Unit 5: Exercises and Self-Assessment

Type classification: this is a quiz resource.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

Identify biases in real-life situations
Reflect on personal decision-making patterns
Apply strategies to minimize bias
Evaluate learning progress on cognitive biases

Exercises

Exercise 1: Identifying Biases in Daily Life

1. Think of a recent decision you made (big or small). 2. List which cognitive biases may have influenced your thinking. 3. Suggest one strategy from Unit 4 that could have improved your decision.

Exercise 2: Observing Bias in Media

1. Choose a news article, social media post, or advertisement. 2. Identify at least two potential biases that may affect how people interpret the information. 3. Write a short paragraph analyzing the impact of these biases.

Exercise 3: Reflection Journal

1. Keep a journal for one week. 2. Record decisions you make, noting any heuristics or biases you notice. 3. Review your journal and summarize patterns of bias in your thinking.

Exercise 4: Scenario-Based Questions

Scenario 1: You see a product advertised with a "90% success rate" and another with "10% failure rate." Which bias might influence your choice?
Scenario 2: You only read news stories that agree with your political views. Which bias is this?
Scenario 3: Your team continues a project that is failing because everyone agreed to start it. Which bias is at work?

Exercise 5: Self-Assessment Quiz

1. Which of the following best describes confirmation bias?

  a) Overestimating the likelihood of rare events  
  b) Seeking information that supports prior beliefs  
  c) Preferring the first piece of information presented

2. Which strategy helps reduce bias?

  a) Ignoring contradictory information  
  b) Perspective-taking  
  c) Making quick decisions without reflection

3. True or False: Cognitive biases only affect unimportant decisions.

Biases in Human Reasoning/Unit 5: Exercises and Self-Assessment