1 PY 320
Exam 3
Fall, 2016
This is a take-home exam. The exam is worth 100 points. Each question is worth 18 points (90
points). I also have a “fudge factor” of 10 points to take into account neatness, logical thinking,
creative examples, etc. You may use your notes, outside sources (such as the Internet) and
your text to answer the questions, but you MAY NOT collaborate with each other. Do NOT
simply copy from either the text or notes…put things in your own words. If you do need to
use a quotation, be sure to properly cite the information and provide a reference list. .
The exam is due no later than NOON on Wednesday, November 16, 2016. You may give me a
hard copy of the exam or email me your exam as an email attachment (Word document or .rtf
files only). If you email me your exam and I am unable to open it, it is considered to be “not
turned in.” You must answer one (1) question per chapter (4 questions). Your fifth question
can be from any chapter. Your total number of responses=5. Each response
should be at least 350-500 words in length.
Chapter 10:
1. Compare and contrast the generate-and-test, the means-ends analysis, and the
reasoning-by-analogy approaches to problem solving.
2. Describe some of the expert-novice differences in problem solving.
3. What kinds of cognitive processes have been proposed to account for creativity?
How can an experimental psychologist test the role of any one of these processes?
4. Think of a situation in which you experienced functional fixedness. Did you ever
overcome it? If so, what helped you to see a possible solution? Do you think that
solving the problem with a friend, or in a group, would have made (or did make) it
easier? Why?
5. “Taking a break from problem solving helps you achieve a solution because your
brain works on the problem unconsciously while you are away from it.” Discuss the
evidence for or against this statement.
6. You are planning to redecorate your room, and you want to put up wallpaper to
brighten it up. You need to figure out how many rolls of wallpaper to buy. Describe
the steps that you need to solve this problem. Do any of the problem-solving
strategies discussed in the chapter help you? 2 Chapter 12:
1. Why do most cognitive developmental psychologists distinguish between language
learning and language acquisition? What sorts of arguments are used in support of
this distinction?
2. What do we know about the use of rehearsal strategies in children’s memory? 3. What are the major assumptions of stage theories of development? 4. Do college students have good metamemories, or is there still some weakness in
that area by the age of 20? Give evidence for your assessment of metamemory
skills within this age group.
5. Piaget asserts that children at different stages of development differ from one
another cognitively in qualitatively different ways. Illustrate this assertion with some
specific examples.
6. Assuming that Piaget’s stage theory is correct, how would you design a series of
math textbooks for first through eighth grade to take advantage of children’s
developmental stages?
Chapter 13:
1. The idea that people have different “learning styles” is very popular both with the
public and with certain groups of educators. What type of evidence would be
required to show that “learning styles” need to match teaching methods in order for
optimal learning to occur?
2. Do you believe that intelligence is one general factor, or are there several
independent types of intelligence? Give some examples of people you know who
might be high in one of Gardner’s intelligences, but just average in others.
3. Why do you think that females do not perform as well as males on tests of spatial
and quantitative abilities? What kinds of environmental influences could explain the
small differences that do exist? What kinds of neuropsychological explanations
might there be?
4. Do you believe that males and females have different “ways of knowing”? Give
specific examples to back up your answer. If you believe that such ways of knowing
do exist, how do you think they develop? 3 5. Discuss the idea of cognitive styles. How does this concept differ from the concepts
of intelligence or cognitive abilities.
6. Use research data to argue against the proposition that “Women should not go into
engineering.”
Chapter 14:
1. What methodological problems are encountered by cross-cultural researchers more
than researchers who study memory or problem solving within a single culture?
2. What types of “cultures” do you think exist within the United States? Is there a
different culture in the North vs. the South, or in rural areas as opposed to cities?
Do any of these cultures affect cognition?
3. Someone tells you that there is a cross-cultural difference between American and
Middle Eastern children on a particular cognitive task. Before you believe this
conclusion, what questions might you ask about alternative explanations to “culture”
in explaining the apparent difference?
4. Several cross-cultural studies have pointed to the importance of formal schooling in
determining how children and adults perform a cognitive task. As college students,
do you think that your schooling has changed the way you approach certain tasks?
How? (Do not just think about changes in your knowledge base; think about
changes in the way you actually perform a skill or approach a problem.)
5. You may have heard that Chinese and Japanese students outperform American
students in mathematical ability. Your textbook gives one explanation, that of the
comparative complexity of each culture’s number-words. Can you think of other
cultural (and non-cultural) explanations for the advantage that Chinese and
Japanese students have?
