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.

New worksheetPractise online with hints

For teachers: free to print, copy and use in class. Every new worksheet has new values and its own answer key. A link to ExamProblems on your course page is appreciated.

Name: ____________________   Date: ____________

1.Easy

Which method records the brain's electrical activity through electrodes on the scalp and has excellent temporal resolution?

  1. ACT
  2. BfMRI
  3. CPET
  4. DEEG
2.Easy

Generating many different possible uses for a brick is an example of:

  1. ADivergent thinking
  2. BFunctional fixedness
  3. CDeductive reasoning
  4. DConvergent thinking
3.Easy

About how many items can a person hold in short-term memory, according to George Miller's classic estimate?

  1. A3 ± 1
  2. B20 ± 5
  3. C12 ± 3
  4. D7 ± 2
4.Medium

In Shepard and Metzler's mental rotation task, the time to decide whether two 3D shapes are the same:

  1. ADecreases as the angle between them gets larger
  2. BIncreases with the angle between the two shapes
  3. CIs the same whatever the angle of rotation is
  4. DDepends mainly on how complex the shapes are
5.Medium

Students given a coffee mug ask for a much higher price to sell it than other students will pay to buy it. This is the:

  1. AAnchoring effect
  2. BSunk cost fallacy
  3. CGambler's fallacy
  4. DEndowment effect
6.Medium

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

Clive Wearing developed severe amnesia after a brain infection and cannot remember events from moment to moment, yet he can still play the piano and conduct music. This shows that:

  1. AProcedural memory can survive severe loss of episodic memory
  2. BEpisodic memory is needed to perform any skill
  3. CMusical skills are stored in short-term memory
  4. DAll long-term memory depends on a single system
8.Hard

Countries where people are organ donors unless they opt out have far higher donor rates than countries where people must opt in. This is best explained by:

  1. AThe availability heuristic
  2. BThe sunk cost fallacy
  3. CThe default effect and status quo bias
  4. DBelief bias in moral reasoning about donation

Answer key

  1. 1. D · EEG
  2. 2. A · Divergent thinking
  3. 3. D · 7 ± 2
  4. 4. B · Increases with the angle between the two shapes
  5. 5. D · Endowment effect
  6. 6. D · See the box only as a container, not as a shelf
  7. 7. A · Procedural memory can survive severe loss of episodic memory
  8. 8. C · The default effect and status quo bias

Full step-by-step solutions: practise this topic on examproblems.com.