Chapter 6 - Athabasca Quizz

Question 1

Which of the following students provides the best summary of why a person’s confidence is important to the topic of memory strategies and metacognition?
Question options:

Asli: “In general, people are overconfident that they will remember material accurately.”

Megan: “Ironically, people are overconfident about eyewitness testimony and underconfident about material they learn in an academic setting.”

George: “People are especially likely to be overconfident if they have studied material using the self-reference technique.”

Xavier: “People are generally overconfident when they use memory strategies, and underconfident when they use metacognition.”

Answer 1

Asli: “In general, people are overconfident that they will remember material accurately.”

Question 2

Suppose that a friend is having difficulty in introductory psychology, and you decide to give her some memory tips. If you decide to emphasize metamemory, you would be likely to
Question options:

make her think more about the factors that influence her memory.

emphasize that, in the ideal situation, memory is schematic.

inform her that the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon is more a myth than a reality.

emphasize shallow processing for working memory and deep processing for long-term memory.

Answer 2

make her think more about the factors that influence her memory.

Question 3

According to research on the testing effect,
Question options:

although testing can improve recall, it is not as helpful as spending the same amount of time studying.

testing consistently improves recall, no matter whether the retention interval is short or long.

the effect only operates when students receive feedback on their test scores.

one explanation for the effect is that test-taking creates desirable difficulties.

Answer 3

one explanation for the effect is that test-taking creates desirable difficulties.

Question 4

According to the discussion of prospective and retrospective memory,
Question options:

distinctive encoding improves performance on both kinds of memory tasks.

the research on retrospective memory is typically higher in ecological validity than is the research on prospective memory.

a delay period has a stronger effect on retrospective memory than on prospective memory.

retrospective-memory tasks typically activate the frontal lobe of the brain, but prospective-memory tasks do not.

Answer 4

Question options:

distinctive encoding improves performance on both kinds of memory tasks.

Question 5

Mandi is studying for her biopsychology exam by creating a diagram for the parts of the human nervous system. Her diagram shows two basic divisions, the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system; each of these systems is further divided and then subdivided. Mandi is using
Question options:

the method of loci.

the spacing effect.

the keyword method.

the hierarchy technique.

Answer 5

the hierarchy technique.

Question 6

According to research on the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon,
Question options:

when an item is on the tip of your tongue, you will seldom be able to recover it.

your mental dictionary is arranged in alphabetical order.

you can identify similar-sounding words, but you cannot accurately guess the number of syllables in the target word.

you can typically provide a similar-sounding word, which matches the target word reasonably closely.

Answer 6

you can typically provide a similar-sounding word, which matches the target word reasonably closely.

Question 7

According to the discussion of metacomprehension,
Question options:

college students do not need special training in this area because their
meta-comprehension is reasonably accurate.

meta-comprehension accuracy is correlated with reading comprehension.

good readers and poor readers do not differ in their awareness of reading strategies.

metacomprehension is basically the same as meta-analysis.

Answer 7

meta-comprehension accuracy is correlated with reading comprehension.

Question 8

The term metacognition refers to
Question options:

an especially deep level of processing—even deeper than the self-reference effect.

the perspective that memory improvement must be comprehensive, instead of targeting just one memory strategy.

remembering to do something in the future.

our knowledge and control of our cognitive processes.

Answer 8

our knowledge and control of our cognitive processes.

Question 9

Part of the section on metamemory examined how students regulate their study strategies. If you are typical of the college students discussed in that section—and the task is relatively easy—you would be likely to
Question options:

spend somewhat more time on the more difficult material, but not as much time as it deserves.

fail to review the material you already know.

show no relationship between study time and the difficulty of the material.

spend roughly three times as long on difficult topics as on the topics you already know.

Answer 9

spend somewhat more time on the more difficult material, but not as much time as it deserves.

