PSYC 355 - Chapter 1 - INTRO -
Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
UPDATED ACTUAL Questions and
CORRECT Answers
Cognition - CORRECT ANSWER Mental activity, including the acquisition, storage,
transformation, and use of knowledge.
Cognitive Psychology - CORRECT ANSWER - A synonym for cognition
- The theoretical approach to psychology that focuses on studying people's thought processes and
knowledge.
such as:
attention, memory, language, concept formation, and problem solving.
Father of Cognitive Psychology:
Ulric Neisser
Cognitive Approach - CORRECT ANSWER A theoretical orientation that emphasizes people's
thought processes and their knowledge.
Empirical Evidence - CORRECT ANSWER Scientific evidence obtained by careful observation
and experimentation.
Introspection - CORRECT ANSWER An early approach to studying mental activity, in which
carefully trained observers systematically analyzed their own sensations and reported them as objectively
as possible, under standardized conditions.
, Wilhelm Wundt advocated for the use of introspection.
Recency Effect - CORRECT ANSWER The recency effect is a cognitive bias in which those items,
ideas, or arguments that came last are remembered more clearly than those that came first.
The observation that our recall is especially accurate for the final items in a series of stimuli (such as a list
of words or numbers).
Behaviorism - CORRECT ANSWER Focusing on objective, observable reactions to stimuli in the
environment rather than subjective processes such as introspection.
Most recognized - Psychologist John B. Watson. He emphasized observable behavior.
Most behaviorists believed that it was inappropriate to theorize and speculate about unobservable
components of mental life. As a result, the behaviorists did not study concepts such as a mental image, an
idea, or a thought.
Instead they focused heavily on learning. ie changes in environment produce changes in behavior.
Operational Definition - CORRECT ANSWER In psychology research, a precise definition that
specifies exactly how researchers will measure a concept.
Gestalt Psychology - CORRECT ANSWER (pronounced "geh-shtahlt") The theoretical approach
which emphasizes that:
(1) humans actively organize what they see,
(2) they see patterns, and
(3) the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
UPDATED ACTUAL Questions and
CORRECT Answers
Cognition - CORRECT ANSWER Mental activity, including the acquisition, storage,
transformation, and use of knowledge.
Cognitive Psychology - CORRECT ANSWER - A synonym for cognition
- The theoretical approach to psychology that focuses on studying people's thought processes and
knowledge.
such as:
attention, memory, language, concept formation, and problem solving.
Father of Cognitive Psychology:
Ulric Neisser
Cognitive Approach - CORRECT ANSWER A theoretical orientation that emphasizes people's
thought processes and their knowledge.
Empirical Evidence - CORRECT ANSWER Scientific evidence obtained by careful observation
and experimentation.
Introspection - CORRECT ANSWER An early approach to studying mental activity, in which
carefully trained observers systematically analyzed their own sensations and reported them as objectively
as possible, under standardized conditions.
, Wilhelm Wundt advocated for the use of introspection.
Recency Effect - CORRECT ANSWER The recency effect is a cognitive bias in which those items,
ideas, or arguments that came last are remembered more clearly than those that came first.
The observation that our recall is especially accurate for the final items in a series of stimuli (such as a list
of words or numbers).
Behaviorism - CORRECT ANSWER Focusing on objective, observable reactions to stimuli in the
environment rather than subjective processes such as introspection.
Most recognized - Psychologist John B. Watson. He emphasized observable behavior.
Most behaviorists believed that it was inappropriate to theorize and speculate about unobservable
components of mental life. As a result, the behaviorists did not study concepts such as a mental image, an
idea, or a thought.
Instead they focused heavily on learning. ie changes in environment produce changes in behavior.
Operational Definition - CORRECT ANSWER In psychology research, a precise definition that
specifies exactly how researchers will measure a concept.
Gestalt Psychology - CORRECT ANSWER (pronounced "geh-shtahlt") The theoretical approach
which emphasizes that:
(1) humans actively organize what they see,
(2) they see patterns, and
(3) the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
