Cognition and Intelligence Test
1.
If a conclusion is consistent with our personal opinion we often consider it valid, even if
it doesn't make logical sense. This is known as:
A) the availability heuristic.
B) linguistic relativity.
C) belief bias.
D) framing.
E) functional fixedness.
2.
In testing thousands of different materials for use as lightbulb filaments, Thomas
Edison best illustrated a problem-solving approach known as:
A) the representativeness heuristic.
B) trial and error.
C) functional fixedness.
D) the confirmation bias.
E) belief perseverance.
3.
The word “chimps” contains ________ phoneme(s) and ________ morpheme(s).
A) 5; 2
B) 6; 1
C) 2; 5
D) 1; 6
4.
After spending two hours trying to solve an engineering problem, Amira finally gave up.
As she was trying to fall asleep that night, a solution to the problem popped into her
head. Amira's experience best illustrates:
A) the belief perseverance phenomenon.
B) the availability heuristic.
C) insight.
D) a mental set.
E) the framing effect.
5.
Which of the following is an example of the use of heuristics?
A) trying every possible letter ordering when unscrambling a word
B) considering each possible move when playing chess
C) using the formula “area = length × width” to find the area of a rectangle
D) playing chess using a defensive strategy that has often been successful for you
6.
Because she believes that boys are naughtier than girls, Mrs. Zumpano, a secondgrade teacher, watches boys more closely than she watches girls for any signs of
misbehavior. Sure enough, she caught the boys misbehaving more than the girls. Her
strategy best represents the
A) the availability heuristic.
B) confirmation bias.
C) functional fixedness.
D) the representativeness heuristic.
E) the framing effect.
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7.
Many people perceive carjackings as more serious threats to their lives than failing to
use seatbelts because carjackings are so much more memorable. This best illustrates
the importance of:
A) belief perseverance.
B) the representativeness heuristic.
C) confirmation bias.
D) the availability heuristic.
E) functional fixedness.
8.
Which term refers to all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing,
remembering, and communicating?
A) schema
B) heuristic
C) cognition
D) syntax
E) language
9.
Marlene forgot to bring a pillow on the camping trip, so she spent a very uncomfortable
and restless night. Unfortunately, she never thought of using her down-filled jacket as a
pillow. Marlene's oversight best illustrates:
A) confirmation bias.
B) belief perseverance.
C) functional fixedness.
D) the availability heuristic.
E) overconfidence.
10.
When we use the word “automobile” to refer to a category of transport vehicles, we are
using this word as a(n):
A) mental set.
B) heuristic.
C) concept.
D) algorithm.
E) phoneme.
11.
Stockbrokers often believe that their own expertise will enable them to select stocks
that will outperform the market average. This belief best illustrates:
A) functional fixedness.
B) the framing effect.
C) the representativeness heuristic.
D) overconfidence.
E) belief perseverance.
12.
At a block party, Cyndi is introduced to eight new neighbors. Moments later, she can
only remember the names of the first three and last two neighbors. Her experience
illustrates:
A) source amnesia
B) the next-in-line effect.
C) the serial position effect.
D) implicit memory.
E) the spacing effect.
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13.
On Monday, the meteorologist forecast a 20 percent chance of rain, so Sheryl took her
umbrella to work. On Friday, he reported an 80 percent chance that it would not rain, so
Sheryl left her umbrella at home. Sheryl's behavior illustrates the impact of:
A) confirmation bias.
B) the belief perseverance phenomenon.
C) overconfidence.
D) the representativeness heuristic.
E) the framing effect.
14.
Jamilla systematically tried each successive key on her dad's key ring until she found
the one that unlocked his office door. This best illustrates problem solving by means of:
A) belief perseverance.
B) an algorithm.
C) the representativeness heuristic.
D) the availability heuristic.
E) functional fixedness.
15.
The activation-synthesis theory best helps to explain why:
A) people often experience sudden visual images during REM sleep.
B) dreams are accompanied by eye movements.
C) dreams typically express unacceptable feelings in a symbolically disguised form.
D) individuals with sleep apnea are unable to recall any of their dreams.
E) most dreams are realistic portrayals of pleasant life events.
16.
Despite overwhelming and highly publicized evidence that Senator McEwan was guilty
of serious political corruption and misconduct, many who had supported her in past
elections remained convinced of her political integrity. Their reaction best illustrates:
A) functional fixedness.
B) the representativeness heuristic.
C) belief perseverance.
