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

The representativeness heuristic means judging the probability of something by:

  1. AHow closely it resembles a typical example
  2. BHow easily examples come to mind
  3. CThe first number you were given
  4. DHow much time or money you have already invested in it
2.Easy

The "cognitive revolution" of the 1950s and 1960s shifted psychology's focus towards:

  1. AInternal mental processes such as memory and thinking
  2. BUnconscious sexual and aggressive drives
  3. CIntrospection about raw sensations only
  4. DOnly observable behaviour and reinforcement
3.Easy

In categorisation research, a prototype is:

  1. AA rare and unusual member of a category
  2. BThe most typical member or average example of a category
  3. CThe first example of a category that a child learns in early life
  4. DA strict list of features every member must have
4.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. ASpend too long trying to melt wax with the matches
  2. BAssume the tacks are too short to hold the candle
  3. CSee the box only as a container, not as a shelf
  4. DDo not realise the candle has to be lit first
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. AGambler's fallacy
  2. BAnchoring effect
  3. CSunk cost fallacy
  4. DEndowment effect
6.Medium

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

  1. AShape constancy
  2. BSize constancy
  3. CFigure–ground organisation
  4. DLinear perspective
7.Hard

Warren replaced one speech sound in a sentence with a cough. Listeners reported hearing the sentence intact and could not locate the cough correctly. This is evidence for:

  1. AEchoic memory lasting for several minutes
  2. BPurely bottom-up speech perception
  3. CTop-down influences in speech perception
  4. DDamage to Broca's area
8.Hard

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

  1. APriming
  2. BRehearsal
  3. CInterference
  4. DChunking

Answer key

  1. 1. A · How closely it resembles a typical example
  2. 2. A · Internal mental processes such as memory and thinking
  3. 3. B · The most typical member or average example of a category
  4. 4. C · See the box only as a container, not as a shelf
  5. 5. D · Endowment effect
  6. 6. B · Size constancy
  7. 7. C · Top-down influences in speech perception
  8. 8. A · Priming

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