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CHAPTER 1 The Science of the Mind
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1.1. Describe the scope and goals of cognitive psychology.
1.2. Understand the case of H.M., and the many ways that memory influences our lives.
1.3. Describe the limitations of introspection as a method for scientific inquiry.
1.4. Compare and contrast classical (Watsonian) behaviorism and cognitive psychology.
1.5. Kant’s “transcendental method” is sometimes called “inference to best explanation.” Explain this method and how it
works.
1.6. Describe the role, in the emergence of cognitive psychology, that was played by computer science and the develop-
ment of “computer intelligence.”
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following topics is NOT commonly studied within cognitive psychology?
a. anger management c. memory
b. decision making d. Attention
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: The Scope of Cognitive Psychology
OBJ: 1.1 MSC: Understanding
2. Cognitive processes are NOT necessary for which daily activity?
a. reading a newspaper c. talking on the phone
b. studying for a test d. breathing
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: The Scope of Cognitive Psychology
OBJ: 1.1 MSC: Applying
3. Alyssa wants to be a psychologist but is unsure which topic within psychology most interests her. Which of the
following topics would be LEAST likely to lead her into cognitive psychology?
a. amnesia c. Lyme disease
b. language acquisition d. problem-solving strategies
,ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: The Scope of Cognitive Psychology
OBJ: 1.1 MSC: Applying
4. Consider the sequence “Betsy wanted to bring Jacob a present. She shook her piggy bank.” Most people, after
hearing this sequence, believe Betsy was checking her piggy bank to see if she had money to spend on the gift. This inference about
Betsy’s goals depends on the fact that
a. our previous knowledge fills in background information whenever we’re understanding an event
or conversation.
b. readers are likely to know someone named Jacob.
c. English, unlike other languages, requires speakers to mention all of the people involved in an
event.
d. the individual sentences are short.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: The Broad Role for Memory
OBJ: 1.1 MSC: Understanding
5. Which of the following statements is LEAST likely to apply to patient H.M.?
a. “He cannot remember what he did earlier today, including events that took place just an hour ago.”
b. “He read this story last month, but he was still surprised by how the story turned out.”
c. “Even though he has encountered the nurse many times, he is still unable to recognize her.”
d. “He remembered that it was only a week ago that he’d heard the sad news that his uncle had died.”
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: Amnesia and Memory Loss
OBJ: 1.2 MSC: Applying
6. Research with H.M. provides an illustration for which major theme of the chapter?
a. Introspection is an important research tool for cognitive psychologists.
b. Cognitive psychology can help us understand a wide range of activities that depend on someone’s
ability to remember.
c. Memory is not very important.
d. The disruption caused by brain damage depends on how widespread the damage is, and not on the
specific sites that are damaged.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: The Scope of Cognitive Psychology
OBJ: 1.2 MSC: Evaluating
7. Patients suffering from clinical amnesia are characterized by
a. memory dysfunction. c. inarticulate speech.
b. an inability to recognize patterns. d. impaired language comprehension.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Amnesia and Memory Loss
OBJ: 1.2 MSC: Remembering
8. The term “introspection” refers to the
a. process by which one individual seeks to infer the thoughts of another individual.
b. procedure of examining thought processing by monitoring the brain’s electrical activity.
,c. process of each person looking within, to observe his or her own thoughts and ideas.
d. technique of studying thought by interpreting the symbols used in communication.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 MSC: Remembering
9. A participant is asked to look within himself or herself and report on his or her own mental processes. This method
is called
a. logical inference. c. introspection.
b. reconstruction. d. mentalistic study.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 MSC: Remembering
10. Of the following, introspection is LEAST useful for studying
a. topics that are strongly colored by emotion.
b. mental events that are unconscious.
c. processes that involve conceptual knowledge.
d. events that take a long time to unfold.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 MSC: Understanding
11. Which of the following statements about introspection is FALSE?
a. It is the only way to observe conscious events directly.
b. It is subjective.
c. It provides strong evidence for hypothesis-testing.
d. It was a technique used historically to study cognition.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 MSC: Understanding
12. Genie wonders why she can never remember the names of new acquaintances. In search of an answer, she examines
and reflects on her feelings about meeting new people. Genie is engaged in which process?
a. practical rehearsal c. learning history analysis
b. introspection d. goal retrieval
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 MSC: Applying
13. Introspection was employed as a research tool in the late 1800s because
a. it was regarded as the only way to observe the mind’s contents directly.
b. it provided data from individuals without any specialized training.
c. conscious events are just as important as unconscious events.
