Q.1 What does social cognition primarily study?
The biological basis of behavior
How people process, store, and apply information about others and social situations
The effects of rewards and punishments on learning
The unconscious mind and its influence on behavior
Explanation - Social cognition focuses on how individuals perceive, interpret, and remember information about social interactions and people.
Correct answer is: How people process, store, and apply information about others and social situations
Q.2 Which of the following is an example of a cognitive schema?
A reflex action
A mental framework for understanding social situations
A chemical imbalance in the brain
A muscle memory pattern
Explanation - Schemas are cognitive structures that help individuals organize and interpret information, especially about social contexts.
Correct answer is: A mental framework for understanding social situations
Q.3 The fundamental attribution error refers to:
Overestimating situational influences on others’ behavior
Underestimating personal traits when explaining our own behavior
Overestimating personal traits and underestimating situational factors in explaining others’ behavior
Blaming external factors for one’s own mistakes
Explanation - People tend to attribute others’ actions more to their personality than to situational factors, which is known as the fundamental attribution error.
Correct answer is: Overestimating personal traits and underestimating situational factors in explaining others’ behavior
Q.4 Which concept refers to the process of interpreting new information based on existing schemas?
Assimilation
Accommodation
Conformity
Cognitive dissonance
Explanation - Assimilation occurs when new information is incorporated into existing cognitive schemas without changing them.
Correct answer is: Assimilation
Q.5 Heuristics in social cognition are best described as:
Detailed logical processes for decision-making
Simple, efficient rules or mental shortcuts used to make judgments quickly
Random guesses without reasoning
Deliberate attempts to avoid bias
Explanation - Heuristics are cognitive shortcuts that simplify decision-making but can sometimes lead to biases.
Correct answer is: Simple, efficient rules or mental shortcuts used to make judgments quickly
Q.6 Which type of bias occurs when people interpret information in a way that confirms their preexisting beliefs?
Confirmation bias
Hindsight bias
Self-serving bias
Attribution bias
Explanation - Confirmation bias is the tendency to favor information that aligns with one’s existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence.
Correct answer is: Confirmation bias
Q.7 The term 'self-fulfilling prophecy' refers to:
A belief that influences behavior in a way that makes the belief come true
An unavoidable fate
A random occurrence with no social influence
An automatic reaction to stress
Explanation - When expectations about a person or situation affect our behavior toward them, causing the expectation to be realized, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Correct answer is: A belief that influences behavior in a way that makes the belief come true
Q.8 The representativeness heuristic can lead to errors because it:
Ignores statistical probabilities in favor of similarity to a prototype
Relies entirely on logical reasoning
Focuses only on past experiences
Involves complex mathematical calculations
Explanation - People often judge likelihood based on resemblance to a mental prototype rather than actual statistical probability.
Correct answer is: Ignores statistical probabilities in favor of similarity to a prototype
Q.9 Which of the following is a primary function of social categorization?
To enhance memory for random facts
To organize people into groups based on shared characteristics
To eliminate prejudice
To improve mathematical reasoning
Explanation - Social categorization helps simplify the social environment by grouping people according to observable or perceived traits.
Correct answer is: To organize people into groups based on shared characteristics
Q.10 Stereotypes are:
Always accurate representations of groups
Generalized beliefs about a group of people
Individual preferences
Biological instincts
Explanation - Stereotypes are cognitive structures that represent generalized knowledge or beliefs about groups, which may or may not be accurate.
Correct answer is: Generalized beliefs about a group of people
Q.11 The term 'priming' in social cognition refers to:
Preparing the brain for a specific behavior by exposure to related stimuli
Learning through trial and error
A reflexive biological response
The conscious avoidance of information
Explanation - Priming activates certain associations in memory, influencing subsequent thoughts, perceptions, or behaviors.
Correct answer is: Preparing the brain for a specific behavior by exposure to related stimuli
Q.12 What does the availability heuristic rely on?
Statistical data
Ease of recalling examples from memory
Expert advice
Random chance
Explanation - People estimate the probability of an event based on how easily instances or examples come to mind, which is the availability heuristic.
Correct answer is: Ease of recalling examples from memory
Q.13 Which bias occurs when people overestimate the predictability of events after they have occurred?
