Practice exam questions

Question 1

Children tend to develop a(n) ______ frame of reference before a(n) _____ frame of reference.

a. Relative; absolute
b. Linguistic; relative
c. Absolute; relative
d. Absolute; linguistic

Answer 1

c

Question 2

Wiese (2007) argued that:

a. Human infants cannot understand serial order
b. Human infants and animals cannot understand dependent linking
c. Animals cannot understand cardinality
d. Human infants and animals cannot understand iconic mental representations

Answer 2

b

Question 3

Which of the following has/have been implicated in individual differences in the effects of ageing on navigational abilities?

a. Motion processing
b. Hippocampal processing
c. Executive functions
d. All of the above

Answer 3

d

Question 4

The strong version of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that language _____ thought.

a. Describes
b. Contains
c. Determines
d. Influences

Answer 4

c

Question 5

In Gracia-Bafalluy and Noël’s (2008) experiment, which group of participants showed the greatest improvement in numerical tasks?

a. Good finger gnosis; normal lessons
b. Poor finger gnosis; finger-differentiation programme
c. Good finger gnosis; finger-differentiation programme
d. Poor finger gnosis; normal lessons

Answer 5

b

Question 6

The best navigators are those who:

a. Can make the best use of local landmarks
b. Have a good sense of direction
c. Switch flexibly between different strategies
d. Are the best map-readers

Answer 6

c

Question 7

Gerstmann syndrome sufferers display which symptoms?

a. Agraphia, left-right disorientation, acalculia, finger agnosia
b. Dyslexia, left-right disorientation, dyscalculia, finger agnosia
c. Agraphia, left-right disorientation, acalculia, facial feature agnosia
d. Dyslexia, left-right disorientation, dyscalculia, facial feature agnosia

Answer 7

a

Question 8

Why is it problematic to use Einstein’s unusually high neuron density to explain his genius?

a. Einstein’s genius is known to have resulted from childhood experience
b. High neuron density could be the result of genius, not the cause
c. We cannot measure neuron density accurately
d. Neuron density decreases as intelligence increases

Answer 8

b

Question 9

Put the understanding of these properties of occluders in the correct developmental order.

a. Continuity of lower surface with supporting edge, opacity of occluder, occluder is taller/wider than occluded object
b. Occluder is taller/wider than occluded object, opacity of occluder, continuity of lower surface with supporting edge
c. Continuity of lower surface with supporting edge, occluder is taller/wider than occluded object, opacity of occluder
d. Occluder is taller/wider than occluded object, continuity of lower surface with supporting edge, opacity of occluder

Answer 9

c

Question 10

The Ishango Bone, one of the earliest records of number, has markings which have been interpreted as documentation of:

a. Hunting gains
b. Children born in a particular year
c. Ares where particular plants grow
d. The lunar cycle

Answer 10

d

Question 11

Studying dyscalculia can be problematic because:

a. Very few children have this problem
b. It is difficult to get parental consent for studies
c. It often co-occurs with depression
d. It is not well defined as a disorder

Answer 11

d

Question 12

Understanding of commutativity:

a. Is possible only for division
b. Appears by the age of four years
c. Allows reorganisation of mental representations of multiplication tables
d. Relies on an understanding of complementarity

Answer 12

c

Question 13

Children aged 3-4 years:

a. Often violate the one-to-one correspondence rule
b. Ignore pseudoerrors when seeing others count
c. Do not understand that number words indicate exact number
d. Can subitize, but not count

Answer 13

b

Question 14

Which of the following tasks has not been used to assess frame of reference?

a. Path direction
b. Spatial configuration
c. Spatial reasoning
d. Mapmaking

Answer 14

d

Question 15

According to embodied cognition theory, infants are unafraid of the glass cliff because:

a. Their mothers are encouraging them to move over it
b. They have seen other babies move over it
c. They don’t have much experience of moving themselves about
d. Their eyesight is poor

Answer 15

c

Question 16

Which type of processing is theorised to be involved in both dyslexia and dyscalculia?

a. Spatial
b. Executive
c. Affective
d. Phonological

Answer 16

d

Question 17

Which of the following is not a claim about embodied cognition?

a. Cognition is for action
b. Cognition is unavoidable
c. Cognition is time-pressured
d. Cognition is situated

Answer 17

b

Question 18

Which group of people outperformed the calculating prodigies Inaudi and Diamandi on mental calculation tests administered by Binet?

a. Chess prodigies
b. University students
c. Experienced cashiers
d. Musical prodigies

Answer 18

c

Question 19

According to Chinn (2008), why does having to answer maths questions quickly provoke anxiety among dyslexic students?

a. They are perceived as slow processors
b. They are perceived as non-verbal thinkers
c. They are perceived as error-prone
d. They are perceived as anxious under pressure

Answer 19

a

Question 20

Friedman and Janssen’s (2010) experiments provide evidence for which theory of the rapidity of the perceived passage of time?

a. Difficulty of recall
b. Ratio
c. Forward telescoping
d. Time pressure

Answer 20

d

Question 21

With reference to relevant research, discuss whether:

Cognition is embodied

Answer 21

Students should:
• Define embodiment
• Describe two or more pieces of evidence for/against embodiment (e.g. memory, reading)
• Briefly outline two or more claims about embodiment (e.g. cognition is situated, cognition is for action) and evaluate these arguments
• Conclude by stating whether they think cognition is embodied or not

Question 22

With reference to relevant research, discuss whether:

