2014 Exam May-June

Question 1

Thabo: Even though some may disagree, this focus on internal mental phenomena in cognitive psychology is scientific. We really cannot do psychology properly just by concentrating on explicitly observable and quantifiable external behavior, we also have to take internal mechanisms into account.
Based on this statement it is most likely that Thabo is a ___.
1) rationalist
2) behaviourist
3) follower of Locke
4) follower of Skinner

Answer 1

1) rationalist

Reasoning: Rationalism is important in theory development. Rationalists believes that the route
to knowledge is through thinking and logical analysis. We might see the rationalist view of the
world as the thesis and the empirical view as the antithesis.
• Behaviourism (option 2) is a theoretical outlook that psychology should focus only on the
relation between observable (overt) behavior, on the one hand, and environmental
events or stimuli, on the other. Option 2 is therefore incorrect.
• Locke (option 3), an empiricist, believed that humans are born without knowledge and
therefore must seek knowledge through empirical observation. Locke’s term for this was
tabula rasa. Therefore option 3 is incorrect.
Skinner was seen a radical behaviourist, who believed that virtually all forms of human behavior,
not just learning, could be explained by reactions to the environment. Therefore option 4 is
incorrect.

Question 2

Theresa, a judge, does not accept circumstantial evidence as evidence in her court. Theresa will not convict anyone of a crime, based on general principles of anticipated behavior of people brought to court. Instead, Theresa allows only evidence that she can see, or “hard”, observational evidence, to be used in a prosecution. Theresa could be referred to as a/n ___.

1) monist
2) empiricist
3) rationalist
4) nativist

Answer 2

2) empiricist

Reasoning: A rationalist (option 3) is someone who believes that the route to knowledge is through logical analysis. A rationalist does not need experiments to develop new knowledge.
Descartes, a rationalist, felt that one could not rely on one’s senses, because they have proven to be deceptive (i.e. optical illusions)
An empiricist (option 2) believes that we acquire knowledge via empirical evidence – we obtain
evidence through experience and observation. To explore how the human mind works, empiricists
would design experiments and conduct studies (science).
In summary – according to the rationalist, the only route to truth is reasoned contemplation,
while for the empiricist, the only route to truth is meticulous observation.

Question 3

“Associationism” is a school of psychology, arising from the work of Locke and Aristotle that
examines the process according to which ___.
1) ideas become associated with each other in the mind
2) the thoughts of some people are associated with the thoughts of others
3) biological connections are formed between symbolic representations
4) observable associations are formed between stimuli and responses

Answer 3

1) ideas become associated with each other in the mind

Reasoning: Associationism examines how elements of the mind, such as events or ideas, can
become associated with one another in the mind to result in a form of learning.

Question 4

Which of the following examples is most analogous to the goal of the structuralist movement in
psychology?
1) Scientists study an entire assembled jigsaw puzzle in order to understand each of the pieces
2) Scientists look at how the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fit together in order to understand the
assembling process.
3) Scientists look at each piece of jigsaw puzzle in order to understand the whole puzzle as
assembled.
4) Scientists study the different ways a jigsaw puzzle can be assembled to form different
images.

Answer 4

3) Scientists look at each piece of jigsaw puzzle in order to understand the whole puzzle as
assembled.

Reasoning: Structuralism seeks to understand the structure (configuration of elements) of the
mind and its perceptions by analyzing those perceptions into their constituent components.

Question 5

Which of the following statements best describes the main criticism that cognitive psychologists
have leveled at Skinner’s behaviourism?
1) He did not consider the neurophysiological properties underlying human behavior and
concentrated too much on latent (i.e. hidden) variables in his explanation of memory and
learning
2) His theory of conditioning gave rise to many socially unacceptable applications such as brain
washing
3) His theory of operant conditioning is too restrictive and cannot easily explain higher-level
cognitive processes such as language and thinking
4) He focused too much on ecological aspects and did not develop systematic procedures for
analyzing behavior in laboratory situations.

