Psychology 3130 - Psychology of Thinking - Midterm
1. Week 1, lecture & textbook!: The Psychology of Thinking.
2. What is thinking?: A mental activity that involves working with mental repre- sentations, planning and
executing behaviours, and the coordination of cognitive resources.
3. Basic visual perception, memory consolidation, and coordination of senso- ry motor activity are sophisticated
mental activities but are not considered to be .: thinking.
4. What is the theory of mind?: - The idea that a person can attribute their own mental states- such as thoughts,
beliefs, intentions, and desires- to their own independent mind.
- A person with a developed theory of mind can also attribute the behaviour of others to their own thoughts, motivations,
and goals that arise from their own independent mind.
5. What are the three theoretical approaches to thinking?: - 1. Gestalt approach.
- 2. Cognitive approach.
- 3. Dual process approach.
6. Describe the Gestalt approach.: - The mind is not a "blank slate" but is designed to process information and deal
with representations.
- Emphasized the idea that humans are biased to perceive whole objects, rather than parts.
- Processed information and representations are the objects of study in the psychol- ogy of thinking.
7. In the context of the Gestalt approach, explain the law of proximity.: An assumption of the Gestalt approach
which states that features or figures that are near each other (proximal) will tend to be perceived as belonging to the
same subject.
8. In the context of the Gestalt approach, explain the law of similarity.: An assumption of Gestalt theory which
states that elements or features in a group of objects are perceived as belonging together if the objects are similar to each
other.
9. Describe productive thinking and reproductive thinking (Wertheimer, 1959)-
: - Productive thinking:
- Solving a problem with insight.
- Reproductive thinking:
- Refers to problem solving by remembered examples and remembered rules.
, Psychology 3130 - Psychology of Thinking - Midterm
10.Describe the cognitive approach by Bruner, Goodnow, and Austin (1956).: - Thinking can be studied
experimentally, and is a computational process.
- Emphasized that behaviours are the results of thinking.
- Cognitive psychologists from this era assumed that thinking involved the represen- tation of external and internal
events as internalized mental representations.
11. In the context of the cognitive approach, what is the cognitive revolution?: - A period of time in the
middle of the twentieth century when experimental psychology transitioned quickly from a scientific approach that
emphasized behaviours and the laws of learning, to a scientific approach that emphasized cognition, mental
representation, and information-processing.
12. In the context of the cognitive approach, what are mental representations?-
: - A stable state of activation within a cognitive/neural system that corresponds to an event, object, or idea.
- Cognitive accounts of thinking emphasize symbolic processing.
13.In the context of the cognitive approach, what is symbolic processing?-
: The idea that thinking involves manipulating and processing symbols (words, numbers, concepts) that correspond to
things and ideas in the world.
14.How do schemas differ from mental representations?: Schemas differ from mental representations because
schemas are perceptions about one singular thing.
15.Describe the dual process account/dual systems theory by Evans, Stanovich, and Kahneman.: - Assumes
we use two broadly-defined systems of thinking.
- There exists the common notion that some cognitive processes are fast, somewhat effortless, and not tied to
consciousness; others are slower, more effortful, and more closely tied to consciousness.
16. In the context of the dual process account, define system 1 thinking.: - Fast, intuitive, and relies on brain
areas found in many animals.
- Cluster of structures and functions that operate with relative autonomy, and the functions and behaviours need not
interact with other systems.
- Essentially, these are our "gut" feelings.
17.Which of the following behaviours is most likely associated with "system 1 thinking"?
, Psychology 3130 - Psychology of Thinking - Midterm
- A. Solving a problem correctly but with a less than optimal method because you remembered the solution to a
similar problem you solved last week.
- B. Weighing the costs and benefits of buying a new laptop right after seeing your friend's new laptop.
- C. Baking an apple pie with a different technique than you usually use by following a recipe in a new
cookbook.
- D. Planning out the best way how to tell your parents you are planning to move to another country.: - B.
18.In the context of the dual process account, define system 2 thinking.: - Slower, more deliberate, language
based, and relies on brain areas that are highly developed in humans.
- More conscious and deliberate decisions.
19.What are the two challenges to thinking?: - 1. Multitasking.
- 2. Incomplete/incorrect evidence/knowledge.
20.Briefly define multitasking.: - Multitasking is the ability to carry out more than one behaviour or cognitive task at
the same time.
