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
Which cognitive bias causes avalanche professionals to underestimate risk because a route has been traveled safely many times before?
Answer: Familiarity bias
Familiarity bias leads professionals to assume repeated safe travel means the route is inherently safe, ignoring changing snowpack conditions.
The 'heuristic trap' known as social proof most directly affects group decision-making in avalanche terrain by causing members to:
Answer: Follow others into hazardous terrain without independent assessment
Social proof causes individuals to defer to group behavior, assuming others have assessed risk, which can lead entire groups into hazardous terrain.
During a pre-trip briefing, the ASC-recommended approach for surfacing dissenting opinions about terrain hazard is to:
Answer: Create a structured opportunity for any team member to voice concerns without judgment
ASC protocols emphasize a structured, psychologically safe environment so all team members can raise concerns, reducing the risk of heuristic traps.
Which decision-making framework used in avalanche safety explicitly separates the 'problem recognition' phase from the 'solution selection' phase to reduce cognitive errors?
Answer: 3×3 Filter method
The 3×3 Filter method structures decision-making across three scales (regional, local, zonal) and three information types, explicitly separating observation from action.
A guide notices that clients are eager to ski a steep slope after seeing fresh tracks. The guide's primary obligation under ASC standards is to:
Answer: Conduct an independent hazard assessment regardless of client pressure
ASC standards require guides to maintain independent professional judgment; client enthusiasm does not override a certified professional's duty to assess hazard.
In group travel through avalanche terrain, the concept of 'one at a time' exposure management primarily serves to:
Answer: Limit the number of people exposed to hazard at any given moment
One-at-a-time exposure limits the maximum number of people who could be caught in a single avalanche, reducing potential burial count.