1: Two Systems of Thinking
Match these examples with the correct system it represents. System 1 (A) or System 2 (B): 1. Completing the sequence A, B, ___. 2. Avoid getting infected at the airport during covid-19 pandemic 3. Responding to the question: "What is the capital of the United States?" 4. Judging a complex situation based on impressions and stereotypes
1:A 2:B 3:A 4:A (because system 1 is based on emotions, impressions, stereotypes and not logic)
Match the type of cognitive distortions with their corresponding examples: A. Personalization B. Selective Abstraction C. Dichotomous thinking 1. John is reading that COVID-19 cases are spiking up during the Winter in the USA and statistical analyses project the worst scenario since the beginning of the pandemic. Since John has no close friend or family members who have been infected, he believes that nothing serious is going on. 2. Logan received an offer to work in another state and her wife agreed to move with him. After two years living in a new city, Logan's wife is facing a severe depression. Logan feels deeply guilty and responsible for his wife's mental issues as she has never got adapted to their new life. 3. Anna and Michael used to be good co-workers until Anna says no to Michael's invitation to contribute with a new project. Michael lost respect for Anna and is so disappointed with his former favorite coworker that is now unable to sustain any conversation or relationship with her even outside of work.
1:B (John changes reality based on one detail from his own life) 2:A 3:C (Michael is unable to place Anna on a continuum of good and bad, but can only choose one polar opposite)
A group of people read the following description about an individual: "Steve is very shy and withdrawn, invariably helpful but with little interest in people or in the world of reality. A meek and tidy soul, he has a need for order and structure, and a passion for details." Most people answered that Steve is more likely to be a LIBRARIAN than a FARMER, even being previously informed that there are 20 male farmers for each male librarian in the United States. Mark bellow the option that best reflects this result: A. Most participants ignored the relevant statistical fact and relied exclusively on resemblance and stereotypes generated by System 1. B. The participants that answered "librarian" probably took longer to answer that than the participants that selected "farmer" as response. C. Most participants applied a statistical inference to answer "Librarian", and the question was designed to induce a wrong response.
A. Most participants ignored the relevant statistical fact and relied exclusively on resemblance and stereotypes generated by System 1 B. The participants that answered "librarian" probably took longer to answer that than the participants that selected "farmer" as response (Incorrect: choosing "farmer" takes longer as it requires the application of a statistical inference) C. Most participants applied a statistical inference to answer "librarian", and the question was designed to induce a wrong response (Incorrect: the participants that selected "librarian" were not driven by statistical reasoning and there is no catch in the question)
Cognitive distortions can always be avoided or turned off. A. True B. False
B. False (Correct: Cognitive distortions cannot always be avoided or turned off as these are mostly driven by System 1, which operates automatically)
During the 2020 pandemic year, it was possible to observe a contradiction throughout the sequence of statements delivered by the then President of the USA, Donald Trump. Assuming that all statements reflected Trump's true opinion and based on what was discussed in the lecture, mark a possible explanation for that: A. It was possibly due to a tendency to be skeptical to the reality of facts as concrete evidence was being canceled or filtered out by a system of beliefs and arguments. B. It was possibly due to a tendency to see events as more predictable and obvious after they have already happened. C. It was possibly due to a tendency to overemphasize selected details in a situation, like the number of recovered people and promising medications, while ignoring other compelling facts.
B. It was possibly due to a tendency to see events as more predictable and obvious after they have already happened. (Correct: this option describes the hindsight bias distortion which is a possible explanation to the sequence of Trump's statements). A. It was possibly due to a tendency to be skeptical to the reality of facts as concrete evidence was being canceled or filtered out by a system of beliefs and arguments. (Incorrect: This option describes the arbitrary inference distortion and does not apply to this example as Donald Trump, in the sequence of statements discussed during the lectures, actually recognized the pandemic but denied that his tone had changed.) C. It was possibly due to a tendency to overemphasize selected details in a situation, like the number of recovered people and promising medications, while ignoring other compelling facts (Incorrect: this option describes the selective abstraction distortion and does not apply to this example as Donald Trump, in the sequence of statements discussed during the lectures, actually recognized the pandemic but denied that his tone had changed).
The process of assuming personal causality for situations, events, and reactions of others when there is no evidence supporting that conclusion is: A. Catastrophizing B. Personalization C. Emotional Reasoning D. Selective abstraction
B. Personalization A. Catastrophizing (Incorrect - Catastrophizing is the process of evaluating, whereby one believes the worst possible outcome will or did occur) B. Emotional Reasoning (Incorrect - Emotional reasoning is the predominant use of an emotional state to form conclusions about oneself, others, or situations) D. Selective abstraction (Incorrect: selective abstract is the tendency to overemphasize details in a situation while simultaneously ignoring other facts that are just as compelling)
Suppose you are driving your car on an empty road when a heavy and challenging snow blizzard is announced by the radio station to start within the next 30 minutes. Mark the cognitive event that likely occurs in this context: A. System 1 runs more actively than System 2 and applies quick and automatic actions that are demanded to make decisions in this high-risky situation. B. System 2 is mobilized and runs more actively than System 1 in order to think of actions and then decide which one is the best to avoid a car accident.
B. System 2 is mobilized and runs more actively than System 1 in order to think of actions and then decide which one is the best to avoid a car accident. (Correct: System 1 would be in control when operating an automatic behavior - e.g., empty road - or during an emergency situation that would require a quick response. In this context, System 2 would be mobilized when the automatic behavior of driving is challenged by a new event that requires thinking of a solution and making a decision.)
The tendency to view all experiences as fitting into one of two categories is an example of: A. Catastrophizing B. Personalization C. Dichotomous thinking D. Disqualifying the positive
C. Dichotomous thinking A. Catastrophizing (Incorrect - Catastrophizing is the process of evaluating, whereby one believes the worst possible outcome will or did occur) B. Personalization (Incorrect - Personalization is the process of assuming personal causality for situations, events, and reactions of others when there is no evidence supporting that conclusion) D. Disqualifying the positive (Incorrect - Disqualifying the positive is the process of rejecting or discounting positive experiences, traits, or attributes, thereby casting the whole situation in a negative context)
According to Kahneman's (2011) dual systems approach to thinking, System 1 is ____________ while System 2 is _______________. A. Deliberative; Intuitive B. Based on prior beliefs; based on new information C. Collaborative; Individual-driven D. Intuitive; deliberative
D. Intuitive; deliberative The correct answer is System 1 is Intuitive: operates automatically and quickly; System 2 is Deliberative: demands attention to process effortful mental tasks
The process of exclusively focusing on one negative aspect or detail of a situation, magnifying the importance of that detail, thereby casting the whole situation in a negative context is: A. Catastrophizing B. Personalization C. Emotional Reasoning D. Selective abstraction
D. Selective abstraction A. Catastrophizing (Incorrect - Catastrophizing is the process of evaluating, whereby one believes the worst possible outcome will or did occur) B. Personalization (Incorrect - Personalization is the process of assuming personal causality for situations, events, and reactions of others when there is no evidence supporting that conclusion) C. Emotional Reasoning (Incorrect - Emotional reasoning is the predominant use of an emotional state to form conclusions about oneself, others, or situations)
