If Your Economics Class Was Graded on a Curve and Everyone

question 3

Multiple Choice

If your economics class was graded on a curve and everyone agrees to study only half as much, everyone would get the same grade that they otherwise would earn. You, however, will earn an A if you study more than the others, a C if you study the same amount as others, and an F if everyone else studies more than you. You don't like studying, but you'd rather study and get an A than get a C without studying, or study and get a C than get an F without studying. If everyone else is studying, what is it in your best interest to do?

• A) study and get a C
• B) not study and get an F
• C) drop the class
• D) randomize over studying and not studying

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Definitions:

Cognitive Development

The study of how thinking, problem solving, and intelligence evolve as people grow from infants to adults.

Piaget

A psychologist best known for his theory of cognitive development that describes how children's intellect grows through stages.

Preoperational Stage

The second of Piaget’s stages, characterized by illogical use of words and symbols, spotty logic, and egocentrism.

Sensorimotor Stage

The first of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development, characterized by coordination of sensory information and motor activity, early exploration of the environment, and lack of language.