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WGU D570 Section 1
Foundations of Cognitive
Psychology
Comprehensive Practice Question Bank
Topic Focus: Foundations of Cognitive Psychology — History, Memory,
Language, & Brain
Edition 1 · September 2026
Table of Contents
1. Instructions for Use 2
2. Practice Questions with Answers & Rationales — Foundations of Cognitive Psychology 2
WGU D570 · Western Governors University Page 1
,WGU D570 SECTION 1 PRACTICE GUIDE INSTRUCTIONS & PRACTICE 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.
Category: Foundations of Cognitive Psychology — History, Memory,
Language, & Brain
1. Which system creates mental representations of the world and controls mental
functions such as perception, attention, memory, emotions, language,
deciding, thinking, and reasoning?
A. Mind
B. Brain
C. Neuron
D. Cortex
✦ CORRECT ANSWER: A. Mind
Rationale:
The mind is the system that creates mental representations of the world and controls mental
functions such as perception, attention, memory, emotions, language, deciding, thinking, and
reasoning.
,2. What term refers to the mental processes involved in perception, attention,
memory, language, problem-solving, reasoning, and decision-making?
A. Cognition
B. Perception
C. Consciousness
D. Intelligence
✦ CORRECT ANSWER: A. Cognition
Rationale:
Cognition refers to the mental processes involved in perception, attention, memory, language,
problem-solving, reasoning, and decision-making.
3. What is the scientific study of mind and cognition, including determining
characteristics and properties of the mind and how it operates, called?
A. Cognitive Psychology
B. Behavioral Psychology
C. Neuropsychology
D. Social Psychology
✦ CORRECT ANSWER: A. Cognitive Psychology
Rationale:
Cognitive psychology is the scientific study of mind and cognition, including determining the
characteristics and properties of the mind and how it operates.
, 4. Which Dutch physiologist conducted one of the first cognitive psychology
experiments in 1868, experimenting on how long it takes for a person to make
a decision?
A. Franciscus Donders
B. Wilhelm Wundt
C. Hermann Ebbinghaus
D. William James
✦ CORRECT ANSWER: A. Franciscus Donders
Rationale:
Franciscus Donders conducted one of the first cognitive psychology experiments in 1868,
measuring reaction time to determine how long it takes for a person to make a decision.
5. What is the time it takes to react to a stimulus, determined by measuring the
time between the presentation of a stimulus and the response to the stimulus,
called?
A. Reaction Time
B. Response Latency
C. Processing Speed
D. Mental Chronometry
✦ CORRECT ANSWER: A. Reaction Time
Rationale:
Reaction time is the time it takes to react to a stimulus, measured by the time between the
presentation of a stimulus and the response to it.
WGU D570 Section 1
Foundations of Cognitive
Psychology
Comprehensive Practice Question Bank
Topic Focus: Foundations of Cognitive Psychology — History, Memory,
Language, & Brain
Edition 1 · September 2026
Table of Contents
1. Instructions for Use 2
2. Practice Questions with Answers & Rationales — Foundations of Cognitive Psychology 2
WGU D570 · Western Governors University Page 1
,WGU D570 SECTION 1 PRACTICE GUIDE INSTRUCTIONS & PRACTICE 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.
Category: Foundations of Cognitive Psychology — History, Memory,
Language, & Brain
1. Which system creates mental representations of the world and controls mental
functions such as perception, attention, memory, emotions, language,
deciding, thinking, and reasoning?
A. Mind
B. Brain
C. Neuron
D. Cortex
✦ CORRECT ANSWER: A. Mind
Rationale:
The mind is the system that creates mental representations of the world and controls mental
functions such as perception, attention, memory, emotions, language, deciding, thinking, and
reasoning.
,2. What term refers to the mental processes involved in perception, attention,
memory, language, problem-solving, reasoning, and decision-making?
A. Cognition
B. Perception
C. Consciousness
D. Intelligence
✦ CORRECT ANSWER: A. Cognition
Rationale:
Cognition refers to the mental processes involved in perception, attention, memory, language,
problem-solving, reasoning, and decision-making.
3. What is the scientific study of mind and cognition, including determining
characteristics and properties of the mind and how it operates, called?
A. Cognitive Psychology
B. Behavioral Psychology
C. Neuropsychology
D. Social Psychology
✦ CORRECT ANSWER: A. Cognitive Psychology
Rationale:
Cognitive psychology is the scientific study of mind and cognition, including determining the
characteristics and properties of the mind and how it operates.
, 4. Which Dutch physiologist conducted one of the first cognitive psychology
experiments in 1868, experimenting on how long it takes for a person to make
a decision?
A. Franciscus Donders
B. Wilhelm Wundt
C. Hermann Ebbinghaus
D. William James
✦ CORRECT ANSWER: A. Franciscus Donders
Rationale:
Franciscus Donders conducted one of the first cognitive psychology experiments in 1868,
measuring reaction time to determine how long it takes for a person to make a decision.
5. What is the time it takes to react to a stimulus, determined by measuring the
time between the presentation of a stimulus and the response to the stimulus,
called?
A. Reaction Time
B. Response Latency
C. Processing Speed
D. Mental Chronometry
✦ CORRECT ANSWER: A. Reaction Time
Rationale:
Reaction time is the time it takes to react to a stimulus, measured by the time between the
presentation of a stimulus and the response to it.