Answer 5

3) His theory of operant conditioning is too restrictive and cannot easily explain higher-level
cognitive processes such as language and thinking

Reasoning: Behaviourism was challenged on many fronts such as language acquisition, production
and comprehension. The following criticisms were stated:
1) It did not account for complex mental activities, such as language learning and problemsolving.
2) More than understanding people’s behavior, psychologists were interested on what goes
on inside the mind.
3) Using behaviourism techniques to study non-human animals were often easier than
studying human ones.

Question 6

Which of the following best describes the main idea underlying Gestalt psychology?

1) “The sum of the parts is equal to the whole.”
2) “All is part of the whole.”
3) “The whole is nothing more than separate individual parts.”
4) “The whole differs from the sum of the parts.”

Answer 6

4) “The whole differs from the sum of the parts.”

Reasoning: The maxim “the whole is more than the sum of its parts” aptly sums up the Gestalt
perspective.

Question 7

Santiago says that in order to understand cognitive processes we need to look directly at the brain to
see how it functions. Ayami disagrees and says that we need to look at how people perform on
various cognitive tasks. This disagreement is an example of ___.
1) biological vs behavioural methods
2) validity of inferences vs ecological methods
3) nature vs nurture
4) rationalism vs empiricism

Answer 7

1) biological vs behavioural methods

Reasoning: We can try to synthesize biological and behavioural methods so that we understand
cognitive phenomena at multiple levels of analysis.

Question 8

A major theme of cognitive psychology concerns the factors that shape our cognitive abilities and
that account for the process of language development and general human intelligence, the issue
explored in this theme is whether these factors should be mainly attributed to our genetic inheritance or whether they are mainly determined by our surrounding environment. This particular
theme is called ___.
1) structure vs process
2) nature vs nurture
3) biological vs behavioural methods
4) rationalism vs empiricism

Answer 8

2) nature vs nurture

Reasoning: The theme referred to in the question is the ‘nature-nurture’ controversy. The issue
addressed in the theme is whether the development of cognition is mainly determined by genetic
factors or by environmental variables.

Question 9

The “law of effect” states that a stimulus will tend to produce a certain response over time if the
___.
1) stimulus is conditioned
2) organism is repeatedly rewarded for that response
3) organism is repeatedly punished for that response
4) stimulus and the response are both unconditioned

Answer 9

2) organism is repeatedly rewarded for that response

Reasoning: Thorndike termed the principle law of effect (1905): A stimulus will tend to produce a
certain response over time if an organism is rewarded for that response.

Question 10

A major theme of cognitive psychology concerns the factors that shape our cognitive abilities and
that account for the process of language development and general human intelligence, the issue
explored in this theme is whether these factors should be mainly attributed to our genetic
inheritance or whether they are mainly determined by our surrounding environment. This particular
theme is called ___.
1) structure vs process
2) nature vs nurture
3) biological vs behavioural methods
4) rationalism vs empiricism

Answer 10

2) nature vs nurture

Reasoning: The theme referred to in the question is the ‘nature-nurture’ controversy. The issue
addressed in the theme is whether the development of cognition is mainly determined by genetic
factors or by environmental variables

Question 11

The “law of effect” states that a stimulus will tend to produce a certain response over time if the
___.
1) stimulus is conditioned
2) organism is repeatedly rewarded for that response
3) organism is repeatedly punished for that response
4) stimulus and the response are both unconditioned

Answer 11

2) organism is repeatedly rewarded for that response

Reasoning: Thorndike termed the principle law of effect (1905): A stimulus will tend to produce a
certain response over time if an organism is rewarded for that response.

Question 12

There are two radio stations, one receiving signals from the western hemisphere and one receiving
signals from the eastern hemisphere. A cable connects the two stations so that signals sent out from
one half of the world can be transmitted to the other half. The cable is analogous to the brain’s ___.
1) corpus callosum
2) cerebral cortex
3) septum
4) medulla oblongata

Answer 12

1) corpus callosum

Reasoning: The corpus callosum is a dense aggregate of neural fibers connecting the two
hemispheres. It transmits information back and forth.

