AP Psychology Unit 2: Cognition Practice Exam

Assessment for Unit 2: Cognition

Estimated Time: 60 minutes

Exam Details

Questions: 22 total (22 multiple choice)
Time: 60 minutes (recommended)
Topics Covered: Unit 2: Cognition
Format: Multiple Choice questions matching real exam difficulty
Scoring: Instant results with detailed explanations

A. Multiple-Choice Questions (22 Questions)

Select the one best answer for each question.

1. [Skill: 2A | Topic: 2.1] Researchers show participants an ambiguous character that could be read as either the letter B or the number 13. Half of the participants first read a list containing A, the ambiguous character, and C. The other half first read a list containing 12, the ambiguous character, and 14. Which of the following best explains why participants in the first condition tend to report seeing a letter, while participants in the second condition tend to report seeing a number?

(A)Top-down processing based on expectations created by the surrounding context(B)Bottom-up processing based only on the retinal image of the ambiguous character(C)Binocular depth cues that cause the ambiguous character to appear three-dimensional(D)Sensory adaptation that reduces sensitivity to letters or numbers after repeated exposure

2. [Skill: 2B | Topic: 2.1] A student watches a short video in which two people are talking in a hallway. During the conversation, the camera angle briefly shifts as a person carrying a large object passes between the speakers. After the shift, one speaker has been replaced by a different person wearing similar clothing. Many viewers do not notice the replacement. Which concept best explains why many viewers fail to detect the substitution?

(A)Change blindness due to limits in attention(B)Retinal disparity caused by differences between the two eyes’ images(C)Convergence resulting from the eyes turning inward to focus on a nearby object(D)Closure, because viewers fill in missing parts of an incomplete image

3. [Skill: 2A | Topic: 2.1] A person stands at the end of a long hallway and reports that the hallway appears to narrow in the distance even though they know the walls are parallel. Which monocular depth cue is primarily responsible for this perception?

(A)Linear perspective(B)Retinal disparity(C)Convergence(D)Figure-ground organization

4. [Skill: 2A | Topic: 2.1] A theater marquee contains a row of lights that flash on and off in sequence. Even though each bulb is stationary, observers report seeing a single light moving smoothly across the sign. Which phenomenon best accounts for the observers’ perception?

(A)Apparent movement(B)Perceptual constancy(C)Selective attention (cocktail party effect)(D)Bottom-up processing

5. 1. [Skill: 2A | Topic: 2.4] A psychology teacher wants to compare two study schedules for learning 40 vocabulary terms. - Group 1 studies all 40 terms in one 80-minute session the night before a quiz. - Group 2 studies the same 40 terms for 20 minutes per day over four days, with the last session ending the night before the quiz. Both groups spend the same total time studying. The quiz occurs the next morning. Which outcome is most likely, and which encoding principle best explains it?

(A)Group 1 will score higher because massed practice increases short-term retrieval cues.(B)Group 2 will score higher because distributed practice improves encoding through the spacing effect.(C)Group 1 will score higher because repeating information in one session prevents proactive interference.(D)Group 2 will score higher because studying across days primarily strengthens iconic memory traces.

6. 3. [Skill: 2A | Topic: 2.4] A researcher compares recall of a 15-item list under two different study conditions. Condition A: Items are presented in a random order. Condition B: Items are presented with category headings and grouped into categories (e.g., FRUITS: apple, pear, grape; TOOLS: hammer, wrench, saw). After studying, participants either take an immediate free-recall test or complete a 20-minute distractor task before free recall. The researcher finds: - In both conditions, immediate recall is highest for early and late list items. - After the 20-minute delay, recall for late list items drops sharply, but recall for early list items remains relatively strong. - Condition B improves recall especially for middle list items compared with Condition A. Which option best explains these results?

(A)The spacing effect increased recall in Condition B because the headings forced students to take longer breaks between items.(B)The serial position effect explains the primacy and recency patterns, and chunking/categorical organization in Condition B improves encoding of middle items.(C)The method of loci explains the drop in late-item recall after a delay because locations fade over time.(D)Echoic memory explains the advantage for early list items because sounds persist longer than images.

