ASPPB Cognitive Psychology 5

Question 1

The 'misinformation effect,' as studied by Elizabeth Loftus, demonstrates that:

Accepted Answer

Post-event information can alter the content of original memories

Answer

The misinformation effect shows that exposure to misleading post-event information can distort or replace details of the original memory.

Question 2

Which finding from cognitive neuroscience most directly supports the distinction between implicit and explicit memory?

Accepted Answer

Patients with hippocampal damage can learn new motor skills but cannot recall learning them

Answer

H.M. and similar patients with hippocampal damage demonstrate preserved procedural (implicit) learning despite profound inability to form new explicit memories, confirming the distinction.

Question 3

In problem-solving research, 'functional fixedness' refers to the tendency to:

Accepted Answer

Perceive objects only in terms of their conventional functions

Answer

Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias in which people can only conceive of objects being used in their typical, conventional ways, limiting creative problem-solving.

Question 4

The 'representativeness heuristic' can lead to the 'base rate neglect' error because people:

Accepted Answer

Judge probability by similarity to a prototype while ignoring prior probabilities

Answer

When using the representativeness heuristic, people judge how likely something is by how closely it resembles a prototype, often ignoring relevant statistical base rates.

Question 5

Which theory of attention proposes that unattended messages are not filtered out but are attenuated (reduced in strength)?

Accepted Answer

Treisman's attenuation model

Answer

Treisman's attenuation model proposes that the unattended channel is not completely blocked but is weakened, allowing high-priority stimuli (e.g., one's own name) to still break through.

(ASPPB) Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards Practice Test

(ASPPB) Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards Practice Test

ASPPB Cognitive Psychology 5