Question 10

Your textbook discussed a metamemory study that asked students to estimate their total score on a test that they had just taken. The comparison between the students’ actual score and their estimated score showed that
Question options:

the students consistently overestimated how well they had performed.

the students consistently underestimated how well they had performed.

the students with the lowest actual scores provided the most accurate estimated scores.

the students with the highest actual scores provided the most accurate estimated scores.

Answer 10

the students with the highest actual scores provided the most accurate estimated scores

Question 11

According to the research on creativity and extrinsic motivation, when people know that their creativity will be judged by other people,
Question options:

they produce creative products more quickly, and the quality of the products is higher.

the product is often less creative.

the product tends to be somewhat more artistic, and it is much less likely to be bizarre.

people who are very creative become much more creative.

Answer 11

the product is often less creative.

Question 12

Divergent production
Question options:

is one kind of means-end strategy.

involves making a number of different responses to a variety of test items.

is the most valid measure of creativity.

tends to be highly correlated with other measures of creativity.

Answer 12

involves making a number of different responses to a variety of test items.

Question 13

Why is the embodied cognition approach important when people are trying to solve certain kinds of problems?
Question options:

If they examine their immediate environment, the answer is often obvious.

This approach often produces a strong visual image.

The problem solver is less likely to use analogies.

Your gestures often encourage you to express abstract thoughts and terms.

Answer 13

Your gestures often encourage you to express abstract thoughts and terms.

Question 14

Which of the following research topics on problem solving would have the lowest ecological validity?
Question options:

How people plan their route through a hardware store to locate items as quickly as possible.

How diners in a restaurant figure out how to divide a bill fairly among themselves.

How parents of preschoolers plan a birthday party.

How students in a geometry class use information from previous problems to solve the current problem.

Answer 14

How students in a geometry class use information from previous problems to solve the current problem.

Question 15

When people are solving a problem such as the Elves-and-Goblins problem in your textbook, they generally avoid
Question options:

using bottom-up processing.

dividing a problem into subproblems.

increasing the difference between the current state and the goal state.

using the means-ends approach to solve the problem.

Answer 15

increasing the difference between the current state and the goal state.

Question 16

In problem solving, heuristics
Question options:

are relatively unsophisticated strategies.

are bound to produce a solution, if you apply them rigorously.

are strategies that examine only some of the alternatives.

are seldom as useful as algorithms.

Answer 16

are strategies that examine only some of the alternatives.

Question 17

According to the research on expertise and problem solving,
Question options:

expert chess-players are much better than novices at remembering random arrangements of chess pieces.

expert problem-solvers are more likely than novices to emphasize structural features in the representation of a problem.

experts and novices are similar in their usage of means-ends heuristics.

experts are skilled at judging whether a problem will be difficult for novices to solve.

Answer 17

expert problem-solvers are more likely than novices to emphasize structural features in the representation of a problem.

Question 18

Which of the following would be an example of functional fixedness?
Question options:

wanting to use a rope to tie your car trunk closed, but failing to realize that you could use a coat-hanger for the task

thinking that you must solve an algebra problem the same way you solved the previous problem in the book

beginning at the end of an analogy problem, and working backwards toward the initial state

failing to concentrate on the surface structure of a problem

Answer 18

beginning at the end of an analogy problem, and working backwards toward the initial state

Question 19

A major problem with using the analogy approach to problem solving is that
Question options:

people pay too little attention to structural features.

people pay too little attention to surface features.

people select an inappropriate matrix to represent their understanding of the problem.

people perform an exhaustive search, which is a time-consuming approach to problem solving.

Answer 19

people pay too little attention to structural features.

Question 20

Steve is a college sophomore who is fascinated by politics, even though he isn’t currently enrolled in any related courses. He spends several hours each day reading a variety of political columns, visiting his favorite news websites, and talking about political issues. Researchers would say that Steve is high in
Question options:

intrinsic motivation.

extrinsic motivation.

divergent production.

convergent production.

Answer 20

intrinsic motivation.

