WGU D570 COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY OA EXAM 300
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
WITH RATIONALE LATEST UPDATE ALREADY
GRADED A+ ASSURED PASS
The WGU D570 Cognitive Psychology Objective Assessment examines the
scientific study of mental processes including perception, attention, memory,
language, problem-solving, and decision-making. The exam comprehensively
covers the history of cognitive psychology from structuralism to the cognitive
revolution, research methods, neuroanatomy, and information processing models.
Candidates demonstrate competency in understanding memory systems (sensory,
short-term, working, long-term), language acquisition and processing, cognitive
development across the lifespan, and heuristics and biases in reasoning. Success
requires synthesizing theoretical frameworks, neural mechanisms, and real-world
applications to explain how the mind processes, stores, and retrieves information in
diverse contexts.
Section 1: History, Foundations, and Research Methods
(Questions 1-40)
Question 1
Which psychologist is credited with establishing the first experimental psychology
laboratory?
A) William James
B) Wilhelm Wundt
C) John Watson
D) Sigmund Freud
Answer: B) Wilhelm Wundt
Rationale: Wundt established the first experimental psychology laboratory in
Leipzig, Germany, in 1879. This is considered the official beginning of psychology
as an experimental science .
,Question 2
Edward Titchener brought Wundt's ideas to the United States and developed which
school of thought?
A) Functionalism
B) Behaviorism
C) Structuralism
D) Gestalt Psychology
Answer: C) Structuralism
Rationale: Titchener developed structuralism, which aimed to analyze the basic
elements of consciousness through introspection. He believed that the mind could
be broken down into its basic components .
Question 3
William James, the author of "The Principles of Psychology," is associated with
which school of thought?
A) Structuralism
B) Functionalism
C) Behaviorism
D) Gestalt Psychology
Answer: B) Functionalism
Rationale: William James is the founder of functionalism, which focused on the
purposes and adaptive functions of consciousness rather than its structures. He was
influenced by Darwin's theory of evolution .
Question 4
Francis Donders is known for using reaction time experiments to:
A) Study animal behavior
B) Measure the time it took for the mind to process information
C) Develop the first intelligence test
D) Establish the first psychology laboratory
Answer: B) Measure the time it took for the mind to process information
Rationale: Francis Donders used reaction time experiments to measure the time it
took for the mind to process information. He pioneered the subtractive method,
,comparing simple and choice reaction times to infer the duration of mental
processes .
Question 5
The Gestalt psychologists argued that:
A) The mind should be studied by breaking it down into basic elements
B) The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
C) Only observable behavior should be studied
D) Psychology should focus on consciousness
Answer: B) The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
Rationale: Gestalt psychologists (e.g., Wertheimer, Köhler, Koffka) argued that
perception cannot be reduced to individual elements. The whole is greater than the
sum of its parts, and the mind organizes sensory information into meaningful
wholes .
Question 6
Who is credited with developing the concept of "cognitive maps" based on
research with rats in mazes?
A) Edward Tolman
B) B.F. Skinner
C) John Watson
D) Ivan Pavlov
Answer: A) Edward Tolman
Rationale: Edward Tolman was a behaviorist who incorporated cognitive concepts.
His research with rats in mazes led him to propose that organisms form cognitive
maps—mental representations of the environment—that guide behavior .
Question 7
Noam Chomsky's critique of B.F. Skinner's book "Verbal Behavior" argued that:
A) Language is learned through reinforcement
B) Language is an innate human ability that cannot be explained by behaviorist
principles
C) Language is a form of operant conditioning
D) Language is learned through imitation only
, Answer: B) Language is an innate human ability that cannot be explained by
behaviorist principles
Rationale: Chomsky argued that language acquisition cannot be explained solely
by behaviorist principles of reinforcement and imitation. He proposed that humans
have an innate language faculty (Universal Grammar) and that language is unique
to humans .
Question 8
What is a primary concern of behaviorism according to John Watson?
A) Understanding the structure of conscious experience
B) Identifying the relationship between environmental stimuli and behavior
C) Exploring unconscious motivations
D) Studying mental representations
Answer: B) Identifying the relationship between environmental stimuli and
behavior
Rationale: Watson's behaviorism focused exclusively on observable behavior and
the relationship between environmental stimuli and behavioral responses, rejecting
the study of internal mental states .
Question 9
The cognitive revolution in psychology was characterized by:
A) A rejection of all experimental methods
B) An increased emphasis on studying internal mental processes
C) A focus on unconscious drives
D) A complete abandonment of learning studies
Answer: B) An increased emphasis on studying internal mental processes
Rationale: The cognitive revolution reintroduced the study of mental processes
(attention, memory, language) that behaviorism had excluded. It did not reject
experimental methods or abandon learning .
