Question 1

Infant humans tend to pass the mark and mirror test by the age of _____, while many chimpanzees pass it by the age of   _____.
A) 3 years; 4 years
B) 24 months; 28 months
C) 12 months; 24 months
D) 6 months; 4 years

Accepted Answer

Infant humans typically pass the mirror test by around 24 months (2 years) of age, indicating they recognize themselves in a mirror. Many chimpanzees pass this test by approximately 28 months of age, showing a similar level of self-recognition.

Question 2

Which of the following species has NOT shown evidence of passing the mark and mirror test for self-awareness?
A) Chimpanzees
B) Cats
C) Dolphins
D) Elephants

Accepted Answer

Cats have not shown consistent evidence of passing the mirror test, which is a test for self-awareness. Chimpanzees, dolphins, and elephants have shown behaviors suggesting they recognize themselves in mirrors.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of tool use?
A) An otter uses a rock to crack open crab shells.
B) A chimpanzee uses a twig to pull termites out of a nest.
C) A child uses a Frisbee to cover his head when it is raining.
D) All of these are correct.

Accepted Answer

Each example provided demonstrates an instance of tool use across different species, including humans, showcasing the ability to use objects in the environment to achieve a goal or solve a problem.

Question 4

Which of the following processes explains the acquisition of tool use among chimpanzees?
A) Observational learning
B) Classical conditioning
C) Overshadowing
D) Generalization

Accepted Answer

Observational learning is the process through which chimpanzees acquire tool use by watching and imitating the actions of other chimpanzees.

Question 5

You tell a 3-year-old girl the following story: "Ellen hides her jewelry in an ice-cream container in the freezer so that if burglars break into the house, they will not find these very special pieces." If you ask the 3-year-old girl where a burglar would look for the jewelry, what would she typically say?
A) In the freezer
B) In the jewelry box
C) In the safe
D) In the garbage with the ice cream

Accepted Answer

At the age of 3, children's theory of mind is still developing, meaning they might not yet understand that others can have beliefs or knowledge different from their own. Therefore, after hearing the story, a 3-year-old is likely to say the burglar would look in the freezer for the jewelry because that's where they were told it was hidden, not considering that the burglar wouldn't have this information.

Question 6

Alex, a school student, cannot find his classroom. He stops a student in the hallway to ask for directions. Since Alex asked someone else for information that he did not have, we can infer that Alex has  _____.
A) experimental neurosis
B) reference
C) social neurosis
D) a theory of mind

Accepted Answer

Alex's action of asking someone else for information he did not have implies he understands that other people have information he does not, which is an indication of having a theory of mind. A theory of mind is the ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, emotions, knowledge, etc.—to oneself and to others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions that are different from one's own.

Question 7

Which task is used to assess whether a subject is self-aware?
A) Discrimination learning
B) The mark and mirror task
C) The Monty Hall dilemma
D) Transitive inference generalization

Accepted Answer

The mark and mirror task is used to assess self-awareness by determining whether an individual can recognize itself in a mirror. This involves marking the subject in a way that is visible only through a mirror and observing if the subject investigates the mark on its own body, indicating self-recognition.

Question 8

Which of the following species has shown exceptional skill in multistep processes that involve harvesting of two different types of plants at different points in time?
A) Octopuses
B) Crows
C) Otters
D) Chimpanzees

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following species has shown...

Question 9

Which of the following reactions would typically be expected of a 24-month-old human infant who is taking part in the mark and mirror task?
A) Reacting with fear or aggression to the mirror image
B) No reaction to the mirror image
C) Pointing to the mirror image and saying "baby"
D) Touching the mark on its face

Accepted Answer

At 24 months, children typically show self-recognition by touching a mark on their face when they see it in a mirror, indicating they understand the reflection is of themselves.

Question 10

Which of the following reactions is expected of a 24-month-old chimpanzee who demonstrates a lack of self-recognition while taking part in the mark and mirror task?
A) Exploring himself in the mirror
B) Reacting with fear or aggression to the mirror image
C) Pointing to the mirror image
D) No reaction to the mirror image

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following reactions is expected...

Question 11

In MacLean, Merritt, and Brannon's research experiment on lemurs, subjects were given a reinforcer provided they chose the higher ranking item in a pair. Given that A>B, B>C, C>D, D>E, and E>F, then how did a ring-tailed lemur (a social animal) respond when asked to choose between B and F?
A) It chose B.
B) It chose F.
C) It was unable to choose between B and F.
D) It displayed symptoms of experimental neurosis.

Accepted Answer

Given the hierarchy A>B>C>D>E>F, the lemur would choose B over F because it has learned to select the higher ranking item from pairs it was presented with.

Question 12

When making choices in the Monty Hall dilemma, humans tend to use _____ probability, whereas pigeons utilize _____ probability.
A) standard; empirical
B) classical; empirical
C) empirical; classical
D) empirical; standard

Accepted Answer

Humans tend to use classical probability based on logical reasoning or theoretical calculation, while pigeons, lacking the ability to engage in such abstract reasoning, rely on empirical probability based on observed outcomes from their environment.

Question 13

In order to determine whether animals understand categories, which of the following conditioning procedures would be used?
A) Discrimination training
B) Shaping and reinforcement
C) Heterogeneous chaining
D) Aversive conditioning

Accepted Answer

Discrimination training is used to determine if animals can understand categories by teaching them to respond differently to different stimuli, indicating they can distinguish between categories.