- It usually involves switching between the tasks.
- It can be easier if the tasks are cognitively unrelated and do not share many cog- nitive resources, and more
challenging when they share many cognitive resources.
21.Heavy media multitaskers are more susceptible to interference from irrel- evant , and from
irrelevant in memory.
This led to the surprising result that heavy media multitaskers performed worse on tests of .: -
environmental stimuli; representations.
- task switching.
22.Ophir et al., found that being a heavy media multi-tasker (using more than one media at a time, including
studying and note-taking) did not seem to predict a better performance on cognitive tasks and task-switching, due
to reduced ability to filter out interference from irrelevant tasks.
How did they measure this?: - Measured with the filter task.
- Over a rapid period of time, you are flashed a slide, then flashed a second one later, and asked "are the red bars in
the same position or different?". This is done as quickly as possible.
, Psychology 3130 - Psychology of Thinking - Midterm
- Requires vigilance and a high degree of concentrated attention.
23.In our first class, we discussed a study on media multitasking in which people who were high media
multitaskers performed than low media
multitaskers on tests of attention and working memory.: worse.
24.Describe brain drain.: The mere presence of one's own smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity.
25.Describe the smartphone study by Ward et al., 2017.: - Tested the idea and found that just having your phone
near you can interfere with some cognitive processing.
- Asked undergrads to come into the lab and participate in a series of psychological tests.
- Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: desk, pocket/bag, or other room (meaning where their
phone would be).
- The participants in all three groups then engaged in a test of working memory.
- In both cases, having the phone nearby significantly reduced participant perfor- mance on these tasks.
26.Describe Mueller and Oppenheimer's longhand vs laptop study, including the results.: - People watched 5 Ted
talks and took notes (either handwritten or using a laptop).
- People took more notes if they were using the laptop and took the notes verbatim, while people who were writing notes
by hand did not transcribe.
- People who used laptops did slightly better on factual questions, while longhand did substantially better on
conceptual questions.
- However, this study has not been replicated, so it is not very significant. These results should be disregarded.
27.Minda reexamined the brain drain effect.
What were his findings?: - He failed to replicate the brain drain effect many times.
- People in our age group seem not to be as distracted by phones.
1. Week 1, lecture & textbook!: The Psychology of Thinking.
2. What is thinking?: A mental activity that involves working with mental repre- sentations, planning and
executing behaviours, and the coordination of cognitive resources.
3. Basic visual perception, memory consolidation, and coordination of senso- ry motor activity are sophisticated
mental activities but are not considered to be .: thinking.
4. What is the theory of mind?: - The idea that a person can attribute their own mental states- such as thoughts,
beliefs, intentions, and desires- to their own independent mind.
- A person with a developed theory of mind can also attribute the behaviour of others to their own thoughts, motivations,
and goals that arise from their own independent mind.
5. What are the three theoretical approaches to thinking?: - 1. Gestalt approach.
- 2. Cognitive approach.
- 3. Dual process approach.
6. Describe the Gestalt approach.: - The mind is not a "blank slate" but is designed to process information and deal
with representations.
- Emphasized the idea that humans are biased to perceive whole objects, rather than parts.
- Processed information and representations are the objects of study in the psychol- ogy of thinking.
7. In the context of the Gestalt approach, explain the law of proximity.: An assumption of the Gestalt approach
which states that features or figures that are near each other (proximal) will tend to be perceived as belonging to the
same subject.
8. In the context of the Gestalt approach, explain the law of similarity.: An assumption of Gestalt theory which
states that elements or features in a group of objects are perceived as belonging together if the objects are similar to each
other.
9. Describe productive thinking and reproductive thinking (Wertheimer, 1959)-
: - Productive thinking:
- Solving a problem with insight.
- Reproductive thinking:
- Refers to problem solving by remembered examples and remembered rules.
, Psychology 3130 - Psychology of Thinking - Midterm
10.Describe the cognitive approach by Bruner, Goodnow, and Austin (1956).: - Thinking can be studied
experimentally, and is a computational process.
- Emphasized that behaviours are the results of thinking.
- Cognitive psychologists from this era assumed that thinking involved the represen- tation of external and internal
events as internalized mental representations.
11. In the context of the cognitive approach, what is the cognitive revolution?: - A period of time in the
middle of the twentieth century when experimental psychology transitioned quickly from a scientific approach that
emphasized behaviours and the laws of learning, to a scientific approach that emphasized cognition, mental
representation, and information-processing.
