Chapter 4 Quiz: Cognitive Biases

Section A: Comprehension

1. Cognitive biases are best described as:

a) Random errors that intelligent people avoid b) Systematic, predictable patterns of deviation from rational judgment produced by heuristics and cognitive limitations c) Deliberate distortions introduced by motivated lying d) Errors unique to people with poor emotional regulation

2. The availability heuristic leads to errors when:

a) People rely too heavily on base rates rather than specific cases b) People judge probability by ease of retrieval, which is distorted when memorable events are statistically rare c) People anchor too strongly on initial information d) People apply categorical stereotypes to individuals

3. In Kahneman and Tversky's prospect theory, "loss aversion" means:

a) People prefer to avoid all risk b) Losses cause greater discomfort than equivalent gains cause satisfaction, roughly by a factor of 2 c) People become overly cautious after any financial loss d) People are unable to accurately estimate the probability of negative outcomes

4. The planning fallacy refers to:

a) The tendency to plan too many tasks for one day b) The systematic underestimation of task completion time, cost, and obstacles while overestimating probability of success c) The error of planning without consulting affected stakeholders d) The inability to revise plans in response to new information

5. Which of the following best describes why knowing about a cognitive bias typically does not eliminate it?

a) People don't really believe they are biased even when told they are b) Cognitive biases are deliberately chosen and persist as long as the person benefits from them c) Biases largely operate in System 1 (automatic) processing, while awareness is a System 2 function that often comes too late d) Bias education produces overcorrection, not elimination

6. The sunk cost fallacy involves:

a) Refusing to invest more in a project once it has hit unexpected costs b) Continuing to invest in something because of past investment, even when future expected value does not justify continuation c) Overestimating the value of an investment because of emotional attachment to it d) Undervaluing a project because early losses occurred before the benefits arrived

7. Which debiasing strategy has the best research support for reducing confirmation bias?

a) Being told you are subject to confirmation bias b) Deliberately considering the opposite — generating the best case for the opposing view c) Increasing the volume of information gathered before deciding d) Relying on expert opinion rather than personal judgment

Section B: Application

8. Jordan's campaign decision process is described in the opening vignette. Identify THREE specific cognitive biases operating in his process. For each, describe the specific behavior that reflects the bias.

[Open response]

9. A friend tells you: "I know I'm subject to biases, but I've studied psychology and I can usually catch them in myself." Using the chapter's evidence, how would you respond to this claim? What would a more realistic assessment of self-debiasing capacity look like?

[Open response]

10. You are asked to evaluate a candidate for a promotion. You have already formed a positive impression from the first five minutes of conversation. Using the chapter's concepts, identify at least THREE specific biases that might distort your evaluation process and suggest a concrete strategy for each.

[Open response]

Section C: Critical Thinking

11. The chapter states that higher cognitive ability can amplify motivated reasoning on identity-relevant topics rather than reducing it. What are the implications of this finding for public discourse, democratic decision-making, and the design of institutions? Is there any reason to be optimistic about collective human rationality given this finding?

[Open response]

12. Loss aversion may be adaptive in many contexts (protecting against catastrophic losses) but maladaptive in others (e.g., status quo bias, sunk cost fallacy). Can you develop a general principle for when loss aversion serves us and when it misleads us? What factors determine which situation you are in?

[Open response]

13. The chapter presents cognitive biases as products of the cognitive system shared by all humans. But critics argue that "bias" language sometimes pathologizes reasonable responses to real circumstances — for example, that marginalized people's suspicion of institutions reflects accurate pattern recognition, not bias. How should we think about the relationship between cognitive biases and accurate assessment of one's actual social environment? When is "bias" a useful label and when might it mislead?

[Open response — requires careful, nuanced thinking]

Answer Key Overview

Full answers for Section A samples are in appendices/answers-to-selected.md.

Section A answers: 1-b, 2-b, 3-b, 4-b, 5-c, 6-b, 7-b