Question 1

Expert chess players and beginners study a chessboard for five seconds and are then asked to recall the position of the pieces on the board. When the pieces are arranged randomly, experts demonstrate significantly better memory than the beginners.

Accepted Answer

When the pieces are arranged in a way that makes sense according to the rules and strategies of chess (i.e., in meaningful game positions), experts demonstrate significantly better memory than beginners. However, when the pieces are arranged randomly (in positions that would not occur in a real game), the advantage of experts diminishes, and their performance in recalling piece positions is similar to that of beginners. This is because experts' memory advantage is largely due to their ability to chunk information based on patterns and strategies learned from extensive experience, which doesn't apply to random setups.

Question 2

Research on the framing effect has demonstrated that people tend to choose the risky strategy when considering gains and avoid taking risks when considering losses.

Accepted Answer

Research on the framing effect shows that people tend to avoid risks when considering gains (risk-averse) and are more likely to take risks when considering losses (risk-seeking).

Question 3

Maximizing, means thoroughly considering every possibility to find the best one.

Accepted Answer

Maximizing involves exploring and evaluating various options to identify the best one. It requires considering all available information, analyzing various scenarios, and making an informed decision that provides the greatest benefit.

Question 4

Becoming an expert in a given field (whether playing chess or the violin) takes about ten years of concentrated practice.

Accepted Answer

This statement is based on the theory proposed by psychologist K. Anders Ericsson, known as the "10,000-hour rule." Ericsson's research suggests that it takes around 10 years (or 10,000 hours) of deliberate practice to become an expert in a particular field.

Question 5

Although other species have the ability to communicate, only human languages have the property of productivity.

Accepted Answer

Productivity is the ability to create and understand an infinite number of new sentences using a finite set of words and grammatical rules. This property is only present in human languages, not in other forms of animal communication.

Question 6

Transformational grammar, is a system for converting a deep structure into a surface structure.

Accepted Answer

Transformational grammar is a system that converts a deep structure into a surface structure by applying various rules and transformations.

Question 7

You see the letters "RED" printed in green ink. The difficulty you have in naming the color (instead of reading the word) is known as the Stroop effect.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. The Stroop effect refers to the delay in naming the color of a printed word when the color and word do not match. In this case, the word "RED" is printed in green ink, causing interference between the written word and the color it is printed in.

Question 8

Strategies for simplifying a problem or for guiding an investigation are known as heuristics.

Accepted Answer

Heuristics are problem-solving strategies that are intended to simplify a problem or guide an investigation.

Question 9

You wait in line for over an hour to buy a movie ticket for the late show. You then learn there is a strong, unpleasant odor in the theatre and that the movie is long and bad. According to the sunk cost effect, you will cut your losses (the money you spent on the ticket) and avoid the movie.

Accepted Answer

According to the sunk cost effect, you are more likely to stay and watch the movie because you've already invested time and money (the cost of the ticket and the time spent waiting in line), even if it means enduring a bad experience.

Question 10

A penguin is a prototype for the category "bird."

Accepted Answer

Penguins are atypical examples of birds because they cannot fly, which is a characteristic most commonly associated with birds.

Question 11

Broca's aphasia is a condition marked by impaired recall of nouns and impaired comprehension of language, despite the ability to speak fluently and grammatically.

Accepted Answer

Broca's aphasia is characterized by non-fluent speech and difficulty in producing language, though comprehension is relatively preserved compared to expressive abilities. It is not marked by fluent speech and impaired comprehension; that description more closely fits Wernicke's aphasia.

Question 12

The word superiority effect refers to the finding that it is easier to read a word that is part of a sentence than to read the same word in isolation.

Accepted Answer

The word superiority effect refers to the phenomenon where people recognize letters more accurately when they are part of a word than when they are seen in isolation or in a string of random letters.

Question 13

Cognitive psychologists conduct the majority of their research by asking subjects to describe their own thinking.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive psychologists typically use experimental methods to study mental processes, such as reaction time, perception, and memory, rather than relying solely on self-report data from subjects.

Question 14

In general, it is easier to learn a second language during high school once you have mastered grammar for your primary language.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In general, it is easier to learn...

Question 15

The tendency to read the words, instead of saying the color of ink, is known as the Stroop effect.

Accepted Answer

The statement is true. The Stroop effect is a phenomenon in which the brain takes more time to process the color of ink when it is different from the word that it spells out. For example, if the word "red" is written in blue ink, it takes longer to read the word "blue" compared to if the same word was written in blue ink.

Question 16

In general, it is easier to learn a second language at a younger age than at an older age.

Accepted Answer

Younger brains are more adaptable to learning new information, including languages. As individuals age, their brains become less able to easily acquire new language skills, and they may struggle more with pronunciation and grammar.

Question 17

Thinking about one of the concepts shown in this figure will activate, or prime, the concepts linked to it through a process called spreading activation.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Spreading activation is a process by which thinking about one concept can activate or prime related concepts in memory. This is why, for example, thinking about "dog" might lead to thoughts about "pet," "walks," "barking," etc.

Question 18

Attention is your tendency to respond to and to remember some stimuli more than others at a given time.

Accepted Answer

Attention refers to the cognitive process of selectively focusing on specific information while ignoring other information. It is a well-established concept in psychology and neuroscience.

Question 19

Students were asked difficult questions (e.g., How long is the Nile River?) and asked to give a range of answers they were 90% confident included the correct answer. On difficult questions, students tend to be more confident than correct.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true based on research findings. Students tend to overestimate their knowledge and be more confident in their responses, even if they are not entirely accurate.

Question 20

Research on shifting attention demonstrates that cell phone conversations do NOT distract drivers' attention.

Accepted Answer

Research has found that cell phone conversations do in fact distract drivers' attention, even if they are using a hands-free device. This is because the act of having a conversation requires cognitive processing, which can take attention away from the task of driving.

Quiz 8: A--Cognition and Language