Psychology Chapter on Cognitive Systems

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Questions and Answers

Which of the following best describes System 1 thinking?

Conscious and logical

Fast and intuitive (correct)

Deliberate and reflective

Slow and methodical

What is meant by the term 'priming'?

The process of deliberate decision-making

The formation of new memories based on inference

The ability to recognize emotional reactions

The activation of certain associations without conscious awareness (correct)

Which phenomenon describes the tendency to be more confident than correct?

Cognitive dissonance

Illusory intuition

Confirmation bias

Overconfidence phenomenon (correct)

How does embodied cognition influence human perception?

It causes physical sensations to affect cognitive preferences and social judgments. Signup and view all the answers

Which example reflects the concept of illusory intuition?

Believing that two unrelated events are connected Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of System 2 thinking differentiates it from System 1?

It is controlled and conscious. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement is true about the unconscious influences on memory?

They can subtly shape how events are interpreted. Signup and view all the answers

What does controlled thinking primarily involve?

Deliberate reflection Signup and view all the answers

What is confirmation bias primarily characterized as?

A quick, automatic judgment process Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes heuristics?

Cognitive shortcuts for quick decision-making Signup and view all the answers

What does the availability heuristic suggest regarding memory?

Easily recalled instances shape our perception of likelihood Signup and view all the answers

How does counterfactual thinking impact decision-making?

It helps visualize alternative outcomes that did not occur Signup and view all the answers

What is an illusory correlation?

A belief in a relationship that does not exist Signup and view all the answers

Which heuristic involves judging based on the resemblance to a typical member of a category?

Representativeness heuristic Signup and view all the answers

What can prompt feedback help remedy?

Over-onfidence in one's own judgments Signup and view all the answers

The tendency to search for order in random events can lead to which cognitive error?

Illusory correlation Signup and view all the answers

What is a common misconception that gamblers hold about their wins?

They think wins are a result of their skills and foresight. Signup and view all the answers

What does 'regression toward the average' describe in the context of exam scores?

Extreme scores tend to return towards the average. Signup and view all the answers

How do moods influence our social judgments according to the content provided?

Moods can increase distractions and simplify judgments. Signup and view all the answers

What is one impact of believing that premonitions correlate with future events?

Individuals will dismiss contradicting evidence. Signup and view all the answers

What cognitive effect can result from individuals being in a bad mood?

They are less likely to recall positive memories. Signup and view all the answers

What role do beliefs and attitudes play in shaping our perceptions?

They create biases in interpretation. Signup and view all the answers

What is a typical response of students who earn low scores on their first exam?

They are likely to improve their scores later. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the 'illusion of control' as it pertains to gamblers?

They feel their choices directly affect their gambling results. Signup and view all the answers

What is the fundamental attribution error primarily concerned with?

Misattributing behaviors to personal traits Signup and view all the answers

How does Cinderella's situation in the text illustrate the fundamental attribution error?

Individuals misinterpret her character based on limited contexts. Signup and view all the answers

Why do people tend to view others' behavior differently than their own?

The environment is more visible when watching others. Signup and view all the answers

How do cultural perspectives influence fundamental attribution error?

Individuals in Western cultures often assume that personal traits cause events. Signup and view all the answers

What does a self-fulfilling prophecy refer to?

A situation where expectations influence behavior to produce expected outcomes. Signup and view all the answers

What is a common misconception about individuals when they display anger, based on the content provided?

They are often perceived as ill-tempered or emotionally unstable. Signup and view all the answers

Which characteristic is commonly associated with the individualistic worldview in Western cultures?

Focus on inherent personality traits as explanations for behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What impact do social beliefs and judgments have on behavior?

They help create realities that lead to their own confirmation. Signup and view all the answers

What is behavioral confirmation?

When social expectations lead to behaviors that confirm those expectations. Signup and view all the answers

How can beliefs about a job interview influence the outcome?

They might cause the candidate to behave in a manner that leads to their perceived failure. Signup and view all the answers

In the example of male students talking to women based on perceived attractiveness, what was a key outcome?

Men's perceptions influenced women's responses to them. Signup and view all the answers

What do attitudes influence according to the content provided?

Reactions to people, events, and objects. Signup and view all the answers

What might happen to a person believed to be lonely in social situations?

They will behave less sociably, confirming others' beliefs. Signup and view all the answers

In the context of relationships, how does believing a partner could be a life partner affect behavior?

It encourages more open communication and efforts in the relationship. Signup and view all the answers

What role do erroneous beliefs play in social interactions according to the experiments by Mark Snyder?

They can predispose individuals to act in ways that reinforce those beliefs. Signup and view all the answers

When job interviewees are believed to be warm, what behavior might they exhibit?

They typically respond with warmth in their interactions. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Two Brain Systems

System 1 (Automatic Processing/Thinking): Intuitive, unconscious, fast, effortless, habitual, without awareness.
- Examples: Schemas, emotional reactions, expertise, conditioned dispositions, snap judgments.
System 2 (Controlled Processing/Thinking): Deliberate, conscious, slow, reflective.
- Examples: Facts, names, past experiences.

Priming and Embodied Cognition

Priming: The awakening or activating of certain associations.
Embodied Cognition: The mutual influence of bodily sensations on cognitive preferences and social judgments.
- Example: Feeling hopeless can lead to perceiving rooms as darker.

Illusory Intuition & Overconfidence

Illusory Intuition: Believing a relationship exists between two people, events, or behaviors when there's no logical connection.
Overconfidence Phenomenon: The tendency to be more confident than correct; overestimating the accuracy of beliefs.
Confirmation Bias: The tendency to seek information that confirms preconceptions.
Remedies for overconfidence:
- Prompt feedback
- Seeking out reasons why judgments might be wrong

Heuristics

Heuristics: Mental shortcuts or rules of thumb simplifying decision-making and problem-solving.

Types of Heuristics

Representativeness Heuristic: Judging something by intuitively comparing it to a mental representation of a category.
Availability Heuristic: Judging the likelihood of things based on their availability in memory.
- Easier-to-recall events seem more likely.
Counterfactual Thinking: Imagining alternative scenarios and outcomes that could have happened but didn't.

Illusory Correlation & Regression Toward the Average

Illusory Correlation: Perceiving a relationship where none exists or perceiving a stronger relationship than actually exists.
Regression Toward the Average: The statistical tendency for extreme scores or behavior to return to their average.

Our moods color our judgments by bringing to mind past experiences associated with the mood.
When in a bad mood, we are more likely to have depressing thoughts.
Mood-related thoughts can distract us from complex thinking.
When emotionally aroused, we are more likely to make snap judgments and evaluate others based on stereotypes.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to underestimate the impact of external circumstances on behavior and misattribute behaviors to personal traits.
Example: Seeing Cinderella as meek at home but glamorous at the ball, overlooking situational influence.
Cultures influence this error. Individualistic cultures place more emphasis on individual traits, while Eastern Asian cultures are more sensitive to situational factors.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A belief that leads to its own fulfillment.
A person's expectations about a situation shape their behavior, leading the situation to align with those expectations.
Example: Believing you will fail an interview can lead to negative self-talk and potentially cause you to perform poorly, thus fulfilling the prophecy.

Behavioral Confirmation

People's social expectations lead them to behave in ways that cause others to confirm those expectations.
Example: Students talking to women they believed to be attractive spoke more warmly, leading the women to act in a way that confirmed their expectations.

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Description

Explore the intriguing concepts of System 1 and System 2 thinking in psychology. This quiz covers topics such as priming, embodied cognition, and the effects of illusory intuition and overconfidence. Test your understanding of how these cognitive processes influence our decisions and perceptions.