Cognitive Psychology

1. Cognitive psychology is primarily concerned with:
(A) Mental processes such as memory, perception, and problem-solving
(B) Muscle movement
(C) Digestive processes
(D) Genetic mutations

2. Who is considered the “father of cognitive psychology”?
(A) Ulric Neisser
(B) Sigmund Freud
(C) Ivan Pavlov
(D) B.F. Skinner

3. The cognitive revolution was a shift from:
(A) Behaviorism to studying internal mental processes
(B) Psychoanalysis to genetics
(C) Chemistry to biology
(D) Structuralism to geology

4. Which research method is most common in cognitive psychology?
(A) Experiments measuring mental processes
(B) Dream analysis
(C) Astrology charts
(D) Reflex conditioning only

5. Working memory refers to:
(A) A limited-capacity system for temporarily holding and manipulating information
(B) Permanent storage of all memories
(C) Sensory impressions only
(D) Long-term procedural knowledge

6. The “magic number” 7 ± 2 refers to:
(A) Capacity of working memory
(B) Average attention span in seconds
(C) IQ score range
(D) Reflex time

7. Schema theory suggests that:
(A) Knowledge is organized into structured frameworks
(B) All memory is random
(C) Reflexes guide learning
(D) Thoughts cannot be studied

8. Selective attention means:
(A) Focusing on specific information while ignoring others
(B) Remembering everything equally
(C) Automatic unconscious thought
(D) Reflexive responses

9. The Stroop effect demonstrates:
(A) Interference in attention and processing speed
(B) Muscle fatigue
(C) Depth perception
(D) Visual illusions

10. In cognitive psychology, perception is defined as:
(A) The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information
(B) The reflexive reaction to stimuli
(C) Unconscious instincts
(D) Chemical responses in the brain

11. Encoding, storage, and retrieval are stages of:
(A) Memory
(B) Language
(C) Problem-solving
(D) Decision-making

12. Episodic memory stores:
(A) Personal experiences and events
(B) Motor skills
(C) Facts and general knowledge
(D) Reflexive actions

13. Semantic memory involves:
(A) General knowledge and facts
(B) Emotional reactions
(C) Procedural skills
(D) Reflexes

14. Procedural memory refers to:
(A) Knowledge of how to perform tasks
(B) Facts and concepts
(C) Personal experiences
(D) Emotional responses

15. Which psychologist developed the stages of cognitive development in children?
(A) Jean Piaget
(B) Sigmund Freud
(C) B.F. Skinner
(D) Erik Erikson

16. The sensorimotor stage occurs between ages:
(A) Birth to 2 years
(B) 2 to 7 years
(C) 7 to 11 years
(D) 12+ years

17. Which phenomenon describes failure to notice unexpected stimuli?
(A) Inattentional blindness
(B) Visual acuity
(C) Reflex arc
(D) Long-term potentiation

18. Problem-solving often involves the use of:
(A) Algorithms and heuristics
(B) Genetic codes
(C) Reflexes
(D) Instincts only

19. Heuristics in decision-making are:
(A) Mental shortcuts
(B) Logical proofs
(C) Physical tools
(D) Biological instincts

20. Confirmation bias is:
(A) Favoring information that supports existing beliefs
(B) Forgetting old memories
(C) A type of reflex action
(D) Storing sensory data only

21. Long-term memory is divided into:
(A) Explicit and implicit memory
(B) Reflex and instinct
(C) Primary and secondary storage
(D) Attention and perception

22. Metacognition refers to:
(A) Thinking about one’s own thinking
(B) Automatic reflexes
(C) Visual recognition only
(D) Emotional regulation

23. Which concept explains how context influences memory recall?
(A) Encoding specificity principle
(B) Reflex conditioning
(C) Visual illusions
(D) Schema avoidance

24. Cognitive load theory focuses on:
(A) The amount of information working memory can handle
(B) Brain size
(C) IQ differences
(D) Reflex reaction time

25. The study of mental imagery concerns:
(A) Internal visual representations used in thinking
(B) Eye structure
(C) Reflex blinking
(D) Dream phases only

26. Bounded rationality refers to:
(A) Limits on decision-making due to cognitive constraints
(B) Perfect logical reasoning
(C) Emotional reasoning only
(D) Unlimited memory

