Ground Zero Mosque Controversy

• Proposal to build a mosque near Ground Zero in New York created conflict.
• Anti-mosque side wants it to be moved "further away" due to sensitivities.
• Mayor Bloomberg opposes moving the mosque, saying it would mean terrorists have won.
• People often use mental shortcuts or rules of thumb to arrive at judgments.
• Representativeness heuristic is a common mental shortcut used by people.
• Ignoring the base rate is a key symptom of judging by representativeness.
• Al-Qaeda is a deviant group and not representative of the general population of Muslims.
• Building a mosque near Ground Zero alters people's perception of the blameworthiness of Islam with regard to 9/11.
• Social cognition is how we think about the social world, our attempts to understand it, and ourselves and our place in it.
• Schemas and affect can also influence social cognition.

Test your knowledge of social cognition and mental shortcuts with this quiz on the controversy surrounding the proposed mosque near Ground Zero in New York. Explore the representativeness heuristic, the impact of schemas and affect on social cognition, and the potential consequences of ignoring base rates. Learn about the role of perception in shaping attitudes towards Islam and the importance of understanding deviance within social groups. Put your critical thinking skills to the test and discover how our thought processes can impact our perception of complex social issues.