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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1.Easy

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

  1. ASelective attention
  2. BSustained attention
  3. CDivided attention
  4. DIconic memory
2.Easy

Which type of memory stores facts such as "Paris is the capital of France"?

  1. ASensory memory
  2. BProcedural memory
  3. CSemantic memory
  4. DEpisodic memory
3.Easy

Which part of the retina gives the sharpest, most detailed vision?

  1. AThe periphery
  2. BThe optic chiasm
  3. CThe fovea
  4. DThe blind spot
4.Medium

Rubin's vase, which can be seen as a vase or as two faces, illustrates:

  1. AFigure–ground organisation
  2. BThe law of closure
  3. CRetinal disparity
  4. DSize constancy
5.Medium

In the Brown–Peterson task, participants count backwards by threes after seeing a trigram such as "KTR". The main finding was that:

  1. ARecall stayed almost perfect even after 18 seconds of counting
  2. BCounting backwards made the trigrams easier to remember
  3. COnly the first letter of each trigram tended to be forgotten
  4. DRecall fell sharply within about 18 seconds without rehearsal
6.Medium

A strategy that breaks a problem into subgoals, each reducing the difference between the current state and the goal, is called:

  1. AInsight
  2. BIncubation
  3. CTrial and error
  4. DMeans–end analysis
7.Hard

In Sperling's experiments, participants saw a 3 × 4 grid of letters briefly. When a tone signalled which row to report immediately afterwards, they could report most letters of that row. What did this show?

  1. AMost of the display is briefly held but fades before it can all be reported
  2. BIconic memory holds only about four letters, however they are tested
  3. CBriefly seen letters are transferred into long-term memory at once
  4. DHearing a warning tone improves visual perception of nearby letters in general
8.Hard

Participants practise retrieving some items from a studied category (e.g. "fruit – orange"). Later, unpractised items from the same category (e.g. "fruit – banana") are recalled worse than items from unpractised categories. This is:

  1. AThe testing effect
  2. BDecay over time
  3. CRetroactive interference from a new list
  4. DRetrieval-induced forgetting

Answer key

  1. 1. C · Divided attention
  2. 2. C · Semantic memory
  3. 3. C · The fovea
  4. 4. A · Figure–ground organisation
  5. 5. D · Recall fell sharply within about 18 seconds without rehearsal
  6. 6. D · Means–end analysis
  7. 7. A · Most of the display is briefly held but fades before it can all be reported
  8. 8. D · Retrieval-induced forgetting

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