Question 1

According to Psychologist Janet Davidson, a person who is able to evaluate new problems by contrasting them with old information or with problems already solved is good at
A) selective attention.
B) selective encoding.
C) selective combination.
D) selective comparison.

Accepted Answer

The ability to evaluate new problems by contrasting them with old information or with problems already solved involves selective comparison. The other options (selective attention, selective encoding, and selective combination) do not accurately describe this cognitive process.

Question 2

You and a friend are presented with the problem of how you could determine how many equal weight stones would match your weight without using a balance scale.You suddenly remember the story of how Archimedes determined the amount of gold in a crown by the amount of water it displaced.Your friend tells you that he solved the problem using the same method because he remembered the Chinese fable about how the villagers were able to weigh an elephant.You and your friend both solved the problem using
A) selective intuition.
B) selective comparison.
C) selective combination.
D) selective encoding.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is selective comparison because both you and your friend used the method of comparing the problem at hand with a known story or method (Archimedes' principle and the Chinese fable) to come up with a solution. This involves drawing parallels between different situations to solve a problem.

Question 3

Selective combination is the
A) ability to evaluate new problems by associating them with old information or with problems already solved.
B) ability to choose information that is relevant to a problem while ignoring distractions.
C) ability to bring together seemingly unrelated bits of useful information.
D) tendency to get "hung up" on wrong solutions or to become blind to alternatives.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Selective combination is the
A) ability to evaluate...

Question 4

Selective comparison is the
A) ability to evaluate new problems by associating them with old information or with problems already solved.
B) ability to select information that is relevant to a problem while ignoring distractions.
C) ability to bring together seemingly unrelated bits of useful information.
D) tendency to get "hung up" on wrong solutions or to become blind to alternatives.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Selective comparison is the
A) ability to evaluate...

Question 5

When a person uses fables and stories from their particular culture to solve new problems, such as using the Hansel and Gretel story to solve the problem of not getting lost in a cave, the person is using
A) selective intuition.
B) selective comparison.
C) selective combination.
D) selective encoding.

Accepted Answer

Selective comparison involves drawing parallels between new problems and previously encountered situations or stories, such as using cultural fables to address current challenges.

Question 6

Which of the following could enhance your selective comparison ability and aid you in becoming a more flexible and resourceful thinker?​
A) ​increasing one's ability to utilize functional fixedness
B) ​increasing one's use of algorithms and rote learning
C) ​increasing one's knowledge about other cultures
D) ​all of these

Accepted Answer

Increasing one's knowledge about other cultures can enhance one's selective comparison ability by providing different perspectives and ways of thinking. It allows for a more diverse and nuanced approach to problem-solving. The other options, increasing functional fixedness and relying on algorithms and rote learning, can limit one's ability to consider alternative solutions and approach problems creatively.

Question 7

You are locked in a windowless room with only a candle, a quarter, and a slab of processed cheese food.If you are able to use all of these items successfully to escape from the room, you would most likely have used
A) selective attention.
B) selective inhibition.
C) selective encoding.
D) selective combination.

Accepted Answer

In order to successfully escape from the room using the limited resources available, one would need to selectively combine and use the candle, quarter, and processed cheese food in a creative and strategic way. This involves selecting and combining the resources in a way that allows for a successful escape. Therefore, the best answer is selective combination.

Question 8

You want to boil an egg for 15 minutes, and all you have is a 7-minute hourglass and an 11-minute hourglass.Using these two hourglasses in your solution requires you to use
A) selective combination.
B) selective attention.
C) selective encoding.
D) selective comparison.

Accepted Answer

Selective combination is the process of combining different resources or tools to achieve a desired outcome. In this case, using the 7-minute and 11-minute hourglasses together to time the boiling of an egg for 15 minutes is an example of selective combination.

Question 9

Mae was asked to solve the following problem: Pretend that you are a bus driver.You begin the day with an empty bus.At your first stop, you take on 10 passengers.At your second stop, 4 people get off the bus, and 12 people get on.At your third stop, 8 people get off the bus, and 2 people get on.At your fourth stop, nobody gets off the bus, and 1 person gets on.How old is the bus driver? According to Davidson, if Mae just adds the numbers without focusing on the relevant part of this problem, he or she is showing a lack of
A) selective attention.
B) selective encoding.
C) selective comparison.
D) selective combination.