D) the availability heuristic.
E) the framing effect.
17.
As he attempted to spell the word “receive,” Tim reminded himself “i before e except
after c.” Tim's self-reminder best illustrates the use of:
A) trial and error.
B) insight.
C) an algorithm.
D) a heuristic.
E) prototypes.
18.
When someone mentions Ivy League colleges, Trisha immediately thinks of Harvard
University. In this instance, Harvard University is a:
A) fixation.
B) belief bias.
C) heuristic.
D) prototype.
E) mental set.
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19.
Professor Thompson's research focuses on the impact of prototypes on the speed of
object recognition and identification. Which specialty area does this research best
represent?
A) personality psychology
B) cognitive psychology
C) biological psychology
D) clinical psychology
E) developmental psychology
20.
Miss Jan De Jong is orderly, neat, fairly quiet, and shy. She enjoys reading in her spare
time and belongs to a social club that includes three librarians, nine real estate agents,
and eight social workers. A tendency to conclude that Jan must be one of the three
librarians would illustrate the powerful influence of:
A) confirmation bias.
B) the framing effect.
C) the representativeness heuristic.
D) the belief perseverance phenomenon.
E) the availability heuristic.
21. Seals in an aquarium will repeat behaviors, such as slapping and barking, that prompt
people to toss them a herring. This best illustrates:
A) respondent behavior.
B) observational learning.
C) latent learning.
D) spontaneous recovery.
E) operant conditioning.
22. The distribution of intelligence test scores in the general population forms a bell-shaped
pattern. This pattern is called a:
A) standardization sample.
B) reliability coefficient.
C) factor analysis.
D) normal curve.
E) savant syndrome.
23. Robert Sternberg distinguished among analytical, practical, and ________ intelligence.
A) intrapersonal
B) creative
C) spatial
D) musical
E) physical
24. The concept of a g factor implies that intelligence:
A) is a single overall ability.
B) is several specific abilities.
C) cannot be defined or measured.
D) is both a. and c.
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25. Intelligence tests were initially designed by Binet and Simon to assess:
A) academic aptitude.
B) divergent thinking.
C) emotional intelligence.
D) savant syndrome.
E) heritability.
26. Melvin has been diagnosed as having savant syndrome, which means that he:
A) has an IQ of 120 or higher.
B) would score high on a test of analytical intelligence.
C) is mentally retarded but has one exceptional ability.
D) was exposed to high levels of testosterone during prenatal development.
27. A college administrator is trying to assess whether an admissions test accurately
predicts how well applicants will perform at his school. The administrator is most
obviously concerned that the test is:
A) standardized.
B) valid.
C) factor-analyzed.
D) normally distributed.
E) reliable.
28. A 12-year-old who responded to the original Stanford-Binet with the proficiency typical
of an average 9-year-old was said to have an IQ of:
A) 75.
B) 85.
C) 115.
D) 125.
E) 133.
29. Factor analysis is a statistical procedure that can be used to:
A) derive IQ scores by comparing mental age with chronological age.
B) evaluate how accurately test items predict a criterion behavior.
C) extract test norms from a standardization sample.
D) identify clusters of closely related test items.
E) provide a quantitative estimate of heritability.
30. Tests designed to assess what a person has learned are called ________ tests.
A) aptitude
B) standardized
C) achievement
D) Ability
31. Sorina has a mental age of 10 and an IQ of 125 as measured by the Stanford-Binet.
Sorina's chronological age is:
A) 6.
B) 8.
C) 9.
D) 10.
E) 12.5.
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32. Your psychology professor has announced that the next test will assess your
understanding of sensation and perception. When you receive the test, however, you
find that very few questions actually relate to these topics. In this instance, you would
be most concerned about the ________ of the test.
A) reliability
B) factor analysis
C) standardization
D) validity
E) normal distribution
33. Which of the following provides the strongest evidence of the role of heredity in determining
intelligence?
A) The IQ scores of identical twins raised separately are more similar than those of
fraternal twins raised together.
B) The intelligence scores of fraternal twins are more similar than those of ordinary
siblings.
C) The intelligence scores of identical twins raised together are more similar than those of
identical twins raised apart.
D) The intelligence scores of adopted children show relatively weak correlations with
scores of adoptive as well as biological parents.
34. Although Nicole scored well above average on the SAT, she frequently loses her
temper and needlessly antagonizes even her best friends. Her behavior best illustrates
a low level of:
A) convergent thinking.
B) validity.
