Cognitive Psychology
Review Questions
Chapter 1: Introduction and
Methods
What is cognitive psychology? Describe an
example of a phenomena that would interest
cognitive psychology researchers.
Chapter 1: Introduction and
Methods
Be able to explain the major difference
between introspection and behaviorism, and
know the main points of each.
Chapter 1: Introduction and
Methods
What are some of the major chronological
events that marked the “Cognitive
Revolution?”
Chapter 1: Introduction and
Methods
Briefly describe the experimental method.
Illustrate using an example from class.
Chapter 2: Cognitive
Neuroscience
The fact that some people can have damaged Long
Term Memory while retaining Short Term
Memory and others can damage Short Term
Memory while their Long Term Memory remains
intact demonstrates…
A. Single dissociation
B.Prospagnosia
C.Subtraction method
D. Double dissociation
E.Dichotic recognition
Chapter 2: Cognitive
Neuroscience
Name 2 out of the 4 main lobes of the
brain and their function.
Chapter 2: Cognitive
Neuroscience
Name 2 instruments that are used in
brain imaging.
How does Positron Emission
Tomography collect brain images?
Chapter 2: Cognitive
Neuroscience
What is the thick outer layer of the brain
that is responsible for high level functioning
called?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Corpus callosum
Thalamus
Cerebral cortex
Hippocampus
Cerebellum
Chapter 2: Cognitive
Neuroscience
1) List the processes used to measure
mental processes and explain:
Chapter 2: Cognitive
Neuroscience
1. The job of the left hemisphere
includes:
A) Visual skills
B) Nonverbal perception
C) Verbal processing
D) Spatial Orientation
Chapter 2: Cognitive
Neuroscience
2. Which is not a function of the Temporal
Lobe?
A) Touch
B) Hearing
C) Language
D) Memory
Chapter 2: Cognitive
Neuroscience
3. What is the Principle of
Contralaterality?
Chapter 3: Perception
True or False: Perception is how we
recognize, organize, synthesize, and give
meaning to the sensations we receive from
the environment.
Chapter 3: Perception
Explain the difference between topdown processing and bottom-up
processing.
What is the difference between topdown and bottom-up processing?
Chapter 3: Perception
1. Viewers tend to see elements in ways
that produce smooth continuation is the
definition of which Gestalt Principle?
a) proximity
b) similarity
c) continuity
d) common region
Chapter 4: Attention
What is attention and what are two
basic types of attention?
Chapter 4: Attention
What phenomenon is demonstrated when an
individual takes longer to name a color with
the name printed in an incompatible color?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Stroop effect
Broadbent’s filter model
Treisman’s attenuation model
Posner’s spotlight theory
Donder’s mental chronometry
Chapter 4: Attention
2: Which of the following is TRUE for the
automatic processes of attention?
a) interferes with other mental activities
(consumes resources)
b) do not give rise to conscious
awareness
c) occur with interaction
d) all of the above
Chapter 4: Attention
True or False - When completing a
dichotic listening and shadowing task it
was found that participants are good at
shadowing the attended ear, or
attended text, but were not able to
extract meaning from the unattended
ear or text.
Chapter 4: Attention
1. Explain the automaticity versus
controlled processes dichotomy.
Chapter 4: Attention
2. True or False: According to Triesman,
the two main levels of visual processing
are preattentive and postattentive.
Chapter 4: Attention
3. What is (are) a consequence(s) of not
attending?
A. Inattentional Blindness
B. Change Blindness
C. Illusionary Conjunctions
D. A &B
E. All of the Above
Chapter 4: Attention
1.) The ability to pay attention to one
message and ignore all other messages
is called _______?
Chapter 4: Attention
2.) What happens with automatic
processing?
a.) it happens with out intention
b.) it uses few cognitive resources
c.) none of the above
d.) all of the above
Chapter 4: Attention
3.) Consistent mapping is:
a.) controlled processing
b.) difficult in the beginning
c.) easy in the beginning
d.) always difficult
Chapter 5: Working Memory
6. Which is the correct series of events for
Traditional Models of memory as depicted by
Atkinson and Shiffrin?
a. Focus of attention, active memory, long term
memory
b. central executive, phonological loop,
visualspatial sketchpad
c. stimulus, active memory, encoding, long term
memory
d. stimulus, sensory registers, short term memory,
long term memory
Chapter 5: Working Memory
1.) Which of the following is not part of the
memory process?
a.) retrieval
b.) encoding
c.) storage
d.) decoding
Chapter 5: Working Memory
1.) What are three aspects of memory systems?
