AP Psychology : Cognition and Consciousness

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Psychology

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #5 : Conscious Thought And Problem Solving

Is it possible for unconscious thought to be superior to conscious thought in solving problems?

Possible Answers:

Yes

It is impossible to solve problems using unconscious thought, since unconscious thought only happens when we sleep

It is impossible to solve problems using unconscious thought, since we have no access to it

Never, though unconscious thought can be valuable in other contexts

Correct answer:

Yes

Explanation:

Our unconscious mind is used for many different tasks and is much more powerful than we often suspect. Incubation, for instance, is a stage of creativity during which we allow our unconscious mind work on the task for us while we ignore it. Later on, the problem or inspiration will come to us from our subconscious, creating the classic "Aha!" moment. 

Example Question #6 : Conscious Thought And Problem Solving

A patient is told to respond to her psychologist’s verbal prompts with the first word that comes to her mind. Her psychologist is using which technique?

Possible Answers:

The Strange Situation Test

Free association

Mind wandering

Reality principle

OCEAN

Correct answer:

Free association

Explanation:

Developed by Freud, free association is a technique used in psychoanalysis as a path to the unconscious mind. When prompted, individuals are instructed to say whatever comes to their mind first. By blurting out uncensored words and phrases, Freud hoped to logically discover an individual's unconscious thoughts, fears, and conflicts.

Example Question #101 : Cognition

What is precognition?

Possible Answers:

Predicting future events

Thinking about the process of thinking

The processes that occur before thinking

The processes that occur during thinking

The processes that occur after thinking

Correct answer:

Predicting future events

Explanation:

Precognition is a term that depicts the correct prediction of future events. For example, if a child predicts that a certain team will win her soccer league and that prediction occurs, then the child has exhibited precognition of this event. 

Example Question #1112 : Ap Psychology

Which of the following is an example of a recall test?

Possible Answers:

Fill-in-the-blank

Multiple-choice

Open-book essay

Take-home test

Matching

Correct answer:

Fill-in-the-blank

Explanation:

A fill-in-the-blank test is the only type of test listed that purely relies on a student's ability to retrieve learned information with no context clues (e.g. multiple choices or use of notes). 

Example Question #4 : Conscious Thought And Problem Solving

Suppose Anne has fallen off the stairs and suffered a head injury. As a result, she cannot remember certain events before her injury. What is the best term to describe her amnesia?

Possible Answers:

Source Amnesia

Childhood Amnesia

Anterograde Amnesia

Retrograde Amnesia

Global Amnesia

Correct answer:

Retrograde Amnesia

Explanation:

The correct answer is: Retrograde Amnesia, which describes a memory-loss associated with a specific traumatic event. The memory lost precedes the accident. Anne cannot recall certain events that occurred before her accident.

Anterograde Amnesia refers to the inability to form new memories after a traumatic event.

The other answer choices are irrelevant.

 

Example Question #102 : Cognition

Which of the following is an example of availability heuristic?

Possible Answers:

Someone is more afraid of bees than sharks because they know bees cause more deaths annually

Someone is more afraid of sharks than bees because they see more deaths caused by sharks on the news than bee deaths (even though bees cause more deaths)

Someone goes to a therapist who encourages them to look at pictures and watch videos of sharks to get over their phobia of sharks

Someone who already fears sharks a lot looks for evidence that confirms that fear

Someone decides whether to be more afraid of bees or sharks by creating an algorithim 

Correct answer:

Someone is more afraid of sharks than bees because they see more deaths caused by sharks on the news than bee deaths (even though bees cause more deaths)

Explanation:

Availability heuristic is the tendency to assume that events remembered more easily (shark deaths on the news) actually occur more frequently.

"Someone is more afraid of bees than sharks because they know bees cause more deaths annually" is the opposite of availability heuristic since the person is relying on actual probability rather than perceived probability based on vividness of memory. "Someone decides whether to be more afraid of bees or sharks by creating an algorithim" is also incorrect because an algorithim (a rule based on a formula) is the opposite of a heuristic (an unscientific rule of thumb). "Someone who already fears sharks a lot looks for evidence that confirms that fear" is an example of confirmation bias and "someone goes to a therapist who encourages them to look at pictures and watch videos of sharks to get over their phobia of sharks" is an example of exposure therapy. 

Example Question #1121 : Ap Psychology

The perceived difference between saying something has a 70% success rate and a 30% failure rate is a result of which cognitive bias?

Possible Answers:

The sunk cost fallacy

The functional fixedness

The framing effect

The representativeness heuristic

The availability heuristic

Correct answer:

The framing effect

Explanation:

The difference between the positive perception of a 70% success rate and the more negative perception of a 30% failure rate is an example of the framing effect-- the way a situation is presented affects our perception of it. Sunk cost fallacy describes our tendency to move forward in an undesirable investment because of past costs, availability heuristic is the tendency to think that events that are easier to remember happen more frequently, representativeness heuristic is making a probability judgment by comparing something to the perceived prototype (instead of using probability), and functional fixedness is the inability to see the possible functions of an object beyond its usual function.

Example Question #111 : Cognition

Which of the following is true about the relationship between heuristics and algorithims?

Possible Answers:

Heuristics are always better to use than algorithims because they are more accurate

Heuristics and algorithims can both be helpful—it depends on the situation

Algorithims are always better to use than heuristics because they are faster

Heuristics are always better to use than algorithims because they are faster

Algorithims are always better to use than heuristics because they are more accurate

Correct answer:

Heuristics and algorithims can both be helpful—it depends on the situation

Explanation:

When learning about the cognitive errors associated with heuristics (unscientific rules of thumb), it is easy to start to assume that heuristics are always wrong or are useless in some way. However, small life decisions, such as which route to take to work when there is a little extra traffic, would take way too long if algorithims (rules based on formulas) were used for everything. Therefore, heuristics tend to be faster and algorithims more accurate, but the situation determines which is going to be best to use. 

Example Question #112 : Cognition

Choose the answer which correctly fills in the blanks.

________ thinking is directed toward finding one solution, whereas ________ thinking looks for multiple solutions and is more often associated with creativity.

Possible Answers:

convalescent; distributive

exclusive; associative

convergent; divergent

None of the other answers

inductive; deductive

Correct answer:

convergent; divergent

Explanation:

Convergent thinking looks at obtaining one solution to a problem. Divergent thinking is more often associated with creativity and creative thinking because it seeks to find several different solutions to the same problem.

Example Question #1123 : Ap Psychology

Which of the following best describes a heuristic?

Possible Answers:

A "rule-of-thumb" used for problem solving and making judgments that may not always yield a correct solution

While trying to solve a problem, a sudden realization that leads to the answer

The prime representation of a certain category

None of the other answers

A logical procedure that guarantees a correct solution to a problem

Correct answer:

A "rule-of-thumb" used for problem solving and making judgments that may not always yield a correct solution

Explanation:

A heuristic does not guarantee a correct answer, but it typically leads to one. It is like a "rule-of-thumb" that is helpful in solving a problem, but may not provide the correct result. The two main kinds of heuristics are Availability Heuristics (basing one's assessment on prior comparable experiences, rather than judging that situation individually) and Representativeness Heuristics (basing one's assessment on common knowledge, stereotypes, or prototypes).

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors