Cognitive Psychology exam questions well answered

Attention, perception, memory, and decision making are all different types of meats processes in which the mind engages. These are known as different types of: a. models b. cognition c. reaction times d. savings - ANSWERSb. cognition In the Stroop effect, what task is automatized? a. naming colors b. naming shapes c. reading d. all of the above - ANSWERSc. reading With the Stroop effect, you would expect to find the longest response times when: a. the color and the name matched b. the color and the name differed c. all of the above d. none of the above - ANSWERSb. the color and the named differed The field of ____ ______ is concerned with how people acquire, store, transform, use and communicate information. a. cognitive science b. cognitive psychology c. social psychology d. clinical psychology - ANSWERSb. cognitive psychology What are two kinds of cells in the nervous system? a. dendrite and axons b. somas and axons c. neurons and axons d. neurons and glia - ANSWERSd. neurons and glia The most posterior lobe of the cerebral cortex is the ______ lobe. a. frontal b. temporal c. occipital d. parietal - ANSWERSoccipital The two main types of projections extend from the cell body of a neuron. _______ receive inputs from other neurons, while ______ send information to other neurons. a. synapses/glia b. axons/dendrites c. glia/synapses d. dendrites/axons - ANSWERSd. dendrites/axons The key structural components of a neuron are: a. cell body, dendrites, and transmitters b. axon, dendrites, and modules c. cell body, dendrites and axon d. transmitters, dendrites, and axon. - ANSWERSc. cell body, dendrites and axon Which of the following things would have been the most difficult for the famous individual studied by Paul Broca, compared to before his stroke? a. Listening to a piano recital b. Reading a book aloud c. Appreciating a painting d. Playing a game of cards. - ANSWERSb. Reading a book aloud The term synapse refers to the junction between: a. a blood vessel and surrounding neurons b. two different cytoarchitectonic regions is the brain c. two adjacent neurons d. an axon and the cell body of a neuron - ANSWERSc. two adjacent neurons Santiago Ramon y Cajal formulated neuron doctrine which states that: a. neurons are separate from one another b. neurons are continuous with one another c. neurons communicate at specialized junctions called synapses d. none of the above - ANSWERSa. neurons are separate from one another The two main divisions of the central nervous system (CNS) are the: a. forebrain and brainstem b. white matter and gray matter c. brain and spinal cord d. cerebral hemispheres and cerebellum - ANSWERSc. brain and spinal cord The occipital lobe is: a. where visual information is received b. important for memory and hearing c. important for higher functions such as language, thought and memory. d. where sensory signals are received from the sensory system for touch - ANSWERSa. where visual information is received The _____ lobe of the cortex serves higher functions such as language, thought and memory: a. temporal b. frontal c. occipital d. parietal - ANSWERSb. frontal A 10-month-old baby is interested in discovering different textures, comparing the touch sensations between a soft blanket and a hard wooden block. Tactile signals such as these are received by the ____lobe. a. parietal b. occipital c. frontal d. temporal - ANSWERSa. parietal A brain structure that is important for processing and consolidation of memories is the: a. occipital lobe b. thalamus c. hippocampus d. parietal lobe - ANSWERSc. hippocampus Which of the following is consistent with the idea of localization of function? a. Specific areas of the brain serve different functions b. Neurons in different areas of the brain respond best to different stimuli c. Brain areas are specialized for specific functions d. all of these - ANSWERSd. all of these Modules are: a. brain areas that are specialized for specific function b. spaces between neurons c. neurons that respond to faces d. none of the above - ANSWERSa. brain areas that are specialized for specific function Which brain imaging method involves the injection of a radioactive tracer in the blood? a. fMRI b. ERP c. PET d. all of these - ANSWERSc. PET Recordings from single neurons are conducted using which of these pieces of equipment> a. fMRI b. PET c. Microelectrode d. Neurotransmitter - ANSWERSc. Microelectrode Which of the following do PET and fMRI have in common? a. the measurement of regional cerebral blood flow b. the measurement of magnetic fields c. the use of radioactive tracers. d. All of the above are characteristics of both PET and fMRI - ANSWERSa. the measurement of regional cerebral blood flow Blood flow usually _______ in areas of the brain that are activated by a cognitive task. a. increases b. decreases c. remains the same d. stops - ANSWERSa. increases Which of the following statements best describes