Page 1 of 64
UC Berkeley OGSCI 1 Midterm 1 | Study Guide |
Practice Questions & Answers | Latest Update
2026 | Comprehensive Exam Prep
SUMMARIZED EXAM COVERAGE
This examination covers the interdisciplinary foundations of cognitive science including the
computational-representational understanding of mind (CRUM), mental representations (concepts,
propositions, rules, analogies, images), their neural substrates, cognitive neuroscience methods and their
respective temporal/spatial resolution and invasiveness, brain anatomy and function, visual processing
pathways and the LGN, memory systems including Tulving's model, categorization approaches
(exemplar, feature, prototype), case studies (Phineas Gage, Clive Wearing, Kim Peek), David Marr's three
levels of analysis, synaptic transmission, brain mapping techniques, and foundational cognitive
psychology concepts including attention, reasoning, and localization of function. All questions are
randomized with no topical organization to simulate actual exam conditions.
1. A researcher wants to measure rapid changes in neural activity while a participant is fully
conscious performing a cognitive task. Which technique would provide the highest temporal
resolution while remaining non-invasive?
A) PET scan
B) fMRI
C) EEG/ERP
D) EEG/ERP - EEG/ERP provides excellent temporal resolution by detecting rapid electrical changes
through electrodes on the scalp, is completely non-invasive, and can be used on conscious individuals,
unlike PET which requires injection of radioactive isotopes
,Page 2 of 64
2. The basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex are most critically involved in the formation of which
two types of mental representations?
A) Images and propositions
B) Analogies and images
C) Concepts and propositions
D) Concepts and rules - Research demonstrates that both concepts and rules are processed in
overlapping neural circuits within the basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex, while propositions lateralize to
the left hemisphere and analogies to the left prefrontal cortex specifically
3. When a person encounters a new animal that resembles previously encountered dogs and assigns
it to the category "dog," they are employing which approach to categorization?
A) Prototype approach
B) Feature approach
C) Basic level approach
D) Exemplar approach - The exemplar approach suggests we form categories by accumulating
individual instances we've encountered, comparing new examples to our collection of previously
experienced category members
4. Which brain structure is responsible for transferring information from short-term memory to
long-term memory, and damage to it typically results in anterograde amnesia?
A) Amygdala
B) Cerebellum
C) Basal ganglia
D) Hippocampus - The hippocampus serves as the critical gateway for consolidating short-term
memories into long-term storage, and bilateral damage severely impairs the ability to form new
declarative memories while often leaving older memories intact
5. The four stages of analogical reasoning, in correct sequential order, begin with comprehension of
the target problem and conclude with:
,Page 3 of 64
A) Retrieving a similar source problem
B) Composing and mapping source to target
C) Evaluating the solution
D) Adapting the source problem to produce a solution - After comprehending the target, retrieving a
similar source problem, and mapping between them, the final stage requires adapting the known solution
from the source to generate a novel solution for the target problem
6. A patient with damage to the left prefrontal cortex would most likely have difficulty with which
cognitive function?
A) Visual imagery formation
B) Rule-based learning
C) Concept formation
D) Analogical reasoning - The left prefrontal cortex has been identified as the primary neural substrate
for analogical reasoning, as demonstrated through lesion studies and neuroimaging research examining
relational matching tasks
7. Which brain imaging technique uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce images of soft
tissue, cannot be performed on individuals with metal implants, and allows visualization of white
matter, gray matter, and cerebrospinal fluid?
A) CT scan
B) PET scan
C) SPECT scan
D) MRI - MRI provides superior anatomical detail without ionizing radiation by exploiting magnetic
properties of tissues, but metal implants create safety hazards and image artifacts that make this
technique contraindicated
8. According to Tulving's model, knowing that Paris is the capital of France represents which type
of memory?
, Page 4 of 64
A) Episodic memory
B) Procedural memory
C) Sensory memory
D) Semantic memory - Tulving's model distinguishes semantic memory as fact-based knowledge stored in
the limbic cortex that is independent of personal experience, contrasting with episodic memory which
involves personally experienced events consolidated by the hippocampus
9. The lateral geniculate nucleus contains three types of ganglion cells that process different visual
features. Which cells are responsible for motion detection and are located in layers 1 and 2?
