Question 1

Salience of features affects the ease with which people are likely to learn a concept. Which one of the following best illustrates a salient defining feature?
A) "Photosynthesis" is a feature of the concept plant.
B) "Round" is a feature of the concept circle.
C) "Getting oxygen from water" is a feature of the concept fish.
D) A "backbone" is a feature of the concept vertebrate.

Accepted Answer

"Round" is a highly noticeable and distinctive feature that immediately identifies the concept of a circle, making it a salient defining feature.

Question 2

Lenesa sees a picture of a beach and then later tries to draw the picture from memory. She draws shells on the beach even though the beach in the picture had no shells. Using cognitive psychologists' concept of schema, how could we explain Lenesa's error?
A) Lenesa has a schema for shells but does not have one for beaches.
B) Lenesa has a schema for beaches but does not have one for shells.
C) Lenesa's schema for a typical beach includes shells.
D) Lenesa's schemas of beaches and shells are interfering with each other.

Accepted Answer

According to the concept of schema, individuals have cognitive frameworks that organize and interpret information. Lenesa's schema for a typical beach includes shells, which is why she drew them in her memory of the picture even though there were no shells in the actual picture.

Question 3

For the concept hexagon, "large" can best be classified as:
A) an irrelevant feature
B) a defining feature
C) a correlational feature
D) a prototype

Accepted Answer

The answer of For the concept hexagon, "large" can best...

Question 4

Which one of the following illustrates an overgeneralization error? The concepts in question are italicized.
A) Abe knows what the words tall and short mean, but he doesn't realize that one is the opposite of the other.
B) Ben thinks that all animals have to have fur and four legs; therefore snakes, bumblebees, and people cannot possibly be animals.
C) Carolyn thinks that baby dolls are not real babies because they do not cry.
D) Donna thinks that whales and dolphins are kinds of fish, when they are actually mammals instead.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which one of the following illustrates an...

Question 5

Eight-year-old Mary was asked if the shark at the aquarium was a fish. She responded: "no, because that shark is too big to be fish". Kristen was not able to identify that the shark is a _______________ of fish.
A) correlational feature
B) defining feature
C) positive instance
D) negative instance

Accepted Answer

The answer of Eight-year-old Mary was asked if the shark...

Question 6

After seeing many different examples of a dog, Joe begins to form an idea of what a typical dog looks like. This process best illustrates which one of the following views of concept learning?
A) Learning defining features
B) Prototype
C) Exemplars
D) Hypothesis testing

Accepted Answer

The prototype view of concept learning suggests that we form a mental image of a typical example, or prototype, of a concept based on our exposure to various examples. In this case, Joe is forming an idea of what a typical dog looks like based on seeing many different examples.

Question 7

Which one of the following is the best example of an abstract concept rather than a concrete concept?
A) Green
B) Pleasure
C) Rectangle
D) Cantaloupe

Accepted Answer

Green, Rectangle, and Cantaloupe are all examples of concrete concepts, as they are physical objects or qualities that can be observed or experienced with the senses. Pleasure, on the other hand, is an abstract concept as it is a feeling or emotion that cannot be directly observed or experienced in a physical way.

Question 8

Four boys read this line from a story: "The two men entered the restaurant and ordered hamburgers."
Which one of the boys is clearly using a script while reading the story?
A) Alex assumes that the men looked at a menu before ordering.
B) Bob is guessing that the men probably have evil motives.
C) Colin wonders what the men look like.
D) Devon thinks that the men should make more healthful choices.

Accepted Answer

Alex's assumption about the men looking at a menu before ordering indicates that he is following a predetermined script for how people behave in restaurants.

Question 9

When learning a new concept, people are most likely to be confused when:
A) Correlational features are more salient than defining features.
B) Defining features are more salient than correlational features.
C) There are too many negative instances.
D) There are very few positive instances.

Accepted Answer

When correlational features are more salient than defining features, it can be difficult to understand how these features relate to the overall concept. This can lead to confusion and difficulty in understanding the concept.

