Question 1

According to the spatial framework model described by Franklin and Tversky,

Accepted Answer

The spatial framework model, as described by Franklin and Tversky, emphasizes that the vertical dimension (above/below) has a special prominence in our mental representations of space, suggesting that we process and recall information about objects and their locations differently depending on their orientation to us, with vertical information often being more salient or primary.

Question 2

Suppose that you draw a sketch of your college campus.In reality,one particular road on campus is vaguely U-shaped,but the right-hand portion of the curve is steeper than the left-hand portion.According to your drawing,however,the two portions have the same degree of curvature.This example illustrates

Accepted Answer

The sketch shows a symmetrical representation of the U-shaped road, despite the actual road being asymmetrical. This suggests that the person drawing the sketch relied on the symmetry heuristic, which involves assuming that objects or scenes are symmetrical even when they are not.

Question 3

Suppose that you are drawing a map,from memory,of the streets and buildings in a city you know well.If you were to show a bias in your recall of the buildings,you would be likely to

Accepted Answer

The answer of Suppose that you are drawing a map,from...

Question 4

Suppose that Arthur lives in Houston,Texas,and his friend Scott lives in a much smaller city about 20 miles from Houston.Arthur seems to think that it is farther from Houston to that small town,compared to the distance from the small town to Houston.Arthur is demonstrating the

Accepted Answer

Arthur is demonstrating the landmark effect, where the distance from a less prominent location (the small town) to a more prominent one (Houston) is perceived as shorter than the reverse, due to Houston being a more significant or notable landmark.

Question 5

The spatial framework model emphasizes that people are typically most accurate when judging

Accepted Answer

The answer of The spatial framework model emphasizes that people...

Question 6

Suppose you draw a map of a familiar street in your neighborhood.You draw all the houses an equal distance from the street,even though some houses are clearly closer to the street than others.Your error is an example of

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The answer of Suppose you draw a map of a...

Question 7

Suppose that in your college campus,Building A is east of Building B,but they aren't exactly in a straight row; one is 15 feet north of the other.The students' cognitive maps show them in a straight row,however.A likely explanation for this effect is

Accepted Answer

The alignment heuristic states that people tend to assume that objects are aligned with each other even if they are slightly offset. In this case, the students are assuming that Buildings A and B are aligned with each other, which is why they show them in a straight row on their cognitive maps.

Question 8

You are driving in your car,listening to a mystery story on the radio.The narrator has just described the room,and then the main character turns 180° to face the location that had previously been at her back.Your response time to locate objects on your mental map would be quickest for

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The answer of You are driving in your car,listening to...

Question 9

You are trying to draw a map of a local park.You represent the northern edge of the park as being a smooth,regular curve-even though one side is actually more irregular than the other side.Your inaccurate cognitive map is an example of

Accepted Answer

The symmetry heuristic is when people tend to remember figures as being more symmetrical and regular than they actually are, which explains why the irregular side of the park is represented as a smooth, regular curve.

Question 10

Alex lives in the United States,20 miles due south of the boundary between the U.S.and Canada.His friend Shawn lives 30 miles due south of Alex.However,Alex thinks he lives closer to Shawn,rather than to the Canadian border.This is an example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of border bias, where the presence of a border (in this case, the U.S.-Canada border) makes distances across the border seem further than they are, even if numerically smaller. Alex perceives the distance to Shawn as closer because the psychological effect of the border makes the distance to Canada feel larger than it is.

Question 11

When most people draw a map of the coastline of the United States,they show Miami about due south of Boston,when Miami is actually fairly far to the west.This error is an example of

Accepted Answer

The answer of When most people draw a map of...

Question 12

Suppose that you are listening to your professor's description of the layout of several buildings in a city.If the discussion of mental maps can be applied to your representation of this city,it is most likely that

Accepted Answer

If the discussion of mental maps can be applied, it implies that the information is being processed actively and the individual is constructing a cognitive map to represent the arrangement of buildings in the city. This option is the most likely choice as it aligns with the concept of mental maps. Option A is unlikely as passive storage of information does not involve the creation of mental maps. Option B is not necessarily true for all individuals and cannot be generalized. Option D is unlikely as it implies that the cognitive map is highly distorted, which is not necessarily true.

Question 13

The alignment heuristic and the rotation heuristic are different from each other because

Accepted Answer

The alignment heuristic involves lining up streets and buildings in right angles with each other, whereas the rotation heuristic involves mentally rotating a single figure in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The other answer choices are either incorrect (C) or too narrow (D) in their definitions of the heuristics.

Question 14

Suppose that you have just studied a map of a region,and you have formed a cognitive map for it.Based on what you know from Chapter 7,we could predict that

Accepted Answer

According to the concept of cognitive maps discussed in Chapter 7, people tend to estimate distances based on the number of intervening landmarks or cities. Therefore, if there are many cities in between two cities on a map, people are likely to estimate that the distance between the two cities is greater.

Question 15

Suppose you draw a map of Italy,and you show the "boot" located in a north-south direction,rather than slanted at an angle.This would be an example of the

Accepted Answer

This would be an example of the rotation heuristic, which involves rotating or reorienting an object to make it easier to process or remember. In this case, the map of Italy is being rotated to a more familiar north-south orientation, which may make it easier for people to understand and remember the shape of the country.

Question 16

If you were to draw a map of the town or city in which your college is located,

Accepted Answer

The question is asking what the person drawing the map would tend to do, and the most common tendency is to make streets intersect at 90° angles in order to improve the visual organization and simplicity of the map.

Question 17

According to the rotation heuristic,

Accepted Answer

The rotation heuristic suggests that people tend to remember figures as being more vertical or horizontal than they really are, which is option C. Option A is incorrect because it is referring to alignment of geographic areas, which is not relevant to the rotation heuristic. Option B is incorrect because it is referring to alignment of angles, which is not relevant to the rotation heuristic either. Option D is incorrect because it suggests that people rotate their cognitive maps in a random pattern, which is not consistent with the rotation heuristic.

Question 18

Which of the following students provides the most accurate general summary of the research on cognitive maps?

Accepted Answer

Francine's statement is the most accurate general summary of the research on cognitive maps, as it reflects the tendency of individuals to simplify and regularize spatial information in their cognitive representations, a well-documented phenomenon in cognitive psychology.

Question 19

A general conclusion about cognitive maps is that

Accepted Answer

Cognitive maps are mental representations of the physical environment and are fairly accurate. However, the errors that they may show tend to be rational, meaning they are based on personal biases or beliefs. This is because cognitive maps are not purely objective representations of reality, but are shaped by the individual's own experiences and perceptions.

Question 20

Suppose that you are trying to draw a map showing part of the city or region you live in.Your map is likely to

Accepted Answer

When drawing a map, curves are often simplified and made more symmetrical to make the map easier to read and understand.

Quiz 7: Mental Imagery and Cognitive Maps