CUA Cognitive Psychology & Mental Models Flashcards

What psychological concept describes a user's internal representation of how a system works based on prior experience?

Answer: Mental model

A mental model is the user's internal representation of how a system works, shaped by prior knowledge and experience.

Miller's Law ('7 plus or minus 2') refers to which cognitive concept relevant to UX design?

Answer: Working memory capacity

Miller's Law states that humans can hold approximately 7 (±2) items in working memory at one time, guiding how much to present at once.

Which term describes the total mental effort required to process information and complete a task in an interface?

Answer: Cognitive load

Cognitive load is the amount of mental effort used in working memory, and reducing it is a core goal of usable interface design.

When a user makes errors because they expect a new system to behave like a familiar one, this is known as:

Answer: Negative transfer

Negative transfer occurs when prior learning about one system interferes with learning a new system that works differently.

Which Gestalt principle explains why users perceive interface elements placed close together as belonging to the same group?

Answer: Proximity

The Gestalt principle of proximity states that objects positioned near each other are perceived as related or grouped together.

In UX design, 'chunking' is applied to interface content primarily to:

Answer: Break content into manageable groups to reduce cognitive load

Chunking organizes information into meaningful groups so users can process content within working memory limits more effectively.