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WGU D570 Cognitive Psychology Study Exam 2026-2027
BANK QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED VERIFIED
ANSWERS EXAM QUESTIONS WILL COME FROM
HERE (100% Latest Already Graded A+
1. Which of the following best defines cognitive psychology?
A) The study of observable behavior and its environmental
determinants
B) The scientific study of mental processes such as perception, memory,
language, and reasoning
C) The examination of brain structures without reference to behavior
D) The analysis of unconscious drives and conflicts
Answer: B
Explanation: Cognitive psychology focuses on internal mental processes.
Unlike behaviorism, which restricts itself to observable actions,
cognitive psychology investigates how people perceive, remember,
think, and solve problems. Option A describes behaviorism, option C is
more aligned with neuroscience without cognitive context, and option D
refers to psychodynamic theory.
2. The "cognitive revolution" of the 1950s was primarily a reaction
against which school of thought?
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A) Structuralism
B) Functionalism
C) Behaviorism
D) Gestalt psychology
Answer: C
Explanation: The cognitive revolution arose as researchers grew
dissatisfied with behaviorism's exclusive focus on stimulus-response
relationships. They argued that to understand behavior fully, one must
also study internal mental states such as beliefs, desires, and memories.
Structuralism and functionalism were earlier schools, and Gestalt
psychology actually contributed to cognitive approaches.
3. Which philosopher is most associated with the idea that knowledge
comes from experience and observation, a view that influenced early
cognitive psychology?
A) Plato
B) René Descartes
C) John Locke
D) Immanuel Kant
Answer: C
Explanation: John Locke argued for empiricism, the notion that the mind
is a tabula rasa (blank slate) and that all knowledge derives from
sensory experience. This perspective influenced later psychological
approaches that emphasized environmental learning. Plato and
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Descartes favored nativism (innate ideas), while Kant synthesized
rationalism and empiricism but is not the primary empiricist figure.
4. Which research method involves measuring the time it takes to make
a mental decision, often used in early cognitive psychology?
A) Introspection
B) Reaction time studies
C) Free association
D) Case study
Answer: B
Explanation: Reaction time studies, pioneered by figures like Franciscus
Donders, measure the duration of mental operations by comparing
simple versus choice reaction times. This method provided an early,
objective window into cognitive processes. Introspection is subjective,
free association is psychoanalytic, and case studies are less
generalizable.
5. The information-processing approach compares the human mind to
which of the following?
A) A telephone switchboard
B) A digital computer
C) A reflex arc
D) A hydraulic system
Answer: B
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Explanation: The information-processing approach uses the computer
as a metaphor for human cognition. It posits that the mind receives
input, processes it through various stages (encoding, storage, retrieval),
and produces output. This framework dominated cognitive psychology
from the 1960s onward. The other options are historical or biological
analogies that do not capture the symbolic manipulation central to
cognition.
6. Which of the following is NOT a core assumption of the cognitive
approach?
A) Mental processes can be studied scientifically
B) Humans are passive reactors to environmental stimuli
C) Internal representations mediate between stimulus and response
D) Cognitive processes are information-processing operations
Answer: B
Explanation: Cognitive psychology assumes that humans are active
processors of information, not passive recipients of environmental
input. Option B contradicts this fundamental premise. Options A, C, and
D are all central tenets, emphasizing scientific rigor, internal mediating
variables, and the information-processing framework.
7. What is the primary function of the sensory memory store?
A) To hold information indefinitely for later retrieval
B) To briefly retain perceptual input in its original sensory form
C) To manipulate and rehearse information for problem solving
WGU D570 Cognitive Psychology Study Exam 2026-2027
BANK QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED VERIFIED
ANSWERS EXAM QUESTIONS WILL COME FROM
HERE (100% Latest Already Graded A+
1. Which of the following best defines cognitive psychology?
A) The study of observable behavior and its environmental
determinants
B) The scientific study of mental processes such as perception, memory,
language, and reasoning
C) The examination of brain structures without reference to behavior
D) The analysis of unconscious drives and conflicts
Answer: B
Explanation: Cognitive psychology focuses on internal mental processes.
Unlike behaviorism, which restricts itself to observable actions,
cognitive psychology investigates how people perceive, remember,
think, and solve problems. Option A describes behaviorism, option C is
more aligned with neuroscience without cognitive context, and option D
refers to psychodynamic theory.
2. The "cognitive revolution" of the 1950s was primarily a reaction
against which school of thought?
,2|Page
A) Structuralism
B) Functionalism
C) Behaviorism
D) Gestalt psychology
Answer: C
Explanation: The cognitive revolution arose as researchers grew
dissatisfied with behaviorism's exclusive focus on stimulus-response
relationships. They argued that to understand behavior fully, one must
also study internal mental states such as beliefs, desires, and memories.
Structuralism and functionalism were earlier schools, and Gestalt
psychology actually contributed to cognitive approaches.
3. Which philosopher is most associated with the idea that knowledge
comes from experience and observation, a view that influenced early
cognitive psychology?
A) Plato
B) René Descartes
C) John Locke
D) Immanuel Kant
Answer: C
Explanation: John Locke argued for empiricism, the notion that the mind
is a tabula rasa (blank slate) and that all knowledge derives from
sensory experience. This perspective influenced later psychological
approaches that emphasized environmental learning. Plato and
,3|Page
Descartes favored nativism (innate ideas), while Kant synthesized
rationalism and empiricism but is not the primary empiricist figure.
4. Which research method involves measuring the time it takes to make
a mental decision, often used in early cognitive psychology?
A) Introspection
B) Reaction time studies
C) Free association
D) Case study
Answer: B
Explanation: Reaction time studies, pioneered by figures like Franciscus
Donders, measure the duration of mental operations by comparing
simple versus choice reaction times. This method provided an early,
objective window into cognitive processes. Introspection is subjective,
free association is psychoanalytic, and case studies are less
generalizable.
5. The information-processing approach compares the human mind to
which of the following?
A) A telephone switchboard
B) A digital computer
C) A reflex arc
D) A hydraulic system
Answer: B
, 4|Page
Explanation: The information-processing approach uses the computer
as a metaphor for human cognition. It posits that the mind receives
input, processes it through various stages (encoding, storage, retrieval),
and produces output. This framework dominated cognitive psychology
from the 1960s onward. The other options are historical or biological
analogies that do not capture the symbolic manipulation central to
cognition.
6. Which of the following is NOT a core assumption of the cognitive
approach?
A) Mental processes can be studied scientifically
B) Humans are passive reactors to environmental stimuli
C) Internal representations mediate between stimulus and response
D) Cognitive processes are information-processing operations
Answer: B
Explanation: Cognitive psychology assumes that humans are active
processors of information, not passive recipients of environmental
input. Option B contradicts this fundamental premise. Options A, C, and
D are all central tenets, emphasizing scientific rigor, internal mediating
variables, and the information-processing framework.
7. What is the primary function of the sensory memory store?
A) To hold information indefinitely for later retrieval
B) To briefly retain perceptual input in its original sensory form
C) To manipulate and rehearse information for problem solving
