2017 Exam May-June

Question 1

Thabo: You know, as far as I’m concerned, all this talk about internal mental phenomena is unscientific. Everybody knows that we can do psychology only by concentrating on actual, explicitly observable and quantifiable, behaviour.
Based on the statement above it seems that Thabo is a —
1) rationalist
2) behaviourist
3) follower of Descartes
4) functionalist

Answer 1

2) behaviourist

Reasoning: 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 correct.

Question 2

Theresa, a judge, places emphasis on reasoning and logic in her decisions. Theresa focuses on
general principles of anticipated behaviour, and gives more weight to aspects such as motive and
opportunity than purely observable evidence when delivering a verdict. Theresa could be referred to
as a{n) —
1) behaviourist
2) follower of Locke’s approach
3) empiricist
4) follower of Descartes’ approach

Answer 2

4) follower of Descartes’ approach

Reasoning: A rationalist is someone who believes that the route to knowledge is through logical analysis. Descartes was a rationalist. Therefore option 4 is correct.

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

John Watson, the founder of radical behaviourism, was an American psychologist who ___.

1) rejected all aspects of functionalism.
2) supported the functionalist movement and was one of its most ardent supporters.
3) rejected some aspects of functionalism, but at the same time drew heavily from the
functionalists.
4) altered the course of functionalism and later renamed the movement behaviourism

Answer 9

1) rejected all aspects of functionalism.

Reasoning: Functionalists held that the key to understanding the human mind and behavior was to study the processes of how and why the mind works as it does. Watson, on the other hand, had no use for internal mental contents (thoughts) or mechanisms. He believed that psychologists should only concentrate on the study of observable behavior.

Question 10

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 10

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 11

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 11

3) reticular activating system

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

Question 12

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 12

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 13

Wilma wakes up in the middle of the night and hears a loud thump coming from the stairway. She then sees a dark shape moving in the hallway and also hears the floor creaking and a voice whispering. Processing via her (a) ___ lobe allows her to perceive the shape, and auditory processing via her (b) lobe makes it possible for her to hear the voice.

1) (a) temporal, (b) parietal
2) (a) parietal, (b) frontal
3) (a) frontal, (b) occipital
4) (a) occipital, (b) temporal

Answer 13

4) (a) occipital, (b) temporal

Reasoning: The occipital lobe is associated with visual processing. The temporal lobe is associated
with auditory processing.

Question 14

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 14

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 15

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 15

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 16

Which of the following would most clearly involve the use of the frontal lobe?

1) Jane accidentally pinches her finger in a nutcracker and winces in pain
2) Joan sees the reflection of her finger on the surface of a nutcracker
3) Jeanette hears a sound and recognises that as a nut being cracked
4) Jerry contemplates how to use the nutcracker to crack open the nut that he has just taken out of a bag

Answer 16

4) Jerry contemplates how to use the nutcracker to crack open the nut that he has just taken
out of a bag

Reasoning:
• The primary somatosensory cortex receives information from the senses relating to
pressure, texture, temperature and pain. (option 1)
• Visual processing is mediated by the occipital lobe. (option 2)
• Auditory processing is mediated by the temporal lobe. (option 3)
• The frontal lobe is implicated in the execution and planning of motor behavior. (option 4)

Question 17

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 17

3) The functional magnetic resonance imaging technique (fMRI)

Question 18

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 18

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 19

The major assumption about studies using visual imaging technology to examine blood flow to the brain is that ___.

1) some types of neurons require more blood than others
2) the areas with the lowest neural activity represent cognitive activity
3) cognitive activity can only be measured by blood flow
4) high levels of blood is required for cognition

Answer 19

4) high levels of blood is required for cognition

Reasoning: When the brain is active, it needs energy, which is transported to the brain in the form
of oxygen and glucose by means of the blood.

Question 20

Cognitive function can be altered by brain tumours that can occur in either the gray 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 20

2) neoplasm

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

Question 21

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 21

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 22

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 22

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 23

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 23

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

Question 24

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 24

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 25

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 25

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 26

In order to convey the impression of depth, an artist drawing a railway line must draw the railway tracks that are closer (a) ___ than the ones that are more distant. 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 26

1) (a) further apart; (b) different size

Reasoning: Again, note that this question was asked in inverse (closer vs. more distant) in the
May-June 2014 exam. It is therefore important to understand the answer, and not merely
memorise answers when studying. In order to create the illusion that the tracks are further away,
an artist must draw them smaller and closer to one another so that they appear more distant than
the tracks that are ‘nearer’. Because the tracks are drawn closer to one another they will seem to
converge in the distance to the person looking at the painting. This illusion of converging lines due
to linear perspective is called the Ponzo Illusion. 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.

Question 27

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 27

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 28

The two eyes send increasingly disparate images to the brain as objects approach the eyes. The brain interprets the degree of disparity as an indication of distance from the person. The major depth cue represented in this description is ___.

1) binocular disparity
2) interposition
3) binocular convergence
4) motion parallax

Answer 28

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.