Deck 7: Thought, Language, and Intelligence

Question 1

Todd decides to create a matching game to study his psychology concepts. He pulls a card that asks "What is best defined as the manipulation of mental representations?" Todd thinks for a minute before he remembers the answer is

A)"sensation."
B)"meta-memory."
C)"thinking."
D)"learning."

Answer 1

"thinking."

Question 2

Tristan cannot think of a set of defining features for game. Some games have playing pieces (e.g., checkers or chess), but other games do not (e.g., dodgeball or freeze-tag). Some games have a winner (e.g., baseball or football), while others do not (e.g., role-playing games). Based on this information, the notion of a game is a __________ concept.

A)prototypical
B)semantic
C)abstract
D)formal

Answer 2

abstract

Question 3

Although they are all correct answers, which of the following would be the least effective example of a prototype for the concept of "fruit"?

A)Olive
B)Banana
C)Mango
D)Pineapple

Answer 3

Olive

Question 4

Cinderella is excited about meeting a potential husband at the ball. Her ideal suitor would have some of the following attributes: tall, dark, handsome, rich, and good taste in glass slippers. At the ball, she hooks up with Prince Charming, who has all of these features. Cinderella's set of characteristic features for her potential husband is called a __________ concept, and Prince Charming is a __________.

A)formal; prototype
B)formal; schema
C)natural; schema
D)natural; prototype

Question 5

Software programs receive information, represent that information with symbols, and then manipulate those representations. Such software constitutes a(n)

A)proposition.
B)information-processing system.
C)natural concept.
D)expected value.

Question 6

Vanessa walked into a party and said, "I just purchased a vehicle." Most people in the room formed a mental image of a midsize car. Apparently, a midsize car can be considered a __________ for the __________ concept called vehicle .

A)prototype; natural
B)prototype; formal
C)mental model; natural
D)mental model; formal

Question 7

Homer and Marge went to the Lexus dealership to buy a new car. When they walked in, none of the salespersons approached them because Homer and Marge's appearance didn't match that of someone they thought could afford to buy a Lexus. The salespeople relied on their __________ of a "Lexus buyer."

A)cognitive map
B)formal concept
C)schema
D)script

Question 8

A formal concept

A)is most often used outside of a laboratory environment.
B)does not have a fixed set of defining features.
C)is defined by a set of rules or properties that each member has and nonmembers do not have.
D)tends to have fuzzy boundaries.

Question 9

The first step in the "circle of thought" described in your textbook is to ________, while the last step is to ________.

A)decide; evaluate
B)plan; assess
C)describe; act
D)act; react

Question 10

Ana reads in the track-and-field rulebook that an official track on which she can set a world record must have specific qualities. It must be 400 meters long, in an oval shape, and have a surface that is between 0.5 in. and 1.0 in. thick. The track described in the rulebook is an example of a __________ concept.

A)fuzzy
B)natural
C)formal
D)prototype

Question 11

Murat asks his older brother for advice about his first date. His brother tells him that he should first call the woman to ask her out. Then, on the day of their date, he should pick her up and give her a rose. Then he should drive her to a nice restaurant and pay for dinner. Finally, when he takes her home, he should wait until she gets inside before leaving. Murat's brother has provided a __________ of a first date.

A)script
B)formal concept
C)mental model
D)natural concept

Question 12

While playing a video game, you guide your character through a make-believe world, avoiding some objects and picking up others, while responding to various events. This extremely rapid process of description, elaboration, decision, planning, and action illustrates

A)an artificial concept.
B)mental chronometry.
C)a mental model.
D)the circle of thought.

Question 13

Miss Libby asks her class to draw a picture of a dog. They draw pictures of retrievers, shepherds, mutts, terriers, spaniels, and lots of others. Her students obviously have different __________ of a dog.

A)formal concepts
B)prototypes
C)premises
D)propositions

Question 14

An alien from another galaxy has landed on Earth and is overwhelmed by the sensory input it must process. Eventually, the alien simplifies its thinking by categorizing sets of experiences and objects according to their common features. In other words, the alien learns to form

A)heuristics.
B)schemas.
C)concepts.
D)scripts.