how neurons communicate with one another? a. the end of one neuron makes direct contact with the receiving end of another neuron. b. a chemical process takes place at the synapse c. an electrical process takes place in the receptors d. action potentials travel across the synapse. - ANSWERSb. a chemical process takes place at the synapse Maria took a drink from a container marked "milk." Surprised, she quickly spit out the liquid because it turned out the container was filled with orange juice instead. Maria likes orange juice, so why did she have such a negative reaction to it? Her response was most affected by: a. reception of a stimulus b. bottom-up processing c. top-down processing d. focused attention - ANSWERSc. top-down processing "Perceiving Machines" are used by the US postal service to "read" the addresses on letters and sort them quickly to their correct destinations. Sometimes, these machines cannot "read" an address because the writing on the envelope is not sufficiently clear for the machine to "match" the writing to an "example" it has stored in "memory". Human postal workers are much more successful at reading unclear addresses, most likely because of: a. bottom-up processing b. top-down processing c. their in-depth understanding of principles of perception d. repeated practice at the task. - ANSWERSb. top-down processing The rat-man demonstration, which we did in class, shows how: a. meaningfulness determines perceptual organization b. recently acquired knowledge can influence perception c. things that are near each other appear to be grouped together d. Gestalt psychologists approach perception. - ANSWERSb. recently acquired knowledge can influence perception Melanie has a peculiar perceptual deficit. She can sense all parts of her visual field, but the objects she sees do not mean anything to her. This phenomenon is called: a. simultagnosia b. prosopagnosia c. visual agnosia d. visual amnesia - ANSWERSc. visual agnosia The ventral visual processing pathway has also been labeled the ____ pathway. a. why b. what c. where d. none of these - ANSWERSb. what The process by which elements in the environment become perceptually grouped to form objects is: a. perceptual organization b. perceptual discriminability c. perceptual fusion d. none of the above - ANSWERSa. perceptual organization "Every stimulus pattern is seen in such a way that the resulting structure is as simple as possible" refers to which Gestalt principle? a. Good continuation b. Similarity c. Law of Pragnanz d. Law of Proximity - ANSWERSc. Law of Pragnanz "Perceiving the world in terms of a figure embedded in some perceptual background" refers to which Gestalt principle? a. Law of Pragnanz b. Figure-Ground Perception c. Closure d. Similarity - ANSWERSb. Figure-Ground Perception A heuristic is a: a. "rule of thumb" that provides a best guess solution to a problem b. procedure that is guarantees to solve a problem c. series of rules that specify how we organize parts into wholes d. short algorithm - ANSWERSa. "rule of thumb" that provides a best guess solution to a problem A difference between an heuristic and algorithm is: a. heuristics usually take longer to carry out than algorithms b. algorithms are usually less systematic than heuristics c. heuristics do not result in a correct solution every time as algorithms do d. algorithms provide "best guess" solutions to problems more so than heuristics. - ANSWERSc. heuristics do not result in a correct solution every time as algorithms do View invariance refers to: a. the property that objects can be identified easier when viewed from some angles b. the property that objects can be identified easily regardless of an angle c. pop out of hidden object when the angle of view is changed d. none of the above - ANSWERSb. the property that objects can be identified easily regardless of an angle The Recognition by Components approach proposes that there are a number of basic features such as: a. movement and brightness b. curvature and tilt c. rectangular solids and cubes d. horizontal lines and vertical lines - ANSWERSc. rectangular solids and cubes Prospagnosia is a condition caused by brain damage in which a person cannot perform a task such as: a. identifying the national anthem b. identifying their mother's face c. pouring cup of coffee d. perceiving the movement of an oncoming car. - ANSWERSb. identifying their mother's face The fusiform face area (FFA) in the brain contains neurons that: a. only respond to familiar faces b. have a response that is invariant to practice c. are involved in expert processing of complex objects d. none of the above - ANSWERSc. are involved in expert processing of complex objects When Sam listens to his girlfriend Susan in the restaurant and ignores other people's conversations, he is engaged in the process of ____ attention. a. low load b. divided c. cocktail party d. selective - ANSWERSd. selective Which of the following is an example