1
WGU D570 Cognitive Psychology OA PA
Review Official Practice Exam Actual
Exam 2026/2027 with Detailed Rationales
| Complete Exam-Style Questions | Pass
Guaranteed – A+ Graded
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1 | History, Foundations & Research Methods | Q1 – Q10
Section 2 | Perception, Attention & Consciousness | Q11 – Q20
Section 3 | Memory Systems | Q21 – Q30
Section 4 | Language, Problem-Solving & Decision-Making | Q31 – Q40
Section 5 | NGN-Style Integrated Case Analysis | Q41 – Q50
Instructions: Choose the single best answer. Pass: 40 in 90 minutes.
══════════════════════════════════════
SECTION 1: HISTORY, FOUNDATIONS & RESEARCH METHODS
Q1 – Q10
══════════════════════════════════════
Question 1 of 50
A graduate student in a cognitive psychology lab measures how long it takes
participants to press a button when a light appears versus when they must choose
between two lights. By subtracting the simple reaction time from the choice
reaction time, the student estimates the duration of a specific mental process. This
experimental approach is most directly associated with which historical figure?
A. Wilhelm Wundt, who used analytic introspection to identify basic elements of
consciousness
,2
B. Hermann Ebbinghaus, who studied memory retention using nonsense syllables
and the savings method
C. Franciscus Donders, who developed the subtractive method to infer the duration
of mental processes ✓ CORRECT
D. John Watson, who rejected the study of internal mental states in favor of
observable behavior
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Franciscus Donders pioneered the subtractive method by comparing
simple and choice reaction times to isolate and estimate the duration of mental
processes such as decision-making. Wundt's analytic introspection relied on self-
report rather than reaction time measurement, and Watson's behaviorism explicitly
rejected the study of internal mental states. On the exam, remember that Donders is
the reaction time pioneer, while Ebbinghaus is the memory and forgetting
researcher.
Question 2 of 50
During a lecture on the cognitive revolution, a professor explains that a seminal
1959 review of B.F. Skinner's Verbal Behavior helped spark the shift away from
strict behaviorism by arguing that language acquisition cannot be explained
through stimulus-response conditioning alone. Which scholar wrote this influential
critique?
A. Ulric Neisser, who later published the first cognitive psychology textbook
B. Noam Chomsky, whose critique emphasized the innate structures underlying
language ✓ CORRECT
C. George Miller, whose work on memory capacity launched the information-
processing era
D. Donald Broadbent, whose filter model shaped early theories of selective
attention
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Noam Chomsky's 1959 review of Skinner's Verbal Behavior was a
pivotal moment in the cognitive revolution, arguing that behaviorist principles
could not account for the generativity and complexity of human language. While
,3
Neisser, Miller, and Broadbent all made major contributions to cognitive
psychology, Chomsky's specific critique of Skinner is the landmark event that
undermined behaviorism's dominance. Recognize this 1959 publication as a
turning point that legitimized the scientific study of internal mental representations.
Question 3 of 50
A researcher presents participants with a series of briefly flashed letters and asks
them to report as many as possible. When participants see 12 letters but can only
report about 4, the researcher concludes that information decays rapidly from a
very brief storage system. This finding provides empirical support for which
component of the information-processing model?
A. The short-term store, which holds information for approximately 20 to 30
seconds without rehearsal
B. The sensory store, which holds a large amount of information for a very brief
duration ✓ CORRECT
C. The long-term store, which has an effectively unlimited capacity and duration
D. The central executive, which controls attention and coordinates subsystems in
working memory
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Sperling's partial report procedure and related studies demonstrate that
the sensory store (iconic memory) holds a large amount of visual information for a
fraction of a second before rapid decay limits reportability. Short-term memory has
a smaller capacity and longer duration than the sensory store, and the central
executive is part of Baddeley's working memory model rather than the original
Atkinson-Shiffrin modal model. Distinguish the sensory store's large-but-brief
nature from short-term memory's limited capacity on exam day.
Question 4 of 50
In a neuropsychology clinic, Patient A has damage to the hippocampus and cannot
form new episodic memories but retains the ability to learn new procedural skills.
Patient B has damage to the cerebellum and shows impaired procedural learning
but intact episodic memory. This pattern of results best illustrates which research
method in cognitive neuroscience?
, 4
A. Mental chronometry, which measures the speed of cognitive processes through
reaction time tasks
B. Think-aloud protocols, which capture the contents of working memory during
problem-solving
C. Double dissociation, which demonstrates that two functions rely on different
neural substrates ✓ CORRECT
D. Functional magnetic resonance imaging, which correlates blood oxygen levels
with neural activity
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Double dissociation occurs when two patient groups show opposite
patterns of impairment, providing strong evidence that two cognitive functions
depend on distinct brain regions. Patient A and Patient B demonstrate that episodic
memory and procedural learning are separable systems supported by the
hippocampus and cerebellum respectively. fMRI is a measurement tool rather than
a logical method, and think-aloud protocols are behavioral rather than
neuropsychological techniques. Double dissociation is the gold standard for
establishing functional independence in cognitive neuroscience.
Question 5 of 50
A cognitive psychologist asks participants to solve anagrams while verbalizing
every thought that comes to mind, including false starts and partial hypotheses.