Question 15

A computer programmer wants to study human thought processes using a computer information-processing model. He already knows that information-processing systems do all of the following except

A)manipulate received symbols.
B)rely on long-term memory only.
C)receive information.
D)represent information with symbols.

Question 16

The processes of describing, elaborating, deciding on, planning, and acting make up the

A)rules of logic.
B)circle of thought.
C)mental model.
D)representativeness heuristic.

Question 17

Lashonna has gone to Benny's for breakfast many times. She knows that when you walk in, you should wait to be seated, and that once you are seated, the server will bring you menus and later come back to take your order. Lashonna has a(n)__________ that helps her know what she should do when she goes to eat at Benny's.

A)schema
B)mental model
C)script
D)image

Question 18

A member of a natural concept that possesses all or most of its characteristic features is called a(n)________.

A)script
B)exemplar
C)schema
D)prototype

Question 19

The Whitney family lost the first round on a popular game show because none of their answers ("clavichord," "tuba," "ukulele")to the question "Name a popular musical instrument" had been mentioned by the population surveyed. Based on cognitive principles, how would you help them improve for the next round?

A)Teach them to use prototypes.
B)Encourage them to use schematic knowledge.
C)Teach them algorithms.
D)Practice the affirmation rule.

Question 20

Your roommate is creating a poster to visually display the concept of a circle of thought. You notice an error, though, with your roommate's stages. Which of the following is not one of the core stages in a circle of thought?

A)Construct
B)Elaborate
C)Describe
D)Decide

Question 21

Your friend says, "Tell me everything you know about Australia." You respond, "Beaches. Kangaroos. Shrimp on the barbie. Crocodile Dundee. Ayers Rock. Aborigines. Sydney Opera House. Weird football." This knowledge is part of your __________ for Australia.

A)schema
B)script
C)mental model
D)proposition

Question 22

In high school, Mireille learned that "Mr. Baker is mean." She also knew that "Mr. Baker gave too much homework" and "Mr. Baker made fun of students." These basic parts of knowledge are all related to Mireille's concept of her teacher and are known as

A)scripts.
B)heuristics.
C)propositions.
D)syllogisms.

Question 23

Uriah is out with the guys, and when he gets home at 3 a.m., the house is dark and his wife asleep. To avoid waking her, he gets ready for bed in the dark. He doesn't run into anything because he has a __________ of the house.

A)script
B)schema
C)cognitive map
D)concept

Question 24

In his mind, Perry is able to picture every detail of his favorite painting. This type of analogous representation is known as a(n)

A)mental set.
B)concept.
C)script.
D)image.

Question 25

Darnetta took apart her alarm clock in an attempt to repair it, and now she has to put it back together. She forgot how the pieces were connected, so she tries fitting each piece with every other piece until she finds one that fits. Darnetta's approach to problem solving demonstrates

A)an algorithm.
B)a heuristic.
C)functional fixedness.
D)lack of intelligence.

Question 26

Which of the following situations is an example of using an algorithm to solve a problem?

A)Considering all the possibilities before moving a chess piece
B)Saying, "If I study for the psychology final one chapter at a time, it won't seem as bad"
C)Deciding whom to trust by adhering to the saying, "Don't trust a stranger who doesn't look you in the eyes"
D)Comparing two pieces of similar information

Question 27

Applying a formula to solve a math problem and then using that formula every time the same type of problem emerges is an example of using a(n)________.

A)prototype
B)algorithm
C)mental set
D)script

Question 28

If you wanted to use logic to reason through a solution to a social dilemma, you would likely use

A)cognitive maps.
B)mental sets.
C)a series of if-then statements.
D)a set of heuristics.

Question 29

During an interview, Sherlock Holmes confesses that his detective skills were based largely on principles of deduction, algorithms, and logic. In other words, Holmes relies primarily on __________ to solve his cases.

A)artificial intelligence
B)mental models
C)heuristics
D)formal reasoning

Question 30

To understand the sequence of commands necessary to edit, save, and retrieve a computer file, people may use a __________ that consists of propositions such as "Pressing the F10 key stores the file in a place on the disk," "Each file must have its own name," and so on.