Chapter 5: Working Memory
2.) Which of the following is not part of
Atkinson & Shiffrin's Modal Model of
memory?
a.) working memory
b.) short term memory
c.) attention
d.) long term memory
Chapter 5: Working Memory
2.) What are three components of the working
memory model?
Chapter 5: Working Memory
3.) Which of the following is not a
component of Baddeley's Working
Memory Model?
a.) phonological loop
b.) visuospatial sketchpad
c.) central executive
d.) all are part of the model
Chapter 5: Working Memory
5. Which level of memory is the first "stop" in
Cowan's Model of working memory?
a. Focus of attention
b. Active attention
c. Long term memory
d. Central executive
Chapter 6: Memory
Provide a brief definition of Implicit
Memory, and two examples of this memory
process.
Chapter 6: Memory
Long term memory is made up of
implicit and explicit memories. What
are these types of memories?
Chapter 6: Memory
What are three memory strategies?
Chapter 6: Memory
How can you improve you memory?
Chapter 7: Memory Errors
What is false memory? What commonly
causes a false memory to occur?
What is false memory? How is it studied
in the lab? Summarize the basic
findings.
Chapter 7: Memory Errors
What are schemas? How do they affect
attention and memory? Illustrate using
an example we discussed in class.
Chapter 8: Categorization
3) What are three theoretical approaches
to categorization?
Chapter 8: Categorization
3) Briefly describe semantic networks,
spreading activation, and the fan effect.
Chapter 8: Categorization
3) What are the three levels in the vertical
hierarchy of categories? Explain each
level.
4) What is a prototype? How did Rosch
think about basic level, superordinate,
and subordinate categories? Illustrate
with concrete examples.
Chapter 9: Visual Imagery
1. Experiencing a sensory impression
in the absence of sensory input is
?????.
a.
b.
c.
d.
visual imagery
mental imagery
spatial representation
propositional representation
Chapter 9: Visual Imagery
What is the dual-coding theory?
Chapter 9: Visual Imagery
1. What kind of coding would be best
used to answer this question: Do cats
like yarn?
A. Analogue Coding
B. Symbolic Coding
C. Perceptual Coding
D. Sensorimotor Coding
Chapter 9: Visual Imagery
3. Imagery can be representations (in
absence of current sensory data) of
________________________.
A. seeing
B. hearing
C. smelling
D. all of the above
Chapter 9: Visual Imagery
True/False: The functional equivalence
model explains the images work the
same way memory does.
Chapter 9: Visual Imagery
2. Explain the difference between
analogue and symbolic coding.
Chapter 9: Visual Imagery
2. Katie was asked to imagine that she
was walking toward the mall. The task
she was doing is called:
a.) imagery task
b.) spatial recognition task
c.) mental walk task
d.) perception task
Chapter 9: Visual Imagery
2.) Dual-coding theory involves two systems,
one for verbal stimuli and one for non verbal
stimuli. How do the two systems
communicate?
a.) Through verbal and visual representations
b.) Through hand eye coordination
c.) through multiple systems joining together
d.) none of the above
Chapter 9: Visual Imagery
3.) ______ is responsible for conscious
experience of images.
a.) inner scribe
b.) visual buffer
c.) short term memory
d.) both b and c
Chapter 9: Visual Imagery
4.) How can visualization help us on
exams?
a.) by pairing objects interacting
b.) forming connections with other
information
c.) all of the above
d.) it can not help us
Chapter 10: Language
What factors help children recognize the
referent of a word?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Perceptual features of objects
Principle of mutual exclusivity
Joint focus of attention
A&C
All of the above
Chapter 10: Language
3. Describe the six properties of
Language.
Chapter 10: Language
3. What are the four components of
language?
4. Define and explain the components of
language.
Chapter 10: Language
1.
Which of the following are considered
components of language
a.syntax
b.
phonology
c.inference
d.
a & b only
e.all of the above
Chapter 10: Language
1. The component of language
referred to as Pragmatics is:
A) rules governing how words are
arranged into sentences
B) the meaning of words or word
combinations
C) the structure and sequencing of
speech sounds
D) rules determining how to engage in
communication with others
Chapter 10: Language
1. If a child was presented with an unfamilar word
and an unfamilar object, they would most likely
pair them based on the idea of ______?
a. Joint Focus of Attention
b. Perceptual features of objects
c. Principle of mutual exclusivity
d. Syntactic bootstrapping
Chapter 10: Language
1. What is aphasia, where is it found,
and what difficulties come from this
problem?
