Cognitive Reflection Overriding Intuitive Errors Questions and Answers

Question 1

A magazine and a banana together cost $3.30. The magazine costs $3.00 more than the banana. How much does the banana cost?

Accepted Answer

$0.15

Answer

The intuitive answer is $0.30, but this is incorrect. If the banana cost $0.30, the magazine would cost $3.30 ($3.00 + $0.30), making the total $3.60. The correct way to solve this is with algebra: Let B be the cost of the banana. The magazine's cost is B + $3.00. The total is B + (B + $3.00) = $3.30. This simplifies to 2B = $0.30, so B = $0.15.

Question 2

Which of the following cognitive mechanisms best explains why people make mistakes on classic CRT problems like the 'bat and ball' question?

Accepted Answer

Attribute Substitution

Answer

Attribute substitution is the process where an individual has to make a complex judgment and unconsciously substitutes an easier, more accessible attribute to answer. In CRT problems, the brain replaces the more complex algebraic calculation with a simpler, but incorrect, subtraction heuristic.

Question 3

Emily's father has five daughters: 1. Lala, 2. Lele, 3. Lili, 4. Lolo. What is the name of the fifth daughter?

Accepted Answer

Emily

Answer

This question is a semantic illusion designed to create a strong intuitive pattern (La, Le, Li, Lo, Lu). However, the answer is explicitly stated in the first part of the sentence: 'Emily's father...'. Overriding the impulse to complete the pattern reveals the answer that was present from the beginning.

Question 4

Successfully answering a Cognitive Reflection Test question correctly requires the test-taker to engage in what specific cognitive action?

Accepted Answer

Inhibiting the prepotent (intuitive) response

Answer

The core of the Cognitive Reflection Test is to measure an individual's ability to recognize that their first, intuitive answer is likely incorrect and to suppress, or inhibit, that response. This inhibition allows for more effortful, reflective (System 2) thinking to take over and find the correct solution.

Question 5

A man has two coins that total 35 cents. One of the coins is NOT a quarter. What are the two coins?

Accepted Answer

A dime and a quarter

Answer

This is a logic problem that uses tricky phrasing. The statement 'One of the coins is NOT a quarter' is designed to make you assume NEITHER coin is a quarter. However, the statement is true if one coin is a dime (which is not a quarter) and the other coin is a quarter. A dime (10 cents) and a quarter (25 cents) total 35 cents.

Cognitive Reflection Test Practice Test

Cognitive Reflection Test Practice Test

Cognitive Reflection Overriding Intuitive Errors Questions and Answers