A researcher who believes a study method works gives more attention to successful sessions and dismisses sessions when it did not help. Which bias best describes this pattern?
3 Biases in Belief and Judgment Online Quiz Questions
Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 3 Biases in Belief and Judgment, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.
A forecaster checks whether events assigned an 80% likelihood occur about 80% of the time across many predictions. This is a way to assess calibration.
- A
True
- B
False
After a project fails, a team member remembers an ambiguous warning sign as having made the failure obvious all along. This is an example of .
A project planner with little experience on similar work gives a highly certain completion date despite limited evidence. Which bias is most directly illustrated?
- A
Overconfidence
- B
Hindsight bias
- C
Confirmation bias
- D
Calibration
Select all the examples that illustrate forms of overconfidence described in the material.
- A
Someone expects to score higher on a task than they actually score.
- B
Someone assumes their performance is better than other people's without comparing outcomes.
- C
Someone reports a highly precise estimate even though the evidence is limited.
- D
Someone decides a past outcome was inevitable only after learning what happened.
Keeping a dated record of forecasts and uncertainties before an outcome is known can help reduce hindsight bias when reviewing the decision.
- A
True
- B
False
A person who already favors one explanation searches for evidence that supports it while overlooking contrary evidence. This tendency is called .
A manager favors one explanation for falling sales and dismisses contrary data without checking its quality. What bias does this behavior most directly illustrate?
A project fails, and afterward observers say an ambiguous warning sign made the failure obvious. Which interpretation best avoids hindsight bias?
- A
The team must have been dishonest about its earlier expectations.
- B
Knowing the outcome may make the warning sign seem clearer than it was at the time.
- C
The warning sign proves that the project was certain to fail.
- D
The team should ignore all warning signs when making future decisions.
A team wants to review an uncertain prediction in a way that reduces the risk of biased judgment. Select all the practices that support a disciplined review.
- A
Identify evidence that could count against the favored explanation.
- B
Compare alternative explanations and relevant base rates.
- C
Give supporting evidence more weight simply because it agrees with the current belief.
- D
Record the judgment before the outcome and compare it with what happens.
A forecaster compares predictions assigned the same probability with the frequency of the outcomes across many cases. What is the term for the quality being assessed?
A team wants to evaluate whether its decision was reasonable without letting the eventual outcome distort its memory. Describe a review procedure that would reduce hindsight bias and explain why it helps.
A student predicts they will answer nearly every question correctly but performs substantially worse. Which form of overconfidence does this example most directly illustrate?
- A
Overestimating one's actual performance
- B
Believing one performs better than other people
- C
Expressing more certainty than the evidence supports
- D
Seeing a known outcome as more predictable than it seemed beforehand
True or false: Confirmation bias can occur even when someone is not deliberately trying to mislead anyone.
- A
True
- B
False
A student believes a study method is effective. When reflecting on it, they recall sessions when it helped but overlook sessions when it did not. Which concept best describes this pattern?
- A
The person is expressing more certainty than the evidence supports.
- B
The person is favoring evidence that supports an existing belief.
- C
The person is remembering a known outcome as more predictable than it seemed beforehand.
- D
The person is comparing predicted probabilities with observed frequencies.
Which example illustrates the form of overconfidence in which someone believes they perform better than other people?
- A
Overestimating how well one will perform on a particular task.
- B
Being more certain about a judgment than the available evidence warrants.
- C
Believing one performs better than other people.
- D
Seeing an outcome as more predictable after learning what happened.
After learning how an event turned out, a person sees that outcome as more predictable than it seemed beforehand. What bias is this?
A project planner gives a completion date with high confidence despite having little experience with similar projects. If decision-makers treat the date as certain, what is a practical risk?
- A
The team may leave too little time or money for delays.
- B
The team will necessarily finish on the date it predicted.
- C
The prediction becomes calibrated without checking outcomes.
- D
The project’s risks become easier to assess after it begins.
What is the term for predictions made with a given probability matching the observed frequency of those outcomes across many cases?
A team is reviewing a prediction before its outcome is known. Which approach best supports a balanced judgment?
- A
Keep the favored explanation and look only for further support.
- B
Treat a confident judgment as reliable unless it is proven wrong.
- C
Focus on the outcome that actually occurred and disregard alternatives.
- D
Consider alternative explanations and relevant base rates.
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