Question 1

Brandon is not doing well in his psychology class.Based on what you know about improving retention and learning,what advice would you give him?

Accepted Answer

Test-taking and rehearsal are two of the most effective ways to retain information. Option A suggests cramming, which can lead to stress and poor retention. Option B suggests memorizing without understanding, which is also not effective. Option C suggests procrastination, which can lead to rushed work and poor performance.

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT an aspect of critical thinking?

Accepted Answer

Critical thinking requires actively questioning and examining conclusions, rather than automatically accepting them. Therefore, immediately accepting conclusions is not an aspect of critical thinking.

Question 3

James has been told by his mother that if he cracks his knuckles,he will develop arthritis as an adult.James decides to try to look up the information to determine if this statement is true.He is engaged in

Accepted Answer

James is engaging in critical thinking by questioning a claim and seeking evidence to determine its validity.

Question 4

The critical thinking needed to improve your performance as a student is defined as

Accepted Answer

Critical thinking is the process of analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information to make informed decisions. It involves questioning assumptions, challenging beliefs, and considering alternative perspectives. Critical thinking does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions but instead examines them to determine their validity and accuracy. This approach helps students to improve their performance by enabling them to think more critically about the information they encounter, assess its relevance and credibility, and make better decisions based on that information.

Question 5

Terrance always takes notes by hand during class rather than on his laptop,as most of his classmates do.He has found that he often scores higher on class exams than classmates who use their device for note taking.One potential reason for his higher grades is that

Accepted Answer

Taking notes by hand requires active processing of information, as it requires the student to listen, organize, and summarize the information in a way that is efficient and meaningful. This process helps to encode the information in the student's memory, leading to better retention and recall during exams. Using a laptop for note-taking, on the other hand, often leads to verbatim transcription without much processing, resulting in shallower encoding of the material.

Question 6

To remember important ideas presented in class lectures,you would be best advised to

Accepted Answer

Writing down important ideas helps to reinforce retention and comprehension of the material. Taking deep breaths and monitoring heart rate may be helpful for managing anxiety, but they are not directly related to remembering class lectures. Massed practice (cramming) is generally less effective than distributed practice for long-term retention of information.

Quiz 1: Thinking Critically With Psychological Science