AP Psychology MC Cognition

A prototype is best defined as

(A) an example of bottom-up processing

(B) the equivalent of feature abstraction

(C) the hypothetical "most typical" instance of a category

(D) an essential element of category membership

C

An individual’s ability to focus on a particular conversation in a noisy and crowded room is called

(A) auditory localization

(B) dichotic listening

(C) divided attention

(D) selective attention

D

Kaori is traveling on an airplane for the first time. As the plane takes off, she watches the automobiles driving on

the freeway below. Even though the automobiles seem to get smaller as the airplane gains altitude, Kaori does not

perceive the cars as shrinking but still perceives them to be their normal size. Which perceptual principle best

describes this phenomenon?

(A) Constancy

(B) Absolute threshold

(C) Contrast

(D) Illusion

A

Ana is instructed by her doctor to wear a patch over one eye while an infection heals. While wearing the patch, Ana

will lose her ability to use which of the following depth perception cues?

(A) Relative size

(B) Interposition

(C) Linear perspective

(D) Retinal disparity

D

Alice is shopping with her daughter when she hears the word “mom.” Alice answers, only to realize that the sales

clerk said “ma’am” to a customer. This inaccurate perception can be attributed to

(A) perceptual set

(B) the Law of Effect

(C) Weber’s law

(D) sound localization

A

Ana injured her eye in an accident and has to wear a patch over the eye while it heals. Which of the following cues

would she best be able to use to make judgments about the distance objects are from her?

(A) Convergence

(B) Binocular disparity

(C) Linear perspective

(D) Closure

C

While attending a concert, Anthony finds that he can clearly recognize the melody coming from the lead violin

above all the other instruments playing in the orchestra, even though the other instruments may be louder. Gestalt

psychologists would explain Anthony’s ability using the principle of

(A) figure-ground

(B) simplicity

(C) constancy

(D) proximity

A

Climbing an irregular set of stairs is more difficult for an individual who wears a patch over one eye primarily

because

(A) some depth perception is lost

(B) half of the visual field is missing

(C) the ability to perceive interposition is lost

(D) the patch disrupts the functioning of the vestibular system

A

Researchers were interested in whether there is a correlation between binocular cues and depth perception. Which of

the following would be an operational definition of depth perception?

(A) How far someone can see objects clearly

(B) Whether people can tell how far away something is

(C) How far away a research assistant stands from the participant

(D) How many times a person accurately judges the distance of an object

D

Convergence is a binocular depth cue that is based on which of the following?

(A) Change in the size of the pupil

(B) Muscular tension that leads to the lens changing shape

(C) Muscular tension that occurs when the eyes turn inward

(D) Fact that there are more rods on the periphery of the retina

C

When Astrid wears a bright red dress on New Year’s Day, her friends believe she is trying to stand out from the crowd

and get attention. However, in Astrid’s culture, the color red symbolizes good luck and happiness.

Which of the following factors best explains these differing interpretations?

(A) How cultural norms influence perceptions

(B) How sunk-cost fallacies can lead to negative outcomes

(C) How informational social norms influence behavior

(D) How groupthink influences perceptions

A

The ability to see a cube in the diagram above is best explained by which of the following?

(A) Gestalt principles of closure

(B) The inverted and reversed image that a visual stimulus produces on the retina

(C) The opponent process theory of vision

(D) The trichromatic theory of vision

A

The difference between divided attention and selective attention is that divided attention

(A) requires more automatic processing than selective attention does

(B) is used primarily in simple tasks, whereas selective attention is used primarily in complex tasks

(C) is more highly correlated with intelligence than selective attention is

(D) is related only to auditory processing, whereas selective attention is related only to visual processin

A

When Kaylee’s friends discovered she was going to have her tonsils removed, they told her she was going to be in a

great deal of pain. After the surgery Kaylee reported that she was in a lot of pain, although most of her pain should

have been alleviated by her pain medication. Given this scenario, which of the following best explains Kaylee’s

reporting of pain?

(A) Top-down processing

(B) Change blindness

(C) Biological preparedness

(D) Sensory adaptation

A

Carlos sees the figure above as six unified columns, not four unified rows. Which of the following Gestalt principles

is operating most strongly?

(A) Proximity

(B) Similarity

(C) Closure

(D) Good continuation

B

Gestalt psychology is concerned primarily with understanding which of the following?

(A) Learning

(B) Development

(C) Sensation

(D) Perception

D

What conclusion could the researchers best draw from the results collected in the study?

(A) Cell phones can lead to longer reaction times but having the radio on is equal to driving in silence.

(B) Driving in silence impairs driving more than having some kind of background noise or activity.

(C) Listening to the radio does impair a driver’s responsiveness, but not as much as paying attention to a cell

phone.