, d. it provided cognitive psychology’s first testable claims.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 MSC: Analyzing
14. Which of the following statements about introspection is FALSE?
a. A verbal report based on introspection may provide a distorted picture of mental processes that are
nonverbal in nature.
b. Different participants might be using different terms to describe similar experiences.
c. Introspection provides valuable scientific data, but only after the person doing the introspection
has received many hours of training.
d. Participants cannot possibly introspect about events that are unconscious.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 MSC: Evaluating
15. Which of the following statements provides the most serious obstacle to the use of introspection as a source of
scientific evidence?
a. When facts are provided by introspection, we have no way to assess the facts themselves,
independent of the reporter’s perspective.
b. Introspection is only effective for children, because children have not yet learned to inhibit their
own self-reports.
c. Introspection is a valid method only if the person doing the introspection goes into a trancelike
state.
d. The process of reporting on one’s own mental events is too slow to be scientifically useful.
ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 MSC: Evaluating
16. In cognition, as in other sciences, we develop claims that can be tested. These claims are generally referred to as
a. research proposals. c. statistical comparisons.
b. empirical models. d. hypotheses.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 | 1.4 MSC: Understanding
17. A behaviorist, like John Watson, is LEAST likely to believe which of the following statements?
a. Our learning history powerfully influences our behaviors.
b. Children are a good source for data.
c. The mind is not amenable to scientific inquiry because it is not easily observed.
d. When it comes to collecting data, introspection is as valuable as behavior.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: The Years of Behaviorism
OBJ: 1.3 | 1.4 MSC: Analyzing
18. Historically, the movement known as behaviorism was to a large extent encouraged by scholars’ concerns regarding
CHAPTER 1 The Science of the Mind
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1.1. Describe the scope and goals of cognitive psychology.
1.2. Understand the case of H.M., and the many ways that memory influences our lives.
1.3. Describe the limitations of introspection as a method for scientific inquiry.
1.4. Compare and contrast classical (Watsonian) behaviorism and cognitive psychology.
1.5. Kant’s “transcendental method” is sometimes called “inference to best explanation.” Explain this method and how it
works.
1.6. Describe the role, in the emergence of cognitive psychology, that was played by computer science and the develop-
ment of “computer intelligence.”
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following topics is NOT commonly studied within cognitive psychology?
a. anger management c. memory
b. decision making d. Attention
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: The Scope of Cognitive Psychology
OBJ: 1.1 MSC: Understanding
2. Cognitive processes are NOT necessary for which daily activity?
a. reading a newspaper c. talking on the phone
b. studying for a test d. breathing
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: The Scope of Cognitive Psychology
OBJ: 1.1 MSC: Applying
3. Alyssa wants to be a psychologist but is unsure which topic within psychology most interests her. Which of the
following topics would be LEAST likely to lead her into cognitive psychology?
a. amnesia c. Lyme disease
b. language acquisition d. problem-solving strategies
,ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: The Scope of Cognitive Psychology
OBJ: 1.1 MSC: Applying
4. Consider the sequence “Betsy wanted to bring Jacob a present. She shook her piggy bank.” Most people, after
hearing this sequence, believe Betsy was checking her piggy bank to see if she had money to spend on the gift. This inference about
Betsy’s goals depends on the fact that
a. our previous knowledge fills in background information whenever we’re understanding an event
or conversation.
b. readers are likely to know someone named Jacob.
c. English, unlike other languages, requires speakers to mention all of the people involved in an
event.
d. the individual sentences are short.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: The Broad Role for Memory
OBJ: 1.1 MSC: Understanding
5. Which of the following statements is LEAST likely to apply to patient H.M.?
a. “He cannot remember what he did earlier today, including events that took place just an hour ago.”
b. “He read this story last month, but he was still surprised by how the story turned out.”
c. “Even though he has encountered the nurse many times, he is still unable to recognize her.”
d. “He remembered that it was only a week ago that he’d heard the sad news that his uncle had died.”