Question 13

Sonia lies in a hospital bed and is unable to wake up. Scans of her brain show damage to the ___
which is important for regulating the overall level of arousal and consciousness.
1) corpus callosum
2) amygdala
3) reticular activating system
4) medulla oblangata

Answer 13

3) reticular activating system

Reasoning: The reticular activating system is important in controlling consciousness (sleep
arousal), attention, cardiorespiratory function and movement.

Question 14

Dr Miller discovers that one of her patients is underproducing dopamine. She determines that the
patient has Parkinson’s disease and insists that the patient be given L-Dopa, a dopamine
supplement. Dr Miller is careless, however, and gives the patient too much. This overdose results in
symptoms of ___.
1) Alzheimer’s disease
2) a lack of serotonin
3) aphasia
4) schizophrenia

Answer 14

4) schizophrenia

Reasoning: Glutamate imbalances appear to cause abnormal functioning in dopamine. When
levels of glutamate are low dopamine is overactive and results in the expression schizophrenic
symptoms.

Question 15

When viewing a picture that is half one person’s face and half another person’s face, a split-brain
patient would ___.
1) ask why are you showing her half of two different faces
2) say that the image portrays the whole face of whomever is depicted on the right side
3) point to the image of the whole face of whomever is depicted on the right side
4) simply be unable to answer

Answer 15

2) say that the image portrays the whole face of whomever is depicted on the right side

Reasoning: In split-brain patients, stimuli cannot be compared across visual half-fields, indicating
that each hemisphere processes information independently of the other. The split in the cortical connections between hemispheres splits visual perception, but does not create two independent conscious perceivers within one brain.

Question 16

Which of the following processes would most likely involve the limbic system?

1) A spectator watches how an acrobat turns a somersault in the air
2) A student feels very scared and nervous about the upcoming cognitive psychology exam
3) A researcher carefully sets up her laboratory equipment to do a chemistry experiment
4) A heart patient suddenly senses an acute pain in his chest

Answer 16

2) A student feels very scared and nervous about the upcoming cognitive psychology exam

Reasoning: The limbic system is a set of brain structures located on both sides of the thalamus,
immediately beneath the cerebrum. It has also been referred to as the paleomammalian cortex. …
The limbic system supports a variety of functions including emotion, behavior, motivation, longterm
memory, and olfaction.

Question 17

Which neurotransmitter is important for regulating impulsivity and is also associated with some
types of anorexia, and with aggressive behavior?
1) Acetylcholine
2) Dopamine
3) GABA
4) Serotonin

Answer 17

4) Serotonin

Reasoning: Serotonin plays an important role in eating behavior and body weight regulation. High
serotonin levels play a role in some types of anorexia, specifically anorexia resulting from illness or
treatment of illness. Serotonin is also involved in aggression and regulation of impulsivity. Drugs
that block serotonin tend to result in an increase in aggressive behavior.

Question 18

All of the following are central interconnected cerebral structures of the limbic system except the
\_\_\_.
1) primary motor cortex
2) septum
3) amygdala
4) hippocampus

Answer 18

1) primary motor cortex

Reasoning: The limbic system is a set of structures in the brain that deal with emotions and
memory.
The limbic system is associated with learning, memory, emotion, and motivation. It consists of the
amygdala, the septum, and the hippocampus.

Question 19

A researcher wants to study how people’s attention shifts when they see a visual stimulus in an
unexpected portion of a screen that they are viewing, the attention shifts occur in just a fraction of a
second. Assuming that the availability of equipment and costs is not a factor, which one of the
following techniques should the researcher employ to do the study?
1) The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique
2) A computed tomography (CT) scan
3) The functional magnetic resonance imaging technique (fMRI)
4) Any static imaging technique can be used for the study

Answer 19

3) The functional magnetic resonance imaging technique (fMRI)

Question 20

Tom puts his hand on a warm stove burner and senses that the heat is coming from the stove. The
message of warmth travels from his hand to which lobe of the brain?
1) Occipital
2) Parietal
3) Temporal
4) Frontal

Answer 20

2) Parietal

Reasoning: The parietal lobes can be divided into two functional regions. One involves sensation
and perception and the other is concerned with integrating sensory input, primarily with the
visual system. The first function integrates sensory information to form a single perception
(cognition).

