Your name__________________________ Section____ (TA name)______________

In this first section of the exam, please answer any 7 of the following 10 questions. You may answer an 8th for extra credit. Please do not answer any more than 8. Then proceed to do the objective questions at the end. Answer clearly and concisely in the space provided. If you need extra space, use the back of the sheet, noting the question no. Brief, organized, legible answers are best.

According to the duplex theory of vision, we have two fairly distinct visual systems. For each of the systems, describe how our visual experience would change if the other system was not operating.

What does the behavior of the amnesiac, H. M. tell us about the functioning of our memory system? (Hint" You might find it useful to think about the 3-box memory model when answering this.)

Briefly describe two experiments and their results that support the idea that we have a spatial memory code (in addition to our verbal memory code). (Hint: Brooks, Kosslyn, and Shepard & Metzler are some of the possibilities here.)

Below are 3 graphs representing possible outcomes for the Sternberg memory scanning experiment. For each, briefly describe what implications it would have (if the data came out the way that graph depicts it) for how we search STM to determine whether something (a probe digit) is there or not. Then identify which of the three is correct.

(What was shown here were three figures plotting reaction time vs. memory set size like those I drew in class when discussing this. All were linear. One showed a horizontal pair of lines (no effect of set size), one showed the normal result (positive "yes" and negative "no" items having the same linear increase), and one showed a linear increase with pos. items taking about half the time of neg.items.)

Joe and Barbara are in a heated argument about whose method of studying is likely to lead to the best exam scores. Joe studies at a desk in the library, or in the room where his hardest course meets, since that room is empty most of the time. Barb studies on the bed in her dorm room with soft lighting, a soft drink in her hand, and some not so soft music on her stereo. You get tired of listening to the argument and proceed to tell them that you have some data from an experiment that can help settle the argument. Since Barbara and Joe are both skeptics and wont just listen to your opinion, describe the experimental evidence and tell them which side of the argument it supports. Now that they are hanging on your words (and promising to register for a cognitive course next semester), explain (very briefly) if you can, how a similar process probably accounts for their usually doing better on multiple choice exams than they do on recall based exams. (The advantage of multiple choice isn't only that it allows guessing!).

Briefly define any 4 of the following: Algorithm, heuristic, problem space, representation, move operator, availability heuristic.

Describe the role of representation in problem solving, explaining why different representations make such an important difference in problem difficulty. It would be helpful if you can use an example of different representations of the same problem to illustrate what you say.

Show how a spreading activation model of memory can explain the results obtained in any two of the following: the Meyer and Schvanaveldt experiment (Nurse/Butter, Nurse/Doctor, etc.), the Anderson experiment (Doctor is in the bank, Lawyer is in the park, etc.), or the Collins and Quillian experiment (a canary is a bird). Include a brief description of what is meant by a spreading activation model.

Describe two pieces of evidence that support the view that language is innate (built in to the structure of the nervous system). Why is this idea difficult for people to accept (what feature of language and/or its acquisition supports the opposite viewpoint)?

Some characteristics of human language are that it is creative, productive (structured by elaborate sets of rules that allow us to say and understand a vast amount) and allows displacement in time and space. How can these characteristics of langujage account for the vast differences between the ongoing development of human civilization and the relative steady-state character of animal existance?

Briefly define any three of the following models of development: a. stages b. waves c. critical period d. readiness Objective portion of exam. Answer all of the following

1. In which order does light pass through the structures of the eye? ______ a. lens, pupil, cornea, retina, optic nerve b. cornea, optic nerve, pupil, lens, retina c. cornea, pupil, lens, optic nerve, retina d. cornea, pupil, lens, retina, optic nerve
2. _____ The part of the camera that is functionally most like the retina is the a. shutter b. film c. diaphragm d. lens
3. _____ The reason that you can see a faint star better by looking to one side of it is that then a. the image falls on cones instead of rods b. the image falls on rods instead of cones c. the image falls on more receptor cells d. the image falls in the fovea
4. _____ The blind spot in the retina is where a. only cones are found b. the optic nerve leaves the eye c. only black and white vision is possible d. acuity is poor but sensitivity is high
5. _____ If adjacent cells A and B in the retina were each stimulated by light of the same intensity, and if the light falling on B were turned off, then cell A would respond a. faster b. slower c. at the same rate d. with larger impulses
6. _____ When you enter a dark room and spend time there, you become gradually __ sensitive to light. This is called __ adaptation. a. more; dark b. more; light c. less; dark d. less; light
7. _____ Under ideal conditions, the range of frequencies that a human ear can hear is a. 200 - 2,000 b. 200 - 20,000 c. 20 - 2,000 d. 20 - 20,000
8. _____ According to the place theory of pitch, two tones of the same intensity but of different frequencies produce a. different rates of responding by the same hair cells b. firing from different hair cells on the basilar membrane c. different patterns of response by the same hair cells d. more firing for the lower frequency
9. _____ A person holding 50 pounds can just detect the addition of one pound of weight. According to Weber's law, if she were holding 25 pounds, she would just notice the addition of a. 2 pounds b. 1 pound c. 1/2 pound d. 1/4 pound
10. _____ Recognizing that a letter must be an `E' because it has one vertical and three horizontal line segments exemplifies a. bottom-up processing b. top-down processing c. contextual estimation d. perceptual organization
11. _____ Context plays a large role in pattern recognition according to _____ theories. a. bottom-up processing b. top-down processing c. whole-part processing d. selective-attentional processing
12. _____ When people are briefly exposed to a visual stimulus, they are able to recognize a whole word more accurately than any of the word's individual letters. This result supports a. bottom-up processing theories b. top-down processing theories c. whole-part processing theories d. figure-ground processing theories
13. _____ Which of the following is not a visual cue fordetermining an object's distance? a. convergence b. linear perspective c. relative size d. difference threshold (JND)