Psychology unit 2 test

While taking a standardized test with randomly scrambled answers, you notice that your last four answers have been "c." Which of the following is true concerning the probability of the next answer being "c"? A. You should check your previous answers. Four "c's" in a row is impossible. B. It is lower. Since answers are distributed randomly, "c" answers become less common. C. It is unaffected by previous answers. It is as likely to be "c" as any other answer. D. It is higher. Once a streak begins, it is likely to last for a while. E. It is higher. Test constructors trick students by keeping the same answer many times in a row.

C

After the student council election, a friend tells you he could have guessed who would be elected president. What psychological phenomenon might this illustrate? A. Common sense B. Critical thinking C. Perceiving order in random events D. Hindsight bias E. Overconfidence

D

Formulating testable hypotheses before conducting research is most directly useful for restraining a thinking error known as A. random assignment. B. random sampling. C. overconfidence. D. the hindsight bias. E. illusory correlation.

D

Hindsight bias, overconfidence, and our tendency to perceive patterns in random events push us to overvalue A. The empirical approach B. Operational definitions C. Random sampling D. Common sense E. The placebo effect

D

Political officials who have no doubt that their own economic and military predictions will come true most clearly demonstrate A. the placebo effect. B. illusory correlation. C. random sampling. D. overconfidence. E. operational definition.

D

Sasha believes that she is a very good driver. Her belief leads her to take unnecessary risks, such as driving too fast and cutting in front of other drivers. Sasha's driving appears to be affected by A. hindsight bias. B. empiricism. C. illusory correlations. D. overconfidence. E. intuition.

D

Giving half the members of a group some purported psychological finding and the other half an opposite result is an easy way to demonstrate the impact of A. overconfidence. B. random sampling. C. illusory correlation. D. the double-blind procedure. E. the hindsight bias.

E

The hindsight bias leads people to perceive research findings as A. unpredictable. B. inexplicable. C. invalid. D. unreplicable. E. unsurprising.

E

The scientific attitude of humility is most likely to be undermined by A. operational definitions. B. random assignment. C. naturalistic observation. D. correlational evidence. E. overconfidence.

E

Thinking that she had outperformed most of her classmates, Glenda was surprised to receive just an average grade on her psychology test. Glenda's experience best illustrates A. the placebo effect. B. illusory correlation. C. negative correlation. D. the hindsight bias. E. overconfidence.

E

Which of the following is most likely to inhibit critical thinking? A. operational definitions B. the double-blind procedure C. naturalistic observation D. random assignment E. overconfidence

E

According to Emily's grandfather, Adolf Hitler's obvious emotional instability made it clear from the beginning days of his international conflicts that Germany would inevitably lose World War II. The grandfather's claim best illustrates A. the hindsight bias. B. illusory correlation. C. random sampling. D. an illusion of control. E. overconfidence.

A

Alexandra is told that research supports the value of cosmetic surgery for boosting self-esteem. Belinda is told that the esteem-enhancing value of cosmetic surgery has been refuted by research. Both women would consider the findings to be common sense. This best illustrates the power of A. the hindsight bias. B. illusory correlation. C. random sampling. D. overconfidence. E. the double-blind procedure.

A

Our tendency to believe we know more than we do illustrates A. overconfidence. B. illusory correlation. C. naturalistic observation. D. placebo. E. the standard deviation.

A

Professor Smith told one class that alcohol consumption has been found to increase sexual desire. He informed another class that alcohol consumption has been found to reduce sexual appetite. The fact that neither class was surprised by the information they received best illustrates the power of A. the hindsight bias. B. overconfidence. C. the double-blind procedure. D. the placebo effect. E. replication.

A

When provided with the unscrambled solution to anagrams, people underestimate the difficulty of solving the anagrams by themselves. This best illustrates A. overconfidence. B. illusory correlation. C. wording effects. D. hindsight bias. E. the placebo effect.

A

Dr. Donelian wants to reduce his students' perception that psychological experiments merely document the obvious. His best strategy would be to ask the students to A. personally engage in naturalistic observation. B. survey students living on campus C. predict the outcomes of experiments before they are told the actual results. D. explain the outcomes of experiments after they are told the actual results. E. describe how experimental hypotheses were derived from basic psychological principles.

C

The hindsight bias refers to people's tendency to A. overestimate the extent to which others share their opinions. B. dismiss the value of replication. C. exaggerate their ability to have foreseen the outcome of past events. D. reject any ideas that cannot be scientifically tested. E. assume that correlation proves causation.

C

The tendency to exaggerate the correctness or accuracy of our beliefs and predictions is called A. skepticism. B. reliability. C. overconfidence. D. critical thinking. E. hindsight bias.

C

When we see certain outcomes as obvious based on what has occurred, we may be experiencing A. humility. B. critical thinking. C. hindsight bias. D. empiricism. E. overconfidence.

C

Which of the following is an example of hindsight bias? A. Experts predicting world events with 80 percent confidence turned out to be correct less than 40 percent of the time. B. Liza underestimates how much time it will take her to finish writing her college application essays and as a result fails to meet an important deadline. C. Alliyah, after reading a definition on one of her flashcards, turns the card over to see the term and then tells herself she knew what the answer was all along. D. Dr. Grace overestimates how effectively her new treatment method works because she fails to seek out any evidence refuting her theory. E. Armend is certain that electric cars will represent 80 percent of vehicles in 20 years and only reads research studies that support his hypothesis.

C