2.
What is the difference between Broca's area
and Wernicke's area?
Chapter 10: Language
1. Broca's asphasia is when a patient has....
a. Left frontal lobe damage causing good language
comprehension, but poor production.
b. Left frontal lobe damage causing good language
production, but poor comprehension.
c. Left temporal lobe damage causing good
language comprehension, but poor production.
d. Left temporal lobe damage causing good
language production, but poor comprehension.
Chapter 10: Language
2.) Using an object's shape to extend its
label to other examples is __________.
a.) shape schema
b.) object assumption
c.) shape bias
d.) object repetition
Chapter 10: Language
3.) Syntactic bootstrapping is used to observe...
a.) how words are used in sentences
b.) how many words are in a child's
vocabulary
c.) how a child uses pronouns
d.) how a child analyzes your tone of voice
Chapter 10: Language
4.) The principle of mutual exclusivity
assumes that words refer
to___________.
a.) similar categories
b.) separate categories
c.) broader, more specific categories
d.) narrower, more defined categories
Chapter 10: Language
1. Within learning words how do we use syntactic
bootstrapping?
Chapter 10: Language
2. Why is it hard to understand and follow another
language when we have no or little previous
expose to it? (Speech perception)
Chapter 10: Language
2. Explain speech segmentation.
Chapter 10: Language
3. As we have learned, Eskimos have no special
word for snow, what hypothesis does this prove
false?
Chapter 10: Language
3. Is it easier to discriminate between two stimuli in
the same category or in two different categories?
Chapter 10: Language
5.) A disorder where patients with damage
to the left frontal lobe show relatively
good language comprehension, but
disrupted production is called
___________.
a.) Wernicke's aphasia
b.) Broca's aphasia
c.) Chomsky's aphasia
d.) unilateral aphasia
Chapter 10: Language
5.) What are the major stages of language
development?
Chapter 11: Problem Solving
Why are we not naturally good at fully
understanding the context of analogies?
True or False - People in general are
not very good at using analogies
because they are not able to notice the
similarity between the problems. They
are too focused on the superficial
aspects of the analogy.
Chapter 11: Problem Solving
What was the purpose of the Tower of
Hanoi?
Chapter 11: Problem Solving
T/F: Algorithms are approaches to
problem solving that do not guarantee a
correct answer.
True or False - Heuristics are informal
strategies or approaches used to solve
a problem and always guarantee the
correct answer.
Chapter 11: Problem Solving
What is means-end analysis?
Chapter 11: Problem Solving
2. Which is not a step in the Means-End
Analysis?
A) Setting up of a goal or subgoal
B) Try more than one method
C) Apply an operator
D) Look for differences between the
current state and goal/subgoal
Chapter 11: Problem Solving
1.) Chase & Simon investigate differences in
problem solving techniques & found:
a.) Experts and novices performed equally well
when the chess game pieces were in position.
b.) Novices performed better when the game
pieces were scrambled.
c.) Novices performed better when the game
pieces were in position.
d.) Experts and novices performed equally well
when the pieces were scrambled.
Chapter 11: Problem Solving
Which is false as to why experts are
superior to novices at problem solving in their
domain of expertise?
a) they have a superior knowledge base
b) have an effective use of top-down processing
c) focus on underlying similarity rather than
surface similarity
d) none of the above
1.
Chapter 11: Problem Solving
1. Describe
the three states of a problem.
Chapter 11: Problem Solving
6. What is the difference between initial state,
intermediate state and goal state?
Chapter 11: Problem Solving
7. What is it called when a person inhibits uses for
objects because of the predispositional use for that
object?
Chapter 11: Problem Solving
8.Gestalt thinkers believe we use two applications
when problem solving, what are these?
Chapter 11: Problem Solving
1. Name and describe two factors that
influence problem solving.
Chapter 11: Problem Solving
1.
????? thinking is open-ended and for which
there are a large number of potential “solutions” and
no “correct” answer.
a. convergent
b. preservation
c. divergent
d. none of the above
Chapter 11: Problem Solving
9. What is another name for a open ended
problem which has a large number of
potential solutions?
Chapter 11: Problem Solving
10. How do people use convergent thinking?
Chapter 12: Decision Making
The fact that green M&M’s can not be more
likely than plain M&M’s to be picked out of
a bag of mixed candy reflects what concept?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Gambler’s fallacy
Availability heuristic
Illusory covariation
Base rate neglect
Confirmation bias
Chapter 12: Decision Making
1. When someone bases their own
judgments of the frequency of events
on what events come to mind they are
using which of the following:
a.
b.
c.
d.
representativeness heuristic
availability heuristic
inductive reasoning
deductive reasoning
Chapter 12: Decision Making
1.
