Cognitive psychology worksheet with answers

Free printable Cognitive psychology worksheet: 8 problems from easy to exam level, with an answer key. Print it or save it as a PDF.

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Name: ____________________   Date: ____________

1.Easy

The tendency to search for information that supports what we already believe is called:

  1. AHindsight bias
  2. BConfirmation bias
  3. CFundamental attribution error
  4. DAnchoring
2.Easy

What is a heuristic?

  1. AA mental shortcut used to make judgements quickly
  2. BA type of long-term memory
  3. CA disorder of perception
  4. DA step-by-step procedure that always finds the right answer
3.Easy

Forgetting because new information interferes with remembering old information is called:

  1. AProactive interference
  2. BRepression
  3. CDecay
  4. DRetroactive interference
4.Medium

"All mammals breathe air. Whales are mammals. Therefore whales breathe air." This is an example of:

  1. ADeductive reasoning
  2. BInductive reasoning
  3. CAnalogical reasoning
  4. DThe availability heuristic
5.Medium

In Shepard and Metzler's mental rotation task, the time to decide whether two 3D shapes are the same:

  1. AIs the same whatever the angle of rotation is
  2. BDecreases as the angle between them gets larger
  3. CIncreases with the angle between the two shapes
  4. DDepends mainly on how complex the shapes are
6.Medium

The availability heuristic means people judge how likely an event is by:

  1. AHow similar it is to a typical case
  2. BHow easily examples come to mind
  3. CThe first number they hear
  4. DIts actual statistical frequency
7.Hard

Evidence that short-term and long-term memory are separate stores comes from patients who:

  1. AHave impaired long-term learning but normal digit span, and others with the opposite pattern
  2. BRemember everything equally well
  3. CShow the same recall for all list positions
  4. DLose all memories after a mild headache
8.Hard

Linda is described as outspoken and concerned with social justice. Many people judge "Linda is a bank teller and a feminist" more likely than "Linda is a bank teller". What is the error?

  1. AThe gambler's fallacy: past events change the future odds
  2. BCorrect base-rate use: feminists are common among bank tellers
  3. CThe conjunction fallacy: A and B cannot be likelier than A
  4. DAnchoring: the first description fixes the later estimate

Answer key

  1. 1. B · Confirmation bias
  2. 2. A · A mental shortcut used to make judgements quickly
  3. 3. D · Retroactive interference
  4. 4. A · Deductive reasoning
  5. 5. C · Increases with the angle between the two shapes
  6. 6. B · How easily examples come to mind
  7. 7. A · Have impaired long-term learning but normal digit span, and others with the opposite pattern
  8. 8. C · The conjunction fallacy: A and B cannot be likelier than A

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