Question 21

Heuristics are relevant when we try to answer a reasoning problem because
Question options:

we carefully assess the logic behind each reasoning problem, rather than responding quickly.

we often answer a reasoning problem using a heuristic that a conclusion is a “good bet,” even if it is not always true.

we are especially accurate when reasoning problems that involve “affirming the consequent.”

we are significantly more accurate if we try decision-making strategies in trying to solve reasoning problems.

Answer 21

we often answer a reasoning problem using a heuristic that a conclusion is a “good bet,” even if it is not always true.

Question 22

Consider the following problem: “Some college students are bright. All bright people are hard working. Therefore, all college students are hard working.” What kind of thinking task does this problem represent?
Question options:

propositional reasoning

problem solving

a syllogism

decision making

Answer 22

a syllogism

Question 23

According to the research on prospect theory,
Question options:

people generally avoid risks.

when the situation involves possible losses, people usually seek risks.

most people can overcome the framing effect because they naturally focus on the risks involved.

people consistently make decisions that are correct from a statistical point of view.

Answer 23

when the situation involves possible losses, people usually seek risks.

Question 24

Suppose that you are having a serious argument with a friend, and you are convinced that your own perspective is correct. According to the discussion in Chapter 12, this situation is an example of
Question options:

hindsight bias.

my-side bias.

the crystal-ball technique.

the conjunction rule.

Answer 24

my-side bias.

Question 25

Which of the following students’ statements provides the best overview of the research on decision making?
Question options:

Samantha: “People consistently make correct decisions based on the information they are given; problems arise when some crucial information is missing.”

Nayan: “People’s use of heuristics in decision making is usually adaptive, unless the heuristics are applied inappropriately.”

Arthur: “People consistently make incorrect decisions, unless the material is extremely concrete.”

Shirley: “The most common kinds of decision-making errors involve belief-bias errors; otherwise, decision making is reasonably accurate.”

Answer 25

Nayan: “People’s use of heuristics in decision making is usually adaptive, unless the heuristics are applied inappropriately.”

Question 26

You estimate the number of bottles of pop you’ll need for the Fourth of July picnic based on the Christmas party consumption, but take into account the fact that the weather will be warmer. Which heuristic does this example illustrate?
Question options:

availability

base-rate fallacy

anchoring and adjustment

representativeness

Answer 26

anchoring and adjustment

Question 27

The discussion about conditional reasoning pointed out that
Question options:

the easiest kind of conditional reasoning task is denying the consequent.

conditional reasoning tasks are much more difficult to solve than syllogisms.

negative terms (e.g., never) do not affect the difficulty of a conditional reasoning problem.

affirming the consequence leads to the largest number of errors.

Answer 27

affirming the consequence leads to the largest number of errors.

Question 28

Suppose that someone asks you to name the most popular television situation comedies, and you respond with the names of two shows that you regularly watch. This would be an example of
Question options:

anchoring and adjustment.

an illusory correlation.

representativeness.

availability.

Answer 28

availability.

Question 29

Which of the following students provides the most accurate information about the research on overconfidence?
Question options:

Solange: “Overconfidence applies to many other cognitive tasks, in addition to decision making.”

Igor: “The research on overconfidence shows that participants are consistently overconfident, no matter what kind of questions they are asked.”

Steve: “Individual differences are surprisingly small in this area: both experts and novices show similar levels of overconfidence.”

Amber: “The overconfidence effect can be traced to illusory correlations.”

Answer 29

Solange: “Overconfidence applies to many other cognitive tasks, in addition to decision making.”

Question 30

An important difference between reasoning and decision making is that, in reasoning,
Question options:

we have well-established rules.

the premises are more likely to be ambiguous.

the problem has greater ecological validity.

we are not as likely to know whether our conclusions are correct.

Answer 30

we have well-established rules.

