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

A vivid, detailed memory of where you were when you heard shocking news is called a:

  1. AScreen memory
  2. BFlashbulb memory
  3. CIconic memory
  4. DProcedural memory
2.Easy

Knowing the usual order of events when eating at a restaurant (being seated, ordering, eating, paying) is called a:

  1. AScript
  2. BPrototype
  3. CPhoneme
  4. DHeuristic
3.Easy

An algorithm, in the psychology of problem solving, is:

  1. AA mental picture of how the problem looks
  2. BA sudden flash of understanding about a problem
  3. CA step-by-step procedure that guarantees a solution
  4. DA quick rule of thumb that usually works well enough
4.Medium

In dual-process theory, which task most clearly requires System 2 thinking?

  1. AWorking out 17 × 24 in your head
  2. BReading a large familiar word on a road sign
  3. CNoticing that a sound is loud
  4. DRecognising a friend's face
5.Medium

Which statement best describes top-down processing in perception?

  1. APerception happens without any involvement of memory
  2. BPerception is built only from the raw features of the incoming stimulus
  3. COnly the lower parts of the visual field are processed
  4. DExpectations and knowledge shape how we interpret sensory input
6.Medium

People recall more words from a list of short words (e.g. "cat, sun") than from a list of long words. The usual explanation is that:

  1. AShort words take less time to rehearse in the phonological loop
  2. BLong words cause retroactive interference with earlier items
  3. CLong words are processed more deeply and so crowd each other out
  4. DShort words are held in iconic memory as well as acoustically
7.Hard

A participant solves anagrams faster after seeing related words briefly, without being aware of them. This is an example of:

  1. APriming
  2. BChunking
  3. CRehearsal
  4. DInterference
8.Hard

H.M. practised mirror drawing over several days. His performance improved steadily, yet each day he said he had never done the task before. What does this show?

  1. ASkills can be learned without remembering the practice
  2. BHis improvement came from rehearsal in short-term memory
  3. CMirror drawing depends mainly on the hippocampus
  4. DH.M. was only pretending not to remember the sessions

Answer key

  1. 1. B · Flashbulb memory
  2. 2. A · Script
  3. 3. C · A step-by-step procedure that guarantees a solution
  4. 4. A · Working out 17 × 24 in your head
  5. 5. D · Expectations and knowledge shape how we interpret sensory input
  6. 6. A · Short words take less time to rehearse in the phonological loop
  7. 7. A · Priming
  8. 8. A · Skills can be learned without remembering the practice

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