A)cognitive map
B)mental model
C)schema
D)representation

Question 31

For a class project, Mindi has to deliver a presentation on heuristics and algorithms. She decides to create a demonstration to illustrate how people often use heuristics instead of algorithms. People do this because heuristics

A)avoid mental sets.
B)guarantee solutions.
C)avoid functional fixedness.
D)are shortcuts to solutions.

Question 32

Kriss enters a haunted house for the first time, and it is so dark she can't see a thing. Kriss will probably have trouble navigating because she lacks a __________ of the haunted house.

A)cognitive map
B)concept
C)schema
D)prototype

Question 33

Your book notes that the criminal justice system in the United States may create bias in favor of accusers (or plaintiffs)because they are allowed to present their case before the defense. If it exists, this bias would be due to the ________ heuristic.

A)representative
B)anchoring
C)availability
D)means-end

Question 34

Mario is out past his curfew. When he gets home, the house is dark and his parents are asleep. To avoid waking them, he walks to his room in the dark. He doesn't bump into any objects because he has a __________ of the house.

A)script
B)schema
C)concept
D)cognitive map

Question 35

While taking the SAT exam, Ceth must determine the age order of four siblings based on the clues given in the question. Ceth uses statements about the siblings to create a formula for arriving at the correct birth order. Ceth is using __________ to solve this problem.

A)a logarithm
B)logic
C)a heuristic
D)elaborate association

Question 36

Which of the following is true with respect to cognitive maps?

A)It is possible to create a cognitive map without being able to see the environment.
B)They are not subject to any cognitive distortions.
C)They are especially helpful in navigating unfamiliar environments.
D)Cognitive maps are extraordinarily accurate representations of the environment.

Question 37

When he puts together a jigsaw puzzle, Marvin has a very specific strategy. First he finds corner pieces, then he finds edge pieces, and then he constructs the exterior frame of the puzzle. From there, he puts pieces of similar colors into piles, and tries different combinations. Marvin's puzzle-construction approach is an example of ________.

A)the availability heuristic
B)a means-end analysis
C)functional fixedness
D)algorithm

Question 38

Which of the following is a proposition?

A)Dogs and cats
B)With cheese
C)Karla likes ice cream
D)Ice cream

Question 39

Maxwell says to his student, "I'd like you to mentally count the number of windows in your bedroom." After giving them a few minutes, he asks them to describe how they completed this task. His students are likely to note that they created a cognitive picture before counting windows. This picture is called a(n)

A)mental set.
B)concept.
C)script.
D)image.

Question 40

First impressions of people are difficult to change due to

A)mental models.
B)algorithms.
C)the anchoring bias.
D)the availability heuristic.

Question 41

When random people are polled in a local shopping mall, many of them report that more people die in plane crashes than in car crashes each year despite the fact that the exact opposite is the truth. This error is caused by the ________.

A)the availability heuristic
B)the representativeness heuristic
C)the confirmation bias
D)loss aversion bias

Question 42

Think of a farmer. The farmer gets up early every morning, throws huge bales of hay around to feed the livestock, puts shoes on horses, and drives a tractor. If you automatically picture a man instead of a woman, you may have fallen victim to the

A)confirmation bias.
B)anchoring heuristic.
C)representativeness heuristic.
D)multi-attribute hypothesis.

Question 43

Cher is trying to plan her Dad's fiftieth birthday party and is feeling overwhelmed by all the tasks and decisions involved. She decides to start with her final goal of having a surprise party and then considers the location, thinks next about how many people to invite, and finally creates the invitations and orders the right amount of food. Cher has solved her problem by

A)using an analogy.
B)working backward.
C)overcoming her mental set.
D)ignoring negative evidence.

Question 44

When evaluating psychological research, it is important to scrutinize whether the collected data support or refute the original hypothesis. Which of the following errors is an experimenter most likely to make?

A)Ignoring conflicting data and seeing only that which supports the hypothesis
B)Being overly sensitive to conflicting data and refuting the hypothesis too quickly
C)Being a sloppy researcher and missing supportive data
D)Ignoring supportive data and seeing only that which refutes the hypothesis

Question 45

Adam and Mike are playing chess. Adam sees that he can win by getting his queen to a particular space. Before he can accomplish that goal, he must get Mike to move the piece that is occupying that space. He sees that he can force Mike to move the piece if he makes a particular move now, which he does. Adam is __________ to solve this problem.