Question 31

The discussion of insight in problem solving pointed out that
Question options:

gestalt psychologists emphasized the importance of insight in solving problems.

behaviourist psychologists were especially interested in the kinds of problems that require insight.

when people solve insight problems, their confidence builds gradually as they work on the solution to a problem.

people solve noninsight problems more quickly when they realize that their basic assumptions are not appropriate.

Answer 31

gestalt psychologists emphasized the importance of insight in solving problems.

Question 32

The individual differences featured in Chapter 11 focus on the relationship between several personality characteristics and creativity. According to the research by Veena Prabhu and her colleagues (2008), students are likely to be more creative if
Question options:

they are low in self-efficacy.

they are low in intrinsic motivation.

they are high in intrinsic motivation.

they are high in extrinsic motivation.

Answer 32

they are high in intrinsic motivation

Question 33

Suppose that you want to make a chart that lists the possible combinations that can be formed with four basic flavours of cake and three basic flavours of frosting. This chart would be called
Question options:

a matrix.

a statistical interaction.

a visual image.

the symbol approach.

Answer 33

a matrix.

Question 34

Suppose you have just read over an algebra problem, and you have now created an internal representation of the important information. According to the discussion of problem solving, you have mastered the stage called
Question options:

problem finding.

understanding.

heuristic choice.

background knowledge.

Answer 34

understanding.

Question 35

In which of the following areas are expert problem-solvers and novice problem-solvers likely to be most similar?
Question options:

general memory skills

memory for concepts that are relevant to the problem

schemas that are relevant to the problem

the representation of the problem

Answer 35

general memory skills

Question 36

Chapter 11 discusses the effects of ethnic and gender stereotypes on a test that measures math problem-solving ability. This research shows that
Question options:

Asian women perform relatively well if their ethnicity is emphasized before they begin the math test.

Asian women perform relatively well if their gender is emphasized before they begin the math test.

European American women are not aware of stereotypes, and so they perform better than Asian women.

there are no ethnic or gender differences - stereotypes in these two areas are no longer relevant in math problem solving.

Answer 36

Asian women perform relatively well if their ethnicity is emphasized before they begin the math test.

Question 37

A major problem with the hill-climbing heuristic is that
Question options:

people choose the most direct route at every choice point, even though an indirect route may be better in the long run.

people are inefficient when dividing the problem into the appropriate subproblems.

people typically show functional fixedness.

people are too likely to move backwards, rather than forwards.

Answer 37

people choose the most direct route at every choice point, even though an indirect route may be better in the long run.

Question 38

Which of the following circumstances is most likely to encourage the successful use of analogies in problem solving?
Question options:

requiring people to use a mental set

having people study the source problem very carefully, rather than simply trying to solve it

having people try to solve several problems that are structurally similar before they see the target problem

encouraging people to compare at least two problems that have different structural features

Answer 38

having people try to solve several problems that are structurally similar before they see the target problem

Question 39

Which of the following students provides the most accurate information about expertise during problem solving?
Question options:

Lisa: “Experts are better at estimating how long it would take nonexperts to solve a problem.”

Pernelle: “Experts are more likely to use a mental set.”

Jack: “Experts are more likely to use their top-down processing effectively.”

Sabino: “Experts are more likely to use serial processing.”

Answer 39

Jack: “Experts are more likely to use their top-down processing effectively.”

Question 40

Which of the following students provides the best explanation for stereotype threat during problem solving?
Question options:

Alper: “Stereotype threat can usually be traced to overactive bottom-up processing.”

Kristi: “Stereotype threat is basically caused by a growth mindset.”

Kevin: “Stereotype threat typically occurs because people use parallel processing, rather problem-solving heuristics.”

Nita: “Stereotype threat seems to cause a reduction in working memory, due to factors such as high arousal.”

Answer 40

Nita: “Stereotype threat seems to cause a reduction in working memory, due to factors such as high arousal.”