of selective attention: a. paying attention to what a friend is saying in a noisy restaurant b. carrying on a conversation with a friend with a TV on c. focusing on the message presented in one ear while ignoring the message presented in the other ear. d. all of the above - ANSWERSd. all of the above Dichotic listening occurs when: a. the same message is presented to the left and right ears b. different messages are presented to the left and right ears c. a message is presented to one ear, and a noise is presented to the other ear d. participants are asked to listen to a message and look at a visual stimulus, both at the same time. - ANSWERSb. different messages are presented to the left and right ears the cocktail party phenomenon is: a. the ability to pay attention to one message and ignore all other messages, yet hear distinctive features of the unattended messages b. the inability to pay attention to one message in the presence of competing messages c. the diminished awareness of information in a crowd d. the equal division of attention between competing messages - ANSWERSa. the ability to pay attention to one message and ignore all other messages, yet hear distinctive features of the unattended messages When a person fails to detect an unexpected object appearing in a visual display, this is called: a. divided attention b. change blindness c. inattentional blindness d. blindsight - ANSWERSc. inattentional blindness Which of the following statements concerning "Change Blindness" is true? a. Change blindness does not occur when participants are instructed to "pay close attention" b. Change blindness occurs because we fail to pay attention to the details c. Change blindness does not occur to people who have "photographic memory" d. Change blindness occurs when viewing "real-life" scenes but not when viewing photographs or video - ANSWERSb. Change blindness occurs because we fail to pay attention to the details Lan has no idea what she just read in her text because she was thinking about how hungry she is and what she is going to have for dinner. This is a real-world example of: a. change blindness b. an object based attentional failure c. inattentional blindness the cocktail party phenomenon. - ANSWERSc. inattentional blindness the cocktail party phenomenon. Unilateral neglect is a(n) ____ problem. a. visual production b. visual reception c. attentional d. memory - ANSWERSc. attentional The ability to pay attention to, or carry out, two or more different tasks simultaneously is known as: a. divided attention b. dual attention c. divergent tasking d. selective attention - ANSWERSa. divided attention Damage to Wernicke's area is in which lobe of the brain? a. Temporal b. Occipital c. Parietal d. Frontal - ANSWERSa. Temporal The ability to divide attention depends on all of the following EXCEPT: a. practice b. the type of task c. the difficulty of the task d. change detection - ANSWERSd. change detection Automatic processing occurs: a. when cognitive resources are high b. when response times are long c. when tasks are well-practiced d. when attention is focused - ANSWERSc. when tasks are well-practiced Location-based attention is when: a. the enhancing effect of attention spreads throughout and object b. attention is divided across two or more tasks simultaneously c. people move their attention from one place to another d. attention affects an entire object, even if it is occluded by other objects - ANSWERSc. people move their attention from one place to another Strayer and Johnston's (2001) experiment involving simulated driving and the use of "hands-free" vs. "handheld" cell phones found that: a. talking on either kind of phone impairs driving performance b. holding the cell phone is the main factor that uses cognitive resources c. divided attention (driving and talking on the phone) did not affect performance d. reaction time is not affected with the "hands-free" cell phone devices - ANSWERSa. talking on either kind of phone impairs driving performance Which task should be easier: keeping a sentence like "John went to the store to buy some oranges" in your mind AND: a. saying "yes: for each word that is noun and "no" for each word that is not a noun b. pointing to the word "yes" for each word that is a noun and "no" for each word that is not a noun - ANSWERSb. pointing to the word "yes" for each word that is a noun and "no" for each word that is not a noun _____ refers to a set of processes for which the goal is to overcome obstacles obstructing the path to a solution: a. Problem solving b. Creativity c. Decision making d. Convergent thinking - ANSWERSa. Problem solving Gestalt psychologists consider problem solving as a process involving: a. a change In perception b. multiple goal states c. sensory operators d. continuity and form - ANSWERSa. a change In perception Insight refers to a. prior learning facilitating problem solving. b. prior learning hindering problem solving. c. the tendency