7. [Skill: 1 | Topic: 2.5] A student is studying in a busy cafeteria. She briefly hears someone call her name from across the room, but a moment later she cannot report what else was said. However, if she immediately turns her attention to the voice, she can repeat the last few words and keep them in mind long enough to write them down. Which of the following best explains the memory processes involved in this scenario?

(A)The unattended words were stored in long-term memory but could not be retrieved because of interference.(B)The unattended words remained only in sensory memory briefly, and attending to the message allowed transfer into short-term/working memory.(C)The student used elaborative rehearsal automatically, which kept the message in sensory memory longer.(D)The student’s inability to recall the unattended words indicates infantile amnesia.

Refer to the figure below.

8. [Skill: 2 | Topic: 2.5] A teacher compares two study strategies for a vocabulary quiz. Group M repeats each word and its definition aloud 10 times (simple repetition). Group E creates a meaningful sentence connecting each new word to a personal experience. One week later, both groups take the same quiz. The results are shown below. [Image Cue]: Bar graph, "Vocabulary Quiz Scores After 1 Week," x-axis = Study Strategy (Maintenance rehearsal, Elaborative rehearsal), y-axis = Mean Score (0–20). Data: Maintenance = 11/20, Elaborative = 16/20. Key trend: Elaborative rehearsal higher than maintenance. Which conclusion is best supported by the data?

(A)Maintenance rehearsal is more effective than elaborative rehearsal because it strengthens long-term memory traces directly.(B)Elaborative rehearsal promotes better retention because linking new information to meaning improves long-term storage.(C)Elaborative rehearsal increases the capacity of sensory memory, allowing more information to be stored initially.(D)Maintenance rehearsal is ineffective because it prevents encoding into short-term memory.

9. [Skill: 1 | Topic: 2.5] A 72-year-old patient is evaluated for memory problems. Family members report that the patient increasingly forgets recent conversations and misplaces items, and the problems have worsened over the past year. In a separate case study, another individual can recall detailed personal events from nearly every day of their life with unusual accuracy. Which pair of statements best connects these observations to memory storage?

(A)The older patient’s symptoms are most consistent with amnesia from a single head injury, and the exceptional autobiographical recall is best explained by maintenance rehearsal alone.(B)The older patient’s pattern is consistent with Alzheimer’s disease affecting long-term memory storage, and highly superior autobiographical memory suggests biological processes that support unusually strong storage of self-referential information.(C)The older patient’s symptoms are best explained by infantile amnesia, and the exceptional recall indicates increased sensory memory duration.(D)The older patient’s symptoms reflect a normal limit in short-term memory capacity, and the exceptional recall occurs because working memory can store unlimited information.

10. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 2.6] A researcher asks participants to study a list of 20 psychology terms (e.g., habituation, schema, reinforcement). Twenty minutes later, the researcher gives two different memory tests. Test 1: Participants must write down as many of the terms as they can remember. Test 2: Participants see 40 terms (20 studied terms mixed with 20 new terms) and must circle the terms they recognize from the original list. Which retrieval process is primarily required for Test 2?

(A)Recall, because participants must generate the terms from memory without cues(B)Recognition, because participants identify previously learned information with cues present(C)Relearning, because participants improve performance by studying the list again(D)Encoding, because participants are converting the terms into a long-term memory code

11. [Skill: 2.A | Topic: 2.6] A psychologist investigates how environmental context affects memory. Participants learn a word list either in Room A (with a citrus scent and bright lighting) or in Room B (no scent and dim lighting). The next day, participants are tested in either the same room or the other room. Results (mean number of words recalled out of 30): - Learn in A, test in A: 21 - Learn in A, test in B: 15 - Learn in B, test in B: 20 - Learn in B, test in A: 14 Which conclusion is best supported by the results?

(A)Recall is generally better than recognition because it requires fewer retrieval cues(B)Memory retrieval is enhanced when the testing context matches the encoding context(C)Participants in Room A performed better because bright lighting increases encoding efficiency for everyone(D)The results demonstrate the testing effect because participants were tested after studying

12. [Skill: 1.B | Topic: 2.6] A student is preparing for a psychology quiz. Instead of rereading the chapter, the student repeatedly takes short practice quizzes without notes, checks which concepts were missed, and then adjusts the next study session to focus on the weakest areas. Which combination of concepts best explains why this approach is likely to improve the student’s later retrieval on the quiz?

