IDSC FINAL EXAM

What is the main reason humans developed cognitive bias?

Evolution

What is Survivorship Bias?

Focusing on things that survived rather than what didn't.

First brain challenge that bias helps solve (1)

Processing massive sensory input

Second brain challenge that bias helps solve (2)

Categorizing/retrieving memory fast

Third brain challenge that bias helps solve (3)

Acting under time pressure,

Fourth brain challenge that bias helps solve (4)

Finding meaning even when it isn't there.

What is the Halo Effect?

A positive impression in one area influences opinions in other areas.

What is Confirmation Bias?

The tendency to search for and favor information that confirms existing beliefs, while ignoring contradictory evidence.

What is the Gambler's Fallacy?

Believing a random event is more or less likely based on previous outcomes.

What is Loss Aversion?

Losses feel psychologically about twice as powerful as equivalent gains.

What is the Sunk Cost Fallacy?

Believing prior investments justify continuing to spend more, even when cutting losses would be the rational choice.

What are Loot Boxes and which biases make them powerful?

Random reward mechanics in games. They exploit Loss Aversion, Gambler's Fallacy, Sunk Cost Fallacy, and Illusion of Control.

What is Heuristic Design / Choice Architecture?

Designing products or environments that use cognitive shortcuts to guide decisions.

What are Gestalt Principles?

Visual design principles based on how humans group/perceive objects: Similarity, Closure, Proximity, Continuation, Symmetry, and Good Figure

What is the Technology Bias Dichotomy?

Technology can REDUCE human bias through proper data/ML , but can also AMPLIFY and SCALE bias if baked into data, models, or algorithms

What are the 8 areas where bias can enter an AI/data system?

Data Collection, Data Organization, Data Enrichment, Hypothesis, Data Selection, Model Selection, Algorithm Selection, Conclusions.

What are AI hallucinations?

When AI generates false/fabricated information with apparent confidence

What are the ethics guidelines for Behavioral Design?

Support customer goals, be transparent, use persuasion not coercion, support user autonomy, use gamification for engagement not manipulation, align with social good.

What is eWaste and why is it serious?

Discarded electronics. Accounts for 70% of toxic waste, contains up to 1,000 chemical substances, contaminates air/water/soil, and exposes an estimated 16.5 million children to neurotoxins like lead and mercury.

What is Green IT?

Using computing resources to minimize environmental impact, covering manufacture, use, and disposal of hardware

How can organizations find responsible eWaste disposal partners?

Look for Basel Action Network e-Stewards certification, IAER certification, or ISO 9001/14001 compliance

What is Moore's Law?

Chip performance per dollar doubles approximately every 18 months. It's an observation/prediction, not an actual law. Intel suggested it may slow to doubling every 2.5 years.

What is Price Elasticity and why does it matter for tech?

The rate at which demand changes as price changes. As Moore's Law drives costs down, previously unaffordable tech opens new mass markets — critical for managers to anticipate.

What is Gilder's Law?

Network bandwidth doubles every six months — an even faster growth rate than Moore's Law.

List the 6 waves of computing evolution.

1st: Mainframes (1960s), 2nd: Minicomputers (1970s), 3rd: PCs (1980s), 4th: Internet (1990s), 5th: Smartphones (2000s), 6th: Pervasive/embedded computing (2010s).

What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?

Low-cost sensors, processors, and communications embedded in everyday objects to collect data and coordinate action automatically. Examples: smart thermostats, smart pill bottles, smart license plates.

What is quantum tunneling and why does it threaten Moore's Law?

When chips shrink too small, electrons tunnel through barriers they shouldn't — causing errors. This physical limit means chips can't keep shrinking forever.

What are multicore processors and why were they developed?

Chips with 2+ processor cores on one piece of silicon. Developed because single cores couldn't keep getting faster without overheating. Multicore outperforms a single fast chip while running cooler.

What is quantum computing and what are its limitations?

Uses qubits to perform certain computations exponentially faster. Limitations: qubits decohere (lose their state) quickly, contain errors, and practical general-purpose use is still unproven.

What is Post Scarcity and what technologies could enable it?

A state where goods/services are available very cheaply or free with minimal human labor. Enabled by hyper-automation, nanotechnology, and generative AI. Could lead to UBI, 4-day work weeks, or a leisure economy.

What is Neuralink and what has it achieved?

Elon Musk's brain-computer interface company. Developed electrode-laden brain chips, tested on pigs/monkeys, approved for human testing. "Blindsight" device stimulates the visual cortex to restore vision, bypassing the eyes — FDA approved 2024.

How do AI/ML training costs compare to Moore's Law?

AI is improving faster than Moore's Law. Training an image recognition model cost $1,000 in 2017 and only $7.43 in 2020. Training time dropped from 6.2 minutes (2018) to 47 seconds (2020).