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WGU D570 Cognitive
Psychology
Complete Study Guide
NCLEX-Style Practice Questions with Detailed Rationales
Topic Focus: Cognitive Psychology — Comprehensive Review
Complete Edition · September 2026
Table of Contents
1. Instructions for Use 2
2. History & Founders of Cognitive Psychology 2
3. Memory & Information Processing 3
4. Neuroscience & Brain Structures 4
,5. Language & Perception 4
6. Attention & Consciousness 5
7. Problem Solving & Decision Making 5
8. Developmental Cognitive Psychology 6
WGU D570 · Western Governors University Page 1
,WGU D570 COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY STUDY GUIDE INSTRUCTIONS & QUESTIONS
How to Use This Guide
Read each stem, choose your answer, then check the rationale directly below it. The correct
option is marked, and each wrong option is explained so you understand why it's wrong — not
just that it is. This guide contains comprehensive NCLEX-style questions covering all concepts
for WGU D570 Cognitive Psychology.
History & Founders of Cognitive Psychology
1 Who conducted one of the first experiments in Cognitive Psychology in 1868, 11
years before the founding of the first laboratory of scientific psychology?
A Wilhelm Wundt
B Franciscus Donders
C Hermann Ebbinghaus
D William James
Why B is correct: Donders conducted his reaction time experiment in 1868, measuring how
long it takes to make decisions. This was one of the first cognitive psychology experiments,
predating Wundt's laboratory by 11 years.
A — Wundt founded the first psychology lab in 1879.
C — Ebbinghaus studied memory and forgetting.
D — James wrote "Principles of Psychology."
, 2 The difference between simple reaction time and choice reaction time in Donders'
experiment measured:
A How long it takes to make a decision
B How long it takes to perceive a stimulus
C How long it takes to respond to a stimulus
D How long it takes to store information in memory
Why A is correct: Donders interpreted the difference in reaction time between simple and
choice conditions as indicating how long it took to make a decision about the stimulus.
B — Perception time is not what Donders measured.
C — Simple reaction time measures basic response time.
D — Memory storage was not measured in this experiment.
3 Who founded the first laboratory of scientific psychology?
A William James
B Wilhelm Wundt
C John Watson
D Hermann Ebbinghaus
Why B is correct: Wundt founded the first laboratory of scientific psychology in 1879 at the
University of Leipzig, marking the formal beginning of psychology as a scientific discipline.
A — James was a founder of functionalism.
C — Watson founded behaviorism.
D — Ebbinghaus studied memory.
WGU D570 Cognitive
Psychology
Complete Study Guide
NCLEX-Style Practice Questions with Detailed Rationales
Topic Focus: Cognitive Psychology — Comprehensive Review
Complete Edition · September 2026
Table of Contents
1. Instructions for Use 2
2. History & Founders of Cognitive Psychology 2
3. Memory & Information Processing 3
4. Neuroscience & Brain Structures 4
,5. Language & Perception 4
6. Attention & Consciousness 5
7. Problem Solving & Decision Making 5
8. Developmental Cognitive Psychology 6
WGU D570 · Western Governors University Page 1
,WGU D570 COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY STUDY GUIDE INSTRUCTIONS & QUESTIONS
How to Use This Guide
Read each stem, choose your answer, then check the rationale directly below it. The correct
option is marked, and each wrong option is explained so you understand why it's wrong — not
just that it is. This guide contains comprehensive NCLEX-style questions covering all concepts
for WGU D570 Cognitive Psychology.
History & Founders of Cognitive Psychology
1 Who conducted one of the first experiments in Cognitive Psychology in 1868, 11
years before the founding of the first laboratory of scientific psychology?
A Wilhelm Wundt
B Franciscus Donders
C Hermann Ebbinghaus
D William James
Why B is correct: Donders conducted his reaction time experiment in 1868, measuring how
long it takes to make decisions. This was one of the first cognitive psychology experiments,
predating Wundt's laboratory by 11 years.
A — Wundt founded the first psychology lab in 1879.
C — Ebbinghaus studied memory and forgetting.
D — James wrote "Principles of Psychology."
, 2 The difference between simple reaction time and choice reaction time in Donders'
experiment measured:
A How long it takes to make a decision
B How long it takes to perceive a stimulus
C How long it takes to respond to a stimulus
D How long it takes to store information in memory
Why A is correct: Donders interpreted the difference in reaction time between simple and
choice conditions as indicating how long it took to make a decision about the stimulus.
B — Perception time is not what Donders measured.
C — Simple reaction time measures basic response time.
D — Memory storage was not measured in this experiment.
3 Who founded the first laboratory of scientific psychology?
A William James
B Wilhelm Wundt
C John Watson
D Hermann Ebbinghaus
Why B is correct: Wundt founded the first laboratory of scientific psychology in 1879 at the
University of Leipzig, marking the formal beginning of psychology as a scientific discipline.
A — James was a founder of functionalism.
C — Watson founded behaviorism.
D — Ebbinghaus studied memory.