(A)Recognition and state-dependent memory(B)Testing effect and metacognition(C)Context-dependent memory and mood-congruent memory(D)Encoding specificity and proactive interference

Refer to the figure below.

13. [Skill: 2.A | Topic: 2.7] A researcher tests memory for a list of 20 vocabulary words. Participants study the list once and then take the same recall test after different delays. [Image Cue]: Line graph, "Recall of Vocabulary Words Over Time," x-axis = Time since learning (minutes, hours, days), y-axis = Percent of words recalled (0–100). Data show a steep drop shortly after learning (e.g., from about 90% at 10 minutes to about 45% at 1 hour) and then a gradual decline that levels off (e.g., about 30% by 1 day and about 25% by 7 days). Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the data?

(A)Forgetting happens rapidly soon after learning and then slows down over time.(B)Forgetting occurs at a constant rate across all time intervals.(C)Recall improves after a delay because consolidation strengthens the memory trace over time.(D)The pattern indicates that participants are repressing the vocabulary words because the words are distressing.

14. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 2.7] Nadia had memorized her old locker combination (14-32-7) and used it daily for months. After getting a new locker, she memorized a new combination (9-18-26). During the first week with the new locker, Nadia repeatedly and mistakenly tries the old combination when attempting to open the new locker. Which cognitive explanation best accounts for Nadia’s difficulty?

(A)Retroactive interference, because the new combination is blocking recall of the old combination.(B)Proactive interference, because the old combination is disrupting recall of the new combination.(C)Encoding failure, because Nadia never encoded the new combination into long-term memory.(D)Repression, because Nadia is unconsciously motivated to forget the new combination to reduce distress.

15. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 2.7] After witnessing a minor car crash, Omar tells police he is “pretty sure” the blue car ran the red light. Two days later, Omar watches a news clip in which the reporter says the red car ran the red light. At the follow-up interview a week later, Omar confidently reports that the red car ran the red light, and he cannot remember whether he saw this detail himself or heard it from someone else. Which of the following best explains Omar’s later report?

(A)Misinformation effect, because postevent information altered Omar’s memory of the crash.(B)Encoding failure, because Omar did not pay attention during the crash and therefore formed no memory of it.(C)Proactive interference, because earlier learning about traffic rules is blocking recall of the crash details.(D)Repression, because Omar is unconsciously pushing the true memory out of awareness to protect the ego.

16. [Skill: 1A | Topic: 2.8] A psychology teacher assigns an article describing two perspectives on intelligence. One view argues that people who do well on vocabulary, spatial reasoning, and memory tasks tend to do well across many cognitive tasks, suggesting a single underlying ability. Another view argues that a person could be strong in music or interpersonal skills but average in logical reasoning, suggesting multiple distinct abilities. The article also notes that how intelligence is defined and measured can reflect societal values and may disadvantage some groups. Which of the following best summarizes the debate described in the article?

(A)Intelligence is best defined only by academic achievement test scores, because achievement tests are less affected by bias than intelligence tests.(B)Intelligence is either a general ability (g) reflected across many tasks or a set of multiple abilities, and defining/measuring it is complex and can be influenced by bias.(C)Intelligence is fixed at birth, which is why disagreement exists about whether intelligence is general or multifaceted.(D)Intelligence tests are unnecessary because modern psychologists agree that intelligence cannot be measured in any valid way.

17. [Skill: 2A | Topic: 2.8] A school district pilots a new assessment intended to identify students who are likely to succeed in an accelerated algebra course next year. Students take the assessment in the spring, and then their algebra grades are recorded the following year. The district also gives a separate end-of-unit algebra exam this year to measure what students have learned so far. Which evidence would BEST support the claim that the spring assessment is a high-quality aptitude test for accelerated algebra placement?

(A)Students who score high on the spring assessment also tend to earn higher algebra grades the following year.(B)Students who score high on the spring assessment also tend to score high on the end-of-unit algebra exam this year.(C)Different proctors read different instructions during administration so that students are exposed to multiple testing conditions.(D)Students report that the spring assessment is more enjoyable than the end-of-unit algebra exam.

Refer to the figure below.

