Question

You hear an excerpt of music and your companion asks you who wrote it. You've never heard it before, but reply that it's likely that Bach wrote it. Your judgment can be best explained on the basis of (a) proactive inhibition (b) divergent thinking (c) representativeness (d) the method of Loci (e) procedural memory

Answer 1

The assumption that an unfamiliar piece of music is likely composed by Bach is best explained by the psychological concept 'representativeness'. Because Bach's music is well-known and has specific characteristics, upon hearing similar characteristics in an unfamiliar piece, one may assume it is by Bach.

Step-by-step explanation:

Your judgment that a piece of music you've just heard is likely composed by Bach is best explained by the concept of representativeness. Representativeness is a cognitive bias in which an individual categorizes a situation based on a pattern of previous experiences or beliefs about the scenario. This suggests that you've associated certain characteristics of the music you've heard with the style or type of music Bach is known for composing, leading you to surmise that it's his work. None of the other options (proactive inhibition, divergent thinking, the method of Loci, and procedural memory) inform your judgment in this specific context as accurately as representativeness.

Learn more about cognitive bias