Accepted Answer

Mae is showing a lack of selective encoding, which is the ability to focus on and remember only relevant information while filtering out distractions or irrelevant details. Instead, Mae is just adding up all the numbers in the problem without paying attention to which numbers represent passengers getting on or off the bus.

Question 10

The textbook problem of how many socks to take out of a drawer to get a matched pair when the drawer contains a four to five mixture of white and black socks requires the reader to realize that the four to five mixture is irrelevant information and that the only relevant information is that there are two colors of socks.Getting the correct answer of three socks requires the reader to first use which of Davidson's insight abilities?
A) selective combination
B) selective attention
C) selective comparison
D) selective encoding

Accepted Answer

Selective encoding is the ability to focus on relevant information while ignoring irrelevant information. In this problem, recognizing that the specific mixture of white and black socks is irrelevant and that the only important detail is the existence of two colors requires selective encoding.

Question 11

Selective encoding is the
A) ability to compare new problems with old information or with problems already solved.
B) ability to choose information that is relevant to a problem while ignoring distractions.
C) ability to bring together seemingly unrelated bits of useful information.
D) tendency to get "hung up" on wrong solutions or to become blind to alternatives.

Accepted Answer

Selective encoding refers to the ability to choose relevant information while ignoring distractions. Option A refers to the concept of analogical reasoning, option C refers to insight, and option D refers to fixation.

Question 12

According to Psychologist Janet Davidson, the three abilities involved in insight are
A) selective attention, convergent thinking, and divergent thinking.
B) cognitive assimilation, selective attention, and selective encoding.
C) selective attention, selective comparison, and convergent thinking.
D) selective encoding, selective combination, and selective comparison.

Accepted Answer

Davidson identifies the three abilities involved in insight as selective encoding, selective combination, and selective comparison. These processes help individuals to focus on relevant information, combine it in novel ways, and compare it to existing knowledge to generate insights.

Question 13

You are given the problem of building a structure that can support an overcoat in the middle of a room and are given only two long sticks and a clamp to work with.You are more likely to solve this problem if you first thought of how pole lamps are wedged between floor and ceiling.Using your previous knowledge of pole lamps to solve the coat rack problem is an example of
A) selective comparison.
B) selective attention.
C) selective combination.
D) selective encoding.

Accepted Answer

Selective comparison involves using previous knowledge or experiences to solve a new problem or situation. This is what is demonstrated in using the concept of pole lamps to solve the coat rack problem. Selective attention involves focusing on certain aspects of a problem or situation, selective combination involves combining different ideas to solve a problem, and selective encoding involves only paying attention to and remembering certain details of a problem or situation.

Question 14

According to Davidson, a person who is able to ignore distractions and focus on information necessary to solve a problem is good at
A) selective attention.
B) selective encoding.
C) selective combination.
D) selective comparison.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Davidson, a person who is...

Question 15

The problem-solving ability known as "selective comparison" involves comparing new problems with
A) old information or with problems already solved.
B) novel possibilities for the uses of the objects within the problem.
C) mental images of projected solutions.
D) seemingly unrelated bits of information.

Accepted Answer

Selective comparison involves comparing new problems with old information or with problems already solved in order to identify patterns or similarities that can be used to solve the current problem. B, C, and D may be problem-solving skills, but they are not specifically related to the ability of selective comparison.

Question 16

You want exactly nine gallons of water, but you have only a seven-gallon bucket and a five-gallon bucket.Although you, at first, do not see how these two buckets can help, you realize that you can use them in the following way.You fill the seven-gallon bucket, then pour it in the five-gallon bucket, leaving two gallons in the seven-gallon bucket.You then pour out the five-gallon, pour the two gallons of water in the five-gallon, and refill the seven-gallon bucket, and you have a total of nine gallons of water.To solve this problem, you had to use
A) selective comparison.
B) selective attention.
C) selective encoding.
D) selective combination.

