Question 1

The main point of the Donders' reaction time experiments was to
A) show that reaction times can be measured accurately.
B) measure the amount of time it takes to make a decision.
C) determine differences in the way people react to stimuli.
D) show that our cognitions are often based on unconscious inferences.

Accepted Answer

The main point of Donders' reaction time experiments was to measure the amount of time it takes to make a decision, specifically the time difference between a simple reaction (responding to a single stimulus) and a choice reaction (responding to one of several stimuli). The experiments were not primarily focused on measuring accuracy or determining differences between individuals, and they did not address the issue of unconscious inferences.

Question 2

Donders' reaction time experiment was performed using stimuli in which of the following sensory modalities?
A) Touch
B) Hearing
C) Smell
D) Vision

Accepted Answer

Donders' reaction time experiment was performed using visual stimuli. Participants were asked to respond to a light or other visual stimulus as quickly as possible, and the time it took them to respond was measured as their reaction time.

Question 3

Which of the following methods, often associated with structuralism, was used in the psychology laboratory established by Wilhelm Wundt?
A) Analytic introspection
B) Measuring reaction times
C) Conditioning
D) All of these were used in Wundt's laboratory

Accepted Answer

Analytic introspection was the primary method used in Wundt's laboratory to study the structure of conscious experience. While he also measured reaction times and studied conditioning, these methods were not specifically associated with structuralism.

Question 4

In Donders' experiment on decision making, when participants were asked to press a button upon presentation of a light, they were engaged in a
A) reaction time task.
B) simple reaction time task.
C) choice reaction time task.
D) presentation task.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In Donders' experiment on decision making, when...

Question 5

The branch of psychology concerned with the scientific study of the mind is called
A) cognitive psychology.
B) introspection.
C) behaviorism.
D) memory consolidation.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive psychology is the branch of psychology that focuses on the scientific study of mental processes such as perception, attention, language, memory, problem-solving, and reasoning. It involves investigating how people think, understand, and remember information, and how they acquire and use knowledge. This is distinct from behaviorism, which emphasizes observable behavior rather than mental processes, and memory consolidation, which is more specific to the processes involved in storing and retrieving memories. Introspection is a historical technique for studying the mind that is no longer widely used in modern psychology.

Question 6

Donders' main reason for doing his choice reaction time experiment was to study
A) perception.
B) attention.
C) decision making.
D) memory.

Accepted Answer

Donders' experiment aimed to study decision making. The experiment involved measuring the time between the presentation of a stimulus and the participant's motor response, indicating that he was interested in examining the cognitive processes involved in making a decision about which response option to choose.

Question 7

A common feature of both a reaction time experiment and an operant conditioning experiment is
A) the presentation of positive reinforcers.
B) the measurement of behavior.
C) the inference of mental processes.
D) all of these are common features

Accepted Answer

Both a reaction time experiment and an operant conditioning experiment require the measurement of behavior. In a reaction time experiment, the amount of time it takes for a participant to respond to a stimulus is measured. In an operant conditioning experiment, the frequency and strength of a behavior is measured. The presentation of positive reinforcers and the inference of mental processes may be present in both types of experiments, but they are not essential components.

Question 8

The example at the beginning of the book, in which Raphael talks to his friend on a cell phone on his way to class, was used to illustrate how
A) cognitive psychologists study problem solving in adults.
B) complex but seemingly effortless human cognition is.
C) human cognition is affected by emotional events.
D) both physiology and behavior is important to the study of cognition.

Accepted Answer

The example of Raphael talking on the phone while going to class is used to illustrate how complex but apparently effortless human cognition can be.

Question 9

Donders' measurement of reaction time is particularly important because it demonstrated the "time course" on which the mind operates.Donders found that it took ______ to decide which of two buttons to push in response to a stimulus.
A) 1/100 second
B) 1/10 second
C) a second
D) two seconds

Accepted Answer

Donders found that it took about 1/10 second to decide which of two buttons to push in response to a stimulus.

Question 10

The founder of the first laboratory of scientific psychology was
A) Franciscus Donders.
B) Hermann von Helmholtz.
C) Wilhelm Wundt.
D) Hermann Ebbinghaus.

Accepted Answer

Wilhelm Wundt is widely recognized as the founder of the first laboratory of scientific psychology. He established the laboratory at the University of Leipzig in Germany in 1879, and this marked the birth of psychology as a separate scientific discipline.

Question 11

By comparing reaction times across different tasks, Donders was able to conclude how long the mind needs to perform a certain cognitive task. Donders interpreted the difference in reaction time between the simple and choice conditions of his experiment as indicating how long it took to
A) perceive the stimulus.
B) process the stimulus.
C) attend to the stimulus.
D) make a decision about the stimulus.

Accepted Answer

Donders concluded that the difference in reaction times between the simple and choice conditions in his experiment reflected the time needed to make a decision about the stimulus, which is the process of selection among multiple responses. Therefore, the correct answer is (D) make a decision about the stimulus.

Question 12

Ebbinghaus' "memory" experiments were important because they
A) described complex decision-making.
B) plotted functions that described the operation of the mind.
C) were the first to combine basic elements of experience called sensations.
D) showed how positive reinforcers strengthen behavior.

Accepted Answer

Ebbinghaus' experiments plotted the forgetting curve, which described how memory decays over time. His experiments were important because they provided a quantitative measure of memory performance and helped establish the field of experimental psychology.

