WGU D570 Cognitive Psychology EXAM | UPDATED 2026 |
VERIFIED ANSWERS | COMPLETE EXAM REVIEW
• What is the the electrical impulse fired down the axon of a neuron? -
✓✓ANSWER: Action Potential
• Which part of a neuron transports an electrical signal? -✓✓ANSWER: Axon
• Which types of tasks have revealed cognitive deficits in people with a substance
abuse disorder? -✓✓ANSWER: Working Memory Tests
• Which example shows how sensory memory results in the persistence of vision
when watching fireworks? -✓✓ANSWER: Fireworks appear as falling trails of light
due to iconic memories lasting fractions of a second.
• Which explanation shows how multiple forms of memory would contribute to
effective execution of a mental math problem? -✓✓ANSWER: Numbers are held
in short-term memory and manipulations are conducted on the numbers in
working memory when solving the math problem.
• Which scenario exemplifies how the articulatory rehearsal process contributes
to a student's short-term memory for course lecture material, according to
Baddeley's model? -✓✓ANSWER: The student repeats silently what their
instructor has said before writing it down.
• A person is trying to recall the names of a set of seven actors whose pictures
were briefly presented upside down. What explains how the episodic buffer
enhances working memory in this scenario? -✓✓ANSWER: The episodic buffer
,connects with long-term memory of the actors' faces and names, bringing content
into working memory.
• How does activity-silent working memory help performance on mental rotation
problems? -✓✓ANSWER: Strengthening of connections between neurons helps
performance on mental rotation problems
• How is the primacy effect related to attention for a set of words presented
sequentially? -✓✓ANSWER: The first word presented receives the persons full
attention.
• Which example shows Westmacott and Moscovitch's concept of
autobiographically significant semantic memories? -✓✓ANSWER: Person recalls
the name of the actor that they saw in the airport years ago.
• A person is studying a list of types of fish for a wildlife test that will occur in one
week. Which example illustrates the combined long-term memory encoding
strategies of visual imagery and organization? -✓✓ANSWER: The person imagines
each fish on a tree structure corresponding to categories of fish types.
• A person is studying a list of names of pastries for their new job at a bakery.
Which example shows the interaction between the deep processing strategies of
generation and self-reference? -✓✓ANSWER: The person creates flashcards for
the names of the pastries, pairing each with an estimate of how appetizing the
pastry appears.
• A person surprises themself in recalling the name of an artist most have not
heard of. Which process occurs when the person tries to remember how they
learned that fact? -✓✓ANSWER: Source monitoring
,• Researchers Robert Nash and Kimberley Wade ran an experiment in which
participants played a gambling game on a computer and were later shown a
modified video of themselves cheating. What did this experiment reveal about
false confessions? -✓✓ANSWER: Participants confessed to cheating after being
shown the modified video, even though they did not recall cheating indicating the
power of suggestive questioning and tactics
• Which example reflects the impact of the self-image hypothesis? -✓✓ANSWER:
A person remembers graduating from law school
• What is a primary concern of behaviorism according to John Watson? -
✓✓ANSWER: Identifying the relationship between environmental stimuli and
behavior
• Which concept supports the paired-associate learning results? -✓✓ANSWER:
Conceptual peg hypothesis
• Which component of Broadbent's flow diagram of the mind blocks unattended
messages? -✓✓ANSWER: Filter
• Which evidence disproves Aristotle's assertion that "thought is impossible
without an image"? -✓✓ANSWER: People who cannot visualize images are still
capable of thinking
• Which stage of Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory does an individual begin
to understand mathematical reasoning? -✓✓ANSWER: Concrete Operational
, • Which term describes a child's tendency to fixate on just one aspect of a
problem or object according to Piaget? -✓✓ANSWER: Centration
• Which stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development is represented by a
child's ability to mentally represent objects and events with words and images? -
✓✓ANSWER: Preoperational
• Which kind of intelligence reflects abilities drawn from experience? -
✓✓ANSWER: Crystalized
• Which mental framework is used in learning according to Piaget? -✓✓ANSWER:
Schemas
• A child reads the following incorrect sentence: "The car was traceling down the
hills were beautiful." Which cognitive process illustrates the garden path model of
parsing? -✓✓ANSWER: The child changes their mind from the subject being the
car to the hills
• A student reads these two sentences: A dog was running. It slipped and fell.
which thought process is an example of an anaphoric inference? -✓✓ANSWER:
The student infers that the word "it" refers to the dog
• Why is establishing common ground important to conversations? -✓✓ANSWER:
It aids in having an engaging discussion
• Which property of words contributes to the word frequency effect? -
✓✓ANSWER: how often a word is used within a language
VERIFIED ANSWERS | COMPLETE EXAM REVIEW
• What is the the electrical impulse fired down the axon of a neuron? -
✓✓ANSWER: Action Potential
• Which part of a neuron transports an electrical signal? -✓✓ANSWER: Axon
• Which types of tasks have revealed cognitive deficits in people with a substance
abuse disorder? -✓✓ANSWER: Working Memory Tests
• Which example shows how sensory memory results in the persistence of vision
when watching fireworks? -✓✓ANSWER: Fireworks appear as falling trails of light
due to iconic memories lasting fractions of a second.