to respond in a certain manner, based on past experience. d. all of these choices - ANSWERSd. all of these choices The "circle problem", in which the task is to determine the length of a line that is inside a circle, was proposed to illustrate: a. how analogy can be used to solve problems b. means-end analysis c. representation and restructuring d. the problem space - ANSWERSc. representation and restructuring Metcalfe and Wiebe gave participants problems to solve and asked them to make "warmth" judgments every 15 seconds to indicate how close they felt they were to a solution. The purpose of this experiment was to: a. demonstrate a difference between how people solve insight and non-insight problems b. show how people progress through the problem space as they solve a problem c. show that some problems are easier to solve than others d. measure the time-course of the process of restructuring - ANSWERSa. demonstrate a difference between how people solve insight and non-insight problems In Metcalfe and Wiebe experiment confidence ratings on "nearness to a solution" _____ over time PRIOR to the solution of an insight problem. a. decrease b. increase c. remain constant d. vary unpredictably - ANSWERSc. remain constant Functional fixedness would be LOWEST for a(n): a. novel object b. familiar object c. frequently used object d. object with a specific function - ANSWERSa. novel object Which problem below provides an example of how functional fixedness can hinder solution of a problem? a. Tower of Hanoi problem b. Two-string problem c. Mutilated checkerboard problem d. The General - ANSWERSb. Two-string problem The solution to the "candle problem" involves realizing that the: a. match box can be used as a container for tacks b. match box can be used as a shelf c. candle can be cut in half d. candle can be oriented horizontally or diagonally - ANSWERSb. match box can be used as a shelf A(n)____string represents a restructured representation in the two-string problem. a. stationary b. swinging c. knotted d. unknotted - ANSWERSb. swinging Illustrative of functional fixedness, people are more likely to solve the candle problem if: a. fewer taels are provided b. pliers are also presented c. the box is empty d. the candle is already lit - ANSWERSc. the box is empty The water-jug problem demonstrates that one consequence of having a procedure that does provide a solution to a problem is that, if well-learned, it may prevent us from: a. seeing more efficient solutions to the problem b. being able to solve other problems at all c. understanding why the procedure works successfully d. discriminating between well and id ill-defined problems. - ANSWERSa. seeing more efficient solutions to the problem Which of the following best represents a mental set? a. using a pair of pliers as a paperweight b. using a tire as a swing seat and as a football practice target c. using a juice glass as a container for orange juice d. using a wine bottle as a vase. - ANSWERSc. using a juice glass as a container for orange juice Newell and Simon were early pioneers in designing computer programs that could solve problems. Their research program was based on the idea that problem solving is a process that involves: a. heuristics b. algorithms c. parity d. search - ANSWERSd. search The Tower of Hanoi problem is an example of a(n) ____ problem that has been analyzed using the ____ approach. a. ill-defined; Gestalt b. well-defined; Means-end Analysis c. well-defined; Gestalt d. ill-defined; Means-end Analysis - ANSWERSb. well-defined; Means-end Analysis Newell and Simon called the conditions at the beginning of the problem the: a. intermediate state b. initial state c. goal state d. source story - ANSWERSb. initial state The "hobbit-orc" problem shows how a problem is solved by: a. jumping directly from the initial state to the goal state. b. intermediate states that sometimes take you further from the goal c. a small number of steps each closer to the goal. d. continually reducing the distance between the current state and goal state - ANSWERSb. intermediate states that sometimes take you further from the goal Subgoals must: a. be used only for insight problems b. involve problems where the solver jumps directly from the initial state to the goal state. c. move the problem solver closer and close to the goal d. none of the above - ANSWERSc. move the problem solver closer and close to the goal Ill-defined problems are so named because it is difficult to specify ________ for the problems. a. analogies b. schemas c. goal states d. source - ANSWERSc. goal states In Kaplan and Simon's experiment they presented different versions of the mutilated checkerboard problem. The main purpose of their experiment was to demonstrate that: a. a person's mental set can hinder finding a solution to a problem b. people often have to backtrack within the problem space to arrive at an answer to a problem c. The way the problem is represented can