A)working backward
B)using heuristics
C)using incubation
D)making analogies

Question 46

Prior to the beginning of this semester, Bob estimated that he had a 90 percent chance of earning a 3.5 grade-point average (GPA)for the semester. After receiving his midterm grades (3 Cs and 2 Ds), Bob estimated that he had roughly an 85 percent chance of earning a 3.5 GPA. In this example, the ________ heuristic is causing Bob to make an unrealistic assessment of his academic standing.

A)anchoring
B)representativeness
C)availability
D)functional

Question 47

Derek is mowing the lawn when a wheel falls off the lawnmower. Derek cannot find a screwdriver, so he uses the edge of a dime to screw the wheel back on. Derek has overcome which obstacle to problem solving?

A)Means-end analysis
B)Functional fixedness
C)Confirmation bias
D)Multiple hypotheses

Question 48

Blake needs new batteries and decides to buy a package of Energizer batteries. His friend asks him why he selected Energizer, and Blake replies, "Because I constantly see those commercials with the rabbit." Blake is using the __________ heuristic.

A)representativeness
B)availability
C)anchoring
D)regression

Question 49

After sitting at the computer for hours typing a research paper, Kerry could not figure out how to write the summary. She decided to take a long walk and finish the paper later. When she returned, she easily wrote her summary page. Kerry's use of __________ helped her produce a much better paper.

A)decomposition
B)incubation
C)reformulation
D)chunking

Question 50

The last house that Ezra and Shelley saw in the neighborhood where they want to live was listed at $650,000. They now see a house that is similar, and they are surprised that it is on sale for $400,000. Their expectation that it would be higher since it is in the same neighborhood was due to the ________ heuristic.

A)algorithm
B)availability
C)anchoring
D)representativeness

Question 51

During a recent camping trip, an argument arose about how to prevent bears from getting into the food supplies. Reggie said, "This is just like the time we were having a barbecue at a local park and this mutt-of-a-dog kept trying to steal our steaks. This is what we did. ¼" Reggie's solution was found through the use of

A)incubation.
B)means-end analysis.
C)an analogy.
D)a Venn diagram.

Question 52

Ali is trying to patch the nail holes on his wall, but he doesn't have Spackle to cover up the holes. His friend Omer rushes to the bathroom and gets the toothpaste. Ali looks at him very surprised and does not understand what he is doing. Ali's failure to think that Omer is going to use toothpaste to cover up the holes on the wall is an example of

A)functional fixedness.
B)confirmation bias.
C)a natural concept.
D)availability bias.

Question 53

Belinda wants to record an album, but doesn't know how to begin. Her friend, Carlyle, says, "Why don't you start by deciding with whom you'd like to work and then make a list of other tasks, so you can check them off as you complete them?" Carlyle is suggesting

A)working backward.
B)means-end analysis.
C)incubation.
D)use of multiple hypotheses.

Question 54

Patrick is at Murphy's Pub when he sees a short man wearing a green suit, top hat, and buckled shoes. Also, the man is carrying a pot of shiny gold. Based on what Patrick knows about leprechauns and how they act, he assumes this fellow must be a leprechaun, too. Patrick has used a(n)__________ heuristic to make his inference.

A)schematic
B)anchoring
C)availability
D)representativeness

Question 55

Shaggy and Scooby could not figure out who the masked intruder was from the clues that they found, so they decided to put the clues down and go to the kitchen for a few Scooby-snacks. After a couple of hours, Shaggy saw the clues again and realized who the masked intruder was. Shaggy solved this problem through

A)analogy.
B)incubation.
C)working backward.
D)decomposition.

Question 56

While moving into a new apartment, Titus needed to hold the door open with something heavy. It suddenly dawned on him that he could use his huge potted tree as a doorstop. Titus solved this problem by overcoming

A)multiple hypotheses.
B)functional fixedness.
C)confirmation bias.
D)the probability effect.

