Deck 7: Exploring the Field of Cognitive Psychology and Problem Solving

Question 1

Which of the following scientists would be considered a cognitive psychologist?

A) Dr. Abdalla, who investigates the processes underlying creativity.
B) Dr. Braithwaite, who studies formal reasoning processes.
C) Both Dr. Abdalla and Dr. Braithwaite
D) Neither Dr. Abdalla nor Dr. Braithwaite

Answer 1

Both Dr. Abdalla and Dr. Braithwaite

Question 2

The mental representations studied by cognitive psychologists include

A) images.
B) concepts.
C) words.
D) All of these

Answer 2

All of these

Question 3

To what extent do mental images reflect the actual objects they represent?

A) They retain some of the properties of the object they represent.
B) We can operate on images in much the same way that we operate on the actual objects they represent.
C) Both of these answers
D) Neither of these answers

Answer 3

Both of these answers

Question 4

Concepts enable us to

A) identify things we've never seen before.
B) adjust our behaviour appropriately to the environment.
C) Both of these answers
D) Neither of these answers

Question 5

Which of the following statements best expresses the relationship among representations, images, and concepts?

A) Images and representations are types of concepts.
B) Images and concepts are types of representations.
C) Concepts and representations are types of images.
D) Concepts, representations, and images are unrelated.

Question 6

In what way has the psychological study of concepts changed over the years?

A) It hasn't: same old, same old.
B) Psychologists have increasingly focused on concepts that can be clearly defined by simple rules.
C) Psychologists have turned increasingly to the study of more ambiguous but more relevant concepts.
D) Psychologists have largely abandoned the study of concepts as irrelevant to day-to-day concerns.

Question 7

The preparation stage of problem solving entails

A) framing or representing the nature of the problem.
B) generating a solution to the problem.
C) evaluating the solution to a problem.
D) All of these

Question 8

Research on heuristics in decision making and problem solving suggests that

A) people use careful and thorough reasoning processes.
B) people take more risks to secure gains than to avoid losses.
C) people base decisions on what comes easily to mind.
D) All of these

Question 9

Problem-solving strategies, or heuristics, include

A) means-ends analysis.
B) forming subgoals.
C) both of these options
D) neither of these options

Question 10

Recall the categories of problems described in your text. The problem in which one is supposed to rearrange letters to form words may be seen as an example of a(n) _________ problem. By contrast, Luchins' (1946) water jar problem exemplifies _______ problems.

A) arrangement; inducing structure
B) arrangement; transformation
C) transformation; inducing structure
D) transformation; arrangement

Question 11

Your text suggests that mental set may impair problem solving mainly during the _________ stage; confirmation bias may impede ________.

A) preparation; judgment
B) judgment; preparation
C) production; judgment
D) judgment; production

Question 12

Your text defines creativity as "the ability to generate original ideas or solve problems in novel ways"; it defines divergent thinking as "the ability to generate unusual, yet appropriate, responses to problems." Given these definitions, which of the following is a plausible research hypothesis?

A) Divergent thinking and creativity are the same thing.
B) Divergent thinking is one component of creativity.
C) Creativity facilitates divergent thinking.
D) All of these are plausible research hypotheses.

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of creative people, as suggested by the text?

A) are independent
B) are interested in abstract problems
C) think convergently
D) possess a wide range of interests

Question 14

Semantics is to meaning as ________ is to ________.

A) meaning; syntax
B) syntax; semantics
C) syntax; sound
D) phoneme; sound

Question 15

Which of the following is true about an infant's language production?

A) An infant's babbling may incorporate sounds found in all languages.
B) There is probably a critical period for being exposed to language sounds.
C) Over time, infants begin to produce and respond to only those speech sounds found in the infant's native language.
D) All of these.

Question 16

How does the language of the average 5-year-old differ from that of the typical adult?

A) The average 5-year-old has yet to acquire the basic rules of language.
B) The average 5-year-old's vocabulary is smaller than that of the average adult.
C) Both of these options
D) Neither of these options

Question 17

The learning theory approach argues that language acquisition is driven by

A) conditioning and reinforcement processes.
B) the operation of an internal language acquisition device.
C) Both of these options
D) Neither of these options

Question 18

Chomsky's metaphorical language-acquisition device:

A) has acquired concrete support in the form of brain areas, specialized for processing language.
B) is supported by recent discoveries in genetics.
C) both of these options
D) neither of these options

Question 19

Key questions asked by psychologists regarding intelligence include which of the following?

