PSY240 Cognitive Psychology Practice
Exam Study Guide 2026 | Verified
Questions & Answers with Rationales |
Memory, Attention, Perception &
Language Prep
• PSY240 Cognitive Psychology Practice Exam Study Guide 2026 — 200 verified
multiple-choice questions with correct answers and EXPERT RATIONALE, covering
all major exam topics including Memory, Attention, Perception, Language, Problem
Solving, and more.
• How to use this guide: Read each question carefully, select your answer mentally
before checking the highlighted correct option, then study the EXPERT RATIONALE
to reinforce your understanding and fill in knowledge gaps.
PSY240 COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Practice Exam Study Guide 2026
200 Questions | Verified Answers & EXPERT RATIONALE
SECTION 1: ATTENTION
1. Which theory of attention proposes that all information is filtered out at
the sensory level before it reaches higher cognitive processing?
A) Late selection theory
B) Attenuation theory
C) Capacity theory
D) Early selection (filter) theory
,E) Feature integration theory
Correct Answer: D) Early selection (filter) theory EXPERT RATIONALE:
Broadbent's early selection theory proposes that a filter blocks unattended information
at the sensory level, before semantic processing occurs, allowing only attended
information to pass through to higher cognitive stages.
2. In the cocktail party effect, a person hears their name mentioned in an
unattended conversation. This phenomenon best supports which theory?
A) Broadbent's filter theory
B) Feature integration theory
C) Treisman's attenuation theory
D) Deutsch-Norman late selection theory
E) Capacity model of attention
Correct Answer: C) Treisman's attenuation theory EXPERT RATIONALE:
Treisman proposed that unattended channels are attenuated (weakened) but not
completely blocked. Personally significant stimuli like one's own name have a low
perceptual threshold and can break through attenuation, explaining the cocktail party
effect.
3. According to Kahneman's capacity model, attention is best described as:
A) A fixed filter located at the sensory register
B) A series of sequential bottlenecks
C) A flexible, limited pool of general mental resources
D) A spotlight that moves across the visual field
E) An automatic process requiring no cognitive effort
Correct Answer: C) A flexible, limited pool of general mental resources
EXPERT RATIONALE: Kahneman's capacity model views attention as a limited, general-
,purpose resource pool. Task difficulty and arousal influence how resources are
allocated, making the model flexible rather than structural.
4. Which of the following is the BEST example of an automatic process?
A) Learning to drive a car for the first time
B) Solving a complex algebra problem
C) An experienced driver braking at a red light
D) Memorizing a list of unfamiliar words
E) Translating a sentence into a foreign language
Correct Answer: C) An experienced driver braking at a red light EXPERT
RATIONALE: Automatic processes develop through extensive practice, require minimal
attentional resources, and are difficult to suppress. An experienced driver braking at a
red light exemplifies automaticity — it is fast, effortless, and largely unconscious.
5. The Stroop effect demonstrates that:
A) Divided attention is always impossible
B) Automatic processing can be fully controlled
C) Automatic processing can interfere with controlled processing
D) Selective attention operates at a late stage
E) Working memory has unlimited capacity
Correct Answer: C) Automatic processing can interfere with controlled
processing EXPERT RATIONALE: In the Stroop task, reading words is automatic and
interferes with the controlled process of naming ink color, especially when they conflict.
This demonstrates that automatic processes are difficult to suppress even when they are
task-irrelevant.
, 6. Posner's spotlight model of attention suggests that visual attention
operates like:
A) A zoom lens that adjusts to scene complexity
B) A filter that blocks peripheral input
C) A spotlight that illuminates a region of space
D) A bottleneck processing one item at a time
E) A parallel search across all visual features simultaneously
Correct Answer: C) A spotlight that illuminates a region of space EXPERT
RATIONALE: Posner's spotlight model proposes that attention acts like a spotlight beam,
enhancing processing of stimuli that fall within its focus. Items outside the spotlight
receive reduced processing.
7. In a visual search task, which condition produces a "pop-out" effect?
A) Searching for a target defined by a conjunction of features
B) Searching for a target in a cluttered scene
C) Searching for a target defined by a single unique feature
D) Searching for a target when distractor set size is large
E) Searching for a target defined by color and shape together
Correct Answer: C) Searching for a target defined by a single unique
feature EXPERT RATIONALE: Feature search (pop-out) occurs when a target differs
from distractors on a single dimension (e.g., a red dot among blue dots). Search time is
fast and unaffected by the number of distractors, suggesting parallel processing.