Accepted Answer

Selective combination is the ability to combine or integrate different pieces of information to solve a problem. In this scenario, the individual used selective combination by combining the two buckets and the process of filling, pouring, and refilling to obtain the desired amount of water (nine gallons). The other options, selective comparison, selective attention, and selective encoding, do not accurately reflect the cognitive process used in this problem.

Question 17

Nikki is in the second grade and is given the following problem to solve: John has 15 apples, Amy has 10 apples, and Chris has 5 apples.How many apples do John and Chris have altogether? Nikki adds the apples for all three people, using the irrelevant information about Amy's number of apples.Thus, according to Davidson, Nikki is displaying a lack of
A) selective attention.
B) selective comparison.
C) selective encoding.
D) selective combination.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Nikki is in the second grade and...

Question 18

According to Psychologist Janet Davidson, a person who is able to bring together seemingly unrelated bits of information to solve a problem is good at
A) selective attention.
B) selective encoding.
C) selective combination.
D) selective comparison.

Accepted Answer

Selective combination involves bringing together separate pieces of information to come up with a solution. This is the ability described by the psychologist in the question. Selective attention and selective encoding both involve the process of filtering and prioritizing information, but they do not necessarily involve combining different pieces of information. Selective comparison is not a commonly used term in psychology and does not appear to relate to the given question.

Question 19

You are trying to determine which of two terms is related to identical twins.You see "monozygotic" and "dizygotic." You remember that a zygote is formed from one egg and one sperm and that "mono" means one and "di" means two.Identical twins would have to result from the same egg and the same sperm, thus one zygote.Using old information to derive the meaning of "monozygotic" and "dizygotic" illustrates the use of
A) selective comparison.
B) selective attention.
C) selective combination.
D) selective encoding.

Accepted Answer

Selective comparison is the process of using previous knowledge or information to determine the meaning of new concepts or terms. In this case, the knowledge of zygotes and the prefixes "mono" and "di" has been used to understand the meaning of "monozygotic" and "dizygotic" and identify which term relates to identical twins. Selective attention, combination, and encoding do not accurately describe this process.

Question 20

While reading a book about Sigmund Freud, you come upon the term psychosomatic.You cannot quite figure out the meaning of the word from the context in which it is used, and so you bring to mind your rudimentary knowledge of the parts of the word.You know that psycho has to do with the mind or with thinking, and you also know that somatic has to do with the body.Looking back at the book, you come to the conclusion that psychosomatic has to do with the mind's influence on one's physical state.You have just relied on
A) selective attention.
B) selective encoding.
C) selective comparison.
D) selective search strategies.

Accepted Answer

Selective comparison involves using existing knowledge to make sense of new information by comparing it to what is already known. In this case, you used your knowledge of the parts of the word to understand its meaning.

Quiz 8: Cognition, Language, and Creativity.

According to Psychologist Janet Davidson, a person who is able to evaluate new problems by contrasting them with old information or with problems already solved is good at

Selective combination is the

Selective comparison is the

When a person uses fables and stories from their particular culture to solve new problems, such as using the Hansel and Gretel story to solve the problem of not getting lost in a cave, the person is using

Which of the following could enhance your selective comparison ability and aid you in becoming a more flexible and resourceful thinker?​

You are locked in a windowless room with only a candle, a quarter, and a slab of processed cheese food.If you are able to use all of these items successfully to escape from the room, you would most likely have used

You want to boil an egg for 15 minutes, and all you have is a 7-minute hourglass and an 11-minute hourglass.Using these two hourglasses in your solution requires you to use

Selective encoding is the

According to Psychologist Janet Davidson, the three abilities involved in insight are

According to Davidson, a person who is able to ignore distractions and focus on information necessary to solve a problem is good at

The problem-solving ability known as "selective comparison" involves comparing new problems with

According to Psychologist Janet Davidson, a person who is able to bring together seemingly unrelated bits of information to solve a problem is good at

Which of the following could enhance your selective comparison ability and aid you in becoming a more flexible and resourceful thinker?