A) What is intelligence?
B) How can intelligence be measured?
C) Both of these options
D) Neither of these options

Question 20

Which of the following is true about fluid intelligence?

A) It declines as we get older.
B) It reflects the culture within which we live.
C) It reflects the knowledge we accumulate over time.
D) It is used in familiar problem-solving situations.

Question 21

Which of the following situations is most likely to draw upon crystallized intelligence?

A) Figuring out how to build a tree-house.
B) Solving a complex mathematical problem.
C) Grouping a series of letters according to some criterion.
D) All of these

Question 22

Which of the following is one of Gardner's multiple intelligences?

A) general intelligence
B) analytical intelligence
C) crystallized intelligence
D) logical-mathematical intelligence

Question 23

Which of the following explanations does Sternberg offer for the weak relationship between academic success and career success?

A) Academic success and career success are based on two different types of intelligence.
B) Academic success is based on the ability to acquire information through reading and listening; career . success is based more on the ability to learn from observing others' behaviour.
C) both of these options
D) neither of these options

Question 24

Practical intelligence relates to overall success in life; emotional intelligence relates to the ability to get along with others. Based on these definitions, what sort of correlation coefficient might a researcher expect between scores on a measure of practical intelligence and those on a measure of emotional intelligence?

A) a rather weak positive one
B) at least a moderate positive one
C) a zero one
D) a negative one

Question 25

According to your text, intelligence tests have been beneficial in

A) identifying students in need of special attention in school.
B) diagnosing learning and memory difficulties.
C) helping people make the best educational and career choices.
D) All of these

Question 26

Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911) is associated with

A) the first attempts at measuring intelligence.
B) the idea that intelligence is inherited.
C) Both of these options
D) Neither of these options

Question 27

The most commonly used IQ test in North America is the

A) Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale.
B) Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III.
C) "How Smart are You?" quiz on tickle.com.
D) Terman Intelligence Battery.

Question 28

The two major parts of Wechsler's intelligence tests are the ________ and the ________ scales.

A) verbal; non-verbal
B) fluid; crystallized
C) verbal; numerical
D) analytical; performance

Question 29

Adam did well at providing vocabulary definitions on the WAIS-III; he did less well at arranging blocks in a specified order under time pressure. Based on this information, which of the following alternatives BEST describes the likely pattern of Adam's WAIS-III scores.

A) His WAIS-III score should be about average.
B) His nonverbal performance score should exceed his verbal score.
C) His verbal score should exceed his performance score.
D) His analytical score should exceed his performance score.

Question 30

A large discrepancy between the verbal and performance sections of the WAIS-III may reflect:

A) a background of severe environmental deprivation.
B) a language deficiency.
C) both of these options
D) neither of these options

Question 31

If one wishes to predict an individual's ability or success in a given area, one would use an __________test. If one wishes to measure an individual's level of knowledge, one would use an _____________.

A) aptitude; achievement test
B) achievement; aptitude test
C) achievement; achievement test as well
D) aptitude; aptitude test as well

Question 32

Aptitude test is to achievement test as __________ is to ___________.

A) predicting future performance; assessing past performance
B) the IQ score; the EQ score
C) intelligence; creativity
D) Both A and C

Question 33

Why is it sometimes difficult to decide if an individual is mentally retarded (intellectually disabled)?

A) Mental retardation refers not only to deficits in intellectual functioning but also to conceptual, social,
And adaptive limitations.
B) It is very difficult to gauge social and adaptive limitations.
C) both of these options
D) neither of these options

Question 34

Anita is mildly retarded; Brad is moderately retarded; Candace is severely retarded; and Denny is profoundly retarded. Which of these individuals can probably hold a job?

A) Anita only
B) Anita and Brad only
C) Anita, Brad, and Candace only
D) None would be able to hold a job

Question 35

Regarding the causes of mental retardation (intellectual disability), which of the following statements is most nearly true?