8. Divided attention refers to:
A) Focusing exclusively on one stimulus while ignoring others
B) Shifting attention rapidly between two stimuli
Exam Study Guide 2026 | Verified
Questions & Answers with Rationales |
Memory, Attention, Perception &
Language Prep
• PSY240 Cognitive Psychology Practice Exam Study Guide 2026 — 200 verified
multiple-choice questions with correct answers and EXPERT RATIONALE, covering
all major exam topics including Memory, Attention, Perception, Language, Problem
Solving, and more.
• How to use this guide: Read each question carefully, select your answer mentally
before checking the highlighted correct option, then study the EXPERT RATIONALE
to reinforce your understanding and fill in knowledge gaps.
PSY240 COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Practice Exam Study Guide 2026
200 Questions | Verified Answers & EXPERT RATIONALE
SECTION 1: ATTENTION
1. Which theory of attention proposes that all information is filtered out at
the sensory level before it reaches higher cognitive processing?
A) Late selection theory
B) Attenuation theory
C) Capacity theory
D) Early selection (filter) theory
,E) Feature integration theory
Correct Answer: D) Early selection (filter) theory EXPERT RATIONALE:
Broadbent's early selection theory proposes that a filter blocks unattended information
at the sensory level, before semantic processing occurs, allowing only attended
information to pass through to higher cognitive stages.
2. In the cocktail party effect, a person hears their name mentioned in an
unattended conversation. This phenomenon best supports which theory?
A) Broadbent's filter theory
B) Feature integration theory
C) Treisman's attenuation theory
D) Deutsch-Norman late selection theory
E) Capacity model of attention
Correct Answer: C) Treisman's attenuation theory EXPERT RATIONALE:
Treisman proposed that unattended channels are attenuated (weakened) but not
completely blocked. Personally significant stimuli like one's own name have a low
perceptual threshold and can break through attenuation, explaining the cocktail party
effect.
3. According to Kahneman's capacity model, attention is best described as:
A) A fixed filter located at the sensory register
B) A series of sequential bottlenecks
C) A flexible, limited pool of general mental resources
D) A spotlight that moves across the visual field
E) An automatic process requiring no cognitive effort
Correct Answer: C) A flexible, limited pool of general mental resources
EXPERT RATIONALE: Kahneman's capacity model views attention as a limited, general-
,purpose resource pool. Task difficulty and arousal influence how resources are
allocated, making the model flexible rather than structural.
4. Which of the following is the BEST example of an automatic process?
A) Learning to drive a car for the first time
B) Solving a complex algebra problem
C) An experienced driver braking at a red light
D) Memorizing a list of unfamiliar words
E) Translating a sentence into a foreign language
Correct Answer: C) An experienced driver braking at a red light EXPERT
RATIONALE: Automatic processes develop through extensive practice, require minimal
attentional resources, and are difficult to suppress. An experienced driver braking at a
red light exemplifies automaticity — it is fast, effortless, and largely unconscious.
5. The Stroop effect demonstrates that:
A) Divided attention is always impossible
B) Automatic processing can be fully controlled
C) Automatic processing can interfere with controlled processing
D) Selective attention operates at a late stage
E) Working memory has unlimited capacity
Correct Answer: C) Automatic processing can interfere with controlled
processing EXPERT RATIONALE: In the Stroop task, reading words is automatic and
interferes with the controlled process of naming ink color, especially when they conflict.
This demonstrates that automatic processes are difficult to suppress even when they are
task-irrelevant.
, 6. Posner's spotlight model of attention suggests that visual attention
operates like:
A) A zoom lens that adjusts to scene complexity
B) A filter that blocks peripheral input
C) A spotlight that illuminates a region of space
D) A bottleneck processing one item at a time
E) A parallel search across all visual features simultaneously
Correct Answer: C) A spotlight that illuminates a region of space EXPERT
RATIONALE: Posner's spotlight model proposes that attention acts like a spotlight beam,
enhancing processing of stimuli that fall within its focus. Items outside the spotlight
receive reduced processing.
7. In a visual search task, which condition produces a "pop-out" effect?
A) Searching for a target defined by a conjunction of features
B) Searching for a target in a cluttered scene
C) Searching for a target defined by a single unique feature
D) Searching for a target when distractor set size is large
E) Searching for a target defined by color and shape together
Correct Answer: C) Searching for a target defined by a single unique
feature EXPERT RATIONALE: Feature search (pop-out) occurs when a target differs
from distractors on a single dimension (e.g., a red dot among blue dots). Search time is
fast and unaffected by the number of distractors, suggesting parallel processing.
8. Divided attention refers to:
A) Focusing exclusively on one stimulus while ignoring others
B) Shifting attention rapidly between two stimuli