Question 21

This type of stroke is due to a fatty tissue that has built up over years and then breaks free and then
becomes lodged in an artery in the brain.
1) Neoplasms
2) Hemorrhagic stroke
3) Aphasic stroke
4) Ischemic stroke

Answer 21

4) Ischemic stroke

Reasoning: The hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain suddenly breaks.
An ischemic stroke usually occurs when a build-up of fatty tissue occurs in blood vessels over a
period of years, and a piece of this tissue breaks off and gets lodged in the arteries of the brain.

Question 22

Cognitive function can be altered by brain tumours that can occur in either the grey or white matter
of the brain. Another name for a brain tumour is a/n ___.
1) vascular disorder
2) neoplasm
3) ischemic stroke
4) apraxia

Answer 22

2) neoplasm

Reasoning: A neoplasm is a brain tumour that can affect cognitive functioning in various ways.

Question 23

These techniques take advantage of the brain’s consumption of glucose or oxygen during cognitive processing and specifically examine which part or parts of the brain are most active during a processing task. The assumption is that active parts of the brain would require more resources than
inactive areas, and thus consume more glucose.
1) Event-related Potentials (ERP)
2) Metabolic Imaging
3) Computed Tomography (CT)
4) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Answer 23

2) Metabolic Imaging

Reasoning: The correct answer is a Positron emission tomography (PET) which is a metabolic
imaging technique.
Ingestion of glucose containing a short-acting radioisotope; glucose transported by blood to brain
 active neurons use more glucose (i.e. greater blood flow).

Question 24

A patient in hospital stops breathing. A code blue is announced. Doctors and nurses rush to the
scene and soon determine that brain death has occurred. How did they know that the patient was
now brain dead?
1) They found that there was still no activity in the frontal lobe of the patient’s brain
2) The patient’s heart was no longer beating
3) They found that there was no activity in the patient’s brain stem
4) They found that the patient had stopped breathing

Answer 24

3) They found that there was no activity in the patient’s brain stem

Reasoning: Brain-death is defined as unresponsiveness and lack of receptivity, the absence of
movement and breathing, and most importantly - the absence of brain-stem reflexes.

Question 25

Elaine wakes up in the middle of the night and sees a dark silhouette on the stairway outside her door. She watches it silently moving down the corridor and realizes that there is someone in her house. Processing via the ___ made it possible for her to perceive the intruder in her house.

1) occipital lobe
2) parietal lobe
3) temporal lobe
4) Broca’s area in her frontal lobe

Answer 25

1) occipital lobe

Reasoning: The occipital lobe is associated with visual processing.
The temporal lobe (option 3) is associated with auditory processing – and therefore incorrect.
The parietal lobe (option 2) is implicated in the processing of sensory information regarding to
touch and pressure, and the sensation of pain – and therefore incorrect.

Question 26

Which of the following processes would most likely involve the limbic system?

1) Bill learns to ride a bicycle
2) Bill feels very nervous about the upcoming exam
3) Bill visualizes the solution to a physics problem
4) Bill feels a tingle in his wrist

Answer 26

2) Bill feels very nervous about the upcoming exam

Reasoning: The limbic system is a set of brain structures located on both sides of the thalamus,
immediately beneath the cerebrum. It has also been referred to as the paleomammalian cortex. …The limbic system supports a variety of functions including emotion, behavior, motivation, longterm
memory, and olfaction.

Question 27

Split brain patients have had their a) surgically removed, to prevent b)

1) a) optic chiasma; b) prosopagnosia
2) thalamic nuclei; b) Parkinson’s tremors
3) corpus callosum; b) epileptic seizures
4) hypothalamus; b) endocrinic abnormalities and hypothermia

Answer 27

3) corpus callosum; b) epileptic seizures

Reasoning: The procedure involves severing the corpus callosum, the main bond between the
brain’s left and right hemispheres. After a split-brain surgery the two hemispheres do not
exchange information as efficiently as before. The split-brain phenomenon is usually the result of
a surgery to treat refractory epilepsy.

