ASC Decision Making & Group Dynamics Flashcards
6 cards from real ASC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 ASC Decision Making & Group Dynamics flashcards as text
The 'expert halo' heuristic trap in backcountry groups refers to the tendency to:
Answer: Defer all risk judgments to the most credentialed person present
The expert halo causes group members to suppress their own observations and defer uncritically to someone perceived as an authority, potentially allowing hazards to go unaddressed.
Which pre-trip planning element is considered MOST critical for minimizing decision-making errors once a group is in avalanche terrain?
Answer: Establishing clear turnaround criteria and decision triggers before departure
Pre-established decision triggers (e.g., specific danger ratings or observed red flags) reduce in-the-moment cognitive bias and ensure consistent, pre-committed responses.
When a group member observes a recent natural avalanche but the group leader wants to proceed, the BEST action under ASC protocols is to:
Answer: Raise the observation formally as a red flag and recommend reassessment of the plan
ASC protocols require that any red flag observation trigger a formal reassessment; recent natural avalanche activity is among the most reliable indicators of instability.
The term 'summit fever' in avalanche safety decision-making describes the tendency to:
Answer: Allow goal commitment to override objective hazard assessment
Summit fever causes individuals and groups to discount risk signals because the desire to achieve an objective overrides rational safety evaluation.
How does group size primarily affect decision quality in avalanche terrain according to ASC human factors principles?
Answer: Smaller groups tend toward better individual accountability while larger groups increase social pressure risks
Larger groups can amplify social proof and herding behavior, while smaller groups maintain individual accountability and more direct communication.
Which communication technique is MOST effective for ensuring all group members have shared situational awareness before entering complex avalanche terrain?
Answer: Round-robin verbal check-in requiring each member to state observations and concerns
Round-robin check-ins ensure every member actively verbalizes their assessment, surfacing diverse observations and reducing the risk of suppressed concerns.