Question 1

In which one of the following examples is metacognition most clearly illustrated?

Accepted Answer

A) Mary knows all the letters of the alphabet before she begins kindergarten. 
B) Fran can reasonably guess how much of a book she is likely to remember a month later. 
C) Billy can read fourth-grade-level books at the age of 6. 
D) Alex has a photographic memory that enables him to remember almost everything he sees.

Question 2

Distinguish between positive and negative transfer,and give a concrete example of each to illustrate your discussion.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Distinguish between positive and negative transfer,and give...

Question 3

While Keylen is working on a challenging social studies project he thinks to himself,"When I work hard in math I do well in class,so if I work hard in social studies I should do well in socials studies class too." Keylen's thought is an example of which concept?

Accepted Answer

A) problem solving 
B) transfer 
C) creativity 
D) declarative knowledge

Question 4

Three of the following teachers should help their students solve problems and think creatively about classroom topics. Which teacher probably will not?

Accepted Answer

A) Mr. Azari asks questions that get students thinking about classroom material in a different way than they might otherwise. 
B) Mr. Bennington reminds students that occasional failures are an inevitable part of the creative process. 
C) Ms. Costas has students work on difficult problems in small,cooperative groups. 
D) Ms. Driver teaches students abstract principles of logic (e.g.,"If all As are Bs and all Bs are Cs,then all As must be Cs").

Question 5

In a science lesson on heat,Ms. Jones explains that heat is the result of molecules moving back and forth very quickly and that gases are heated more quickly than liquids. The next day she asks her class the following four questions. Which one requires a complex cognitive process?

Accepted Answer

A) "Who can remember yesterday's discussion about heat?" 
B) "What is heat?" 
C) "Which one is heated more quickly-a gas or a liquid?" 
D) "Why might it be cooler near the ocean on a hot summer day?"

Question 6

Which one of the following teachers is obviously keeping the notion of situated cognition in mind as he or she helps students transfer what they are learning in school?

Accepted Answer

A) Ms. Sporer asks her students to speculate about what might have happened if the Europeans had not "discovered" the New World until the 1800s. 
B) Mr. Gerberg takes his middle school math students to the grocery store so that they can use their math skills to do some comparison shopping. 
C) Mr. Mendoza makes sure that each one of the students in his instrumental music class knows the difference between the treble and bass clefs. 
D) Ms. Sabih gives each of her elementary art students a hunk of clay and then says,"I'd like you to mold your clay into a mythical creature of some kind-into an animal that doesn't actually exist."

Question 7

Three of the following are aspects of self-regulation as psychologists define the term. Which one is not necessarily an aspect of self-regulation?

Accepted Answer

A) Reading an assigned textbook chapter 
B) Embellishing on a boring task to make it more enjoyable 
C) Deciding whether one's own behavior is within an acceptable range 
D) Reinforcing oneself for successful performance

Question 8

Which one of the following is the best illustration of metacognition?

Accepted Answer

A) Andrea is studying for a spelling test. She writes each spelling word five times in her nicest handwriting. 
B) Betsy stays up late studying for a geography test. The following morning in school,she is too tired to think straight during the test. 
C) Connie is studying for a history test. She knows that she has trouble with dates,so she checks herself by giving herself a short quiz after each chapter. 
D) Dolly gives her friend Evonne an SAT preparation book because Dolly is preparing to take the SAT exam for college.

Question 9

You are hired to teach a struggling student named Joy more effective study skills. Describe five different strategies that you will teach Joy so that she can study and learn more effectively. Include at least one strategy that will enable Joy to transfer the things she learns to new situations.

Accepted Answer

The answer of You are hired to teach a struggling...

Question 10

Which one of the following strategies is most likely to promote self-regulation in students?