(D) Listening to the radio while driving doesn’t impact driving ability as long as the driver isn’t changing the

station.

C

Observers watch a group of people passing a basketball back and forth. A researcher asks the observers to count the

number of passes made. As they count passes, many of the observers fail to notice a person in a gorilla costume

walking through the basketball court. Which of the following is the most likely reason many of the observers do not

notice the person in the gorilla costume?

(A) Perceptual constancy

(B) Bottom-up processing

(C) The mere-exposure effect

(D) Inattentional blindness

D

Amirah attended a concert for her favorite band. As the band played her favorite song, Amirah sang along and

repeated one of the lyrics incorrectly. Another person nearby heard the mistake and told her she had made a

mistake, Amirah was confident she heard and sang the lyric correctly. What term best describes Amirah's belief?

(A) Overconfidence

(B) Bottom-up processing

(C) Inattention blindness

(D) Hindsight bias

A

Breonna and Peyton have been dating for six months. Breonna invited Peyton to attend her family’s annual picnic.

Throughout the day, Breonna’s many family members were talking loudly, laughing, and teasing each other. At the end of

the day, Peyton asked Breonna why many of the family members seemed angry at each other. Breonna was surprised by

Peyton’s question and thought everyone enjoyed the day.

Which of the following concepts best explains why Peyton and Breonna had very different observations at the

picnic?

(A) Perceptual set

(B) Kinesthesis

(C) Monochromatism

(D) Difference threshold

A

Raj, a four-year-old child, learned to open the door to a classroom by pulling on the handle. Now whenever he

approaches any door he pulls on the handle and is confused when that does not work. This is best explained by

Raj’s having developed which of the following for door opening?

(A) Accommodation

(B) Object permanence

(C) Conservation

(D) A mental set

(E) Divergent thinking

D

Which of the following is true of analogies in supporting problem solving?

(A) Relevant analogies usually help people solve problems, and people do spontaneously think of relevant

analogies.

(B) Relevant analogies usually help people solve problems, but people often do not spontaneously think of

relevant analogies.

(C) Relevant analogies usually hinder people when solving problems, and people do spontaneously think of

relevant analogies.

(D) Relevant analogies usually hinder people when solving problems, but people often do not spontaneously

think of relevant analogies

(E) Relevant analogies neither help nor hinder people when solving problems.

B

Achariya is lost. She quickly scans the crowd and decides to ask an elderly woman for directions because she

believes the woman will be kind. Which method of problem solving did Achariya most likely use?

(A) An algorithm

(B) The availability heuristic

(C) The representativeness heuristic

(D) Trial and error

(E) Divergent thinking

C

A prototype is best defined as

(A) an example of habituation

(B) an example of bottom-up processing

(C) the equivalent of feature abstraction

(D) the hypothetical "most typical" instance of a category

(E) an essential element of category membership

D

Creativity is most closely associated with which of the following?

(A) Convergent thinking

(B) Divergent thinking

(C) Spatial awareness

(D) Interpersonal intelligence

(E) Intrapersonal intelligence

B

Piper reads about someone described as adventurous and extroverted. She then judges that this person is more likely

to be a lawyer who enjoys hiking than a lawyer who does not. The best explanation for Piper’s error is that she is

basing her judgment on

(A) the availability heuristic

(B) the anchoring-and-adjustment heuristic

(C) the representativeness heuristic

(D) confirmation bias

(E) predictable-world bias

C

When Cory is given a logic problem to solve, he systematically tries every possible solution until he finds the

correct answer. Cory’s strategy is to use

(A) an algorithm

(B) a heuristic

(C) a mnemonic

(D) cognitive restructuring

(E) insight

A

When confronted with the sequence “__N __” at the end of a word in a crossword puzzle, Tony inserts the letters

“I” and “G” in the two blanks because that procedure has often led to the correct answer in previous puzzles. This

example illustrates the use of

(A) mental rotation

(B) elaborative rehearsal

(C) a heuristic

(D) a prototype

(E) a syllogism

C

There are four aces in a 52-card deck of playing cards. Prior to drawing a card from the deck, Mary Alice estimates

the chance that she will draw an ace and win a prize. Over a series of trials, she did not draw an ace, so she replaced

the card she had drawn, shuffled the deck, and drew a card. The graph above shows her estimates of how likely it

was that she would draw an ace on the next trial. The pattern of Mary Alice’s thinking reflects what psychological

phenomenon?

(A) Mental set

(B) Flynn effect

(C) Availability heuristic

(D) Gambler’s fallacy

(E) Reasoning by analogy

D

Marie has to assemble a shelf but cannot find her screwdriver. Which of the following would help her complete this

task?

(A) Confirmation bias

(B) Functional fixedness

(C) Rigidity

(D) Divergent thought

(E) Mental set

D