PSYC 224 Final Exam Questions with Correct Answers Latest Update 2025/2026
Associationism - Answers The theory that mental processes operate through associations
between ideas or sensations.
Behaviorism - Answers A school of thought that emphasizes the study of observable behaviors
and rejects the study of internal mental processes.
Cognitive Map - Answers A mental representation of the spatial layout of an environment.
Cognitive Neuroscience - Answers The interdisciplinary study of the neural basis of cognition.
Cognitive Psychology - Answers The scientific study of mental processes, including perception,
attention, memory, language, and problem-solving.
Cognitive Revolution - Answers A period in the mid-20th century marked by a shift away from
behaviorism and towards the study of cognitive processes.
Connectionist Network Models (PDP Models) - Answers Mathematical models that simulate
cognitive processes as interactions between interconnected networks of simple processing
units.
Electroencephalography (EEG) - Answers A technique for measuring electrical activity in the
brain using electrodes placed on the scalp.
Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) - Answers Brain waves that are time-locked to the presentation
of a stimulus, derived from EEG recordings.
Forgetting Curve - Answers A graphical representation of the rate of forgetting over time.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) - Answers A neuroimaging technique that
measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow.
Information Processing Approach - Answers A framework for understanding cognition that
compares the mind to a computer, processing information through a series of stages.
Introspection - Answers The process of examining one's own thoughts and feelings.
Parallel Processing - Answers The ability to process multiple pieces of information
simultaneously.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) - Answers A neuroimaging technique that measures brain
activity by detecting the distribution of a radioactive tracer.
Serial Processing - Answers Processing information one step at a time.
Speed-Accuracy Tradeoff - Answers The tendency for faster reaction times to be associated
with a greater number of errors.
, Sternberg Task - Answers An experimental paradigm used to study short-term memory and
information processing speed.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) - Answers A technique that uses magnetic pulses to
stimulate or inhibit brain activity in specific regions.
Sensation - Answers The process of receiving and encoding environmental stimuli via sensory
receptors.
Perception - Answers The interpretation and understanding of sensory information, drawing
upon prior knowledge and experience.
Template Matching Theory - Answers A model suggesting that object recognition involves
comparing sensory input to stored templates in memory.
Feature Analysis Theory - Answers A theory proposing that objects are recognized by analyzing
their component features.
Recognition-by-Components (RBC) Theory - Answers A theory stating that complex objects are
recognized by identifying their constituent geons and their spatial arrangement.
Geons - Answers Basic, three-dimensional geometric shapes proposed as the building blocks of
object recognition.
Viewpoint Invariance - Answers The ability to recognize an object regardless of the angle from
which it is viewed.
Bottom-Up Processing - Answers Data-driven processing that relies solely on incoming sensory
information to construct perception.
Top-Down Processing - Answers Conceptually-driven processing that uses prior knowledge,
expectations, and context to guide perception.
Holistic Processing - Answers Perceiving objects as complete units rather than a collection of
individual features.
Prosopagnosia - Answers The inability to recognize faces, often due to damage in the brain.
Fusiform Gyrus - Answers A region in the temporal lobe associated with face recognition.
Attention - Answers The cognitive process of selectively focusing on certain aspects of the
environment while ignoring others.
Endogenous Control (Top-Down Processes) - Answers Goal-directed attention driven by internal
factors, such as intentions and expectations.
Exogenous Control (Bottom-Up Processes) - Answers Stimulus-driven attention captured by
Associationism - Answers The theory that mental processes operate through associations
between ideas or sensations.
Behaviorism - Answers A school of thought that emphasizes the study of observable behaviors
and rejects the study of internal mental processes.
Cognitive Map - Answers A mental representation of the spatial layout of an environment.
Cognitive Neuroscience - Answers The interdisciplinary study of the neural basis of cognition.
Cognitive Psychology - Answers The scientific study of mental processes, including perception,
attention, memory, language, and problem-solving.
Cognitive Revolution - Answers A period in the mid-20th century marked by a shift away from
behaviorism and towards the study of cognitive processes.
Connectionist Network Models (PDP Models) - Answers Mathematical models that simulate
cognitive processes as interactions between interconnected networks of simple processing
units.
Electroencephalography (EEG) - Answers A technique for measuring electrical activity in the
brain using electrodes placed on the scalp.
Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) - Answers Brain waves that are time-locked to the presentation
of a stimulus, derived from EEG recordings.
Forgetting Curve - Answers A graphical representation of the rate of forgetting over time.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) - Answers A neuroimaging technique that
measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow.
Information Processing Approach - Answers A framework for understanding cognition that
compares the mind to a computer, processing information through a series of stages.
Introspection - Answers The process of examining one's own thoughts and feelings.
Parallel Processing - Answers The ability to process multiple pieces of information
simultaneously.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) - Answers A neuroimaging technique that measures brain
activity by detecting the distribution of a radioactive tracer.
Serial Processing - Answers Processing information one step at a time.
Speed-Accuracy Tradeoff - Answers The tendency for faster reaction times to be associated
with a greater number of errors.
, Sternberg Task - Answers An experimental paradigm used to study short-term memory and
information processing speed.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) - Answers A technique that uses magnetic pulses to
stimulate or inhibit brain activity in specific regions.
Sensation - Answers The process of receiving and encoding environmental stimuli via sensory
receptors.
Perception - Answers The interpretation and understanding of sensory information, drawing
upon prior knowledge and experience.
Template Matching Theory - Answers A model suggesting that object recognition involves
comparing sensory input to stored templates in memory.
Feature Analysis Theory - Answers A theory proposing that objects are recognized by analyzing
their component features.
Recognition-by-Components (RBC) Theory - Answers A theory stating that complex objects are
recognized by identifying their constituent geons and their spatial arrangement.
Geons - Answers Basic, three-dimensional geometric shapes proposed as the building blocks of
object recognition.
Viewpoint Invariance - Answers The ability to recognize an object regardless of the angle from
which it is viewed.
Bottom-Up Processing - Answers Data-driven processing that relies solely on incoming sensory
information to construct perception.
Top-Down Processing - Answers Conceptually-driven processing that uses prior knowledge,
expectations, and context to guide perception.
Holistic Processing - Answers Perceiving objects as complete units rather than a collection of
individual features.
Prosopagnosia - Answers The inability to recognize faces, often due to damage in the brain.
Fusiform Gyrus - Answers A region in the temporal lobe associated with face recognition.
Attention - Answers The cognitive process of selectively focusing on certain aspects of the
environment while ignoring others.
Endogenous Control (Top-Down Processes) - Answers Goal-directed attention driven by internal
factors, such as intentions and expectations.
Exogenous Control (Bottom-Up Processes) - Answers Stimulus-driven attention captured by
