IB Psychology HL 3.4.1 Cognitive Biases Questions

Refer to the paper 1 section B assessment criteria when awarding marks.
The command term "discuss" requires candidates to offer a considered review of the influence of biases in thinking and/or decision-making.

Thinking and decision-making are closely related cognitive processes and candidates do not need to make a distinction between the two.

Candidates may address examples of biased thinking and/or decision-making in relation to specific aspects of human behaviour or address behaviour in general. Both approaches are equally acceptable.

Examples of biased thinking and/or decision-making may include, but are not limited to:
- specific biases (eg confirmation, optimism, selective attention)
- illusory correlation
- effects of framing
- heuristics (eg anchoring, availability, representativeness)

Examples of research studies may include, but are not limited to:
- Chapman and Chapman (1969);
Stone et al. (1997) on confirmation bias
- Englisch and Mussweiler (2001);
Strack and Mussweiler (1997) on anchoring bias
- Hamilton and Gifford (1976);
Snyder and Swann (1978);
Song and Schwarz (2007) on illusory correlation
- Tversky and Kahneman (1981) on framing effects
- Zebrowitz and McDonald (1991);
Verhulst et al (2010);
Palmer and Peterson (2012) on halo effect

Discussion may include, but is not limited to:
- Applications of findings - for example, in marketing or in understanding health-related behaviour
- Cultural and gender differences in cognitive biases
- Difficulties in studying cognitive processes - eg isolation of variables and measuring cognition;
artificial nature of experimental research
- Explanations of why cognitive biases occur - eg linking to Dual Process Theory

Candidates may address one bias in order to demonstrate depth of knowledge, or may address a larger number of biases in order to demonstrate breadth of knowledge. Both approaches are equally acceptable.