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: Amnesia and Memory Loss
OBJ: 1.2 MSC: Applying
6. Research with H.M. provides an illustration for which major theme of the chapter?
a. Introspection is an important research tool for cognitive psychologists.
b. Cognitive psychology can help us understand a wide range of activities that depend on someone’s
ability to remember.
c. Memory is not very important.
d. The disruption caused by brain damage depends on how widespread the damage is, and not on the
specific sites that are damaged.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: The Scope of Cognitive Psychology
OBJ: 1.2 MSC: Evaluating
7. Patients suffering from clinical amnesia are characterized by
a. memory dysfunction. c. inarticulate speech.
b. an inability to recognize patterns. d. impaired language comprehension.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Amnesia and Memory Loss
OBJ: 1.2 MSC: Remembering
8. The term “introspection” refers to the
a. process by which one individual seeks to infer the thoughts of another individual.
b. procedure of examining thought processing by monitoring the brain’s electrical activity.
,c. process of each person looking within, to observe his or her own thoughts and ideas.
d. technique of studying thought by interpreting the symbols used in communication.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 MSC: Remembering
9. A participant is asked to look within himself or herself and report on his or her own mental processes. This method
is called
a. logical inference. c. introspection.
b. reconstruction. d. mentalistic study.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 MSC: Remembering
10. Of the following, introspection is LEAST useful for studying
a. topics that are strongly colored by emotion.
b. mental events that are unconscious.
c. processes that involve conceptual knowledge.
d. events that take a long time to unfold.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 MSC: Understanding
11. Which of the following statements about introspection is FALSE?
a. It is the only way to observe conscious events directly.
b. It is subjective.
c. It provides strong evidence for hypothesis-testing.
d. It was a technique used historically to study cognition.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 MSC: Understanding
12. Genie wonders why she can never remember the names of new acquaintances. In search of an answer, she examines
and reflects on her feelings about meeting new people. Genie is engaged in which process?
a. practical rehearsal c. learning history analysis
b. introspection d. goal retrieval
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 MSC: Applying
13. Introspection was employed as a research tool in the late 1800s because
a. it was regarded as the only way to observe the mind’s contents directly.
b. it provided data from individuals without any specialized training.
c. conscious events are just as important as unconscious events.
, d. it provided cognitive psychology’s first testable claims.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 MSC: Analyzing
14. Which of the following statements about introspection is FALSE?
a. A verbal report based on introspection may provide a distorted picture of mental processes that are
nonverbal in nature.
b. Different participants might be using different terms to describe similar experiences.
c. Introspection provides valuable scientific data, but only after the person doing the introspection
has received many hours of training.
d. Participants cannot possibly introspect about events that are unconscious.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 MSC: Evaluating
15. Which of the following statements provides the most serious obstacle to the use of introspection as a source of
scientific evidence?
a. When facts are provided by introspection, we have no way to assess the facts themselves,
independent of the reporter’s perspective.
b. Introspection is only effective for children, because children have not yet learned to inhibit their
own self-reports.
c. Introspection is a valid method only if the person doing the introspection goes into a trancelike
state.
d. The process of reporting on one’s own mental events is too slow to be scientifically useful.
ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 MSC: Evaluating
16. In cognition, as in other sciences, we develop claims that can be tested. These claims are generally referred to as
a. research proposals. c. statistical comparisons.
b. empirical models. d. hypotheses.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: The Limits of Introspection
OBJ: 1.3 | 1.4 MSC: Understanding
17. A behaviorist, like John Watson, is LEAST likely to believe which of the following statements?
a. Our learning history powerfully influences our behaviors.
b. Children are a good source for data.
c. The mind is not amenable to scientific inquiry because it is not easily observed.
d. When it comes to collecting data, introspection is as valuable as behavior.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: The Years of Behaviorism
OBJ: 1.3 | 1.4 MSC: Analyzing
18. Historically, the movement known as behaviorism was to a large extent encouraged by scholars’ concerns regarding
