Cognitive psychology worksheet with answers

Functional MRI (fMRI) measures brain activity indirectly by detecting:

1. AChanges in blood oxygenation
2. BThe structure of white matter only
3. CMagnetic pulses applied to the skull
4. DElectrical activity at the scalp

Selective attention is best illustrated by:

1. ASolving an arithmetic problem
2. BRecognising a face you have seen before
3. CRemembering a phone number for a few seconds
4. DFollowing one conversation at a noisy party

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

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

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

In a lexical decision task, people recognise "nurse" as a word faster after seeing "doctor" than after seeing "bread". This is best explained by:

1. AIconic memory decay
2. BRetroactive interference
3. CThe phonological similarity effect
4. DSpreading activation in a semantic network

Anchoring bias occurs when:

1. APeople prefer options presented as gains
2. BPeople believe after the event that they knew the outcome all along
3. CAn initial number strongly influences a later estimate
4. DPeople remember only the end of an experience

Strayer and Johnston found that hands-free phone conversations impaired simulated driving about as much as hand-held ones. What does this suggest?

1. AThe main cost of phoning while driving is attentional, not manual
2. BHolding a phone is the only problem when driving
3. CDriving is a fully automatic task
4. DTalking to a passenger in the car is just as distracting in every case

In prospect theory, losses typically feel:

1. AWeaker than gains of the same size
2. BAbout twice as strong as gains of the same size
3. CStrong only when they are certain
4. DExactly as strong as gains of the same size, on average