2014 Exam May-June Flashcards
(43 cards)
Thabo: Even though some may disagree, this focus on internal mental phenomena in cognitive psychology is scientific. We really cannot do psychology properly just by concentrating on explicitly observable and quantifiable external behavior, we also have to take internal mechanisms into account.
Based on this statement it is most likely that Thabo is a ___.
1) rationalist
2) behaviourist
3) follower of Locke
4) follower of Skinner
1) rationalist
Reasoning: Rationalism is important in theory development. Rationalists believes that the route
to knowledge is through thinking and logical analysis. We might see the rationalist view of the
world as the thesis and the empirical view as the antithesis.
• Behaviourism (option 2) is a theoretical outlook that psychology should focus only on the
relation between observable (overt) behavior, on the one hand, and environmental
events or stimuli, on the other. Option 2 is therefore incorrect.
• Locke (option 3), an empiricist, believed that humans are born without knowledge and
therefore must seek knowledge through empirical observation. Locke’s term for this was
tabula rasa. Therefore option 3 is incorrect.
Skinner was seen a radical behaviourist, who believed that virtually all forms of human behavior,
not just learning, could be explained by reactions to the environment. Therefore option 4 is
incorrect.
Theresa, a judge, does not accept circumstantial evidence as evidence in her court. Theresa will not convict anyone of a crime, based on general principles of anticipated behavior of people brought to court. Instead, Theresa allows only evidence that she can see, or “hard”, observational evidence, to be used in a prosecution. Theresa could be referred to as a/n ___.
1) monist
2) empiricist
3) rationalist
4) nativist
2) empiricist
Reasoning: A rationalist (option 3) is someone who believes that the route to knowledge is through logical analysis. A rationalist does not need experiments to develop new knowledge.
Descartes, a rationalist, felt that one could not rely on one’s senses, because they have proven to be deceptive (i.e. optical illusions)
An empiricist (option 2) believes that we acquire knowledge via empirical evidence – we obtain
evidence through experience and observation. To explore how the human mind works, empiricists
would design experiments and conduct studies (science).
In summary – according to the rationalist, the only route to truth is reasoned contemplation,
while for the empiricist, the only route to truth is meticulous observation.
“Associationism” is a school of psychology, arising from the work of Locke and Aristotle that
examines the process according to which ___.
1) ideas become associated with each other in the mind
2) the thoughts of some people are associated with the thoughts of others
3) biological connections are formed between symbolic representations
4) observable associations are formed between stimuli and responses
1) ideas become associated with each other in the mind
Reasoning: Associationism examines how elements of the mind, such as events or ideas, can
become associated with one another in the mind to result in a form of learning.
Which of the following examples is most analogous to the goal of the structuralist movement in
psychology?
1) Scientists study an entire assembled jigsaw puzzle in order to understand each of the pieces
2) Scientists look at how the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fit together in order to understand the
assembling process.
3) Scientists look at each piece of jigsaw puzzle in order to understand the whole puzzle as
assembled.
4) Scientists study the different ways a jigsaw puzzle can be assembled to form different
images.
3) Scientists look at each piece of jigsaw puzzle in order to understand the whole puzzle as
assembled.
Reasoning: Structuralism seeks to understand the structure (configuration of elements) of the
mind and its perceptions by analyzing those perceptions into their constituent components.
Which of the following statements best describes the main criticism that cognitive psychologists
have leveled at Skinner’s behaviourism?
1) He did not consider the neurophysiological properties underlying human behavior and
concentrated too much on latent (i.e. hidden) variables in his explanation of memory and
learning
2) His theory of conditioning gave rise to many socially unacceptable applications such as brain
washing
3) His theory of operant conditioning is too restrictive and cannot easily explain higher-level
cognitive processes such as language and thinking
4) He focused too much on ecological aspects and did not develop systematic procedures for
analyzing behavior in laboratory situations.
3) His theory of operant conditioning is too restrictive and cannot easily explain higher-level
cognitive processes such as language and thinking
Reasoning: Behaviourism was challenged on many fronts such as language acquisition, production
and comprehension. The following criticisms were stated:
1) It did not account for complex mental activities, such as language learning and problemsolving.
2) More than understanding people’s behavior, psychologists were interested on what goes
on inside the mind.
3) Using behaviourism techniques to study non-human animals were often easier than
studying human ones.
Which of the following best describes the main idea underlying Gestalt psychology?
1) “The sum of the parts is equal to the whole.”
2) “All is part of the whole.”
3) “The whole is nothing more than separate individual parts.”
4) “The whole differs from the sum of the parts.”
4) “The whole differs from the sum of the parts.”