Question 57

Katie is overwhelmed at the thought of planning her wedding. She solves the problem by creating a series of subtasks. First, she will develop a guest list, then she will find a caterer, and then she will make reservations for the reception. Katie is using __________ to solve her problem.

A)means-end analysis
B)analogies
C)incubation
D)syllogisms

Question 58

Many people believe that there are more deaths in the United States each year due to tornadoes than deaths due to asthma, even though asthma kills more people. This mistaken belief is due in part to the reports of tornadoes being more vivid. This is an example of how our judgments are affected by

A)the availability heuristic.
B)the representativeness heuristic.
C)the confirmation bias.
D)loss aversion.

Question 59

Luis is on the jury for a highly publicized murder case. After hearing the prosecution's evidence, he has decided that the defendant is guilty. The defense provides several witnesses that place the defendant at a party during the time of the murder. However, Luis ignores this evidence and continues to believe that the defendant is guilty. Which of the following obstacles to problem solving is operating?

A)Confirmation bias
B)Mental set
C)Multiple hypotheses
D)Illogical reasoning

Question 60

Jacinta is playing a game on her cell phone where she has to identify words from a list of six letters. On level 49, she has found all but one word and she simply cannot see what she is missing. She puts the phone down, and three hours later picks it up and immediately sees that she missed the word "portal." The time away from the problem that allowed her to come up with the answer was called

A)decomposition.
B)incubation.
C)reformulation.
D)a heuristic period.

Question 61

Which of the following situations is likely to displease the typical undergraduate more? (Assume all four situations apply to the person and that the person would have to pay for each with his or her own money.)

A)A $10 increase in tuition (i.e., from $1,500 to $1,510)
B)A new $10 fee for "ID activation" each semester (a previously free service)
C)A $10 increase in the cost of a required $60 textbook (i.e., $60 to $70)
D)A $10 increase in the price of a plane ticket to the student's hometown (i.e., from $500 to $510 for a ticket from Chicago to Los Angeles)

Question 62

Larry has written a computer program that monitors and makes decisions about the relative amounts of chemicals to use in the process of creating a high-quality plastic material. His program simulates the decisions experts would make if they could monitor the production of the material during every second of the process. These sorts of technological advances are part of

A)artificial intelligence.
B)formal reasoning.
C)option evaluation.
D)probability estimation.

Question 63

Donna is an expert in mechanical engineering. Most likely,

A)her experience alone ensured her expertise.
B)she used several shortcuts to dramatically increase the speed with which she acquired her expertise.
C)she uses past knowledge and experience differently than novices.
D)she is not affected by mental sets in problem solving.

Question 64

Yassir is a researcher in the field of artificial intelligence. When building computers that are able to form natural concepts and think more like humans, Yassir is likely to use the __________ approach.

A)multiple intelligence
B)neural network
C)formal reasoning
D)triarchic

Question 65

The field of study that seeks to program computers to think, and to imitate and understand the products of human perception, is known as

A)computer-based decomposition.
B)multi-attribute and expected utility theory.
C)expert systems.
D)artificial intelligence.

Question 66

Robin and Roberta are working on a math problem. Robin keeps trying to use the formula that worked for previous problems but that is no longer helpful. Roberta is exasperated with Robin and says, "Robin, you are

A)a victim of a mental set."
B)using the anchoring heuristic."
C)ignoring negative evidence."
D)generating algorithms."

Question 67

Ashley learned that if her car did not start on the first try, pressing the gas pedal before trying to start it again got the car to work. The next time Ashley's car did not start, she tried pressing the gas pedal, but this did not work. She concluded that her car needed repairs and did not notice that she was simply out of gas. Ashley was experiencing

A)functional fixedness.
B)incubation.
C)the representativeness heuristic.
D)a mental set.

Question 68

"Whenever I have to solve a problem, I make a list of the pros and cons of each option," Mr. O'Rourke tells his coworkers. From a cognitive psychology perspective, Mr. O'Rourke is evaluating the _________ of each choice.

A)utility
B)anchor
C)proposition
D)representativeness

Question 69

Lola loves to gamble at the casino boats. She tells you that even though the odds of winning big are low, she is certain that she can win back at least the same amount of money she pays into the slot machines. By determining the odds of winning on the machines, you use a simple equation to show Lola that her __________ is actually negative, and therefore, she should not play the machines if she wants to come out ahead.

