Cognitive psychology worksheet with answers

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

1. ARetroactive interference
2. BProactive interference
3. CDecay
4. DRepression

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

1. AFunctional fixedness
2. BInsight
3. CMental set
4. DTrial-and-error learning

The Gestalt principle of proximity states that we tend to group together elements that are:

1. AClose to each other
2. BMoving in the same direction
3. CForming a closed shape
4. DSimilar in colour

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

1. ALinear perspective
2. BSize constancy
3. CFigure–ground organisation
4. DShape constancy

Encoding specificity means that recall is best when:

1. AThe material is learned in a noisy room
2. BThe context at retrieval matches the context at learning
3. CLearning happens just before sleep only
4. DInformation is learned in one long session

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. BSee the box only as a container, not as a shelf
3. CSpend too long trying to melt wax with the matches
4. DDo not realise the candle has to be lit first

Which finding supports a reconstructive view of memory (Bartlett)?

1. AShort-term memory holds about seven items
2. BPeople retelling an unfamiliar story change it to fit their own culture
3. CPeople can recall long lists of digits perfectly
4. DMemories of emotional events never change

In the Wason selection task, cards show E, K, 4 and 7. The rule is "If a card has a vowel on one side, it has an even number on the other". Which cards must be turned to test the rule?

1. AE and 4
2. BE and 7
3. CE, 4 and 7
4. DE only