Question 41

When comparing the relative frequency of examples within a category, we tend to assign higher estimates to examples that are familiar vs not familiar. The heuristic most responsible for this is
Question options:

the confirmation heuristic

representativeness heuristic

the recognition heuristic

the anchoring and adjustment heuristic

Answer 41

the recognition heuristic

Question 42

When people estimate confidence intervals, they typically
Question options:

provide estimates that are too wide.

rely too heavily on the representativeness heuristic.

are not sufficiently confident about their decisions.

provide estimates that are too narrow.

Answer 42

provide estimates that are too narrow.

Question 43

Dr. Anna Smith is a clinical psychologist. She just heard about someone who had a bad reaction to a medication. She knows that this medication has worked well with many of her clients who have experienced depression during the last few months. With respect to decision-making heuristics, she should be concerned that her future decisions about this medication might be influenced by
Question options:

the conjunction fallacy.

the relationship between illusory correlations and the representativeness heuristic.

anchoring and adjustment.

the tendency for recency to influence availability.

Answer 43

the tendency for recency to influence availability.

Question 44

Theme 2 argues that people are usually fairly accurate on cognitive tasks. How does this theme apply to deductive reasoning tasks?
Question options:

People are not very accurate on everyday deductive-reasoning tasks, so the theme doesn’t apply here.

The reasoning tasks we encounter in our daily lives are generally more concrete, so we are more likely to be accurate.

People typically change these reasoning tasks into decision-making tasks, which are easier to solve quickly and accurately.

People really are quite accurate on reasoning tasks, even when these tasks are abstract.

Answer 44

The reasoning tasks we encounter in our daily lives are generally more concrete, so we are more likely to be accurate.

Question 45

According to the introduction to Chapter 12, which of the following students provides the most accurate statement about deductive reasoning and decision making?
Question options:

Esther: “Deductive reasoning is included in the general category of thinking, but decision making is not.”

Anteus: “In deductive reasoning, you receive all the information that is necessary to draw a conclusion; but in decision making, some of the information is missing or unclear.”

Dave: “In both deductive reasoning and decision making, you will reach a correct conclusion, as long as you follow the formal rules.”

Susan: “In your everyday experiences, you encounter more examples of deductive reasoning than examples of decision making.”

Answer 45

Anteus: “In deductive reasoning, you receive all the information that is necessary to draw a conclusion; but in decision making, some of the information is missing or unclear.”

Question 46

Research on the availability heuristic shows that
Question options:

when medical journals contain many articles about a particular disease, physicians are likely to believe that it is easily curable.

estimates for a country’s population are distorted by the frequency with which the country is mentioned in the news.

more recent events tend to be given relatively little weight when making frequency estimates, compared with events that occurred long ago.

people almost always select answers that are consistent with deductive reasoning.

Answer 46

estimates for a country’s population are distorted by the frequency with which the country is mentioned in the news.

Question 47

When trying to solve a reasoning problem, people are especially likely to provide a correct answer when
Question options:

the material is theoretical.

the material is linguistically negative.

they make judgements based on their general knowledge.

the material is concrete.

Answer 47

the material is concrete.

Question 48

According to the research on the confirmation bias,
Question options:

people would rather focus on the antecedent than on the consequent.

people would rather think in terms of what is not true than in terms of what is true.

people would rather confirm a hypothesis than disprove it.

people would rather deny the consequent than affirm the antecedent.

Answer 48

people would rather confirm a hypothesis than disprove it.

Question 49

Suppose that you are watching television just after a Congressional election, and your favourite candidate has won—although the election was close. You say to a friend, “Well, I was really quite confident that he would win.” This might be an example of
Question options:

a conjunction fallacy.

the framing effect.

the hindsight bias.

the representativeness heuristic.

Answer 49

the hindsight bias.

Question 50

A friend tells you that drama majors tend to be extremely disorganized. However, when you actually make a tally of 10 friends who are drama majors and 20 friends who are not, you find no relationship. Your friend’s error was most likely an example of
Question options:

the hindsight bias.

an illusory correlation.

the framing effect.

the anchoring and adjustment heuristic.

Answer 50

an illusory correlation.