Cognitive psychology worksheet with answers

The feeling after an event that "I knew it all along" is called:

1. AOverconfidence
2. BAnchoring
3. CConfirmation bias
4. DHindsight bias

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

1. A7 ± 2
2. B20 ± 5
3. C12 ± 3
4. D3 ± 1

What is "chunking"?

1. AForgetting information in large blocks
2. BRepeating information aloud to remember it
3. CGrouping information into meaningful units to remember more
4. DSplitting attention between two tasks

People often accept an invalid syllogism if its conclusion sounds true, such as "Some vitamins are healthy". This is called:

1. ASelf-serving bias
2. BBelief bias
3. CAnchoring
4. DHindsight bias

In Collins and Quillian's hierarchical network model, why does "A canary is an animal" take longer to verify than "A canary is a bird"?

1. AMore levels must be travelled to reach "animal"
2. B"Animal" is a longer and less frequent word than "bird"
3. CCanaries are rated as untypical members of "animal"
4. DThe sentence contains more letters to read

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

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

In a city, 85% of cabs are green and 15% are blue. A witness who is correct 80% of the time says the cab in an accident was blue. What is the probability it really was blue?

1. AAbout 41%
2. BAbout 15%
3. CAbout 80%
4. DAbout 68%

In Luchins' water jar problems, after solving several problems with the formula B − A − 2C, many participants kept using it even when a simpler solution (A − C) worked. This shows:

1. AA mental set (Einstellung) that hides simpler solutions
2. BProactive interference in short-term memory
3. CSudden insight into the structure of the problem
4. DFunctional fixedness about what the jars can be used for