2016 Exam May-June Flashcards
Select the correct statement about the history of cognition among the options below
1) The issue of how humans acquire knowledge was not considered until about 100 years ago
2) The birthday of scientific psychology is usually traced to the first studies of John Watson
3) The development of the computer played a significant role in the development of cognitive
psychology during the 1950s
4) Behaviourist researchers are particularly famous for the development of influential theories
of human problem solving and decision making
1) The issue of how humans acquire knowledge was not considered until about 100 years ago
Reasoning: Refer to the timeline of the roots of Cognitive Psychology
Only one of the following students makes a statement with which cognitive psychologists are likely
to agree. The other three statements are all problematic. Identify the correct statement among the
options below.
1) Jeanette: “In everyday cognition, all information is processed at a deep rather than a
shallow level. That is why information is only retained in the short-term memory store
for brief periods of time.”
2) Maria: “Decision making is the primary component of all cognitive processes.”
3) Thabo: “In mainstream cognitive psychology, researchers think of cognition as a flow of information, and try to understand how information is represented and processed in the brain.”
4) Alistair: “Cognitive psychologists focus only on manifest, observable behavior when they
study mental processes.”
3) Thabo: “In mainstream cognitive psychology, researchers think of cognition as a flow of information, and try to understand how information is represented and processed in the brain.”
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.
Aristotle’s empiricist approach to the investigation of the mind and reality was based on the belief that one acquires knowledge through \_\_\_. 1) logical analysis 2) introspection 3) experience and observation 4) spiritual insight
3) experience and observation
Reasoning: Aristotle was an empiricist that believes that we acquire knowledge through empirical
evidence – that is, we obtain evidence through experience and observation.
A psychologist lecturing on the psychology of perception makes the following statement:
In perception pattern and organization are primary. These aspects often emerge directly from the
relationship between discrete elements, and they cannot be deduced from a knowledge of the
individual elements alone. Indeed, at times elements can be missing or altered yet the overall shape
will be perceived directly, showing that overall form is primary.
From the statement above, we can infer that the psychologist is probably a supporter of ___.
1) behaviourism
2) Descartes; rationalism
3) Gestalt psychology
4) structuralism
3) Gestalt psychology
Reasoning: The maxim “the whole is more than the sum of its parts” aptly sums up the Gestalt
perspective.
During the 1950s, many psychologists were becoming disillusioned with behavioursim, and cognitive
psychology began to emerge. A major reason why they were disappointed with behaviourism is
because it ___.
1) only examined overt behavior and did not consider mental processes as relevant to research.
2) paid too much attention to individual differences
3) failed to develop objective methods of measuring behavior.
4) focused too much on emotional factors, and not enough on observable behaviours.
1) only examined overt behavior and did not consider mental processes as relevant to research.
Reasoning: Cognitive psychology emerged mainly in reaction to the extreme assumption of the
behaviourists. They argued that only observable aspects should be studied and that the internal
mechanisms of mind cannot be explored in a scientific manner. The big problem with the
behaviourist methodology is that one is forced to postulate cognitive factors that are not directly
observable, in order to explain reasonably complex psychological processes such as language,
memory and reasoning.
The primary contribution that Hermann Ebbinghaus made in his memory research to contemporary
cognitive psychology was his ___.
1) Systematic investigation into the factors that play a role in human perception. His research subsequently led to the development of the theory of ‘direct perception’.
2) Introduction of the partial report procedure that Sperling later used in his research of iconic memory.
3) Systematic studies of human memory in which he used himself as the subject to investigate how rehearsal affects memory recall.
4) Development of the notion of ‘top-down processing’ during his research where he mainly focused on how context affects reasoning and problem-solving performance in a laboratory context.
3) Systematic studies of human memory in which he used himself as the subject to investigate how rehearsal affects memory recall.
Reasoning: Ebbinghaus is mainly known for conducting systematic research on his own memory processes.
Option 4 is incorrect because Ebbinghaus followed a data-oriented bottom-up approach and did
not focus on the effect that top-down factors such as background knowledge and context have on
memory recall.
The philosopher, Descartes, is known for having been a/n ___.
1) functionalist
2) behaviourist
3) empiricist
4) rationalist
4) rationalist
Reasoning: He did not conduct any empirical research on the mind, but relied on rational analysis
(rationalist) in support of his dualist position that the mind exists separately from the body.