Question 13

Attention, perception, memory, and decision making are all different types of mental processes in which the mind engages.These are known as different types of
A) models.
B) cognition.
C) reaction times.
D) savings.

Accepted Answer

Attention, perception, memory, and decision making are all components of cognition, which refers to the mental processes involved in acquiring, processing, storing, and using information. Options A, C, and D are not accurate descriptions of these mental processes.

Question 14

The relationship between the _____ is NOT measured directly by cognitive psychologists.
A) physiological response and the behavioral outcome
B) cognitive task and the behavioral outcome
C) cognitive task and the physiological response
D) cognitive task and the mental response

Accepted Answer

Cognitive psychologists directly measure the relationship between cognitive tasks and behavioral outcomes, cognitive tasks and physiological responses, and physiological responses and behavioral outcomes. However, the relationship between a cognitive task and a mental response is more abstract and not directly measured; it involves understanding internal mental processes rather than observable measures.

Question 15

Which of the following stimuli were used in Ebbinghaus' "memory" experiment discussed in your text?
A) Common words
B) Light illuminated on the left or the right of a computer screen
C) Grey rectangles in front of light rectangles
D) Three-letter nonsense words

Accepted Answer

Ebbinghaus used three-letter nonsense words, also referred to as "nonsense syllables," in his memory experiment.

Question 16

The first experiments in cognitive psychology were based on the idea that mental responses can be
A) measured directly.
B) inferred from the participant's behavior.
C) measured by comparing the presentation of the stimulus and the participant's response.
D) measured by comparing responses among different participants.

Accepted Answer

The first experiments in cognitive psychology were often based on the idea that we cannot directly observe mental processes, but we can infer them from the participant's behavior. Therefore, the best choice is B, as mental responses are not measured directly, rather they are inferred from the participant's behavior.

Question 17

The procedure in which trained participants describe their experiences and thought processes in response to stimuli presented under controlled conditions is known as
A) information processing.
B) analytic introspection.
C) functional analysis.
D) behavioral analysis.

Accepted Answer

The procedure described, in which trained participants describe their experiences and thought processes in response to stimuli, is known as analytic introspection. Option A, information processing, refers to the way the mind processes information. Option C, functional analysis, is a broader term that refers to the study of the function and relationships between different elements within a system. Option D, behavioral analysis, is a more specific term that refers to the study of behavior, typically in a naturalistic setting.

Question 18

Reaction time refers to the time between the ________ of a stimulus and a person's response to it.
A) perception
B) mental awareness
C) disappearance
D) presentation

Accepted Answer

Reaction time is the time between the presentation of a stimulus and a person's response to it. The other options may be part of the process but are not specifically related to reaction time.

Question 19

According to Ebbinghaus' savings curve, savings is a function of
A) word familiarity.
B) sensory modality.
C) retention interval.
D) reaction time.

Accepted Answer

Ebbinghaus' savings curve shows that savings, or the amount of time saved relearning previously learned material, is a function of retention interval, or the amount of time that has passed since the material was originally learned. Word familiarity and sensory modality are not factors in the savings curve, and reaction time may be affected by learning but is not directly related to savings.

Question 20

In Donders' experiment on decision making, when participants were asked to press one button if the light on the left was illuminated and another button if the light on the right was illuminated, they were engaged in a
A) reaction time task.
B) simple reaction time task.
C) choice reaction time task.
D) presentation task.

Accepted Answer

Participants in Donders' experiment were given a choice of two responses based on which light was illuminated, indicating that they were engaged in a choice reaction time task. A simple reaction time task would only have one possible response, while a presentation task is not a recognized type of experimental task.

Quiz 1: Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

The main point of the Donders' reaction time experiments was to

Donders' reaction time experiment was performed using stimuli in which of the following sensory modalities?

Which of the following methods, often associated with structuralism, was used in the psychology laboratory established by Wilhelm Wundt?

In Donders' experiment on decision making, when participants were asked to press a button upon presentation of a light, they were engaged in a

The branch of psychology concerned with the scientific study of the mind is called

Donders' main reason for doing his choice reaction time experiment was to study

A common feature of both a reaction time experiment and an operant conditioning experiment is

The example at the beginning of the book, in which Raphael talks to his friend on a cell phone on his way to class, was used to illustrate how

Donders' measurement of reaction time is particularly important because it demonstrated the "time course" on which the mind operates.Donders found that it took ______ to decide which of two buttons to push in response to a stimulus.

The founder of the first laboratory of scientific psychology was

By comparing reaction times across different tasks, Donders was able to conclude how long the mind needs to perform a certain cognitive task. Donders interpreted the difference in reaction time between the simple and choice conditions of his experiment as indicating how long it took to

Ebbinghaus' "memory" experiments were important because they

Attention, perception, memory, and decision making are all different types of mental processes in which the mind engages.These are known as different types of

The relationship between the _____ is NOT measured directly by cognitive psychologists.

Which of the following stimuli were used in Ebbinghaus' "memory" experiment discussed in your text?

The first experiments in cognitive psychology were based on the idea that mental responses can be

The procedure in which trained participants describe their experiences and thought processes in response to stimuli presented under controlled conditions is known as

Reaction time refers to the time between the ________ of a stimulus and a person's response to it.

According to Ebbinghaus' savings curve, savings is a function of

In Donders' experiment on decision making, when participants were asked to press one button if the light on the left was illuminated and another button if the light on the right was illuminated, they were engaged in a