A)proposition
B)loss aversion
C)expected value
D)utility

Question 70

Dr. Bond would like to create facial recognition software for use in banks, airports, and other security-sensitive work environments. This software will be based on a neural network model, which has shown promise, but may still fall short of human perception. Such limitations may include

A)the inability to fully utilize analogical mapping.
B)difficulty in maximizing expected value.
C)relying too heavily on decision-making heuristics.
D)slow learning of how to classify visual patterns.

Question 71

Even though she got all three extra credit questions right on the exam and, as such, earned three bonus points, Shatrice is still very irritated that she lost three points for making a silly mistake on an essay question. The fact that the loss and gain did not create an emotional "balance" for Shatrice is explained by the concept of

A)the gambler's fallacy.
B)expected value.
C)utility.
D)loss aversion.

Question 72

Paxton owns a swimming pool, and last summer he got some yellowish algae in the water. He bought a specific type of algaecide to deal with the problem and in three days, the water was clear again. This summer Paxton notices a green algae beginning to form, and he uses the same algaecide as he did the previous summer. In three days, the pool is completely green and he cannot determine why the algae didn't die. Paxton failed to realize that it was a different type of algae, and his use of a past solution attempt demonstrates

A)a mental set.
B)functional fixedness.
C)the availability heuristic.
D)a failure to consider negative evidence.

Question 73

James spent months developing a theory of decision making. But in an experimental test, only half of the participants responded as his theory predicted. James concludes that the rest of the subjects did not understand the directions and proclaims that the experiment is evidence in favor of his theory. This is an example of the

A)confirmation bias.
B)conversion effect.
C)"eureka" phenomenon.
D)gambler's fallacy.

Question 74

The Professor is an expert at solving physics questions. Gilligan is not an expert at anything. When they try to solve a physics question, __________ is more likely to cause a problem for the Professor than for Gilligan.

A)a mental set
B)insufficient short-term memory
C)ignoring negative evidence
D)cognitive laziness

Question 75

Leslie visits her garden to discover her tomatoes and beans have been eaten by an animal. Certain it's a deer, she constructs a fence around the garden. A week later, the vegetables have been eaten again, so she installs an even taller fence. Leslie has not considered she may have actually fenced in the offending creature likely because

A)she has ascribed too much utility to her initial solution.
B)an availability heuristic has blocked her from considering another hypothesis.
C)she did not apply logic before problem solving.
D)her original proposition was based on a false premise.

Question 76

Dora is trying to decide whether to buy the regular laundry detergent or one that is environmentally safe. When evaluating these options, Dora hopes to make the best choice in order to maximize the __________ of her decision.

A)utility
B)loss aversion
C)expected value
D)means-end analysis

Question 77

When asked why she decided to attend the University of Illinois over all the other Big Ten schools, Dornita said that the school's proximity to home was a major reason. The importance Dornita places on proximity is called

A)weighted value.
B)expected value.
C)objective value.
D)utility.

Question 78

Witnesses to the sniper attacks in Maryland and Virginia described seeing a white work van in the vicinity of the incidents. As a result of this, dozens of reports of suspicious white vans were received, even though the vans were behaving in perfectly normal way. Because the snipers actually drove a dark sedan, they were able to continue their terrible deeds longer. The people trying to solve the crime were operating under

A)a mental set.
B)formal concepts.
C)erroneous scripts.
D)a working backward heuristic.

Question 79

Jerry is deciding which of two women to ask out on a date. He lists the positive and negative attributes of each woman: how attractive she is and whether she has good table manners. Kramer tells Jerry that he should also rate how much he values each of these attributes before making his decision. This rating of the subjective value of attributes is called

A)utility.
B)expected value.
C)a schema.
D)a mental set.

Question 80

Connie believes that she has Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)because she has been coughing and sneezing for the past few days. However, Connie fails to realize that if she truly had SARS, she would be exhibiting several other symptoms as well. Connie seems to be

A)exhibiting functional fixedness.
B)ignoring negative evidence.
C)considering multiple hypotheses.
D)using the anchoring heuristic.