C) the g factor.
D) mental age.
E) emotional intelligence.
35. Your roommate is conducting a survey to learn how many hours the typical college
student studies each day. She plans to pass out her questionnaire to the members of
her sorority. You point out that her findings will be flawed because:
A) the sample will probably not be representative of the population of interest.
B) she has not specified an independent variable
C) she has not specified a dependent variable.
D) of all the above reasons.
36. Of the following, who best illustrates Sternberg's concept of analytical intelligence?
A) Trudy, a high school student who receives lower grades in physical education than in any
other course
B) Freda, a business executive who effectively motivates her sales staff
C) Wilma, a schoolteacher who refuses to pay taxes because they are used to develop new
weapons
D) Selma, a fifth-grader who solves complicated mathematical problems in record time
E) Nicole, a teenager who completes the road test for her driver's license without a single error
37. Mr. and Mrs. Linkletter are parents of a mentally retarded child. It is most likely that
their child:
A) is a female rather than a male.
B) is unusually creative.
C) was born with an extra chromosome.
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D) will have difficulty adapting to the normal demands of independent adult life.
E) is a direct result of ill-advised parenting practices.
38. When a person's test performance can be compared with that of a representative and
pretested sample of people, the test is said to be:
A) reliable.
B) standardized.
C) valid.
D) normally distributed.
E) internally consistent.
39. According to Freud, defense mechanisms are methods of reducing
A) anger.
B) anxiety.
C) fear.
D) Libido.
40. If you wanted to develop a test of musical aptitude in North American children, which
would be the appropriate standardization group?
A) children all over the world
B) North American children
C) children of musical parents
D) children with known musical ability
41. Tests designed to predict ability to learn new skills are called:
A) achievement tests.
B) interest inventories.
C) factor analytic measures.
D) standardized assessments.
E) aptitude tests.
42. Boys are most likely to outperform girls in a(n):
A) essay contest.
B) chess tournament.
C) speed-reading tournament.
D) spelling bee.
E) speech-giving contest.
43. Spearman's g factor refers to:
A) the internal consistency of an intelligence test.
B) the genetic contribution to intelligence.
C) a general intelligence that underlies successful performance on a wide variety of
tasks.
D) a highly developed skill or talent possessed by an otherwise retarded person.
E) the ability to understand and regulate emotions.
44. The components of creativity include:
A) impulsivity and empathy.
B) expertise and a venturesome personality.
C) competitiveness and dogmatism.
D) imagination and extrinsic motivation.
E) competitiveness and empathy.
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45. The WAIS consists of separate ________ subtests.
A) intelligence and creativity
B) aptitude and achievement
C) convergent and divergent thinking
D) verbal and performance
E) emotions and reasoning
46. The Flynn effect is least likely to be explained in terms of:
A) changes in human genetic characteristics.
B) increasing educational opportunities.
C) reductions in family size.
D) improvements in infant nutrition.
E) changing communication technologies.
47. Many psychologists are skeptical of claims that chimpanzees can acquire language
because the chimps have not shown the ability to:
A) use symbols meaningfully.
B) acquire speech.
C) use proper syntax in communicating.
D) acquire even a limited vocabulary.
48. Whorf's linguistic determination hypothesis states that:
A) language is primarily a learned ability.
B) language is partially an innate ability.
C) the size of a person's vocabulary reflects his or her intelligence.
D) our language shapes our thinking.
49. Which of the following best describes Chomsky's view of language development?
A) Language is an entirely learned ability.
B) Language is an innate ability.
C) Humans have a biological predisposition to acquire language.
D) There are no cultural influences on the development of language.
50. The activation-synthesis theory best helps to explain why:
A) individuals with sleep apnea are unable to recall any of their dreams.
B) dreams are accompanied by eye movements.
C) dreams typically express unacceptable feelings in a symbolically disguised form.
D) people often experience sudden visual images during REM sleep.
E) most dreams are realistic portrayals of pleasant life events.
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Answer Key
1. C
2 B
3 A
4 C
5 D
6 B
7 D
8. C
9. C
10. C
11 D
12. C
13 E
14 B
15 A
16 C
17 D
18 D
19. B
20. C
21 E
22 D
23 B
24 A
25 A
26 C
27 B
28 A
29 D
30 C
31 B
32 D
33 A
34 E
35 A
36 D
37 D
38 B
39 B
40 B
41 E
42 B
43 C
44 B
45 D
46 A
47 C
48 D
49 C
50 D
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