Question 28

If your doctor tells you that she is going to order an fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
of your brain, she wants to see ___.
1) images of brain activity deriving from radioactive particles in the blood
2) the electrical frequencies and activities of a bundle of neurons
3) images of brain activity, but based on non-radioactive changes to particles of oxygen atoms in the blood
4) a high-level resolution of changes in the energy orbits of nuclear particles in the brain tissue

Answer 28

3) images of brain activity, but based on non-radioactive changes to particles of oxygen atoms in the blood

Question 29

Damage to the hippocampus due to thiamine (Vitamin B-1) deficiency can result in a loss of memory function in which an individual is still able to recall information learned in the past, but is unable to form new memories. This is known as ___.

1) Benzine syndrome
2) apraxia
3) aphasia
4) Korsakoff’s syndrome

Answer 29

4) Korsakoff’s syndrome

Reasoning: Korsakoff syndrome is a chronic memory disorder caused by severe deficiency of
thiamine (vitamin B-1). Korsakoff syndrome is most commonly caused by alcohol misuse, but
certain other conditions also can cause the syndrome.

Question 30

Adrian has been diagnosed as suffering from Parkinson’s disease and experiences difficulty in planning and executing motor behaviours. The neurologist examining Adrian prescribed a drug, LDOPA, to increase the level of the neurotransmitter ___, and this has helped to reduce Adrian’s
symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. However, since taking the drug Adrian spends most of his free time playing poker and gambling on the internet.
1) serotonin
2) acetylcholine
3) GABA
4) dopamine

Answer 30

4) dopamine

Reasoning: Parkinson’s disease develops in the substantia nigra part of the brain when the cells
begin to die. These cells produce dopamine and the loss of dopamine in the brain leads to issues
with movement. However, there are behavioural side effects, such as impulsive and compulsive
behaviors during dopamine replacement treatment in Parkinson’s Disease and other disorders

Question 31

When viewing a picture that is half one person’s face and half another person’s face, a split-brain
patient would ___.
1) ask why are you showing her half of two different faces
2) say that the image portrays the whole face of whomever is depicted on the right side
3) point to the image of the whole face of whomever is depicted on the right side
4) simply be unable to answer

Answer 31

2) say that the image portrays the whole face of whomever is depicted on the right side

Reasoning: In split-brain patients, stimuli cannot be compared across visual half-fields, indicating that each hemisphere processes information independently of the other. The split in the cortical connections between
hemispheres splits visual perception, but does not create two independent conscious perceivers within one brain.

Question 32

Jerry is trying to find his seat in a movie theatre in which the light has been dimmed. These long thin
photoreceptors are very sensitive to light, and are the cells that primarily contribute to Jerry’s ability
to distinguish objects in this dim light. They are called ___.
1) cones
2) cells in the foveal region of the retina
3) rods
4) ganglion cells

Answer 32

3) rods

Reasoning: The rods are long, thin photoreceptors that are responsible for night vision and are
sensitive to light and dark stimuli.
• Cones (option 1) are short and thick photoreceptors and allow for the perception of
colour.

Question 33

Glenda is sitting for a biology test, and has studied hard for it so that she knows the work by heart. When she receives the paper she only reads the beginning of the first question and then immediately starts writing her answer. Afterwards she receives her paper back and is dismayed to find out that she received no marks for the question because she completely misread it. She was asked to describe Mendel’s experiment and explained who he was. The most appropriate
explanation for her error is that ___.
1) the error is due to a particularly acute form of visual agnosia, she can only process sentences
in the left side of her visual field.
2) she processed the sentence serially interpreting one word after the other instead of
processing it in parallel.
3) the sentence clearly exceeded the capacity of her short-term memory.
4) the error is due to top-down processing. When noticing the name Mendel she assumed the
rest of the sentences without reading it properly.

