typical or idealized example of something, "algorithm" refers to a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem, and "divergence" refers to the process of moving away from a common point or idea.

Question 9

The purpose of the Binet-Simon approach was to
A) determine which children needed remedial help.
B) weed poor students out of the educational system.
C) match workers with the appropriate job.
D) test Galton's theories of intelligence.
E) improve the educational system of France.

Accepted Answer

The Binet-Simon approach was developed to identify children who needed remedial help in their education by measuring their intellectual abilities.

Question 10

Highly creative people are more likely to
A) prefer independence.
B) be intensely motivated.
C) prefer complex problems.
D) be experts in their field.
E) All of the above are

Accepted Answer

All of the above options are characteristics typically associated with highly creative people. They tend to prefer independence to work autonomously, have intense motivation to pursue their ideas, prefer complex problems to solve, and often become experts in their chosen field through their creative pursuits.

Question 11

Which is NOT a characteristic of creative people?
A) They tend to be willing to restructure a given problem.
B) They are often conventional in their personal lifestyles and take few social risks.
C) They tend to have an intense interest in the problems they are attempting to solve.
D) They value their independence.
E) They have a preference for complexity in problems

Accepted Answer

Creative people are often willing to take social risks and have unconventional lifestyles. This willingness to take risks and break social norms allows them to think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions.

Question 12

Alex and Barbara are asked to estimate the size of a crowd. Alex is asked whether the crowd is bigger or smaller than 10,000 whereas Barbara is asked whether the crowd is bigger or smaller than 2,000. The fact that Alex would give a larger estimate could best be explained by
A) the representativeness heuristic.
B) mental set.
C) the anchoring bias.
D) self-imposed limitations.
E) cognitive maps.

Accepted Answer

Alex's estimate is anchored by the number 10,000, leading to the anchoring bias. This bias occurs when an individual relies too heavily on the first piece of information encountered when making a judgment or decision. The fact that Alex was given a higher number as a reference point caused him to give a larger estimate.

Question 13

Most people would guess that more women die of breast cancer than of heart disease, even though the opposite is true. People might be misled, because we hear about breast cancer quite a bit in the media. Thus, we fall victim to
A) confirmation bias.
B) the availability bias.
C) an anchoring bias.
D) divergent thinking.
E) a mental set.

Accepted Answer

The availability bias is the tendency to judge the likelihood of an event based on how easily examples of it come to mind. In this case, because breast cancer is often talked about in the media, it is more readily available in our minds, leading us to overestimate its prevalence and importance relative to other diseases.

Question 14

Frank mistakenly believes that there are more words that begin with the letter "k" than there are with the letter "k" in the third position due to the
A) representativeness bias.
B) availability bias.
C) planning fallacy.
D) confirmation bias.
E) mental set.

Accepted Answer

Frank's belief is an example of the availability bias, which occurs when people estimate the probability of an event based on how easily examples come to mind. In this case, Frank likely finds it easier to think of words that start with "k" than to think of words with "k" in the third position, leading him to mistakenly believe there are more of the former.

Question 15

Which of the following is true of intelligence?
A) It can be directly measured in a test.
B) Intelligence scores do not predict school performance.
C) It can be thought of as the ability to solve problems.
D) Intelligence is an absolute term.
E) B and D are

Accepted Answer

Intelligence is often defined as the ability to problem solve and adapt to new situations, making choice C the most accurate statement. While intelligence tests are designed to measure cognitive abilities, they may not be a direct or complete measure of intelligence. Intelligence scores may also have some correlation with school performance, although this relationship may vary. Intelligence is also not an absolute term, as it can be influenced by environmental factors and may manifest in different ways. Therefore, options A, B, D, and E are inaccurate.

Question 16

Measuring intelligence by testing is a rather new concept in the history of the world. The idea of such testing came from
A) France.
B) United States.
C) United Kingdom.
D) Soviet Union.
E) Japan.

Accepted Answer

The concept of measuring intelligence through testing originated in France, with Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon developing the first practical intelligence test in the early 20th century. This was the foundation for later intelligence tests globally.

Question 17

People began measuring intelligence through tests roughly________ years ago.
A) 50
B) 100
C) 200
D) 500
E) 750

Accepted Answer

Intelligence testing began in the early 20th century, around 1905, with the development of the Binet-Simon scale, making it roughly 100 years ago.

Question 18

After the outcome is known, people often have distorted thinking about their original expectations due to
A) confirmation bias.
B) hindsight bias.
C) representativeness heuristic.
D) availability heuristic.
E) their prototypes.

Accepted Answer

Hindsight bias is the tendency to overestimate one's ability to have predicted an outcome after learning about the outcome. This bias can lead people to distort their memories of their original expectations and believe that they had more accurate predictions than they actually did. Confirmation bias (A) is the tendency to seek out information that confirms one's preexisting beliefs. Representativeness heuristic (C) is the tendency to judge the likelihood of an event by how well it matches a particular prototype. Availability heuristic (D) is the tendency to judge the likelihood of an event based on how easily relevant examples come to mind. Prototypes (E) refer to idealized mental representations of concepts or categories.

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a hypothetical construct?
A) height
B) brilliance
C) happiness
D) intelligence
E) anger

Accepted Answer

Height is an observable and measurable physical attribute, while the other options (brilliance, happiness, intelligence, anger) are all constructs that cannot be directly observed or measured. They are inferred based on behaviors, self-reports, or other indicators.

Question 20

Researchers typically stress that a key aspect of intelligence is
A) the ability to speak different languages.
B) the Y chromosome.
C) the ability to reason and acquire knowledge.
D) only accurate for males.
E) creativity.

Accepted Answer

Most researchers agree that intelligence involves the ability to reason, solve problems, and acquire knowledge. While creativity and multilingualism may be considered as aspects of intelligence, they are not viewed as essential elements by psychologists and cognitive scientists. The Y chromosome is not related to intelligence. Also, it is important to note that theories of intelligence are not gender-specific, and they apply equally to both males and females.

Quiz 6: Thinking and Intelligence

Creativity is a process that produces ________ responses that contribute to the solutions of problems.

You believe that a test is going to turn out badly, but then you get an A on that test. If you then tell friends that you knew all along that you would do well on the test, you are showing

Which of the following is true of creativity?

Seventy percent of the students in a classroom are women and 30 percent are men. One student is described as ambitious, athletic, and assertive. Why are most people likely to think this description refers to a male student?

A hypothetical construct cannot be

Which of the following is NOT true of highly creative people?

A person who is a fine guitar player would be said to have a(n) ________ for playing the guitar.

The purpose of the Binet-Simon approach was to

Highly creative people are more likely to

Which is NOT a characteristic of creative people?

Alex and Barbara are asked to estimate the size of a crowd. Alex is asked whether the crowd is bigger or smaller than 10,000 whereas Barbara is asked whether the crowd is bigger or smaller than 2,000. The fact that Alex would give a larger estimate could best be explained by

Most people would guess that more women die of breast cancer than of heart disease, even though the opposite is true. People might be misled, because we hear about breast cancer quite a bit in the media. Thus, we fall victim to

Frank mistakenly believes that there are more words that begin with the letter "k" than there are with the letter "k" in the third position due to the

Which of the following is true of intelligence?

Measuring intelligence by testing is a rather new concept in the history of the world. The idea of such testing came from

People began measuring intelligence through tests roughly________ years ago.

After the outcome is known, people often have distorted thinking about their original expectations due to

Which of the following is NOT a hypothetical construct?

Researchers typically stress that a key aspect of intelligence is