Question 1

The first experiments in cognitive psychology were based on the idea that mental responses can be

Accepted Answer

A)  measured directly. 
B)  inferred from the participant's behavior. 
C)  measured by comparing the presentation of the stimulus and the participant's response. 
D)  measured by comparing responses among different participants.

Question 2

The process during which information is strengthened and transformed into a strong memory that is resistant to interference is known as

Accepted Answer

A)  savings. 
B)  memory consolidation. 
C)  introspection. 
D)  cognition.

Question 3

In Donders' experiment on decision making, when participants were asked to press one button if the light on the left was illuminated and another button if the light on the right was illuminated, they were engaged in a

Accepted Answer

A)  reaction time task. 
B)  simple reaction time task. 
C)  choice reaction time task. 
D)  presentation task.

Question 4

Which of the following is a criticism of analytic introspection?

Accepted Answer

A)  It infers mental processes based on objective data. 
B)  It produces results that are too easy to verify. 
C)  It produces variable results from person to person. 
D)  It requires no training.

Question 5

An important contribution to the field of psychology resulting from Wilhelm Wundt founding his laboratory at the University of Leipzig in 1879 was

Accepted Answer

A)  the rise of behaviorism's popularity. 
B)  recognizing 1879 as "the birthday of cognitive science." 
C)  producing Ph.D.s who later established psychology departments at many U.S. universities. 
D)  the first demonstration of the forgetting curve.

Question 6

Broadbent's notion that the mind could be represented as operating in a sequence of stages, often represented by boxes, allows cognitive psychologists to develop that can be tested by further experiments.

Accepted Answer

A)  models 
B)  approaches 
C)  memories 
D)  cognitive maps

Question 7

Donald Broadbent was the first person to develop which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  A diagram depicting the mind as processing information in a sequence of stages 
B)  A computer program for solving logic problems 
C)  An experimental procedure for studying the way people process information 
D)  The first textbook of cognitive psychology

Question 8

The main point of the Donders' reaction time experiments was to

Accepted Answer

A)  show that reaction times can be measured accurately. 
B)  measure the amount of time it takes to make a decision. 
C)  determine differences in the way people react to stimuli. 
D)  show that our cognitions are often based on unconscious inferences.

Question 9

The investigation of how behavior is strengthened by presentation of positive reinforcers (e.g., food)or withdrawal of negative reinforcers (e.g., shock)is best known as

Accepted Answer

A)  classical conditioning. 
B)  the method of savings. 
C)  choice reaction time. 
D)  operant conditioning.

Question 10

At the MIT Symposium on Information Theory, George Miller presented a paper suggesting that

Accepted Answer

A)  the human ability to process information is unlimited. 
B)  there are limits to the human ability to process information. 
C)  intelligent machines can be successfully created. 
D)  memory consolidation is enhanced by REM sleep.

Question 11

The "Little Albert" experiment involving the rat and the loud noise is an example of which of the following types of experiments?

Accepted Answer

A)  Reaction time 
B)  Unconscious inference 
C)  Classical conditioning 
D)  Operant conditioning

Question 12

Who proposed that children's language development was caused by imitation and reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

A)  Noam Chomsky 
B)  John Watson 
C)  Keller Breland 
D)  B.F. Skinner

Question 13

Which of the following events is most closely associated with the decline of behaviorism as an approach to psychology?

Accepted Answer

A)  Watson's "Little Albert" experiment 
B)  Skinner's publication of the book, Verbal Behavior 
C)  Development of the technique of analytic introspection 
D)  The proposal of cognitive maps

Question 14

Who developed the concept of the cognitive map?

Accepted Answer

A)  Watson 
B)  Ebbinghaus 
C)  Wundt 
D)  Tolman

Question 15

Describe analytic introspection.Give an experimental example.Also, describe two limitations to this method.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe analytic introspection.Give an experimental example.Also, describe...

Question 16

Donders' main reason for doing his choice reaction time experiment was to study

Accepted Answer

A)  perception. 
B)  attention. 
C)  decision making. 
D)  memory.

Question 17

Regarding children's language development, Noam Chomsky noted that children generate many sentences they have never heard before.From this, he concluded that language development is driven largely by

Accepted Answer

A)  inborn programming. 
B)  cultural influences. 
C)  classical conditioning. 
D)  operant conditioning.

Question 18

Attention, perception, memory, and decision making are all different types of mental processes in which the mind engages.These are known as different types of

Accepted Answer

A)  models. 
B)  cognition. 
C)  reaction times. 
D)  savings.

Question 19

Using behavior to infer mental processes is the basic principle of

Accepted Answer

A)  behaviorism. 
B)  Donderism. 
C)  cognitive psychology. 
D)  operant conditioning.

Question 20

Ebbinghaus' "memory" experiments were important because they

Accepted Answer

A)  described complex decision-making. 
B)  plotted functions that described the operation of the mind. 
C)  were the first to combine basic elements of experience called sensations. 
D)  showed how positive reinforcers strengthen behavior.

Exam 1: Introduction to Cognitive Psychology