Reasoning: The maxim “the whole is more than the sum of its parts” aptly sums up the Gestalt
perspective.
Santiago says that in order to understand cognitive processes we need to look directly at the brain to
see how it functions. Ayami disagrees and says that we need to look at how people perform on
various cognitive tasks. This disagreement is an example of ___.
1) biological vs behavioural methods
2) validity of inferences vs ecological methods
3) nature vs nurture
4) rationalism vs empiricism
1) biological vs behavioural methods
Reasoning: We can try to synthesize biological and behavioural methods so that we understand
cognitive phenomena at multiple levels of analysis.
A major theme of cognitive psychology concerns the factors that shape our cognitive abilities and
that account for the process of language development and general human intelligence, the issue
explored in this theme is whether these factors should be mainly attributed to our genetic inheritance or whether they are mainly determined by our surrounding environment. This particular
theme is called ___.
1) structure vs process
2) nature vs nurture
3) biological vs behavioural methods
4) rationalism vs empiricism
2) nature vs nurture
Reasoning: The theme referred to in the question is the ‘nature-nurture’ controversy. The issue
addressed in the theme is whether the development of cognition is mainly determined by genetic
factors or by environmental variables.
The “law of effect” states that a stimulus will tend to produce a certain response over time if the
___.
1) stimulus is conditioned
2) organism is repeatedly rewarded for that response
3) organism is repeatedly punished for that response
4) stimulus and the response are both unconditioned
2) organism is repeatedly rewarded for that response
Reasoning: Thorndike termed the principle law of effect (1905): A stimulus will tend to produce a
certain response over time if an organism is rewarded for that response.
A major theme of cognitive psychology concerns the factors that shape our cognitive abilities and
that account for the process of language development and general human intelligence, the issue
explored in this theme is whether these factors should be mainly attributed to our genetic
inheritance or whether they are mainly determined by our surrounding environment. This particular
theme is called ___.
1) structure vs process
2) nature vs nurture
3) biological vs behavioural methods
4) rationalism vs empiricism
2) nature vs nurture
Reasoning: The theme referred to in the question is the ‘nature-nurture’ controversy. The issue
addressed in the theme is whether the development of cognition is mainly determined by genetic
factors or by environmental variables
The “law of effect” states that a stimulus will tend to produce a certain response over time if the
___.
1) stimulus is conditioned
2) organism is repeatedly rewarded for that response
3) organism is repeatedly punished for that response
4) stimulus and the response are both unconditioned
2) organism is repeatedly rewarded for that response
Reasoning: Thorndike termed the principle law of effect (1905): A stimulus will tend to produce a
certain response over time if an organism is rewarded for that response.
There are two radio stations, one receiving signals from the western hemisphere and one receiving
signals from the eastern hemisphere. A cable connects the two stations so that signals sent out from
one half of the world can be transmitted to the other half. The cable is analogous to the brain’s ___.
1) corpus callosum
2) cerebral cortex
3) septum
4) medulla oblongata
1) corpus callosum
Reasoning: The corpus callosum is a dense aggregate of neural fibers connecting the two
hemispheres. It transmits information back and forth.
Sonia lies in a hospital bed and is unable to wake up. Scans of her brain show damage to the ___
which is important for regulating the overall level of arousal and consciousness.
1) corpus callosum
2) amygdala
3) reticular activating system
4) medulla oblangata
3) reticular activating system
Reasoning: The reticular activating system is important in controlling consciousness (sleep
arousal), attention, cardiorespiratory function and movement.
Dr Miller discovers that one of her patients is underproducing dopamine. She determines that the
patient has Parkinson’s disease and insists that the patient be given L-Dopa, a dopamine
supplement. Dr Miller is careless, however, and gives the patient too much. This overdose results in
symptoms of ___.
1) Alzheimer’s disease
2) a lack of serotonin
3) aphasia
4) schizophrenia
4) schizophrenia
Reasoning: Glutamate imbalances appear to cause abnormal functioning in dopamine. When
levels of glutamate are low dopamine is overactive and results in the expression schizophrenic
symptoms.
When viewing a picture that is half one person’s face and half another person’s face, a split-brain
patient would ___.
1) ask why are you showing her half of two different faces
2) say that the image portrays the whole face of whomever is depicted on the right side
3) point to the image of the whole face of whomever is depicted on the right side
4) simply be unable to answer
2) say that the image portrays the whole face of whomever is depicted on the right side
Reasoning: In split-brain patients, stimuli cannot be compared across visual half-fields, indicating
that each hemisphere processes information independently of the other. The split in the cortical connections between hemispheres splits visual perception, but does not create two independent conscious perceivers within one brain.
