Question 1

Before reading about a depressed individual, participants are told that the case is not at all typical. This instruction will:

Accepted Answer

C

Question 2

Although people may not know an exact answer to a question, they will often have a rough idea of what the answer is, and they can make adjustments to this rough idea when they offer an answer. This use of the initial rough answer is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Anchoring refers to using an initial piece of information (i.e., a rough idea) as a reference point to make subsequent judgments or estimates. People will then adjust from this anchor to arrive at a final answer, which may or may not be accurate. This phenomenon can be seen in situations such as negotiations, where the first offer serves as an anchor for subsequent offers, or in quizzes/tests, where people may use their initial guess as a starting point for further reasoning.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of the gambler's fallacy?

Accepted Answer

The statement assumes that past events influence the outcome of future events, which is not necessarily true. The outcomes of rolling dice are independent, so the probability of getting a high number on the next roll is the same as the probability of getting a low number.

Question 4

Many of us overestimate our own popularity. This could be because we surround ourselves with people who like us, rather than with people who do not. Therefore, it is easier for us to think of the names of people who like us than it is to think of the names of our enemies. This overestimation of popularity seems to derive from using:

Accepted Answer

The overestimation of popularity is a result of using the availability heuristic, which refers to the tendency to rely on easily available information when making judgments or decisions. In this case, the easily available information is the names of people who like us, rather than the names of those who do not.

Question 5

The availability heuristic is a strategy in which:

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic is based on the idea that people base their estimates of frequency on how easily they can think of examples of the relevant category. This means that people may overestimate the frequency of certain events or categories if they are more easily accessible or easier to recall in their memory.

Question 6

Heuristics are strategies that:

Accepted Answer

Heuristics are shortcuts or rules of thumb that we use to make decisions quickly and efficiently. However, these shortcuts may lead to errors or cognitive biases because they do not involve a thorough analysis of all available information. Therefore, heuristics sometimes risk error in order to gain efficiency.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT an example of a frequency judgment?

Accepted Answer

A frequency judgment is an assessment of how often something occurs or how prevalent it is. Option B is a statement of certainty about someone's actions or intentions, rather than an assessment of frequency. Options A, C, and D all involve a statement about the frequency of something.

Question 8

In one study, participants were shown a film about a family on welfare. Prior to viewing the film, half of the participants were told that the film showed a highly unusual case. The other participants were told that the film showed a quite typical case. After viewing the film, participants were asked their opinions about welfare. On the basis of other evidence, we would expect to find that:

Accepted Answer

The answer of In one study, participants were shown a...

Question 9

Solomon remembers how Jacob acted last weekend, and the weekend before that. On the basis of this, Solomon is trying to figure out whether there is a pattern to Jacob's actions. Solomon is working on a problem of:

Accepted Answer

Solomon is observing a series of events and attempting to find a generalization or pattern based on those observations. This is an example of induction, which involves reasoning from specific observations to general conclusions. Deduction, on the other hand, involves reasoning from general principles to specific conclusions. Confirmation and derivation are not applicable to this scenario.

Question 10

An inductive judgment is one in which a person:

Accepted Answer

An inductive judgment begins with specific facts or observations and seeks to draw a general conclusion from them. It is a process of reasoning from the particular to the general, where the conclusion is supported by the evidence. Inductive reasoning is often used in scientific research, where scientists use specific observations or data to draw general conclusions about natural phenomena.

Question 11

The availability heuristic:

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic often leads to correct estimates because events or items that are more easily recalled from memory are typically more frequent or likely in the real world.

Question 12

When we encounter a highly unusual event, we are particularly likely to notice and consider the event. As a consequence:

Accepted Answer

The highly unusual event will be easy to recall, and as a result, we are likely to overestimate the likelihood of this type of event. This phenomenon is known as the availability heuristic, where we rely on how easily examples come to mind when estimating the likelihood of events.

Question 13

Reasoning from "man who" arguments is usually inappropriate because generalizing from a single case is justified only:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Reasoning from "man who" arguments is usually...

Question 14

In several studies, participants have been asked to estimate the frequency of occurrence for various causes of death. The evidence suggests that participants' frequency estimates are strongly influenced by:

Accepted Answer

The answer of In several studies, participants have been asked...

Question 15

"I can easily think of the names of several dishonest politicians, so I'm certain there are a lot of dishonest politicians!" This is an example of a judgment relying on:

Accepted Answer

This judgment relies on the availability heuristic, which is the tendency to rely on easily accessible information to make judgments. In this case, the individual is relying on the names of dishonest politicians that come readily to mind, rather than considering a broader range of information or data.

Question 16

A normative account is one that:

Accepted Answer

A normative account indicates how things are supposed to proceed according to certain standards, expectations, or values, rather than simply describing how things usually happen (A), presenting data without evaluation (B), or averaging patterns across variations (D).

Question 17

Participants are told, "Hospital A has an average of 45 births per day; Hospital B has an average of only 15 births per day." The participants are then asked, "Which hospital is more likely to have a day in which at least 60% of the babies born are female?" In answering the question, participants:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Participants are told, "Hospital A has an...

Question 18

Your doctor has just asked you what sorts of things you eat in your normal, daily diet. After you answer the question, the doctor tells you what you should be eating. Your answer to the doctor was a _____ account of your diet; the doctor then provided a(n) _____ account.

Accepted Answer

A descriptive account simply describes what you have been eating without any judgment or recommendations, while a normative account gives advice on what you should be eating. Therefore, the doctor's response was a normative account. Choice A describes this contrast between the two types of accounts. Choice B is incorrect because "instructive" is too similar to "normative" and therefore does not highlight the contrasting nature of the two accounts. Choices C and D are incorrect because they use terms that are not applicable to this situation.

Question 19

In using the representativeness heuristic, participants:

Accepted Answer

The representativeness heuristic is based on the assumption that all instances of a category resemble the prototype for that category. This may lead to biases and errors in judgment when individuals fail to consider other relevant information or when the category is in fact heterogeneous.

Question 20

An employer interviews a job candidate for 15 minutes. On the basis of this, the employer decides that the candidate will perform well in the job, so he hires her. This is a case of a:

Accepted Answer

This is a potential error because the employer is assuming that a small sample of information (the interview) is representative of a broader pattern (job performance). 15 minutes may not be enough time to assess job performance, and other factors such as work experience and qualifications should also be considered.

Quiz 12: Judgment: Drawing Conclusions From Evidence