18. [Skill: 3A | Topic: 2.8] A researcher compares average IQ test scores for 18-year-olds from the same country using the same type of standardized test across multiple decades. [Image Cue]: Line graph, "Average IQ Score of 18-Year-Olds Over Time," x-axis: Year (1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020), y-axis: Mean IQ Score. Data trend: gradual increase across decades (e.g., 1980 = 96, 1990 = 99, 2000 = 102, 2010 = 104, 2020 = 106). Which explanation is MOST consistent with this pattern?

(A)The Flynn Effect, in which societal changes (such as education, nutrition, and complexity of the environment) contribute to rising IQ scores over time.(B)A genetic shift across a single generation, causing large between-group differences to exceed within-group differences.(C)A decrease in reliability over time, because reliable tests must show changing scores across repeated administrations.(D)Stereotype threat, which primarily explains why IQ scores increase when individuals are tested repeatedly in the same session.

19. 1. [Skill: 2A | Topic: 2.4] A psychologist studies how different study schedules affect memory for 40 vocabulary terms. Students are randomly assigned to one of two conditions: - Condition 1 (Massed Practice): Students study all 40 terms for 2 hours the night before the test. - Condition 2 (Distributed Practice): Students study the same 40 terms for 20 minutes per day over 6 days. On a test given 24 hours after the final study session, the distributed-practice group remembers more terms on average. Which of the following best explains the higher test performance of the distributed-practice group?

(A)The method of loci improves encoding by associating each term with a specific physical location.(B)The spacing effect improves encoding when practice is distributed over time rather than massed into one session.(C)The serial position effect improves memory for terms that appear at the beginning and end of the study list.(D)Chunking improves encoding by grouping terms into meaningful categories or hierarchies.

20. [Skill: 2A | Topic: 2.4] A teacher wants to help students remember 30 psychology terms for a quiz given one week after studying. Students are randomly assigned to one of two study plans. - Group 1 (Massed): Studies all 30 terms in one 60-minute session on Monday. - Group 2 (Distributed): Studies the same 30 terms in four 15-minute sessions (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday). On the quiz one week later, Group 2 scores higher on average than Group 1. Which of the following best explains Group 2’s higher scores?

(A)The spacing effect, because distributed practice typically leads to better long-term encoding than massed practice(B)The serial position effect, because studying across multiple days increases primacy and recency effects for all items(C)Chunking, because breaking time into shorter sessions automatically organizes the terms into meaningful categories(D)The method of loci, because studying in different locations improves encoding by associating each term with a place

21. 1. [Skill: 2A | Topic: 2.4] A psychology teacher wants to help students remember 30 vocabulary terms for a quiz given one week later. The teacher randomly assigns students to one of two study plans and measures average quiz performance. Study Plan Results (mean score out of 30): - Plan 1 (Massed practice): Study all 30 terms for 60 minutes the night before the quiz → Mean score = 18 - Plan 2 (Distributed practice): Study the same 30 terms for 15 minutes per day across 4 days (total = 60 minutes), finishing 3 days before the quiz → Mean score = 24 Which of the following best explains why students in Plan 2 scored higher than students in Plan 1?

(A)The spacing effect, which predicts that distributed practice leads to better long-term encoding than massed practice(B)The method of loci, which improves encoding by associating each vocabulary term with a familiar spatial location(C)The serial position effect, which predicts stronger memory for vocabulary terms studied first and last in the set(D)Chunking, which improves encoding by combining individual vocabulary terms into larger, meaningful units

22. **1.** [Skill: 2A | Topic: 2.4] A researcher wants to test two different study schedules for learning 40 vocabulary terms in a foreign language. Students are randomly assigned to one of two conditions: - **Condition 1 (Distributed):** Study for 20 minutes per day for 4 days. - **Condition 2 (Massed):** Study for 80 minutes in one session the day before the quiz. All students take the same quiz immediately after their final study session. One week later, they take a surprise retest. Results show that both groups perform similarly on the immediate quiz, but the distributed group scores higher on the one-week retest. Which of the following best explains the distributed group’s superior performance on the one-week retest?

(A)The spacing effect, which shows that distributed practice improves long-term encoding and retention more than massed practice(B)The method of loci, which improves memory by associating each vocabulary term with a location along a familiar route(C)The serial position effect, which predicts that students will remember terms studied at the beginning and end of the study session best(D)Chunking, which improves memory by automatically converting vocabulary terms into meaningful categories without conscious effort

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