Which of the following processes would most likely involve the limbic system?
1) A spectator watches how an acrobat turns a somersault in the air
2) A student feels very scared and nervous about the upcoming cognitive psychology exam
3) A researcher carefully sets up her laboratory equipment to do a chemistry experiment
4) A heart patient suddenly senses an acute pain in his chest
2) A student feels very scared and nervous about the upcoming cognitive psychology exam
Reasoning: The limbic system is a set of brain structures located on both sides of the thalamus,
immediately beneath the cerebrum. It has also been referred to as the paleomammalian cortex. …
The limbic system supports a variety of functions including emotion, behavior, motivation, longterm
memory, and olfaction.
Which neurotransmitter is important for regulating impulsivity and is also associated with some
types of anorexia, and with aggressive behavior?
1) Acetylcholine
2) Dopamine
3) GABA
4) Serotonin
4) Serotonin
Reasoning: Serotonin plays an important role in eating behavior and body weight regulation. High
serotonin levels play a role in some types of anorexia, specifically anorexia resulting from illness or
treatment of illness. Serotonin is also involved in aggression and regulation of impulsivity. Drugs
that block serotonin tend to result in an increase in aggressive behavior.
All of the following are central interconnected cerebral structures of the limbic system except the \_\_\_. 1) primary motor cortex 2) septum 3) amygdala 4) hippocampus
1) primary motor cortex
Reasoning: The limbic system is a set of structures in the brain that deal with emotions and
memory.
The limbic system is associated with learning, memory, emotion, and motivation. It consists of the
amygdala, the septum, and the hippocampus.
A researcher wants to study how people’s attention shifts when they see a visual stimulus in an
unexpected portion of a screen that they are viewing, the attention shifts occur in just a fraction of a
second. Assuming that the availability of equipment and costs is not a factor, which one of the
following techniques should the researcher employ to do the study?
1) The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique
2) A computed tomography (CT) scan
3) The functional magnetic resonance imaging technique (fMRI)
4) Any static imaging technique can be used for the study
3) The functional magnetic resonance imaging technique (fMRI)
Tom puts his hand on a warm stove burner and senses that the heat is coming from the stove. The
message of warmth travels from his hand to which lobe of the brain?
1) Occipital
2) Parietal
3) Temporal
4) Frontal
2) Parietal
Reasoning: The parietal lobes can be divided into two functional regions. One involves sensation
and perception and the other is concerned with integrating sensory input, primarily with the
visual system. The first function integrates sensory information to form a single perception
(cognition).
This type of stroke is due to a fatty tissue that has built up over years and then breaks free and then
becomes lodged in an artery in the brain.
1) Neoplasms
2) Hemorrhagic stroke
3) Aphasic stroke
4) Ischemic stroke
4) Ischemic stroke
Reasoning: The hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain suddenly breaks.
An ischemic stroke usually occurs when a build-up of fatty tissue occurs in blood vessels over a
period of years, and a piece of this tissue breaks off and gets lodged in the arteries of the brain.
Cognitive function can be altered by brain tumours that can occur in either the grey or white matter
of the brain. Another name for a brain tumour is a/n ___.
1) vascular disorder
2) neoplasm
3) ischemic stroke
4) apraxia
2) neoplasm
Reasoning: A neoplasm is a brain tumour that can affect cognitive functioning in various ways.
These techniques take advantage of the brain’s consumption of glucose or oxygen during cognitive processing and specifically examine which part or parts of the brain are most active during a processing task. The assumption is that active parts of the brain would require more resources than
inactive areas, and thus consume more glucose.
1) Event-related Potentials (ERP)
2) Metabolic Imaging
3) Computed Tomography (CT)
4) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
2) Metabolic Imaging
Reasoning: The correct answer is a Positron emission tomography (PET) which is a metabolic
imaging technique.
Ingestion of glucose containing a short-acting radioisotope; glucose transported by blood to brain
active neurons use more glucose (i.e. greater blood flow).
A patient in hospital stops breathing. A code blue is announced. Doctors and nurses rush to the
scene and soon determine that brain death has occurred. How did they know that the patient was
now brain dead?
1) They found that there was still no activity in the frontal lobe of the patient’s brain
2) The patient’s heart was no longer beating
3) They found that there was no activity in the patient’s brain stem
4) They found that the patient had stopped breathing
3) They found that there was no activity in the patient’s brain stem
Reasoning: Brain-death is defined as unresponsiveness and lack of receptivity, the absence of
movement and breathing, and most importantly - the absence of brain-stem reflexes.