12. In the context of the cognitive approach, what are mental representations?-
: - A stable state of activation within a cognitive/neural system that corresponds to an event, object, or idea.
- Cognitive accounts of thinking emphasize symbolic processing.
13.In the context of the cognitive approach, what is symbolic processing?-
: The idea that thinking involves manipulating and processing symbols (words, numbers, concepts) that correspond to
things and ideas in the world.
14.How do schemas differ from mental representations?: Schemas differ from mental representations because
schemas are perceptions about one singular thing.
15.Describe the dual process account/dual systems theory by Evans, Stanovich, and Kahneman.: - Assumes
we use two broadly-defined systems of thinking.
- There exists the common notion that some cognitive processes are fast, somewhat effortless, and not tied to
consciousness; others are slower, more effortful, and more closely tied to consciousness.
16. In the context of the dual process account, define system 1 thinking.: - Fast, intuitive, and relies on brain
areas found in many animals.
- Cluster of structures and functions that operate with relative autonomy, and the functions and behaviours need not
interact with other systems.
- Essentially, these are our "gut" feelings.
17.Which of the following behaviours is most likely associated with "system 1 thinking"?
, Psychology 3130 - Psychology of Thinking - Midterm
- A. Solving a problem correctly but with a less than optimal method because you remembered the solution to a
similar problem you solved last week.
- B. Weighing the costs and benefits of buying a new laptop right after seeing your friend's new laptop.
- C. Baking an apple pie with a different technique than you usually use by following a recipe in a new
cookbook.
- D. Planning out the best way how to tell your parents you are planning to move to another country.: - B.
18.In the context of the dual process account, define system 2 thinking.: - Slower, more deliberate, language
based, and relies on brain areas that are highly developed in humans.
- More conscious and deliberate decisions.
19.What are the two challenges to thinking?: - 1. Multitasking.
- 2. Incomplete/incorrect evidence/knowledge.
20.Briefly define multitasking.: - Multitasking is the ability to carry out more than one behaviour or cognitive task at
the same time.
- It usually involves switching between the tasks.
- It can be easier if the tasks are cognitively unrelated and do not share many cog- nitive resources, and more
challenging when they share many cognitive resources.
21.Heavy media multitaskers are more susceptible to interference from irrel- evant , and from
irrelevant in memory.
This led to the surprising result that heavy media multitaskers performed worse on tests of .: -
environmental stimuli; representations.
- task switching.
22.Ophir et al., found that being a heavy media multi-tasker (using more than one media at a time, including
studying and note-taking) did not seem to predict a better performance on cognitive tasks and task-switching, due
to reduced ability to filter out interference from irrelevant tasks.
How did they measure this?: - Measured with the filter task.
- Over a rapid period of time, you are flashed a slide, then flashed a second one later, and asked "are the red bars in
the same position or different?". This is done as quickly as possible.
, Psychology 3130 - Psychology of Thinking - Midterm
- Requires vigilance and a high degree of concentrated attention.
23.In our first class, we discussed a study on media multitasking in which people who were high media
multitaskers performed than low media
multitaskers on tests of attention and working memory.: worse.
24.Describe brain drain.: The mere presence of one's own smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity.
25.Describe the smartphone study by Ward et al., 2017.: - Tested the idea and found that just having your phone
near you can interfere with some cognitive processing.
- Asked undergrads to come into the lab and participate in a series of psychological tests.
- Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: desk, pocket/bag, or other room (meaning where their
phone would be).
- The participants in all three groups then engaged in a test of working memory.
- In both cases, having the phone nearby significantly reduced participant perfor- mance on these tasks.
26.Describe Mueller and Oppenheimer's longhand vs laptop study, including the results.: - People watched 5 Ted
talks and took notes (either handwritten or using a laptop).
- People took more notes if they were using the laptop and took the notes verbatim, while people who were writing notes
by hand did not transcribe.
- People who used laptops did slightly better on factual questions, while longhand did substantially better on
conceptual questions.
- However, this study has not been replicated, so it is not very significant. These results should be disregarded.
27.Minda reexamined the brain drain effect.
What were his findings?: - He failed to replicate the brain drain effect many times.
- People in our age group seem not to be as distracted by phones.