The brain has a generalised magnitude system to deal with number, time and space

Answer 22

Students should:
• Outline Walsh’s (2003) Theory of Magnitude
• Provide evidence for/against the theory
• Evaluate the evidence

Question 23

Put these developmental milestones in the understanding of number in the correct order.

a. One-to-one correspondence, cardinality, numerosity discrimination
b. Numerosity discrimination, one-to-one correspondence, cardinality
c. One-to-one correspondence, numerosity discrimination, cardinality
d. Numerosity discrimination, cardinality, one-to-one correspondence

Answer 23

b

Question 24

Infants are typically unsurprised by:

a. Surreptitious changes in object size
b. Objects appearing in already occupied space
c. Objects breaking apart as they move
d. All of the above

Answer 24

a

Question 25

Which of the following is not evidence for Walsh’s Theory of Magnitude? a. Activation of inferior parietal cortex during spatial and temporal tasks b. Priming effects between letters and numbers c. The spatial-numerical association of response codes (SNARC) effect d. Interference between temporal tasks and mental arithmetic

Answer 25

b

Question 26

Which of the following representations of number occurs first in human development? a. Roman numerals b. Number words c. Arabic numerals d. Finger counting

Answer 26

d

Question 27

Which of the following correlates with mathematical skills? a. Performance on a spelling test b. Attachment style c. Ease with which times tables are recited d. Proportion of answers to single-digit additions that are retrieved from memory

Answer 27

d

Question 28

Which of the following is not a dyscalculic behaviour? a. Finger-counting b. Low accuracy on single-digit subtraction tasks c. Poor performance on dot-counting tasks d. Retrieving calculation answers from memory

Answer 28

d

Question 29

Which of the following is an argument against cognitive work being offloaded onto the environment? a. Human cognition falls apart under time pressure b. Our evolutionary history is of gathering more than of hunter-gathering c. The mind can be understood as a system on its own d. None of the above

Answer 29

d

Question 30

What is the single significant factor in high performance at musical composition, swimming, and chess? a. Genetics b. Schooling c. Parental encouragement d. Deliberate practice

Answer 30

d

Question 31

Arithmetical facts: a. Are retrieved from memory b. Are affected by rote learning c. Are known even by infants d. None of the above

Answer 31

a

Question 32

The tendency to recall easily the last item in a list is called: a. The primacy effect b. The echoic effect c. The recency effect d. The short-term memory effect

Answer 32

c

Question 33

Which of the following brain areas show(s) greater differentiation in response to novel and familiar places in good navigators than in bad navigators? a. Piriform cortex b. Parahippocampal cortex c. Prefrontal cortex d. All of the above

Answer 33

b

Question 34

“The fountain is in front of the statue” is an example of a statement made using what type of frame of reference? a. Absolute b. Intrinsic c. Relative d. None of the above

Answer 34

b

Question 35

Twin studies can be used to understand: a. Specific genetic disorders b. The roles of genes and environment in behaviour c. Sibling relationships d. The role of gender in behaviour

Answer 35

b

Question 36

Which of the following errors is more commonly seen in dyslexic than in non-dyslexic students attempting maths problems? a. No response b. Incorrect response c. Incorrect application of theory d. Wrong number written down in working

Answer 36

a

Question 37

The forward telescoping theory of rapid time perception states that: a. Time passes ever more quickly with age b. Private events are more important than public events for tracking the passage of time c. People underestimate how long ago events occurred d. Durations in which few events occur seem to pass quickly

Answer 37

c

Question 38

Which of the following did Friedman and Janssen (2010) identify as possible confounding factors in their study of time perception? a. Small sample size; experimental manipulation didn’t work b. Experimental manipulation didn’t work; only tested in Western cultures c. Only tested in Western cultures; possible cohort effect d. Possible cohort effect; small sample size

Answer 38

c

Question 39

Men tend to rely on _____ while navigating, while women tend to rely on _____. a. Metric distances; environmental geometry b. Environmental geometry; metric distances c. Local landmarks; cardinal directions d. Cardinal directions; local landmarks

Answer 39

d

Question 40

The widespread historical use of numerosity in apparently unrelated cultures is evidence for: a. The necessity of culture for learning numerosity b. Understanding of number in non-human animals c. The existence of a number module in the human brain d. The widespread use of money systems

Answer 40

c

Question 41

Gelman and Butterworth (2005) argue that it is possible for humans to reach a full understanding of number without being able to count because of studies with: a. Preverbal infants b. Macaque monkeys c. Patients with acalculia d. The Pirahã people

Answer 41

d

Question 42

According to embodied cognition theory, depression is associated with lethargy because: a. Of a lack of muscle tone b. Feeling hopeless is a simulation of physical incapacity c. Hopelessness is purely mental d. Children with low energy are often depressed and make a link between the two states

Answer 42

b

Question 43

With reference to relevant research, discuss: | Dyscalculia is a domain-general or a domain-specific disorder

Answer 43

Students should: • Describe dyscalculia (and that it is difficult to define) • Describe one or more domain-general theories (e.g. memory problems, literacy problems, spatial cognition problems) o Provide evidence for and against the theory/theories • Describe the domain-specific theory (defective number module) o Provide evidence for and against the theory • Conclude by choosing which theory is more likely based on the evidence

Question 44

With reference to relevant research, discuss: Language influences cognition

Answer 44

• Describe the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in its strong and weak forms • Using numerical cognition or spatial cognition (higher marks for both): o Provide evidence for/against the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis o Evaluate this evidence • Conclude by stating whether they think the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is correct (higher marks for valid choice of strong/weak form)