2014 Exam October-November Flashcards
Consider the following statements
a) Thabo: “You know, as far as I’m concerned this talk about internal mental processes is
unscientific. If we adopt a scientific approach, it is clear that we can only conduct
psychological research by concentrating on actual, explicitly observable and quantifiable
behaviours.”
b) Jeanette: “I don’t agree with you. I think that it is scientifically valid to construct theories of
internal mental processes if these theories are tested against empirical data.”
Given the assumptions they make about studying human cognition in a scientific manner,
contemporary cognitive psychologists are likely to agree with ___.
1) a, but not b
2) b, but not a
3) a and b
4) neither of the two statements
2) b, but not a
Reasoning: In cognitive psychology, empirical data and theories are both important. Theories are
empty without empirical data, and data in cognitive psychology can only be understood in the
context of an explanatory theory. Therefore option 4 is incorrect.
Which of the following statements best describes the central idea behind 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.”
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.
Pavlov’s landmark experiment in which dogs salivate at the sight of the person who feeds them provides an example of \_\_\_. 1) classically conditioned learning 2) instrumental learning 3) social learning 4) operant conditioning
1) classically conditioned learning
Reasoning: Pavlov said the dogs were demonstrating classical conditioning. He summed it up like
this: there’s a neutral stimulus (the bell), which by itself will not produce a response, like
salivation. There’s also a non-neutral or unconditioned stimulus (the food), which will produce an
unconditioned response (salivation).
Jessica works in a research section of a company and has just learned how to create a histogram
chart in Microsoft Excel by carefully watching how a fellow researcher does it. Jessica has learned
how to create a histogram chart based on ___.
1) an experimental procedure
2) operant conditioning
3) naturalistic observation
4) innate mechanisms
3) naturalistic observation
Reasoning: Naturalistic observation is a research method commonly used by psychologists and
other social scientists. This technique involves observing subjects in their natural environment.
Lesiba says that in order to understand cognitive processes we need to look at the brain to see how
it functions. Ayami disagrees and argues that we must look at how people perform on various
cognitive tasks. This disagreement illustrates a debate in psychology concerning ___.
1) Validity of inference vs behavioural methods
2) Nature vs nurture
3) Biological vs behavioural methods
4) Rationalism vs empiricism
3) 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.
According to the theory of dialectic thinking that is used to describe the progression of ideas, a
statement of belief is first proposed, and this is then followed by a second statement opposing it.
This second statement is called the ___.
1) antithesis
2) synthesis
3) thesis
4) syllogism
1) antithesis
Reasoning: The dialectical method involves the integration of two opposing propositions, a thesis
and an antithesis, into a new statement that integrates aspects of both propositions and offers
something of a compromise. The new statement is called a synthesis.
___ refers to instances in perception where we (unconsciously) divide visual information into two
parts in which some of the information appears closer and better defined while the rest of the
information appears further away and de-emphasized.
1) Object specification
2) Binocular depth cues
3) Decompositional analysis
4) Figure-ground
4) Figure-ground
Reasoning: Figure-ground refers to what stands out from versus what recedes into the
background.
Melanie has a peculiar perceptual deficit. She cannot recognize familiar faces, and she claims that
even close relatives are complete strangers and that she has never seen them before. Melanie
probably suffers from ___.
1) protanopia
2) prosopagnosia
3) simultagnosia
4) akinetopsia
2) prosopagnosia
Reasoning: Prosopagnosia is a neurological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize
faces. Prosopagnosia is also known as face blindness or facial agnosia. The term prosopagnosia
comes from the Greek words for “face” and “lack of knowledge.”
This part of the eye allows for light to pass through it and serves as protection for the eye.
1) cornea
2) crystalline lens
3) iris
4) vitreous humor
1) cornea
Reasoning: The cornea serves as a protective covering for the front of the eye and also helps
focus light on the retina at the back of the eye. After passing through the cornea, light travels
through the pupil (the black dot in the middle of the eye).
When someone approaches us, we do not experience the person as becoming larger as he or she
comes closer, despite the fact that the retinal image is enlarging dramatically. This phenomenon is
called ___.
1) distal stimulus
2) proximal stimulus
3) shape constancy
4) size constancy
4) size constancy
Reasoning: Size constancy is the perception that an object maintains the same size despite
changes in the size of the proximal stimulus. 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.
An artist is drawing the Spanish Steps in Rome (a monumental stairway of 135 steps), and wants to
convey an impression of depth and height in this picture. If he draws the stairway as seen from the
point of view of someone standing at the bottom of the steps, he must draw the steps that are higher (i.e. lie more to the top) (a) ___, and (b) ___ more than the ones that are lower, closer to the
ground.
1) (a) further apart, (b) smaller
2) (a) closer together, (b) smaller
3) (a) further apart, (b) much bigger
4) (a) closer together, (b) much bigger
2) (a) closer together, (b) smaller
Reasoning: According to the linear perspective, parallel lines seem to diverge or converge,
depending on the distance from the eye.
The Recognition-by-Components approach proposes that there are a number of basic features such as \_\_\_. 1) movement and brightness 2) curvature and tilt 3) rectangular solids and cubes 4) horizontal lines and vertical lines
3) rectangular solids and cubes
Reasoning: According to the recognition by components theory, we quickly recognize objects by
observing the edges of them and then decomposing the items into geons. Geons are simple
geometric shapes, such as bricks, cylinders, wedges, cones etc.
According to the viewpoint of ___ perception developed by Gibson, the array of information in the
sensory receptors, including the sensory context is all that is needed for a person to perceive
anything. Prior knowledge or complex computational processes and heuristics are not necessary for
perception.
1) synthetic
2) unconscious
3) direct
4) constructive
3) direct
Reasoning: According to Gibson’s direct perception theory, the information in our sensory
receptors, including the sensory context, is all we need to perceive anything.