• Which explanation shows how multiple forms of memory would contribute to
effective execution of a mental math problem? -✓✓ANSWER: Numbers are held
in short-term memory and manipulations are conducted on the numbers in
working memory when solving the math problem.
• Which scenario exemplifies how the articulatory rehearsal process contributes
to a student's short-term memory for course lecture material, according to
Baddeley's model? -✓✓ANSWER: The student repeats silently what their
instructor has said before writing it down.
• A person is trying to recall the names of a set of seven actors whose pictures
were briefly presented upside down. What explains how the episodic buffer
enhances working memory in this scenario? -✓✓ANSWER: The episodic buffer
,connects with long-term memory of the actors' faces and names, bringing content
into working memory.
• How does activity-silent working memory help performance on mental rotation
problems? -✓✓ANSWER: Strengthening of connections between neurons helps
performance on mental rotation problems
• How is the primacy effect related to attention for a set of words presented
sequentially? -✓✓ANSWER: The first word presented receives the persons full
attention.
• Which example shows Westmacott and Moscovitch's concept of
autobiographically significant semantic memories? -✓✓ANSWER: Person recalls
the name of the actor that they saw in the airport years ago.
• A person is studying a list of types of fish for a wildlife test that will occur in one
week. Which example illustrates the combined long-term memory encoding
strategies of visual imagery and organization? -✓✓ANSWER: The person imagines
each fish on a tree structure corresponding to categories of fish types.
• A person is studying a list of names of pastries for their new job at a bakery.
Which example shows the interaction between the deep processing strategies of
generation and self-reference? -✓✓ANSWER: The person creates flashcards for
the names of the pastries, pairing each with an estimate of how appetizing the
pastry appears.
• A person surprises themself in recalling the name of an artist most have not
heard of. Which process occurs when the person tries to remember how they
learned that fact? -✓✓ANSWER: Source monitoring
,• Researchers Robert Nash and Kimberley Wade ran an experiment in which
participants played a gambling game on a computer and were later shown a
modified video of themselves cheating. What did this experiment reveal about
false confessions? -✓✓ANSWER: Participants confessed to cheating after being
shown the modified video, even though they did not recall cheating indicating the
power of suggestive questioning and tactics
• Which example reflects the impact of the self-image hypothesis? -✓✓ANSWER:
A person remembers graduating from law school
• What is a primary concern of behaviorism according to John Watson? -
✓✓ANSWER: Identifying the relationship between environmental stimuli and
behavior
• Which concept supports the paired-associate learning results? -✓✓ANSWER:
Conceptual peg hypothesis
• Which component of Broadbent's flow diagram of the mind blocks unattended
messages? -✓✓ANSWER: Filter
• Which evidence disproves Aristotle's assertion that "thought is impossible
without an image"? -✓✓ANSWER: People who cannot visualize images are still
capable of thinking
• Which stage of Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory does an individual begin
to understand mathematical reasoning? -✓✓ANSWER: Concrete Operational
, • Which term describes a child's tendency to fixate on just one aspect of a
problem or object according to Piaget? -✓✓ANSWER: Centration
• Which stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development is represented by a
child's ability to mentally represent objects and events with words and images? -
✓✓ANSWER: Preoperational
• Which kind of intelligence reflects abilities drawn from experience? -
✓✓ANSWER: Crystalized
• Which mental framework is used in learning according to Piaget? -✓✓ANSWER:
Schemas
• A child reads the following incorrect sentence: "The car was traceling down the
hills were beautiful." Which cognitive process illustrates the garden path model of
parsing? -✓✓ANSWER: The child changes their mind from the subject being the
car to the hills
• A student reads these two sentences: A dog was running. It slipped and fell.
which thought process is an example of an anaphoric inference? -✓✓ANSWER:
The student infers that the word "it" refers to the dog
• Why is establishing common ground important to conversations? -✓✓ANSWER:
It aids in having an engaging discussion
• Which property of words contributes to the word frequency effect? -
✓✓ANSWER: how often a word is used within a language