Question 10

In which of the following situations is a child most likely to be learning a concept through a buildup of associations?
A) Because all of his teddy bears are brown, 2-year-old Harry thinks that all bears are brown.
B) When a strange man comes to the house, Mother introduces him to 3-year-old Regina as "Uncle Albert." Regina asks, "What's an 'uncle'?"
C) When peas are served at dinner, 7-year-old Molly proclaims, "I don't like peas now and will never, ever like them!"
D) To help himself remember what a trapezoid is, 12-year-old Mark repeats the definition to himself several times in a row.

Accepted Answer

In this situation, the child is forming an association between the color brown and the concept of bears, suggesting a buildup of associations. The other options involve different cognitive processes such as learning new vocabulary, expressing preferences, and repetitive memorization.

Question 11

If you were teaching students a new concept, which strategy would be most effective?
A) Presenting only positive instances, so students don't get confused.
B) Presenting only negative instances, so students aren't overwhelmed.
C) Describing the concept's correlational features.
D) Presenting a definition that identifies defining features.

Accepted Answer

Presenting a definition that identifies defining features is the most effective strategy for teaching a new concept. This provides a clear and concise understanding of what the concept is and what characteristics it possesses. Presenting either only positive or negative instances, or simply describing the features without a specific definition, can result in confusion and a lack of understanding of the concept itself.

Question 12

Three of the following teachers are following recommended practices for teaching concepts. Which one is not?
A) Mr. Adams teaches the concept fruit by showing examples of many different fruits and many different non-fruits.
B) Mr. Benito teaches the concept reptile by focusing his students' attention on pictures of dinosaurs-animals that the students especially enjoy studying.
C) Mr. Carlson teaches the concept vertebrate by giving a definition of the concept.
D) After a lesson on the concept carbohydrate, Mr. Danielson asks his students to give their own examples of the concept.

Accepted Answer

Mr. Benito is not following recommended practices for teaching concepts by focusing only on dinosaurs, which may not accurately represent all reptiles. He should instead provide examples of a variety of reptiles to help students understand the concept. The other three teachers are using different effective strategies such as showing examples, giving a definition, and asking for student input.

Question 13

Four-year-old Kristen was asked if her mother's friend Jennifer was her aunt. Kristen responded: "yes, because she is a female adult who loves me and comes to my house for Thanksgiving". Kristen was not able to identify that Jennifer is a_______________ of aunts.
A) correlational feature
B) defining feature
C) positive instance
D) negative instance

Accepted Answer

The answer of Four-year-old Kristen was asked if her mother's...

Question 14

Maureen vehemently denies that trees are plants. Her understanding of what a plant is reflects which of the following errors?
A) Overgeneralization
B) Undergeneralization
C) Confirmation bias
D) The misinformation effect

Accepted Answer

Maureen is exhibiting undergeneralization, as she is excluding trees from the larger category of plants.

Question 15

Which one of the following is a defining feature of the concept island?
A) A name e.g., "Bear Island")
B) Inaccessible by automobile
C) Completely surrounded by water
D) At least 100 feet wide in any direction

Accepted Answer

The defining feature of the concept island is being completely surrounded by water, making it distinct from other land masses. Option A is incorrect because while many islands have names, a name is not a defining feature of an island. Option B is incorrect because while some islands may be inaccessible by automobile, this is not a defining feature of all islands (some can be accessed by bridge or ferry). Option D is incorrect because there are many islands that are smaller than 100 feet in any direction.

Question 16

Gina attends a wedding ceremony conducted in a culture very different from her own, and many of the rites performed during the ceremony seem strange and unfamiliar to her. Later, she finds that she can best remember those parts of the ceremony that were similar to how weddings are performed in her own culture. In which one of the following ways would a cognitive psychologist be most likely to explain this situation?
A) Schemas encourage us to elaborate on the wide variety of stimuli we encounter over the course of our daily lives.
B) We often learn new concepts by forming and testing hypotheses about defining and correlational features.
C) Concepts are often stored in terms of exemplars.
D) We can more accurately remember events that are consistent with familiar scripts.

Accepted Answer

This situation can be explained by the idea of familiar scripts, where we have mental representations of common events or situations, and are able to more accurately remember events that fit within those scripts. The parts of the wedding ceremony that were similar to Gina's own culture would have fit within her pre-existing wedding script, making them easier to remember.