Answer 33

4) the error is due to top-down processing. When noticing the name Mendel she assumed the
rest of the sentences without reading it properly.

Reasoning: Knowledge of context improves the accuracy of your perception because it allows you
to draw from previously acquired background knowledge, and therefore fosters top-down processing. In top-down processing the emphasis is placed on how a person’s concepts and
higher-level memory processes influence the recognition and interpretation of the perceptual
information.

Question 34

In a laboratory experiment a participant is reading a book that describes how the inside of the Supreme Court looks from a lawyer’s point of view. Which of the following findings would be the most problematic for the theory, adopted by some visual scientists, that there are specific physiological correlates to imagery, and that the same neural structures are used for imagery and visual perception?
1) The participant’s cones are stimulated more than the rods when the scene is described in
daytime.
2) There is no increase in blood flow to the visual cortex of the research participant when she
reads the descriptions.
3) The research participant’s auditory cortex shows increased blood flow, because of the
auditory code’s involvement in reading.
4) The research participant’s occipital lobe shows increased neural activity

Answer 34

3) The research participant’s auditory cortex shows increased blood flow, because of the
auditory code’s involvement in reading.

Reasoning: The question refers to the visual aspect. Alternative 3 refers to auditory aspect.

Question 35

After sustaining a head injury in a motor accident, Alice has a peculiar perceptual deficit because she
does not recognize her own face when she looks in a mirror. However, her visual abilities are normal
in all other respects. Alice appears to suffer from ___.
1) spatial agnosia
2) prosopagnosia
3) simultagnosia
4) visual-object agnosia

Answer 35

2) prosopagnosia

Reasoning: Prosopagnosia refers to a specific impairment in the ability to identify human faces. A
very interesting exposition of the complexities surrounding prosopagnosia.

Question 36

What is the main theoretical claim in Gibson’s theory of direct perception?
1) Perception is essentially a top-down process and cognitive abilities such as perceptual
judgements and inference mediate our perception of the world.
2) Perception is best studied in laboratory situations in order to understand aspects such as
figure-ground differences and the effect of texture gradient on perceptual judgements.
3) Perception is largely a constructive process which depends on template matching.
4) The real world provides sufficient contextual information for perceptual recognition, and it is
therefore not necessary to appeal to high-level intelligent processes to explain human
perception.

Answer 36

4) The real world provides sufficient contextual information for perceptual recognition, and it is
therefore not necessary to appeal to high-level intelligent processes to explain human
perception.

Reasoning: According to this theory, the information in our sensory receptors, including the
sensory context, is all we need to perceive anything.

Question 37

In order to convey the impression of depth, an artist drawing a railway line must draw the railway
tracks that are further away (a) ___ than the ones that are closer proximity. This is because the same
object at different distances will project (b) ___ images on the retina, and he has to compensate for
this aspect in the drawing.
1) (a) further apart; (b) different size
2) (a) closer together; (b) different size
3) (a) much bigger; (b) more blurry
4) (a) as if they diverge; (b) larger

Answer 37

2) (a) closer together; (b) different size

Reasoning: According to the linear perspective, parallel lines seem to diverge or converge,
depending on the distance from the eye. The size of an image on the retina depends directly on
the distance of that object from the eye. The same object at two different distances projects
different size images on the retina.

Question 38

What did Hubel and Wiesel discover about animal visual perception in their important study using
single cell recording techniques?
1) The cells of the visual cortex just respond randomly to spots of light, and do not take specific
position or orientation of visual stimuli into account.
2) Individual neurons in the visual cortex can be mapped to specific positions on the retina, but
these cells all have unspecific responses so that each cell can respond to a variety of
different positions and orientations of the stimuli.
3) Hypercomplex cells form cell assemblies which resonate when stimulated and therefore
function as a memory store which represents the temporal properties of incoming visual
information.
4) Some cells in the visual cortex respond preferentially to lines with a particular orientation
and position in the visual field, and these cells therefore function as feature detectors.

