Question 1

Hermann Ebbinghaus is BEST known for research involving:

Accepted Answer

Hermann Ebbinghaus is most well-known for his research on memory, specifically in his studies on nonsense syllables. He is considered one of the pioneers in the field of experimental psychology and his work on memory laid the foundation for future research in the area.

Question 2

A college student taking introductory psychology decides to test Piaget's theories of mental development on her 3-year-old brother who loves hot dogs and is very hungry.She shows him two hot dogs.Then,while he is watching,she breaks one of the hot dogs in half.She asks if he would like one hot dog (the intact hot dog)or two hot dogs (the hot dog cut in half).Consistent with Piaget's findings,the child:

Accepted Answer

This choice reflects Piaget's concept of preoperational stage (ages 2-7), where children are egocentric and struggle with understanding the concept of conservation. The child perceives the quantity based on appearance, thinking two pieces are more than one whole, despite them being the same amount.

Question 3

The scientific study of mental processes,including perception,thought,memory,and reasoning,is called:

Accepted Answer

Cognitive psychology focuses specifically on the study of mental processes such as perception, thought, memory, and reasoning. Behavioral neuroscience and physiology are more focused on the biological and physiological aspects of behavior and brain function, while mental psychology is not a commonly used term in the field of psychology.

Question 4

Frederic Bartlett differed from Hermann Ebbinghaus in that Bartlett believed that:

Accepted Answer

Bartlett believed that memory studies should involve information that people encounter in everyday life, which is different from Ebbinghaus who used nonsense syllables in his memory research to control for previous learning. Bartlett also did not believe that memory operates like a photographic reproduction of past experience and instead saw memory as a reconstructive process. Additionally, Bartlett did believe that memory is an observable construct that can be empirically studied.

Question 5

A train is passing by,but Jean's view of it is partially obstructed by traffic.According to Gestalt psychologists,he nevertheless perceives a unified single train because:

Accepted Answer

According to Gestalt psychologists, the mind imposes organization on what it perceives. In this case, Jean's mind organizes and integrates the partially obstructed view of the train into a unified single train perception. This is due to the Gestalt principle of perceptual organization, which states that the mind has a tendency to organize sensory information into a coherent and meaningful whole.

Question 6

Jean Piaget attempted to gain insight into the nature and development of the human mind by studying:

Accepted Answer

Piaget primarily studied the cognitive development of children, including their perceptual and cognitive errors, in order to gain insight into the nature and development of the human mind.

Question 7

According to Kurt Lewin,a construal is:

Accepted Answer

According to Kurt Lewin, a construal is the subjective meaning of a stimulus. It refers to the way an individual perceives and interprets a stimulus, based on their past experiences, beliefs, and attitudes.

Question 8

A college student taking introductory psychology decides to test Piaget's theories of mental development on his 10-year-old sister,who loves hot dogs and is very hungry.He shows her two hot dogs.Then,while she is watching,he breaks one of the hot dogs in half.He asks if she would like one hot dog (the intact hot dog)or two hot dogs (the hot dog cut in half).Consistent with Piaget's findings,the girl probably will:

Accepted Answer

At the age of 10, children are typically in Piaget's concrete operational stage of cognitive development, which starts around age 7 and lasts until approximately age 11. During this stage, children gain a better understanding of the concept of conservation—the idea that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or appearance. Therefore, the girl is likely to understand that the amount of hot dog is the same in both options and may state that both choices are the same.

Question 9

Dee and Soleila watch a YouTube clip of "Mrs.Memory" reciting pi for thousands of digits.Dee is impressed but Soleila wonders if Mrs.Memory can remember what her husband asked her to purchase at the grocery store.Soleila's concern echoes _____ critique of the research of _____.

Accepted Answer

Frederic Bartlett's critique of Hermann Ebbinghaus' research on memory emphasized the importance of context and meaning in memory, rather than just rote memorization of isolated information. Soleila's concern about Mrs. Memory's ability to remember everyday information relates to this critique. The other options are not relevant to the situation described.