Hindsight bias
Self-serving bias
Confirmation bias
Fundamental attribution error
Explanation - Hindsight bias, also known as the 'I-knew-it-all-along' effect, occurs when people perceive past events as having been more predictable than they actually were.
Correct answer is: Hindsight bias
Q.14 Illusory correlation refers to:
Believing a relationship exists between two variables when none exists
Observing actual statistical correlations
A logical deduction from evidence
An expected outcome based on prior knowledge
Explanation - Illusory correlation occurs when people perceive a connection between events, behaviors, or groups that is not supported by evidence.
Correct answer is: Believing a relationship exists between two variables when none exists
Q.15 Which process involves changing one’s perception of another person based on a salient trait?
Halo effect
Self-serving bias
Confirmation bias
Attribution error
Explanation - The halo effect occurs when a single positive trait influences overall impressions of a person, often leading to biased judgments.
Correct answer is: Halo effect
Q.16 The term 'mental shortcut' in social cognition is synonymous with:
Heuristic
Bias
Schema
Priming
Explanation - Heuristics are mental shortcuts that help people make judgments quickly, though they can sometimes result in systematic errors.
Correct answer is: Heuristic
Q.17 Actor-observer bias refers to:
Attributing others’ behavior to situational factors and one’s own to personality
Attributing others’ behavior to personality and one’s own to situational factors
Treating everyone equally
Assuming random behavior is predictable
Explanation - People tend to explain their own actions based on circumstances but others’ actions based on disposition, known as actor-observer bias.
Correct answer is: Attributing others’ behavior to personality and one’s own to situational factors
Q.18 Which term describes attributing success to oneself but failures to external factors?
Self-serving bias
Confirmation bias
Fundamental attribution error
Stereotyping
Explanation - Self-serving bias is the tendency to credit personal successes to internal traits while blaming external circumstances for failures.
Correct answer is: Self-serving bias
Q.19 Counterfactual thinking involves:
Imagining alternative outcomes that could have happened
Accepting reality without question
Making decisions based on heuristics
Categorizing social groups
Explanation - Counterfactual thinking is mentally constructing scenarios where events occurred differently, often influencing emotions and judgments.
Correct answer is: Imagining alternative outcomes that could have happened
Q.20 Which concept explains why people may behave differently in groups compared to when alone?
Social cognition
Social facilitation and social loafing
Confirmation bias
Self-serving bias
Explanation - Social facilitation and social loafing describe how the presence of others can enhance or reduce individual performance due to group dynamics.
Correct answer is: Social facilitation and social loafing
Q.21 Which factor increases the likelihood of stereotype activation?
High cognitive load
Low cognitive load
No prior knowledge
Random decision-making
Explanation - When cognitive resources are limited, people are more likely to rely on stereotypes for quick judgments.
Correct answer is: High cognitive load
Q.22 Which process refers to adjusting impressions of someone after learning more information that contradicts initial beliefs?
Accommodation
Assimilation
Priming
Heuristic processing
Explanation - Accommodation occurs when existing cognitive schemas are changed to incorporate new, contradictory information.
Correct answer is: Accommodation
Q.23 Which bias involves giving more weight to recent information when forming impressions?
Recency effect
Primacy effect
Halo effect
Self-serving bias
Explanation - The recency effect is a cognitive bias where the most recently presented information has a disproportionate influence on impressions.
Correct answer is: Recency effect
Q.24 Primacy effect in social cognition refers to:
The tendency to be influenced by information presented first
The tendency to remember the last items in a list
Ignoring early information
Overemphasizing counterfactual thinking
Explanation - The primacy effect occurs when early information shapes impressions more strongly than later information.
Correct answer is: The tendency to be influenced by information presented first
Q.25 Which of the following illustrates the concept of 'automatic social cognition'?
Instantly judging someone’s trustworthiness based on facial features
Carefully analyzing statistical data
Deliberately correcting a cognitive bias
Writing a detailed report on social behavior
Explanation - Automatic social cognition refers to quick, unconscious judgments about people or situations.
Correct answer is: Instantly judging someone’s trustworthiness based on facial features