The main idea underlying Fodor’s (1973) theory of modularity is that ___.
a) the mind consists of distinct modules, which Fodor calls “special purpose systems”.
b) each modules necessarily depends on the modules in other domains, and all the
modules therefore operates in a completely interdependent manner
c) cognitive processes in one domain, such as language, also necessarily apply in other
domains such as perception
1) a and b are true
2) a and c are true
3) a, b and c are true
4) only a is true
4) only a is true
Reasoning: Jerry Fodor postulates that the mind consists of independent modules, each devoted
to a specific kind of information such as auditory or perceptual information.
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) cerebellum
2) parietal lobe
3) hippocampus
4) corpus callosum
4) corpus callosum
Reasoning: The corpus callosum is a dense aggregate of neural fibers connecting the two
hemispheres. It transmits information back and forth.
A pharmaceutical company is marketing a new drug that is claimed to control anger and aggression,
and which is targeted for patients prone to extreme outbursts of anger and violence. Based on what
we know about the functional specialization of the brain, we can guess that the drug’s primary effect
will be on the (a)___ and (b)___, because they are known to play a significant role in anger and
aggression.
1) a) basal ganglion; b) hippocampus
2) a) septum; b) amygdala
3) a) thalamus; b) corpus callosum
4) a) primary motor cortex; b) medulla oblangata
2) a) septum; b) amygdala
Reasoning: The limbic system is associated with learning, memory, emotion, and motivation. It
consists of the amygdala, the septum, and the hippocampus. The amygdala is involved in the
processing of emotion, especially anger and aggression, and the septum is involved in anger and
fear.
The primary function of the thalamus involves___.
1) the consolidation of short term memory information into long term memories
2) maintaining body homeostasis and regulating endocrine functions
3) the survival functions, namely fighting, fleeing, feeding and mating
4) relaying incoming sensory information to the appropriate regions of the cortex
4) relaying incoming sensory information to the appropriate regions of the cortex
Reasoning: The thalamus is a structure in the middle of the brain. It is located between the
cerebral cortex and the midbrain. It works to correlate several important processes, including
consciousness, sleep, and sensory interpretation. The main function of the thalamus is to relay
motor and sensory signals to the cerebral cortex.
Susan has been diagnosed with severe depression, and her psychiatrist attributes this to a deficit in a
specific neurotransmitter system which has been shown to have an effect on mood and also sleeping
and dreaming.
The neurotransmitter system that the psychiatrist identified is the ___ system.
1) acetylcholine
2) GABA
3) serotonin
4) dopamine
3) serotonin
Reasoning: Serotonin deficiency is a common contributor to mood problems. Serotonin is key to
our feelings of happiness and very important for our emotions because it helps defend against
both anxiety and depression.
What does an fMRI produce?
1) A connectionist model of the brain in which the operation of the brain is captured using a
parallel distributed processing approach
2) A computational image of the magnetic field surrounding the brain
3) A 2D image produced through radio-frequent waves in the magnetic field which is similar to
a black and white X-ray
4) A 3D computer generated image of the brain reflecting blood and oxygen flow produced
during cerebral activity
4) A 3D computer generated image of the brain reflecting blood and oxygen flow produced
during cerebral activity
Reasoning: Heightened brain activity increases oxygen in blood, which in turn affects the
magnetic properties of blood; rapid series of images can show blood flow as a person engages in
a cognitive process. This technique is also referred to as BOLD (blood oxygen level dependent
contrast)
Based on the study of patients suffering from aphasia, Paul Broca concluded that ___.
1) there is no evidence of any localization of functions in the brain
2) speech functions are typically based in the left hemisphere of right-handed individuals
3) speech functions are typically based in the right hemisphere of right-handed individuals
4) speech functions are localized, but this occurs randomly in the two hemispheres
2) speech functions are typically based in the left hemisphere of right-handed individuals
Reasoning: A patient examined by the French physician Paul Broca in 1861 had severe speech
problems, and was capable of uttering only one syllable “Tan”. After the patient’s death,
anatomical examination of his brain revealed a number of lesions in the frontal lobe. It is known
that lesions in the left frontal lobe results in an impairment in the ability to produce spoken
language, which is called “Broca’s aphasia”, and the area controlling the production of speech is
called “Broca’s area”.
Endorphins are an example of the neurotransmitter(s) called a) ___, and play a role in b) ___.
1) a) acetylcholine; b) memory
2) a) epinephrine and norepinephrine; b) flight or fight reactions
3) a) neuropeptides; b) pain relief
4) a) glutamate; b) learning and memory
3) a) neuropeptides; b) pain relief
Reasoning: Endorphins are endogenous opioid neuropeptides and peptide hormones. These
endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain.