influence the ease of problem solving d. none of these - ANSWERSc. The way the problem is represented can influence the ease of problem solving The analogy that makes the solution to the mutilated checkerboard problem obvious is the ____ problem. a. lightbulb b. Tower of Hanoi c. radiation d. Russian Marriage - ANSWERSd. Russian Marriage The ability to transfer experience from one problem solving situation to a similar problem is known as: a. analogical encoding b. analogical transfer c. insight d. in vivo problem solving - ANSWERSb. analogical transfer The radiation problem was used in your text to illustrate the role of ____ in problem solving. a. means-end analysis b. functional fixedness c. analogy d. mental set - ANSWERSc. analogy Analogical problem solving involves ____ problems with _____ solutions. a. similar; different b. different; different c. different; similar d. none of the above - ANSWERSc. different; similar Consider the "General" problem and the "Radiation" problem together, the "General" problem represents the ____ problem. a. source b. target c. exemplar d. prototype - ANSWERSa. source Gick and Holyoak proposed that analogical problem solving involves the following three steps: a. restructuring, searching, and stimulating b. noticing, mapping, and applying c. surfacing, structuring, and generalizing d. well-defining, insighting, and means-end analysis - ANSWERSb. noticing, mapping, and applying Which of the following statements does NOT apply to the results of research on differences between how experts and novices solve problems? a. Being an expert in one field can transfer to better problem solving in another field b. Experts often group problems differently than novices, based on principles c. Experts often get off to a slower start than novices d. Experts posses note knowledge about their fields than novices - ANSWERSa. Being an expert in one field can transfer to better problem solving in another field Making probable conclusions based on evidence involves _____ reasoning. a. deductive b. syllogistic c. inductive. d. connective - ANSWERSc. inductive If we are given the information that in order to vote in a presidential election, you must be at least 18 years of age, and that Will voted in the last presidential election, we can logically conclude that Will is at least 18 years old. This is an example of using ______ reasoning. a. inductive b. deductive c. conjunctive d. descriptive - ANSWERSb. deductive Deductive arguments that involve drawing conclusions from two premises are referred to as a(n): a. modus tollens argument b. syllogism c. descriptive argument d. modus ponens argument - ANSWERSb. syllogism The validity of a syllogism depends on: a. the truth of its premises b. the truth of its conclusion c. its form d. a and b above - ANSWERSc. its form A syllogism is valid if: a. the conclusion follows logically from the two premises b. the two premises and the conclusion are true c. there is evidence to support the two premises d. there is no more than one exception to the conclusion - ANSWERSa. the conclusion follows logically from the two premises An experiment measures participants' performance in judging syllogisms. Two premises and a conclusion are presented as stimuli, and participants are asked to indicate (yes or no) if the conclusion logically follows from the premises. Error rates are then calculated for each syllogism. This experiment studies ____ reasoning. a. deductive b. intuitive c. falsification d. inductive - ANSWERSa. deductive The atmosphere effect shows how respondents are influence by: a. the content of the conclusion b. the truth of the conclusion c. the initial terms of premises d. cultural differences in judging syllogisms - ANSWERSc. the initial terms of premises According to the ____, the presence of the words all, some, or no in the premises of a deductive argument can influence the persons evaluation of the validity of the conclusion of the argument. a. representativeness heuristic b. belief bias c. mental model approach d. atmosphere effect. - ANSWERSd. atmosphere effect. The key to solving the Wason four-card problem is: a. a mental model b. a categorical syllogism c. the law of large numbers d. the falsification principle - ANSWERSd. the falsification principle When the "abstract" version of the Wason four-card problem is compared to a "real-life" version of the problem (in which beer, soda, and ages are substituted for the letters and numbers), performance: a. is better for the "real-world" task b. is better for the abstract task c. is the same for both tasks d. of the abstract task improves performance of the "real-world" task. - ANSWERSa. is better for the "real-world" task Inductive reasoning involves: a. definite conclusions b. logical certainty c. factual premises d. observational premises - ANSWERSd. observational premises Consider the following argument: Observation: Here in Boulder, the sun has risen every morning Conclusion: The