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

What is a heuristic?

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

Functional fixedness is the tendency to:

  1. AForget the purpose of an object after a delay
  2. BSee an object only in terms of its usual use
  3. CRemember objects better than words
  4. DSolve every problem with the same algorithm
3.Easy

Trying to perform two tasks at the same time, such as texting while listening to a lecture, involves:

  1. AIconic memory
  2. BSustained attention
  3. CSelective attention
  4. DDivided attention
4.Medium

Baddeley added the episodic buffer to the working memory model to explain how working memory:

  1. ADirects attention and switches between tasks
  2. BBinds information from different sources and from long-term memory
  3. CRehearses speech sounds silently with an inner voice
  4. DStores visual information for a fraction of a second
5.Medium

A friend walking away from you does not seem to shrink, even though their image on your retina gets smaller. This is called:

  1. ASize constancy
  2. BLinear perspective
  3. CShape constancy
  4. DFigure–ground organisation
6.Medium

According to the levels-of-processing approach, which task leads to the best recall of words?

  1. ADeciding whether each word is in capital letters
  2. BCounting the letters in each word
  3. CDeciding whether each word rhymes with "cat"
  4. DDeciding whether each word fits into a sentence
7.Hard

In rapid serial visual presentation, people often miss a second target that appears about 200–500 ms after the first. This is called:

  1. AThe attentional blink
  2. BInhibition of return
  3. CIconic decay
  4. DChange blindness
8.Hard

People judge that more English words begin with K than have K as the third letter, although the reverse is true. Which heuristic explains this?

  1. AFraming: the question describes the words as a loss
  2. BRepresentativeness: K-words look like typical English words
  3. CAnchoring: the letter K is the first value people are given
  4. DAvailability: words are easier to retrieve by first letter

Answer key

  1. 1. B · A mental shortcut used to make judgements quickly
  2. 2. B · See an object only in terms of its usual use
  3. 3. D · Divided attention
  4. 4. B · Binds information from different sources and from long-term memory
  5. 5. A · Size constancy
  6. 6. D · Deciding whether each word fits into a sentence
  7. 7. A · The attentional blink
  8. 8. D · Availability: words are easier to retrieve by first letter

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