Answer 38

4) Some cells in the visual cortex respond preferentially to lines with a particular orientation
and position in the visual field, and these cells therefore function as feature detectors.

Reasoning: Hubel and Wiesel found that most of the cells in the cortex do not respond simply to
spots of light. Therefore option 1 is incorrect.

Question 39

This hypothesis suggests that there are two distinct visual pathways in the brain, one pathway is
important for the location of the object in space and the other one is used for identifying the object.
1) Object Identity/Object Location
2) Object Identity/ Object Position
3) What/How
4) What/Where

Answer 39

4) What/Where

Reasoning: There are two visual pathways, one is the what/where, and the other is the
how/what. Therefore options 1 and 2 are incorrect.
To determine which option (3 or 4) is correct, we read what the question relates to. Location in
space refers to ‘where’ and identification refers to ‘what’. Therefore, option 4 is correct

Question 40

According to ___ theories of form perception, people attempt to match characteristics of an
observed pattern to existing characteristics, without considering the prior experience of the
perceiver or what the perceiver already knows about the context in which the form is presented.
1) constructive-perception
2) prototype
3) feature
4) top-down

Answer 40

3) feature

Reasoning:
In top-down theories, such as the constructive perception, the perceiver builds (constructs) a
cognitive understanding (perception) of a stimulus. The concepts of the perceiver and his or her
constructive processes influence what he or she sees. Perception both affects and is affected by
the world as we experience it. Therefore, both options 1 and 4 is incorrect.
A prototype (option 2) is an abstract average of all the objects in a category we previously have
encountered. That is, we have an average representation of the category, and we compare
objects to that average representations (prototypes) when making a decision to place them in a
certain category. Crucial for prototypes are characteristic features, which describe (characterize of
typify) the prototype but are not necessary for it. Characteristic features are commonly present in
typical examples of the prototype, but they are not always present. Therefore option 2 is
incorrect.

Question 41

A study of pattern perception looked at stimuli in which a single ‘’larger’’ letter was constructed of smaller letters (e.g. using small s letters to make a large H). in this study, participants were asked to identify the individual components (small letters) or identify the larger letter. When the small letters were positioned widely spread, in general, participants were faster at identifying the smaller letters versus the large letter. This is known as ___.

1) global precedence effect
2) local precedence effect
3) recognition-by-components
4) micro-identity effect

Answer 41

2) local precedence effect

Reasoning: The global precedence effect predicts that the larger (global) letter will be perceived
easier and faster than the small letters from which it is composed. Precedence refers to the level
of processing (global or local) to which attention is first directed. Global precedence occurs when
an individual more readily identifies the global feature when presented with a stimulus containing
both global and local features.
Note that this question was asked in inverse (closely together vs. widely spread) in previous
assignments, and the answer was “Global precedence effect”.
Therefore, it is necessary to carefully read each question and not merely memorise answers when
speed-reading.

Question 42

Your eyes send increasingly different images to the brain as objects approach them. Your brain
interprets the degree of difference as an indication of distance from you. The major depth cue
represented in this description is ___.
1) binocular disparity
2) interposition
3) binocular convergence
4) motion parallax

Answer 42

1) binocular disparity

Reasoning: Binocular disparity refers to the difference in image location of an object seen by the
left and right eyes, resulting from the eyes’ horizontal separation (parallax). The brain uses
binocular disparity to extract depth information from the two-dimensional retinal images in
stereopsis.

Question 43

Which theory of intelligence emphasizes modularity?

1) Carroll Three-Stratum Model of Intelligence
2) Gardner Theory of Multiple Intelligences
3) Sternberg The Triarchic Theory
4) None of these theories emphasise modularity

Answer 43

2) Gardner Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Reasoning: Gardner’s theory exemplifies modularity because it is based on the notion that
intelligence involves eight different types of abilities that are separate from one another. Gardner
argues that these intelligences are distinct, reflecting different abilities, and that different brain
structures are associated with them. He therefore proposes a modular theory of intelligence.