A) P-type cells
B) NonM-nonP cells
C) Koniocellular cells
D) M-type cells - Magnocellular or M-type cells specialize in motion processing and occupy layers 1 and
2 of the LGN, while P-type cells in layers 4-6 handle shape and nonM-nonP cells between layers process
color information
10. Phineas Gage's case study is historically significant primarily because it provided evidence for:
A) The distributed nature of memory
B) The role of the hippocampus in memory consolidation
C) The importance of the occipital lobe for vision
D) Localization of personality and behavior in the frontal lobe - Gage's dramatic personality changes
following frontal lobe damage from a railroad accident provided compelling early evidence that specific
brain regions subserve particular psychological functions
11. When examining memory through Karl Lashley's experiments, his failure to find a single
engram in the rat's brain suggested that:
A) Memories are stored only in the hippocampus
B) Memory formation requires synaptic plasticity
C) The cortex is not involved in memory storage
UC Berkeley OGSCI 1 Midterm 1 | Study Guide |
Practice Questions & Answers | Latest Update
2026 | Comprehensive Exam Prep
SUMMARIZED EXAM COVERAGE
This examination covers the interdisciplinary foundations of cognitive science including the
computational-representational understanding of mind (CRUM), mental representations (concepts,
propositions, rules, analogies, images), their neural substrates, cognitive neuroscience methods and their
respective temporal/spatial resolution and invasiveness, brain anatomy and function, visual processing
pathways and the LGN, memory systems including Tulving's model, categorization approaches
(exemplar, feature, prototype), case studies (Phineas Gage, Clive Wearing, Kim Peek), David Marr's three
levels of analysis, synaptic transmission, brain mapping techniques, and foundational cognitive
psychology concepts including attention, reasoning, and localization of function. All questions are
randomized with no topical organization to simulate actual exam conditions.
1. A researcher wants to measure rapid changes in neural activity while a participant is fully
conscious performing a cognitive task. Which technique would provide the highest temporal
resolution while remaining non-invasive?
A) PET scan
B) fMRI
C) EEG/ERP
D) EEG/ERP - EEG/ERP provides excellent temporal resolution by detecting rapid electrical changes
through electrodes on the scalp, is completely non-invasive, and can be used on conscious individuals,
unlike PET which requires injection of radioactive isotopes
,Page 2 of 64
2. The basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex are most critically involved in the formation of which
two types of mental representations?
A) Images and propositions
B) Analogies and images
C) Concepts and propositions
D) Concepts and rules - Research demonstrates that both concepts and rules are processed in
overlapping neural circuits within the basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex, while propositions lateralize to
the left hemisphere and analogies to the left prefrontal cortex specifically
3. When a person encounters a new animal that resembles previously encountered dogs and assigns
it to the category "dog," they are employing which approach to categorization?
A) Prototype approach
B) Feature approach
C) Basic level approach
D) Exemplar approach - The exemplar approach suggests we form categories by accumulating
individual instances we've encountered, comparing new examples to our collection of previously
experienced category members
4. Which brain structure is responsible for transferring information from short-term memory to
long-term memory, and damage to it typically results in anterograde amnesia?
A) Amygdala
B) Cerebellum
C) Basal ganglia
D) Hippocampus - The hippocampus serves as the critical gateway for consolidating short-term
memories into long-term storage, and bilateral damage severely impairs the ability to form new
declarative memories while often leaving older memories intact
5. The four stages of analogical reasoning, in correct sequential order, begin with comprehension of
the target problem and conclude with:
,Page 3 of 64
A) Retrieving a similar source problem
B) Composing and mapping source to target
C) Evaluating the solution
D) Adapting the source problem to produce a solution - After comprehending the target, retrieving a
similar source problem, and mapping between them, the final stage requires adapting the known solution
from the source to generate a novel solution for the target problem
6. A patient with damage to the left prefrontal cortex would most likely have difficulty with which
cognitive function?
A) Visual imagery formation
B) Rule-based learning
C) Concept formation
D) Analogical reasoning - The left prefrontal cortex has been identified as the primary neural substrate
for analogical reasoning, as demonstrated through lesion studies and neuroimaging research examining
relational matching tasks
7. Which brain imaging technique uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce images of soft
tissue, cannot be performed on individuals with metal implants, and allows visualization of white
matter, gray matter, and cerebrospinal fluid?
A) CT scan
B) PET scan
C) SPECT scan
D) MRI - MRI provides superior anatomical detail without ionizing radiation by exploiting magnetic
properties of tissues, but metal implants create safety hazards and image artifacts that make this
technique contraindicated
8. According to Tulving's model, knowing that Paris is the capital of France represents which type
of memory?
, Page 4 of 64
A) Episodic memory
B) Procedural memory
C) Sensory memory
D) Semantic memory - Tulving's model distinguishes semantic memory as fact-based knowledge stored in
the limbic cortex that is independent of personal experience, contrasting with episodic memory which
involves personally experienced events consolidated by the hippocampus
9. The lateral geniculate nucleus contains three types of ganglion cells that process different visual
features. Which cells are responsible for motion detection and are located in layers 1 and 2?
A) P-type cells
B) NonM-nonP cells
C) Koniocellular cells
D) M-type cells - Magnocellular or M-type cells specialize in motion processing and occupy layers 1 and
2 of the LGN, while P-type cells in layers 4-6 handle shape and nonM-nonP cells between layers process
color information
10. Phineas Gage's case study is historically significant primarily because it provided evidence for:
A) The distributed nature of memory
B) The role of the hippocampus in memory consolidation
C) The importance of the occipital lobe for vision
D) Localization of personality and behavior in the frontal lobe - Gage's dramatic personality changes
following frontal lobe damage from a railroad accident provided compelling early evidence that specific
brain regions subserve particular psychological functions
11. When examining memory through Karl Lashley's experiments, his failure to find a single
engram in the rat's brain suggested that:
A) Memories are stored only in the hippocampus
B) Memory formation requires synaptic plasticity
C) The cortex is not involved in memory storage