sun is going to rise in Boulder tomorrow. a. The argument is weak , because there is only one specific case b. The argument is strong, because the premise includes scientific evidence c. The argument is weak, because the observation does not consider other cities d. the argument is strong because there are larger number of observations - ANSWERSd. the argument is strong because there are larger number of observations Bonnie had ordered her monthly supply of medicines through the internet for the past five years. Except for one order, all orders have arrived within two business days. Bonnie placed an order yesterday, and she expects to receive her oder tomorrow. Bonnie is using: a. deductive reasoning b. inductive reasoning c. a conditional schema d. a mental model - ANSWERSb. inductive reasoning Derrick purchased a new car, a Ford Mustang, less than a month ago. While sitting in traffic, Derrick says to his girlfriend, "Mustangs must be the best-selling car now. I can't remember seeing as many on the road as I have recently." Derrick's judgment is most likely biased by a(n): a. atmosphere effect b. availability heuristic c. stereotype d. permission schema - ANSWERSb. availability heuristic The findings that people tend to incorrectly conclude that more people die from tornados than from asthma has been explained in terms of the: a. representativeness heuristic b. availability heuristic c. falsification principle d. belief bias - ANSWERSb. availability heuristic Mia has lived in New York City all her life. She has noticed that people from upper Manhattan walk really fast, but people from lower Manhattan tend to walk slowly. Mia's observations are likely influenced from a judgment error based on her using: a. an atmosphere effect b. an illusory correlation c. the falsification principle d. a mental model - ANSWERSb. an illusory correlation Stereotypes are reinforced by all of the following EXCEPT: a. the availability heuristic b. illusory correlations c. selective attention d. the falsification principle - ANSWERSd. the falsification principle Greg was recounting a fishing tale of the one that got away: "I had a huge ahi tuna on my line. I fought for it for a few minutes, then my line snapped. The tuna swam away across the pond." Greg's friend, Matt, didn't believe his story because Matt knew that tuna are salt-water fish and aren't found in ponds. Greg's account contains: a. descriptive information that is inconsistent with base rate information b. a belief bias c. inductive reasoning based on observation of multiple, specific cases d. an illusory correlation - ANSWERSa. descriptive information that is inconsistent with base rate information One hundred students are enrolled in State University's course on introductory physics for math and science majors. In the group, 60 students are math majors and 40 are science majors. Sarah is in the class. She got all As in her high school science courses, and she would like to be a chemist someday. She lives on campus. Her boyfriend is also in the class. There is a ____ chance that Sarah is a science major. a. 60% chance Sarah is a math major b. 50% chance Sarah is a math major c. 40% chance Sarah is a math major d. 50% chance Sarah is math major or a science major. - ANSWERSa. 60% chance Sarah is a math major Lydia is 48 years old, single, outspoken, and very bright. She majored in philosophy as an undergraduate. As a student, she was deeply concerned with issues of discrimination and social justice, and she participated in anti-nuclear demonstrations. Which of the following alternatives is most probable? a. Lydia is a U.S. congresswoman b. Lydia is a U.S. Congresswoman and is active in the feminist movement c. Lydia is a U.S senator d. Lydia is a U.S. senator and is active in the feminist movement - ANSWERSa. Lydia is a U.S. congresswoman Utility is the: a. estimated frequency of an outcome b. estimated probability of an outcome c. objective value of an outcome d. subjective value of an outcome - ANSWERSd. subjective value of an outcome Utility theory is most applicable to decided whether to: a. break up or stay involved with a current girlfriend b. go out for junior varsity hockey or junior varsity basketball c. buy first class or coach plane tickets for a spring break trip d. take astronomy or geology as a physical science elective course - ANSWERSc. buy first class or coach plane tickets for a spring break trip The study by Tversky and Shafir, in which college students decided whether or not to purchase a vacation package after taking a difficult end-of-semester exam, showed the influence of ____ in decision making. a. positive vs. negative outcomes b. opt-in vs. opt out procedures c. justification d. utility - ANSWERSc. justification Perserveration represents difficulty in: a. automatic processing b. performing a task repeatedly c. shifting to a new behavior d. organizing perceptual information coherently - ANSWERSc. shifting to a new behavior