Practice Questions
When visiting a new restaurant, Daniel already expects that a host will seat him, a server will take his order, and he will pay at the end of the meal. This mental framework helps him understand what is likely to happen in this situation.
What is this mental framework called?
A. Prototype
B. Schema
C. Algorithm
D. Heuristic
What is B. Schema?
What is the word for "thinking about one's own thinking processes?"
What is Metacognition?
Gambler's Fallacy or Sunk-Cost Fallacy?
A student is flipping a fair coin for a class experiment. After it lands on tails six times in a row, she becomes convinced that the next flip is “due” to be heads.
What is Gambler's Fallacy?
What is how information is presented influences decisions and perceptions?
What is Framing?
A school district creates a new reading comprehension test. To evaluate it, researchers check whether the questions truly measure students’ understanding of written passages rather than unrelated skills like vocabulary or general intelligence. They want to know how accurately the test measures what it is supposed to measure.
What are the researchers assessing?
A. Reliability
B. Validity
C. Standardization
D. Normal distribution
What is B. Validity?
Marissa has spent three weeks building a model rocket for her engineering class. Two days before the project is due, she realizes the rocket design is flawed and will likely fail during the demonstration. Although she could start over with a much simpler design that would work reliably, she decides to keep working on the flawed rocket because she is “already too deep in.” Marissa’s decision best illustrates which concept?
A. Gambler's Fallacy
B. Functional Fixedness
C. Sunk-cost fallacy
D. Availability heuristic
What is C. Sunk-cost fallacy?
What is a thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions?
What is Divergent Thinking?
Growth Mindset or Fixed Mindset?
After receiving a low grade on her first math test, Elena tells herself that she can improve if she practices more and tries different study strategies. She views the setback as an opportunity to develop her skills rather than a sign that she “just isn’t good at math.”
What is Growth Mindset?
What is a cognitive process that focuses on finding a single, correct solution to a problem by applying logical steps?
What is Convergent Thinking?
A researcher wants to determine how consistently a new personality test measures introversion. She divides the test into two equal parts—odd-numbered questions and even-numbered questions—and compares the participants’ scores on each part. If the two sets of scores are highly similar, the test demonstrates strong:
A. Test–retest reliability
B. Split-half reliability
C. Inter-rater reliability
D. Predictive validity
What is B. Split-half reliability?
While wrapping a birthday gift, Leo realizes he has run out of tape. Even though there are paper clips, rubber bands, and glue right next to him on the desk, he doesn’t consider using any of them to hold the wrapping paper together because he only thinks of tape as the tool for that job.
Which cognitive bias best explains Leo’s difficulty finding an alternative solution?
A. Mental set
B. Functional fixedness
C. Divergent thinking
D. Representativeness heuristic
What is B. Functional fixedness?
What is a mental image or best example of a category that aids in recognizing and categorizing objects or concepts?
What is prototypes?
Achievement Test or Aptitude Test?
A high school student takes the state’s end-of-course exam in biology to measure how much content she has learned throughout the year. The test assesses her knowledge of concepts like cell structure, genetics, and evolution.
What is Achievement Test?
What is the cognitive process of fitting new information into existing schemas?
What is Assimilation?
Which type of intelligence test predicts a person's potential for future learning?
A. Achievement test
B. Aptitude test
C. Intelligence quotient test
D. Personality inventory
What is B. Aptitude test?
A researcher creates a new test designed to measure optimism. To ensure the test actually measures optimism—and not related traits like general happiness or self-esteem—she checks whether the test truly reflects the psychological concept it is intended to measure.
What is the researcher evaluating?
A. Predictive validity
B. Construct validity
C. Split-half reliability
D. Test–retest reliability
What is B. Construct validity?
What is the word for a cognitive shortcut wherein individuals make judgments about the probability of an event under uncertainty based on how much it resembles existing stereotypes or typical cases?
What is Representativeness Heuristic?
Priming or framing?
Before taking a memory test, participants briefly see the word “yellow” flashed on a screen. Later, when asked to name a fruit as quickly as possible, they respond “banana” faster than other fruits.
What psychological process does this demonstrate?
What is priming?
What is the term for a mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to a person's mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method, or decision?
What is Availability Heuristic?
When solving a puzzle, Elena tries every possible combination of pieces in a systematic, step-by-step order until she finds the one correct arrangement. This method guarantees she will eventually reach the correct solution, even though it takes time.
Which problem-solving strategy is Elena using?
A. Heuristic
B. Insight
C. Algorithm
D. Mental set
What is C. Algorithm
After seeing a dolphin for the first time, a child calls it a “fish” because it swims in the ocean and looks similar to animals already in her mental category for fish. She fits this new information into her existing schema without changing it.
Which cognitive process is she demonstrating?
A. Assimilation
B. Habituation
C. Accommodation
D. Conservation
What is A. Assimilation?
What is a tendency to approach situations in a certain way because that method worked in the past, which can sometimes prevent seeing alternative solutions?
What is Mental Set?
Accommodation or Assimilation?
A toddler calls every four-legged animal a “dog.” One day, she sees a cow for the first time and says “dog,” but her parent explains that it’s a different kind of animal. After this, the child changes her mental categories and creates a new schema for cows.
What is Accomodation?
What is cognitive process that allow individuals to generate, organize, plan, and carry out goal-directed behaviors and experience critical thinking.
What is Executive Functions?
While shopping for running shoes, Maya doesn’t compare features or prices across all the brands available. Instead, she immediately chooses Nike because it’s the first brand that pops into her mind when she thinks of athletic gear.
Which thinking strategy is Maya using?
A. Algorithm
B. Heuristic
C. Confirmation bias
D. Mental set
What is B. Heuristic?