Accepted Answer

A) Mr. Adams knows that many students have trouble learning algebra. He spends the first few weeks of class having students engage in activities that will make algebraic concepts concrete and understandable. 
B) When assigning a lengthy research project,Mr. Barnett advises his students to break the project down into a number of smaller tasks and then to reinforce themselves after they complete each one. 
C) To build endurance,Mr. Carruthers asks his physical education students to run progressively longer distances each week. 
D) Mr. D'Amato asks his students to look in a mirror and write a poem about what they see.

Question 11

Three of the following strategies illustrate the use of metacognitive processes in problem solving. Which strategy is least metacognitive in nature?

Accepted Answer

A) Breaking a complex problem into smaller,easier subproblems 
B) Continually monitoring progress toward problem solution 
C) Identifying a logical approach to solving a problem 
D) Looking up the correct answer at the back of the textbook

Question 12

Claire is 9 years old and in fourth grade. Considering the aspects of self-regulation typically seen at different grade levels,which one of the following is most likely to be true for Claire?

Accepted Answer

A) She has many ways of keeping herself motivated during boring tasks. 
B) She often chooses activities that help her reach her long-range goals. 
C) She is unable to control her impulses. 
D) She feels guilty when she does something wrong.

Question 13

Imagine you are a high school principal who wants students to develop effective study strategies before they graduate. If you follow the textbook's recommendations for teaching study skills and other complex cognitive processes,which one of the following approaches should you use?

Accepted Answer

A) Purchase textbooks that are about two years below students' present reading levels. 
B) Have teachers incorporate study skills training into the specific academic courses they teach. 
C) Have a one-semester study skills course that all students take in their first year of high school. 
D) Have a one-semester study skills course that all students take in their final year of high school.

Question 14

Missy is given this problem: "If Mt. Adams is lower than Mt. Washington; and if Mt. Adams is higher than Mt. Jefferson; then which of the three mountains is highest?" Missy reads the fourth word in the problem incorrectly-she thinks the word is higher rather than lower-and consequently answers the problem incorrectly. From the perspective of cognitive psychology,Missy's difficulty is definitely due to:

Accepted Answer

A) Her limited working memory capacity. 
B) The way she represents the problem. 
C) The fact that she is using the wrong heuristic. 
D) The fact that she is retrieving information that she has learned in a rote manner.

Question 15

Maria is what psychologists would describe as a self-regulating person when it comes to her moral behavior. Given this information,which one of the following descriptions best describes Maria's moral behavior?

Accepted Answer

A) She works for social incentives; for example,she contributes to charity if she thinks that other people will like her better for doing so. 
B) She behaves in morally appropriate ways only when she thinks other people are watching her. 
C) She has an internal set of standards regarding right and wrong behavior,and she feels guilty when she violates those standards. 
D) She has an internal set of standards regarding right and wrong,but those standards seldom influence the way she actually behaves.

Question 16

Mark often comes to school wearing sandals instead of sneakers on days that he has physical education. He is getting angry with himself for continually forgetting the necessary footwear. His teacher suggests that he treat himself to an hour of television only on days when he has remembered to wear sneakers. Mark's teacher is suggesting that Mark use:

Accepted Answer

A) Vicarious reinforcement. 
B) Intermittent reinforcement. 
C) A self-imposed contingency. 
D) Self-monitoring.

Question 17

Which one of the following is the best example of negative transfer?

Accepted Answer

A) Nellie sees five squared (52)in her math book and reads it as "fifty-two." 
B) Fred knows he can get Bs in his classes without having to study at all. 
C) José is trying to remember when World War II began,so he recalls all he can about European history and correctly concludes that the war began in the late 1930s. 
D) Eleanor wants to tie a string securely to her pencil so that she can hang it from her notebook,but she has forgotten how to tie a square knot.

Question 18

Three of the following are examples of authentic activities. Which one is least authentic?

Accepted Answer

A) Collecting samples of local vegetation in a botany class 
B) Writing an editorial for the local newspaper 
C) Playing shortstop in a baseball game 
D) Taking an essay test in a history class

Exam 3: Complex Cognitive Processes