A) In one-third of the cases of mental retardation, there is an identifiable biological cause.
B) There is a family history of mental retardation in most cases.
C) both of these options
D) neither of these options

Question 36

As compared to more typical individuals, the intellectually gifted are characterized by all the following characteristics EXCEPT

A) higher incomes.
B) better social adjustment.
C) higher life satisfaction.
D) All these characteristics distinguish gifted from more typical individuals.

Question 37

A persistent finding in the study of group differences in intelligence is that compared to Caucasians IQ scores, African American and African Canadians' scores are

A) 20 points lower on average.
B) 10-15 points lower on average.
C) 5 points lower overall.
D) the same.

Question 38

Typical standardized intelligence tests:

A) are not necessarily reliable assessments of the intelligence of minority group members.
B) are not necessarily valid assessments of the intelligence of minority group members.
C) both of these options
D) neither of these options

Question 39

Concepts are mental representations of categories. One might say that among Western cultures, concepts are organized in terms of the _____________ between category members. Among the Kpelle tribe ofAfrica, concepts are organized on the basis of _________.

A) functional relationships; functional relationships between category members as well
B) functional relationships; structural resemblance between category members
C) structural resemblance; functional relationships between category members
D) structural resemblance; structural resemblance between category members as well

Question 40

Which of the following statements capture(s) your text's position, with respect to using the study of group differences in intelligence to improve society?

A) Obsessing about race differences in intelligence is not likely to get us anywhere in improving society.
B) Progress will be made once we focus on individual rather than group differences in intelligence.
C) both of these options
D) neither of these options

Question 41

Which statistical technique did Dr. Rosenthal use to calculate the lottery winnings of retail lottery sellers?

A) correlation coefficient
B) experimental research
C) probability
D) none of the above

Question 42

What did Johanne Paradis find was true with regards to children who only spoke English versus children who were bilingual?

A) Bilingual children had better knowledge of English morphology
B) English-only speaking children had better knowledge of English morphology
C) Bilingual children and English-only speaking children had the same knowledge of English morphology
D) More research needs to be conducted to determine which group has better knowledge of English morphology

Question 43

What did Dr. James Parker and colleagues find was true for students who were academically successful (those with an average of 80% or higher) compared to students who were not academically successful (those with an average of 59% or lower)?

A) academically successful students had higher levels of emotional intelligence at the beginning of the school year compared to students who were not academically successful
B) academically successful students had lower levels of emotional intelligence at the beginning of the school year compared to students who were not academically successful
C) academically successful students had the same level of emotional intelligence at the beginning of the school year compared to students who were not academically successful
D) none of these options

Question 44

What did researchers from the University of Calgary and the University of Edinburgh find was true for students who were low in emotional intelligence compared to their peers who had higher levels of emotional intelligence.

A) students low in emotional intelligence had higher levels of stress
B) students low in emotional intelligence had more difficulty coping during exams
C) both of these options
D) neither of these options

Question 45

Image is to object as ________ is to category.

Question 46

Breaking a problem down into small steps involves the creation of ___________.

Question 47

Holly is attempting to report a lengthy series of digits in exactly the same order in which she heard them.Holly is completing a test of ________ intelligence.

Question 48

The traditional approach to intelligence is to the _________ approach as structure is to process.

Question 49

Using Binet's formula, rounded to the nearest whole number, the IQ of a 6-year-old child with a mental age of 8 is ________.

Question 50

A(n) __________ is to an aptitude test as a final examination in a high-school or college course is to theGRE.

Question 51

A ________ is the smallest element of a word that can still have meaning.

Question 52

________, an early psychologist, believed there was a single, general factor for mental ability, which hecalled g (or the g-factor).

Question 53

Distinguish between well-defined and ill-defined problems. Provide an example of each. Distinguish between an algorithm and a heuristic. Again, provide an example of each.

Question 54

Describe how the availability and representativeness heuristics and the confirmation bias may contribute to prejudice and discrimination. Provide as thoughtful an answer as you can.

Question 55

Outline one theory of multiple intelligences. Suggest how the theory might be used to inform and improve educational practice.

Question 56

Define (a) practical and (b) emotional intelligence. To what extent are these types of intelligence related to the sort of intelligence that is traditionally assessed by standardized tests? Argue both for and against the notion that practical and emotional intelligence should be nurtured in formal educational curricula.

Question 57

Describe in as much detail as you can the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Describe how the tests are scored.