What is the relation between
anchoring and adjustment?
Chapter 12: Decision Making
1.
Definition of sunk cost effect:
Chapter 12: Decision Making
1.
What are the two types of
framing?
Chapter 12: Decision Making
3. Which model is how people ACTUALLY make
decisions?
a. Normative Model
b. Practical Model
c. Descriptive Model
d. Real Model
Chapter 12: Decision Making
3. What is the difference between
normative and descriptive decision
making models?
Chapter 12: Decision Making
4. Maria is a bubbly, spirited woman who loves
children and helping others. She is more likely
to be a kindergarten teacher versus a lawyer based
on what principle?
a. Availability
b. Anchoring and adjustment
c. Representativeness
d. all of the above
Chapter 12: Decision Making
What is the difference between normative
and descriptive decision making?
Chapter 12: Decision Making
1.) True or False: Deductive reasoning is
when we arrive at a conclusion which is
probably true based on evidence.
Chapter 12: Decision Making
2.) If a syllogism's conclusion is true or
agrees with a person's belief this
increases the likelihood that the
syllogism will be judged as valid. This is
an example of ___.
a.) atmosphere effect
b.) invalid syllogism
c.) belief basis
d.) valid syllogism
Chapter 12: Decision Making
3.) "if f then e" is an example of _____.
a.) consequent
b.) antecedent
c.) falsification principle
d.) none of the above
Chapter 12: Decision Making
1) What are the three errors people make
in decision making? Define these errors.
Cognitive Development
What is the developmental order of spatial
attention according to Newcombe and
Learmonth’s article?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Response learning--dead reckoning--using landmarks
Response learning--using landmarks--dead reckoning
Cue learning--using landmarks--response learning
Dead reckoning--cue learning--using landmarks
Using landmarks--dead reckoning--cue learning
Cognitive Development
3. Out of the four types of coding
identified by Newcombe et al. (1999),
describe two of them (Cue learning,
response learning/sensorimotor
coding, place learning, dead
reckoning/inertial navigation)
Cognitive Development
Which of these would NOT be an example
of Piaget’s Schemes as we learned in class?
A) Sucking
Dropping
Sleeping
Banging
Cognitive Development
True of False: Piaget completely
changed the way we think about adults
and the elderly.
Cognitive Development
True or False - Piaget's third stage of
cognitive development is the
sensorimotor stage which is the stage
in which infants understand the world
around them through actions.
Cognitive Development
What are the four steps of cognitive
development?
Cognitive Development
1. What is the order of Piaget's stages of cognitive
development?
A. Sensorimotor Stage, Preoperational Stage, Formal
Operational Stage, Concrete Operational Stage
B. Sensorimotor Stage, Preoperational Stage, Concrete
Operational Stage,Formal Operational Stage
C. Preoperational Stage, Formal Operational Stage,
Sensorimotor Stage, Concrete Operational Stage
D. Formal Operational Stage, Preoperational
Stage,Concrete Operational Stage, Sensorimotor
Stage
Cognitive Development
2. According to Piaget, infants/children
pass (are sucessfully correct) the
"conservation tasks" at what stage?
A. Formal Operational Stage
B. Preoperational Stage
C. Sensorimotor Stage
D. Concrete Operational Stage*
Cognitive Development
Describe the A - not B error.
Cognitive Development
1. If a child in the preoperational stage lacks
hierarchical classification then how would he or she
respond to the following problem? If you are given 7
blue beads and 3 white beads, are there more beads
or more blue beads? (The child would be able to
see and count the beads in an actual experiment.)
a) more beads
b) more blue beads
c) more white beads
d) same number of beads
Cognitive Development
Young children have problems with
conservation tasks and hierarchical
classification. At what stage of development
are children able to pass conservation tasks
and inclusion problems?
a) sensorimotor stage
b) preoperational stage
c) concrete operational stage
d) formal operational stage
1.
Cognitive Development
1.
Describe the characteristics involved in the
preoperational stage.
Cognitive Development
1. True
or False - The main development
in the formal operational stage the
separates it from the other three stages
is the development of abstract and
scientific thinking.
Cognitive Development
1. Briefly
describe the main components of
Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive
development. Be sure to include details
regarding scaffolding and
internalization.