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.

New worksheetPractise online with hints

For teachers: free to print, copy and use in class. Every new worksheet has new values and its own answer key. A link to ExamProblems on your course page is appreciated.

Name: ____________________   Date: ____________

1.Easy

Köhler's chimpanzees, who suddenly stacked boxes to reach bananas, are a classic example of:

  1. AFunctional fixedness
  2. BTrial-and-error learning
  3. CMental set
  4. DInsight
2.Easy

Damage to Broca's area typically causes difficulty with:

  1. AUnderstanding spoken words
  2. BProducing fluent speech
  3. CForming new memories
  4. DRecognising faces
3.Easy

The representativeness heuristic means judging the probability of something by:

  1. AHow much time or money you have already invested in it
  2. BHow closely it resembles a typical example
  3. CThe first number you were given
  4. DHow easily examples come to mind
4.Medium

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

  1. ADecreases as the angle between them gets larger
  2. BDepends mainly on how complex the shapes are
  3. CIs the same whatever the angle of rotation is
  4. DIncreases with the angle between the two shapes
5.Medium

People often accept an invalid syllogism if its conclusion sounds true, such as "Some vitamins are healthy". This is called:

  1. ASelf-serving bias
  2. BHindsight bias
  3. CBelief bias
  4. DAnchoring
6.Medium

In Duncker's candle problem, participants must fix a candle to a wall using a box of tacks and matches. The solution is hard to find because people:

  1. AAssume the tacks are too short to hold the candle
  2. BDo not realise the candle has to be lit first
  3. CSpend too long trying to melt wax with the matches
  4. DSee the box only as a container, not as a shelf
7.Hard

Patient D.F. could not report the orientation of a slot but could accurately post a card through it. Milner and Goodale used this to support the idea of:

  1. AFeature binding through focused spatial attention
  2. BSeparate visual streams for perception and action
  3. CA single visual system used for every visual task
  4. DEarly selection of attention before perception
8.Hard

Clive Wearing developed severe amnesia after a brain infection and cannot remember events from moment to moment, yet he can still play the piano and conduct music. This shows that:

  1. AMusical skills are stored in short-term memory
  2. BEpisodic memory is needed to perform any skill
  3. CAll long-term memory depends on a single system
  4. DProcedural memory can survive severe loss of episodic memory

Answer key

  1. 1. D · Insight
  2. 2. B · Producing fluent speech
  3. 3. B · How closely it resembles a typical example
  4. 4. D · Increases with the angle between the two shapes
  5. 5. C · Belief bias
  6. 6. D · See the box only as a container, not as a shelf
  7. 7. B · Separate visual streams for perception and action
  8. 8. D · Procedural memory can survive severe loss of episodic memory

Full step-by-step solutions: practise this topic on examproblems.com.