The psychologist later codes these transcripts to identify the strategies participants
use during problem-solving. This data collection technique is best described as:
A. A subtractive method designed to isolate the duration of specific mental
operations
B. A think-aloud protocol used to access the contents of working memory during
task performance ✓ CORRECT
C. A double dissociation study intended to map cognitive functions onto distinct
brain regions
D. A savings method used to quantify the amount of relearning required after a
retention interval
Correct Answer: B
WGU D570 Cognitive Psychology OA PA
Review Official Practice Exam Actual
Exam 2026/2027 with Detailed Rationales
| Complete Exam-Style Questions | Pass
Guaranteed – A+ Graded
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1 | History, Foundations & Research Methods | Q1 – Q10
Section 2 | Perception, Attention & Consciousness | Q11 – Q20
Section 3 | Memory Systems | Q21 – Q30
Section 4 | Language, Problem-Solving & Decision-Making | Q31 – Q40
Section 5 | NGN-Style Integrated Case Analysis | Q41 – Q50
Instructions: Choose the single best answer. Pass: 40 in 90 minutes.
══════════════════════════════════════
SECTION 1: HISTORY, FOUNDATIONS & RESEARCH METHODS
Q1 – Q10
══════════════════════════════════════
Question 1 of 50
A graduate student in a cognitive psychology lab measures how long it takes
participants to press a button when a light appears versus when they must choose
between two lights. By subtracting the simple reaction time from the choice
reaction time, the student estimates the duration of a specific mental process. This
experimental approach is most directly associated with which historical figure?
A. Wilhelm Wundt, who used analytic introspection to identify basic elements of
consciousness
,2
B. Hermann Ebbinghaus, who studied memory retention using nonsense syllables
and the savings method
C. Franciscus Donders, who developed the subtractive method to infer the duration
of mental processes ✓ CORRECT
D. John Watson, who rejected the study of internal mental states in favor of
observable behavior
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Franciscus Donders pioneered the subtractive method by comparing
simple and choice reaction times to isolate and estimate the duration of mental
processes such as decision-making. Wundt's analytic introspection relied on self-
report rather than reaction time measurement, and Watson's behaviorism explicitly
rejected the study of internal mental states. On the exam, remember that Donders is
the reaction time pioneer, while Ebbinghaus is the memory and forgetting
researcher.
Question 2 of 50
During a lecture on the cognitive revolution, a professor explains that a seminal
1959 review of B.F. Skinner's Verbal Behavior helped spark the shift away from
strict behaviorism by arguing that language acquisition cannot be explained
through stimulus-response conditioning alone. Which scholar wrote this influential
critique?
A. Ulric Neisser, who later published the first cognitive psychology textbook
B. Noam Chomsky, whose critique emphasized the innate structures underlying
language ✓ CORRECT
C. George Miller, whose work on memory capacity launched the information-
processing era
D. Donald Broadbent, whose filter model shaped early theories of selective
attention
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Noam Chomsky's 1959 review of Skinner's Verbal Behavior was a
pivotal moment in the cognitive revolution, arguing that behaviorist principles
could not account for the generativity and complexity of human language. While
,3
Neisser, Miller, and Broadbent all made major contributions to cognitive
psychology, Chomsky's specific critique of Skinner is the landmark event that
undermined behaviorism's dominance. Recognize this 1959 publication as a
turning point that legitimized the scientific study of internal mental representations.
Question 3 of 50
A researcher presents participants with a series of briefly flashed letters and asks
them to report as many as possible. When participants see 12 letters but can only
report about 4, the researcher concludes that information decays rapidly from a
very brief storage system. This finding provides empirical support for which
component of the information-processing model?
A. The short-term store, which holds information for approximately 20 to 30
seconds without rehearsal
B. The sensory store, which holds a large amount of information for a very brief
duration ✓ CORRECT
C. The long-term store, which has an effectively unlimited capacity and duration
D. The central executive, which controls attention and coordinates subsystems in
working memory
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Sperling's partial report procedure and related studies demonstrate that
the sensory store (iconic memory) holds a large amount of visual information for a
fraction of a second before rapid decay limits reportability. Short-term memory has
a smaller capacity and longer duration than the sensory store, and the central
executive is part of Baddeley's working memory model rather than the original
Atkinson-Shiffrin modal model. Distinguish the sensory store's large-but-brief
nature from short-term memory's limited capacity on exam day.
Question 4 of 50
In a neuropsychology clinic, Patient A has damage to the hippocampus and cannot
form new episodic memories but retains the ability to learn new procedural skills.
Patient B has damage to the cerebellum and shows impaired procedural learning
but intact episodic memory. This pattern of results best illustrates which research
method in cognitive neuroscience?
, 4
A. Mental chronometry, which measures the speed of cognitive processes through
reaction time tasks
B. Think-aloud protocols, which capture the contents of working memory during
problem-solving
C. Double dissociation, which demonstrates that two functions rely on different
neural substrates ✓ CORRECT
D. Functional magnetic resonance imaging, which correlates blood oxygen levels
with neural activity
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Double dissociation occurs when two patient groups show opposite
patterns of impairment, providing strong evidence that two cognitive functions
depend on distinct brain regions. Patient A and Patient B demonstrate that episodic
memory and procedural learning are separable systems supported by the
hippocampus and cerebellum respectively. fMRI is a measurement tool rather than
a logical method, and think-aloud protocols are behavioral rather than
neuropsychological techniques. Double dissociation is the gold standard for
establishing functional independence in cognitive neuroscience.
Question 5 of 50
A cognitive psychologist asks participants to solve anagrams while verbalizing
every thought that comes to mind, including false starts and partial hypotheses.
The psychologist later codes these transcripts to identify the strategies participants
use during problem-solving. This data collection technique is best described as:
A. A subtractive method designed to isolate the duration of specific mental
operations
B. A think-aloud protocol used to access the contents of working memory during
task performance ✓ CORRECT
C. A double dissociation study intended to map cognitive functions onto distinct
brain regions
D. A savings method used to quantify the amount of relearning required after a
retention interval
Correct Answer: B
