Thinking and Problem-Solving Strategies: Cognitive Psychology MCQ Quiz
Questions: 30
Questions
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1. What is the first step in the problem-solving process?
- a) Evaluating solutions
- b) Identifying the problem
- c) Implementing the solution
- d) Defining the goal
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2. Which of the following is an example of a heuristic in problem-solving?
- a) A step-by-step algorithm
- b) A mental shortcut for quick decisions
- c) Conducting a comprehensive analysis
- d) Calculating exact probabilities
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3. What does the term "functional fixedness" refer to in cognitive psychology?
- a) The inability to consider new uses for familiar objects
- b) The tendency to rely on past experiences
- c) The process of breaking down a problem into smaller parts
- d) The use of intuition over logic
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4. What is the primary goal of brainstorming in problem-solving?
- a) To eliminate all incorrect options
- b) To generate a variety of potential solutions
- c) To apply logical reasoning
- d) To focus only on practical solutions
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5. Which type of reasoning involves drawing specific conclusions from general principles?
- a) Inductive reasoning
- b) Deductive reasoning
- c) Analogical reasoning
- d) Divergent reasoning
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6. What is the "availability heuristic"?
- a) Judging the likelihood of events based on how easily they come to mind
- b) Using past experiences to solve current problems
- c) Assessing probabilities through logical analysis
- d) Comparing current problems to similar past scenarios
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7. What does "cognitive restructuring" involve in problem-solving?
- a) Breaking down a complex problem into manageable parts
- b) Reframing the problem to view it from a new perspective
- c) Applying learned strategies to new problems
- d) Eliminating unnecessary information
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8. What is the purpose of analogical reasoning?
- a) To identify similarities between two situations and apply knowledge from one to the other
- b) To create entirely new solutions
- c) To evaluate all possible solutions systematically
- d) To calculate probabilities based on data
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9. The "mental set" in problem-solving refers to:
- a) A predisposition to approach problems in a particular way
- b) The ability to think creatively
- c) The process of eliminating incorrect solutions
- d) The focus on emotional responses during problem-solving
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10. What is the role of "working memory" in problem-solving?
- a) Storing solutions permanently
- b) Holding and manipulating information while solving problems
- c) Retrieving past knowledge for application
- d) Filtering irrelevant information
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11. Which term refers to breaking down a problem into smaller= more manageable parts?
- a) Chunking
- b) Subgoal analysis
- c) Cognitive mapping
- d) Heuristics
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12. What is the primary limitation of the "representativeness heuristic"?
- a) It often ignores statistical probabilities
- b) It focuses too heavily on past experiences
- c) It requires detailed analysis
- d) It eliminates creative solutions
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13. Which problem-solving strategy involves starting with the desired outcome and working backward?
- a) Means-end analysis
- b) Reverse engineering
- c) Analogical reasoning
- d) Deductive reasoning
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14. What is the primary advantage of using heuristics?
- a) They guarantee accurate solutions
- b) They speed up decision-making processes
- c) They prevent cognitive biases
- d) They rely on mathematical probabilities
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15. What does "confirmation bias" involve in thinking?
- a) Seeking information that supports pre-existing beliefs
- b) Ignoring information that contradicts prior knowledge
- c) Both A and B
- d) Evaluating all evidence equally
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16. The "Tower of Hanoi" puzzle is commonly used to study:
- a) Deductive reasoning
- b) Planning and problem-solving strategies
- c) Memory recall
- d) Emotional intelligence
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17. Which of the following is a characteristic of "creative problem-solving"?
- a) Using a fixed set of rules
- b) Applying conventional methods only
- c) Generating novel and original solutions
- d) Relying on past experiences
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18. What is the "anchoring effect" in decision-making?
- a) Making decisions based solely on available information
- b) Overestimating the importance of the first piece of information received
- c) Relying on intuition rather than logic
- d) Making decisions based on emotions
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19. What does "metacognition" refer to in problem-solving?
- a) The process of memorizing information
- b) Thinking about one's own thinking and problem-solving strategies
- c) Relying on external help to solve problems
- d) Using trial-and-error to find solutions
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20. The "law of small numbers" refers to:
- a) Believing that small samples represent the entire population
- b) Overgeneralizing from large amounts of data
- c) Drawing conclusions based on limited data
- d) Using large samples to ensure accurate results
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21. What does "overconfidence bias" result in?
- a) Underestimating the difficulty of a problem
- b) Accurate and well-supported decisions
- c) A higher level of problem-solving ability
- d) A tendency to take excessive risks based on perceived knowledge
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22. Which cognitive strategy is most likely to be used when faced with a well-defined problem?
- a) Trial and error
- b) Algorithmic thinking
- c) Heuristics
- d) Insight
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23. What is "hindsight bias"?
- a) The tendency to think an event was predictable after it has occurred
- b) The tendency to ignore past experiences
- c) The ability to predict future outcomes accurately
- d) The inclination to rely solely on statistical evidence
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24. What does "the framing effect" refer to?
- a) Making decisions based on how information is presented
- b) The impact of previous decisions on future choices
- c) The ability to find solutions despite limited information
- d) Relying on intuition to make choices
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25. What does "confirmation bias" lead to?
- a) Seeking evidence that supports existing beliefs
- b) Avoiding external influences when making decisions
- c) Open-mindedness in evaluating contradictory evidence
- d) Making well-reasoned decisions based on facts
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26. Which cognitive process is used to find patterns in complex data?
- a) Insight
- b) Problem-solving by analogy
- c) Inductive reasoning
- d) Deductive reasoning
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27. "Cognitive load" refers to:
- a) The amount of information that can be processed at one time
- b) The difficulty of a problem
- c) The time taken to solve a problem
- d) The emotional state of the decision-maker
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28. The "gambler's fallacy" is based on the incorrect assumption that:
- a) Past outcomes influence future ones in random events
- b) Probability can be calculated using logic
- c) Each event in a sequence is independent
- d) The odds of an event remain constant
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29. What is "cognitive dissonance"?
- a) The discomfort caused by holding conflicting beliefs or attitudes
- b) The ability to think logically without biases
- c) The process of making decisions based on reasoned analysis
- d) The tendency to change one's beliefs in response to external pressure
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30. The "availability heuristic" is best described as:
- a) Making judgments based on the ease with which examples come to mind
- b) Relying on statistical evidence to make decisions
- c) Using logic to weigh all possible outcomes
- d) A decision-making process based on prior knowledge
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