Question 10
The study of cognition requires:
A) Only behavioral observation
B) Inferences about underlying mental processes
C) Physiological measurement only
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
WITH RATIONALE LATEST UPDATE ALREADY
GRADED A+ ASSURED PASS
The WGU D570 Cognitive Psychology Objective Assessment examines the
scientific study of mental processes including perception, attention, memory,
language, problem-solving, and decision-making. The exam comprehensively
covers the history of cognitive psychology from structuralism to the cognitive
revolution, research methods, neuroanatomy, and information processing models.
Candidates demonstrate competency in understanding memory systems (sensory,
short-term, working, long-term), language acquisition and processing, cognitive
development across the lifespan, and heuristics and biases in reasoning. Success
requires synthesizing theoretical frameworks, neural mechanisms, and real-world
applications to explain how the mind processes, stores, and retrieves information in
diverse contexts.
Section 1: History, Foundations, and Research Methods
(Questions 1-40)
Question 1
Which psychologist is credited with establishing the first experimental psychology
laboratory?
A) William James
B) Wilhelm Wundt
C) John Watson
D) Sigmund Freud
Answer: B) Wilhelm Wundt
Rationale: Wundt established the first experimental psychology laboratory in
Leipzig, Germany, in 1879. This is considered the official beginning of psychology
as an experimental science .
,Question 2
Edward Titchener brought Wundt's ideas to the United States and developed which
school of thought?
A) Functionalism
B) Behaviorism
C) Structuralism
D) Gestalt Psychology
Answer: C) Structuralism
Rationale: Titchener developed structuralism, which aimed to analyze the basic
elements of consciousness through introspection. He believed that the mind could
be broken down into its basic components .
Question 3
William James, the author of "The Principles of Psychology," is associated with
which school of thought?
A) Structuralism
B) Functionalism
C) Behaviorism
D) Gestalt Psychology
Answer: B) Functionalism
Rationale: William James is the founder of functionalism, which focused on the
purposes and adaptive functions of consciousness rather than its structures. He was
influenced by Darwin's theory of evolution .
Question 4
Francis Donders is known for using reaction time experiments to:
A) Study animal behavior
B) Measure the time it took for the mind to process information
C) Develop the first intelligence test
D) Establish the first psychology laboratory
Answer: B) Measure the time it took for the mind to process information
Rationale: Francis Donders used reaction time experiments to measure the time it
took for the mind to process information. He pioneered the subtractive method,
,comparing simple and choice reaction times to infer the duration of mental
processes .
Question 5
The Gestalt psychologists argued that:
A) The mind should be studied by breaking it down into basic elements
B) The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
C) Only observable behavior should be studied
D) Psychology should focus on consciousness
Answer: B) The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
Rationale: Gestalt psychologists (e.g., Wertheimer, Köhler, Koffka) argued that
perception cannot be reduced to individual elements. The whole is greater than the
sum of its parts, and the mind organizes sensory information into meaningful
wholes .
Question 6
Who is credited with developing the concept of "cognitive maps" based on
research with rats in mazes?
A) Edward Tolman
B) B.F. Skinner
C) John Watson
D) Ivan Pavlov
Answer: A) Edward Tolman
Rationale: Edward Tolman was a behaviorist who incorporated cognitive concepts.
His research with rats in mazes led him to propose that organisms form cognitive
maps—mental representations of the environment—that guide behavior .
Question 7
Noam Chomsky's critique of B.F. Skinner's book "Verbal Behavior" argued that:
A) Language is learned through reinforcement
B) Language is an innate human ability that cannot be explained by behaviorist
principles
C) Language is a form of operant conditioning
D) Language is learned through imitation only
, Answer: B) Language is an innate human ability that cannot be explained by
behaviorist principles
Rationale: Chomsky argued that language acquisition cannot be explained solely
by behaviorist principles of reinforcement and imitation. He proposed that humans
have an innate language faculty (Universal Grammar) and that language is unique
to humans .
Question 8
What is a primary concern of behaviorism according to John Watson?
A) Understanding the structure of conscious experience
B) Identifying the relationship between environmental stimuli and behavior
C) Exploring unconscious motivations
D) Studying mental representations
Answer: B) Identifying the relationship between environmental stimuli and
behavior
Rationale: Watson's behaviorism focused exclusively on observable behavior and
the relationship between environmental stimuli and behavioral responses, rejecting
the study of internal mental states .
Question 9
The cognitive revolution in psychology was characterized by:
A) A rejection of all experimental methods
B) An increased emphasis on studying internal mental processes
C) A focus on unconscious drives
D) A complete abandonment of learning studies
Answer: B) An increased emphasis on studying internal mental processes
Rationale: The cognitive revolution reintroduced the study of mental processes
(attention, memory, language) that behaviorism had excluded. It did not reject
experimental methods or abandon learning .
Question 10
The study of cognition requires:
A) Only behavioral observation
B) Inferences about underlying mental processes
C) Physiological measurement only