Question 10

A memory expert testifies in court for the defense that the eyewitness testimony should be given less importance because it is contaminated with biases.The expert is articulating the position FIRST advanced by:

Accepted Answer

Frederic Bartlett was one of the earliest researchers to examine the reconstructive nature of memory, and he argued that memory is heavily influenced by one's preexisting knowledge and schemas. He believed that memory is not a literal recollection of past events, but rather a process of construction and reconstruction driven by these preexisting biases and knowledge structures. Therefore, it would make sense for a memory expert testifying in court to argue that eyewitness testimony is contaminated with biases and should be given less importance, as this is a position that stems directly from Bartlett's theories on memory.

Question 11

We perceive the lights on a quickly blinking neon sign to be in motion,a phenomenon studied by which psychologists?

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon of perceiving the lights on a quickly blinking neon sign to be in motion is studied by Gestalt psychologists, who focus on how the brain organizes and perceives visual information.

Question 12

Frederic Bartlett's research on memory demonstrated that people tend to remember:

Accepted Answer

Frederic Bartlett's research highlighted that memory is reconstructive and people often remember events not as they exactly happened but in a way that fits their expectations or beliefs, essentially remembering "what should have happened" rather than "what actually happened."

Question 13

The advent of computers in the 1950s had an enormous conceptual impact on the development of _____ psychology.

Accepted Answer

The advent of computers in the 1950s led to the development of cognitive psychology, which focused on the study of mental processes such as attention, perception, memory, and problem-solving. This was fueled by the idea that the human mind can be compared to a computer, processing information in a systematic and logical way. This approach had a profound impact on the study of psychology, leading to significant advancements in our understanding of how the mind works.

Question 14

Psychologist Kurt Lewin used a special mathematical theory called _____ to model the subjective experiences of the mind.

Accepted Answer

Kurt Lewin used topology to model the subjective experiences of the mind. Topology is a branch of mathematics that studies the properties of space that are preserved under continuous transformations, such as stretching or bending. Lewin used topological concepts such as boundaries, regions, and fields to represent mental constructs such as attitudes and values.

Question 15

A cognitive psychologist who argued that it wasn't an environmental stimulus,but rather the subjective experience-or construal-of the stimulus that led to behavior,was:

Accepted Answer

Kurt Lewin proposed the concept of "life space" in which he argued that behavior is influenced not just by the environment, but also by the individual's subjective interpretation or construal of that environment. This idea forms the basis of his field theory, which was a major contribution to cognitive psychology.

Question 16

A teacher praises a student for asking a good question.Which psychologist would state that the effect of praise on subsequent behavior depended on the student's subjective experience of it?

Accepted Answer

Kurt Lewin emphasized the importance of the individual's subjective experience in determining behavior, suggesting that the effect of praise would depend on how the student perceives and interprets it.

Question 17

The advent of _____ in the 1950s had an enormous conceptual impact on the development of cognitive psychology.

Accepted Answer

The advent of computers in the 1950s had an enormous conceptual impact on the development of cognitive psychology. It allowed researchers to simulate mental processes and model human cognition, leading to the development of cognitive theories and the study of mental processes such as perception, attention, memory, and problem-solving.

Question 18

Psychologist Kurt Lewin believed that stimulus-response psychology was too simplistic to predict human behavior.In his theories,he inserted which terms between stimulus and response?

Accepted Answer

Kurt Lewin introduced the concept of "construal of the stimulus," which refers to the individual's perception and interpretation of the stimulus, as an important factor in understanding human behavior.

Question 19

A cognitive psychologist who studied the perceptual and cognitive errors of children in order to gain insight into the nature and development of the human mind was:

Accepted Answer

Jean Piaget is known for his research on children's cognitive development and the stages they go through in their understanding of the world around them. He observed children making errors and used these observations to formulate his theory of cognitive development.

Question 20

Which pioneer of cognitive psychology conducted research on memory in which he memorized lists of nonsense syllables?

Accepted Answer

Hermann Ebbinghaus conducted research on memory in which he memorized lists of nonsense syllables. He found that the ability to recall the items on the list decayed over time in a predictable way, which led to the development of the "forgetting curve."

Quiz 1: Evolution of Psychological Science-Part A