Question 17

When Mary thinks about what a dog is, several very different-looking animals come to mind, including greyhounds, German shepherds, cocker spaniels, and Chihuahuas. Which one of the following views of concept learning best characterizes Mary's knowledge of the concept dog?
A) Learning correlational features
B) Prototype
C) Exemplars
D) Hypothesis testing

Accepted Answer

Mary's knowledge of the concept "dog" is characterized by the exemplar view, as she thinks of several specific examples of dogs that vary widely in appearance. This approach involves learning and recalling individual instances within a category rather than a single prototypical example or set of defining features.

Question 18

Ramon forms his concept of house after seeing numerous single-story houses in his small, middle-income town in Illinois. He is then shown pictures of an igloo in northern Canada, a mansion in Illinois, a single-story house in Mississippi, and a high-rise apartment building in New York City. Based on a prototype theory of concepts, which one is he most likely to identify as being a house?
A) The igloo
B) The mansion
C) The single-story house
D) The high-rise apartment building

Accepted Answer

According to the prototype theory of concepts, people form a prototype of a category based on the most typical and common features of the category. In this case, Ramon's prototype of a house is likely based on the most typical and common feature of the houses he sees in his small town, which are single-story houses. Therefore, he is most likely to identify the single-story house as being a house.

Question 19

For the concept nurse, "female" can best be classified as:
A) a defining feature
B) a correlational feature
C) an irrelevant feature
D) a rule

Accepted Answer

The concept of "female" as related to a nurse is best classified as a correlational feature because historically and statistically, a significant number of nurses have been female. However, being female is not a defining characteristic of a nurse, as nurses can be of any gender.

Question 20

Ms. Lounge is teaching her son Joe the concept of cow by showing him pictures of both cows and bears. Joe thinks to himself, "Maybe all cows have horns; let me look at a few more pictures and check." Joe's reasoning best illustrates which one of the following views of concept learning?
A) Buildup of associations
B) Prototype
C) Exemplars
D) Hypothesis testing

Accepted Answer

Joe is using hypothesis testing by generating a hypothesis (all cows have horns) and then testing it by looking at more pictures. This approach involves creating and testing a hypothesis rather than relying on prototypes or exemplars, and is distinct from the buildup of associations which involves forming connections between features over time.

Quiz 9: Cognitive-Developmental Perspectives

Salience of features affects the ease with which people are likely to learn a concept. Which one of the following best illustrates a salient defining feature?

Lenesa sees a picture of a beach and then later tries to draw the picture from memory. She draws shells on the beach even though the beach in the picture had no shells. Using cognitive psychologists' concept of schema, how could we explain Lenesa's error?

For the concept hexagon, "large" can best be classified as:

Which one of the following illustrates an overgeneralization error? The concepts in question are italicized.

Eight-year-old Mary was asked if the shark at the aquarium was a fish. She responded: "no, because that shark is too big to be fish". Kristen was not able to identify that the shark is a _______________ of fish.

After seeing many different examples of a dog, Joe begins to form an idea of what a typical dog looks like. This process best illustrates which one of the following views of concept learning?

Which one of the following is the best example of an abstract concept rather than a concrete concept?

Four boys read this line from a story: "The two men entered the restaurant and ordered hamburgers." Which one of the boys is clearly using a script while reading the story?

When learning a new concept, people are most likely to be confused when:

In which of the following situations is a child most likely to be learning a concept through a buildup of associations?

If you were teaching students a new concept, which strategy would be most effective?

Three of the following teachers are following recommended practices for teaching concepts. Which one is not?

Four-year-old Kristen was asked if her mother's friend Jennifer was her aunt. Kristen responded: "yes, because she is a female adult who loves me and comes to my house for Thanksgiving". Kristen was not able to identify that Jennifer is a_______________ of aunts.

Maureen vehemently denies that trees are plants. Her understanding of what a plant is reflects which of the following errors?

Which one of the following is a defining feature of the concept island?

When Mary thinks about what a dog is, several very different-looking animals come to mind, including greyhounds, German shepherds, cocker spaniels, and Chihuahuas. Which one of the following views of concept learning best characterizes Mary's knowledge of the concept dog?

For the concept nurse, "female" can best be classified as:

Ms. Lounge is teaching her son Joe the concept of cow by showing him pictures of both cows and bears. Joe thinks to himself, "Maybe all cows have horns; let me look at a few more pictures and check." Joe's reasoning best illustrates which one of the following views of concept learning?