WGU D570/D570 COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY OA
AND PRE ASSESSMENT ACTUAL EXAM PREP
2026 ALL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
DETAILED ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES
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1. Which of the following best defines the field of cognitive
psychology?
A) The study of observable behavior and environmental stimuli
B) The study of unconscious drives and early childhood
experiences
C) The scientific study of mental processes including
perception, attention, memory, language, and reasoning
D) The study of social interactions and group dynamics
Rationale: Cognitive psychology is the scientific study of mental
processes such as perception, attention, memory, language, problem-
solving, and reasoning. Behaviorism focuses on observable behavior
(A), psychoanalysis focuses on unconscious drives (B), and social
psychology focuses on group dynamics (D).
2. The "cognitive revolution" of the 1950s and 1960s was a reaction
against which school of psychology?
A) Psychoanalysis
B) Behaviorism
C) Functionalism
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D) Structuralism
Rationale: The cognitive revolution emerged as a reaction against
behaviorism, which had dominated psychology by focusing exclusively
on observable behavior and rejecting the study of internal mental
processes. Cognitive psychologists argued that mental processes could
be studied scientifically.
3. Which of the following is measured by the paper folding test?
A) Verbal fluency
B) Spatial imagery
C) Working memory capacity
D) Attention span
Rationale: The paper folding test measures spatial imagery, which is
the ability to mentally manipulate and rotate visual images in space.
Participants must imagine folding a piece of paper and predict where
holes would appear when unfolded, requiring mental rotation and
spatial visualization.
4. Mental imagery is best defined as:
A) The ability to memorize visual information accurately
B) The ability to recreate sensory information without the
presence of physical stimuli
C) The ability to focus attention on visual stimuli
D) The ability to perceive objects in three dimensions
Rationale: Mental imagery is the ability to recreate sensory
information—visual, auditory, or other sensory modalities—in the
mind without the presence of the actual physical stimuli. It involves
the mental representation and manipulation of sensory experiences.
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5. According to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, which stage is
characterized by the ability to think logically about concrete events and
understand the concept of conservation?
A) Sensorimotor stage
B) Preoperational stage
C) Concrete operational stage
D) Formal operational stage
Rationale: The concrete operational stage (ages 7-11) is characterized
by logical thinking about concrete events, understanding of
conservation (that quantity remains the same despite changes in
appearance), and the ability to perform mental operations. The
sensorimotor stage (A) involves learning through senses and actions,
the preoperational stage (B) involves symbolic thinking but lacks logic,
and the formal operational stage (D) involves abstract and
hypothetical reasoning.
6. A child who believes that everyone sees the world exactly as they do
is demonstrating:
A) Conservation
B) Egocentrism
C) Object permanence
D) Reversibility
Rationale: Egocentrism in Piaget's theory is the tendency of children
in the preoperational stage to view the world from their own
perspective and assume that others share their views, perceptions, and
feelings. Conservation (A) is the understanding that quantity remains
the same despite changes in appearance, object permanence (C) is the
understanding that objects continue to exist when not visible, and
reversibility (D) is the understanding that actions can be reversed.
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7. Which Piagetian stage is characterized by the ability to mentally
represent objects and events with words and images?
A) Sensorimotor
B) Preoperational
C) Concrete operational
D) Formal operational
Rationale: The preoperational stage (ages 2-7) is characterized by the
ability to mentally represent objects and events using words, images,
and symbols. However, thinking during this stage is still egocentric
and lacks logical operations. The sensorimotor stage (A) precedes
symbolic representation, while concrete (C) and formal (D)
operational stages involve more advanced logical and abstract
thinking.
8. Which of the following is an example of a problem solved through
insight?
A) Solving a math problem using a learned formula
B) Following a recipe step by step to bake a cake
C) Suddenly realizing the answer to a riddle after struggling
with it
D) Memorizing a list of vocabulary words
Rationale: Insight involves the sudden realization of a solution to a
problem after a period of struggle or incubation. Unlike algorithmic or
step-by-step problem solving (A, B), insight is characterized by an
"aha!" moment where the solution appears suddenly. It is not the
same as memorization (D), which involves rote learning.
9. Which example best illustrates how insight is used to solve problems?
A) A person solves a puzzle by trial and error