27. Which model describes memory as sensory, short-term, and long-term stores?
(A) Atkinson-Shiffrin model
(B) Freud’s model
(C) Pavlovian model
(D) Hebbian model

28. Chunking is a memory technique that:
(A) Groups information into meaningful units
(B) Eliminates interference
(C) Clears working memory
(D) Increases reflex time

29. Cognitive dissonance theory was proposed by:
(A) Leon Festinger
(B) Ulric Neisser
(C) Jean Piaget
(D) Noam Chomsky

30. Which is an example of top-down processing?
(A) Using prior knowledge to interpret sensory input
(B) Pure reflex action
(C) Automatic blinking
(D) Raw sensory stimulation

31. Bottom-up processing begins with:
(A) Raw sensory data
(B) Pre-existing schemas
(C) Emotions
(D) Decision biases

32. Priming in cognitive psychology refers to:
(A) Exposure to a stimulus influencing later response
(B) Forgetting memory traces
(C) Reflexive behavior
(D) Rehearsal strategies

33. Which phenomenon explains better recall of the first and last items in a list?
(A) Serial position effect
(B) Stroop effect
(C) Priming
(D) Inattentional blindness

34. Cognitive maps are:
(A) Mental representations of spatial environments
(B) Paper road maps
(C) Genetic diagrams
(D) Reflex circuits

35. Which psychologist is most associated with language and cognition?
(A) Noam Chomsky
(B) B.F. Skinner
(C) John Watson
(D) Wilhelm Wundt

36. Decision-making under uncertainty often uses:
(A) Heuristics and probabilities
(B) Exact proofs only
(C) Random guesses only
(D) Emotional instincts only

37. Dual-process theory suggests:
(A) Human thinking involves fast intuitive and slow analytical systems
(B) The brain has only one reasoning style
(C) Emotions dominate all thought
(D) Reflexes control logic

38. Anchoring bias refers to:
(A) Relying heavily on initial information during decisions
(B) Forgetting previous knowledge
(C) Emotional reasoning only
(D) Purely logical thinking

39. The “flashbulb memory” is:
(A) A vivid memory of emotionally significant events
(B) A short-term reflex
(C) Procedural skill
(D) Random memory storage

40. Prospective memory refers to:
(A) Remembering to perform tasks in the future
(B) Remembering past experiences
(C) Reflexive memory
(D) Forgetting unneeded details

41. Which experimental task measures reaction time in cognition?
(A) Lexical decision task
(B) Dream analysis
(C) Reflex arc
(D) Inkblot test

42. Cognitive schemas can sometimes lead to:
(A) Stereotypes and biases
(B) Perfect logical reasoning
(C) Random memory loss
(D) Reflexive behavior

43. The concept of “distributed cognition” emphasizes:
(A) Cognitive processes extending across people and tools
(B) Reflexes in isolation
(C) Purely individual thinking
(D) Brain chemistry only

44. Which brain structure is crucial for memory formation?
(A) Hippocampus
(B) Cerebellum
(C) Medulla
(D) Hypothalamus

45. Cognitive psychology differs from neuroscience by:
(A) Focusing more on mental processes than brain structures
(B) Ignoring behavior
(C) Studying only reflexes
(D) Focusing only on biology

46. Which experiment showed the limits of attention using a basketball-passing video?
(A) Invisible Gorilla experiment
(B) Pavlov’s dogs
(C) Little Albert experiment
(D) Skinner box

47. Emotional influence on cognition is studied in:
(A) Affective neuroscience
(B) Classical mechanics
(C) Organic chemistry
(D) Reflex biology

48. Which is an example of implicit memory?
(A) Riding a bicycle
(B) Recalling a historical date
(C) Memorizing vocabulary
(D) Naming capital cities

49. The “availability heuristic” relies on:
(A) Information that easily comes to mind
(B) Logical deduction
(C) Emotional reasoning
(D) Long-term recall

50. The ultimate aim of cognitive psychology is to:
(A) Understand how people perceive, think, remember, and learn
(B) Focus only on brain anatomy
(C) Study reflexes in isolation
(D) Eliminate biology from psychology