Cognitive Psychology quiz

What does Lavie's Attention Capacity Theory propose about the relationship between perceptual load and attentional processing?

• Perceptual load has no impact on attentional processing.

•  High perceptual load leads to decreased attentional processing.

•  Low perceptual load leads to decreased attentional processing.

• Perceptual load enhances attentional processing.

Answer explanation

The theory proposes that attentional processing is limited, and when the perceptual load is high, it exhausts the available attentional capacity, leaving fewer resources for processing irrelevant information.

In other words, when the perceptual load is high, attentional resources are primarily allocated to the task-relevant information, and less attention is available for processing task-irrelevant information. Therefore, high perceptual load leads to reduced processing of distractors or irrelevant stimuli.

What is the main difference between top-down and bottom-up attentional systems?

• Top-down attention is involuntary, while bottom-up attention is voluntary.

•  Top-down attention is stimulus-driven, while bottom-up attention is goal-driven.

•  Top-down attention is automatic, while bottom-up attention is deliberate.

• Top-down attention is externally directed, while bottom-up attention is internally directed.

Answer explanation

Top-down attention is guided by the individual's cognitive goals and expectations. In contrast, bottom-up attention is driven by the physical properties of the stimuli, such as colour, contrast, or movement. In other words, top-down attentional processes are influenced by prior knowledge, expectations, or goals, while bottom-up attentional approaches are automatic and independent of the individual's goals or expectations.

What happens to attentional capacity in situations of low cognitive load?

•  Attentional capacity is fully utilised.

• Attentional capacity is overwhelmed.

• Attentional capacity remains unaffected.

• Attentional capacity decreases.

Answer explanation

Low cognitive load tasks require minimal attentional resources, so the individual has more attentional capacity available for other tasks. This means that attentional resources are manageable, as they need to be fully utilised, and they are not decreased, as they are not being depleted. Instead, attentional capacity is fully used in processing the task at hand, allowing the individual to allocate their remaining attentional resources to other tasks if needed

Which of the following situations is likely to fill attention capacity up, as proposed by Lavie's Attention Capacity Theory?

• A task with low perceptual load and low cognitive load.

•  A task with high perceptual load and low cognitive load.

• A task with low perceptual load and high cognitive load.

• A task with high perceptual load and high cognitive load.

Answer explanation

Perceptual load refers to the amount of perceptual information an individual must process, while cognitive load refers to the mental effort required to complete a task. When both perceptual load and cognitive load are high, it can overload an individual's attentional capacity, leaving fewer resources available for processing additional information.

Which of the following did Paivio regard as representational units of memory?

• Logogen

• Pictogen

• Imagen

• Verbogen

Answer explanation

 Paivio postulates two different types of representational units: “imagens” for mental images and “logogens” for verbal entities

Sensory organs play a part in the memory coding process according to Dual Coding Theory.

• True 

• False

Answer explanation

Dual-coding theory postulates that both sensory imagery and verbal information are used to represent information.

Which of the following is considered to have "limited capacity?"

• Stimuli

• Working memory

• The senses

• Long term memory

Answer explanation

The limited capacity assumption holds that individuals are limited in the amount of information, or load, that can be processed in either of the dual channels at one time. The limited capacity assumption follows the view of the working memory capacity literature.

It is content-limited: we can only process a relatively small number of individual items or chunks at the same time; and

It is time-limited: we can only hold information in working memory for a very short amount of time before it begins to decay (around 2-3 seconds, in some circumstances). Once the information decays, it’s gone until we are given the information again.

Which one is not a type of processing identified by Dual Coding Theory?

• Referential

• Associative

• Informational

• Representational

Answer explanation

There are three different types of processing within dual coding theory: representational, referential processing, and associative processing. In most cases, the subconscious requires all three forms when it comes to a particular task. In other words, a given task may require any or all of the three types of processing.

Representational processing is when verbal or nonverbal representations directly activate.

The referential processing when the activation of the verbal system occurs by the non-verbal system or vice versa.

Associative processing when representations activate within the same system-verbal or non-verbal process.

What is the multiple-coding theory in cognitive psychology?

• A theory that explains how people process information through multiple sensory channels

• A theory that explains how people store and retrieve information from long-term memory

• A theory that explains how people learn new skills through trial and error

• A theory that explains how people make decisions based on rational thought processes

Answer explanation

The multiple-coding theory proposes that people process information through multiple sensory channels simultaneously. This means that information is encoded in more than one sensory modality, leading to a more robust representation of the information in long-term memory.

Which of the following is a type of information processing channel according to the multiple-coding theory?

• Picture

• Sentence

• Rhythm

• Emotion

Answer explanation

The multiple-coding theory proposes that there are several channels through which information can be processed, including verbal,nonverbal, symbolic and subsymbolic. Picture is symbolic but nonverbal,sentence is symbolic and verbal,rhythm is verbal but subsymbolic,emotion is nonverbal and subsymbolic.