Question 14

Jessica is worried that Brian thinks she has no sense of humor. Jessica's concern about Brian's opinion reflects the fact that Jessica has  _____.
A) a theory of mind
B) social neurosis
C) experimental neurosis
D) reference

Accepted Answer

Jessica's concern about Brian's opinion demonstrates a theory of mind, which is the ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, emotions, knowledge, etc.—to oneself and to others, and to understand that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions that are different from one's own.

Question 15

_____ is the tendency to attribute mental states to other individuals.
A) Transitive inference
B) Experimental neurosis
C) Social neurosis
D) Theory of mind

Accepted Answer

Theory of mind is the cognitive ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, emotions, knowledge, etc.—to oneself and to others. This is essential for understanding that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions that are different from one's own.

Question 16

According to Herbranson & Schroeder, on which of the following tasks do pigeons outperform humans?
A) Directed forgetting
B) The Monty Hall dilemma
C) A delayed matching-to-sample task
D) A false belief task

Accepted Answer

Pigeons outperform humans on the Monty Hall dilemma because they are more likely to switch their choice after a non-winning option is revealed, which statistically increases their chances of winning. Humans, on the other hand, often stick with their initial choice due to various psychological biases.

Question 17

It was predicted that ring-tailed lemurs would perform well on a transitive inference task because they:
A) live in small unstructured groups.
B) are less social than mongoose lemurs.
C) lack the vocal apparatus required to produce comprehensible speech.
D) are very social and live in large groups with a rigid social hierarchy.

Accepted Answer

Ring-tailed lemurs are known for their social structure, living in large groups with a clear hierarchy. This social complexity is thought to necessitate and facilitate cognitive abilities such as transitive inference, which allows individuals to understand and navigate their social relationships and hierarchies.

Question 18

In a training procedure, a ring-tailed lemur (a social animal) is given a reinforcer if it chooses the higher ranking item in a pair. If A>B and B>C and C>D, then how would the lemur respond if asked to choose between A and D?
A) It would choose A.
B) It would choose D.
C) It would not be able to choose between A and D.
D) It would show symptoms of experimental neurosis.

Accepted Answer

Given the hierarchy A>B, B>C, and C>D, the lemur has learned to choose the higher-ranking item. Therefore, when presented with A and D, the lemur would choose A, as it is the highest-ranking item in the given hierarchy.

Question 19

If you know that it would be a bad idea to insult your supervisor and an even worse idea to insult your supervisor's supervisor, which of the following concepts do you understand?
A) Generalization
B) Transitive inference
C) Categorical learning
D) Rank induction

Accepted Answer

Transitive inference is the correct concept here because it involves understanding the relationship between two objects based on their relationship to a third object. In this case, understanding the hierarchy of supervisors and inferring the consequences of actions based on their positions.

Question 20

Which of the following cognitive skills is required in order to intentionally deceive others?
A) Tool use
B) Sustained attention
C) Delay of gratification
D) Theory of mind

Accepted Answer

Theory of mind is the cognitive skill required to understand that others have beliefs, desires, intentions, and perspectives that are different from one's own. This understanding is crucial for intentionally deceiving others, as it involves manipulating what others believe to be true.

Quiz 13: Comparative Cognition

Infant humans tend to pass the mark and mirror test by the age of _, while many chimpanzees pass it by the age of _.

Which of the following species has NOT shown evidence of passing the mark and mirror test for self-awareness?

Which of the following is an example of tool use?

Which of the following processes explains the acquisition of tool use among chimpanzees?

Alex, a school student, cannot find his classroom. He stops a student in the hallway to ask for directions. Since Alex asked someone else for information that he did not have, we can infer that Alex has _____.

Which task is used to assess whether a subject is self-aware?

Which of the following species has shown exceptional skill in multistep processes that involve harvesting of two different types of plants at different points in time?

Which of the following reactions would typically be expected of a 24-month-old human infant who is taking part in the mark and mirror task?

Which of the following reactions is expected of a 24-month-old chimpanzee who demonstrates a lack of self-recognition while taking part in the mark and mirror task?

In MacLean, Merritt, and Brannon's research experiment on lemurs, subjects were given a reinforcer provided they chose the higher ranking item in a pair. Given that A>B, B>C, C>D, D>E, and E>F, then how did a ring-tailed lemur (a social animal) respond when asked to choose between B and F?

When making choices in the Monty Hall dilemma, humans tend to use _ probability, whereas pigeons utilize _ probability.

In order to determine whether animals understand categories, which of the following conditioning procedures would be used?

Jessica is worried that Brian thinks she has no sense of humor. Jessica's concern about Brian's opinion reflects the fact that Jessica has _____.

_____ is the tendency to attribute mental states to other individuals.

According to Herbranson & Schroeder, on which of the following tasks do pigeons outperform humans?

It was predicted that ring-tailed lemurs would perform well on a transitive inference task because they:

In a training procedure, a ring-tailed lemur (a social animal) is given a reinforcer if it chooses the higher ranking item in a pair. If A>B and B>C and C>D, then how would the lemur respond if asked to choose between A and D?

If you know that it would be a bad idea to insult your supervisor and an even worse idea to insult your supervisor's supervisor, which of the following concepts do you understand?

Which of the following cognitive skills is required in order to intentionally deceive others?