A Smoker Is Given a Placebo and He or She

question 223

Multiple Choice

A smoker is given a placebo and he or she is told that it is nicotine gum,when it is not.How will this affect his of her cigarette smoking behavior?

• A)He or she will smoke cigarettes more rapidly.
• B)He or she will smoke fewer cigarettes per day.
• C)He or she will abstain from cigarettes.
• D)He or she will take more puffs per cigarette.

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Definitions:

Base Rate Fallacy

A cognitive error where individuals ignore general statistical information (base rates) in favor of specific anecdotal information.

Representativeness Heuristic

A mental shortcut used to make decisions or judgments by comparing information to our mental prototypes and stereotypes.

Anchoring and Adjustment Heuristic

A cognitive bias where an individual relies too heavily on an initial piece of information (anchor) when making decisions, with insufficient adjustments made thereafter.

Gambler's Fallacy

The erroneous belief that if something happens more frequently than normal during a given period, it will happen less frequently in the future, or vice versa.