Free Cognitive Psychology MCQs with Answers

• A. dilates
• B. constricts
• C. thickens
• D. remains the same

Explanation: In dim light, the pupil dilates so that more light can enter the eye; in bright light, it constricts to limit incoming light.

• A. visual acuity
• B. auditory thresholds
• C. cutaneous sensitivity
• D. binocular depth perception

Explanation: Two-point discrimination measures how closely two touches can be placed while still being felt as separate, so it assesses sensitivity of…

• A. Ponzo illusion
• B. Necker illusion
• C. phi-phenomenon
• D. induced movement effect

Explanation: The phi phenomenon is the perception of movement produced by stationary lights flashing in sequence, as in many signs.

• A. reflex
• B. convergence
• C. learning
• D. instinct

Explanation: Perceptual constancies depend substantially on learning and past experience, which help the brain interpret changing sensory images as…

• A. perception
• B. motivation
• C. cognition
• D. None of these

Explanation: Sensation is the detection of physical stimulation, whereas perception is the process of organizing and giving meaning to that sensory…

• A. texture gradient
• B. relative movement
• C. relative closure
• D. None of these

Explanation: Motion parallax uses relative movement: nearby objects appear to move faster across the visual field than distant objects as the observer…

• A. loudness and intensity
• B. resonance
• C. brightness and hue
• D. frequency

Explanation: A sound becomes softer as it travels farther because its intensity decreases, so loudness helps the listener estimate distance traveled.

• A. frequency theory
• B. opponent-process theory
• C. isomorphism
• D. trichromatic theory

Explanation: Opponent-process theory challenged the trichromatic account associated with Helmholtz by proposing paired color processes such as…

• A. false sensation
• B. wrong perception
• C. false belief
• D. both a and b

Explanation: An illusion is an incorrect interpretation of a real sensory stimulus, so it is best described as wrong perception.

• A. complete figures that have a gap in them
• B. prefer differential contours
• C. associate the distal and proximal stimuli
• D. view on the basis of texture gradient

Explanation: The Gestalt principle of closure leads us to mentally fill gaps and perceive an incomplete figure as a complete one.

• A. temporal lobe
• B. occipital lobe
• C. parietal lobe
• D. frontal lobe

Explanation: Auditory information is processed primarily in the auditory cortex of the temporal lobe.

• A. Purkinje effect
• B. Zeigarnik effect
• C. Young-Helmholtz effect
• D. light adaptation

Explanation: The Purkinje effect refers to the shift toward greater sensitivity to shorter wavelengths in dim light, making blue-green hues appear…

• A. relative size
• B. linear perspective
• C. convergence
• D. interposition

Explanation: Convergence is a binocular depth cue because the brain uses the inward turning of both eyes to estimate distance.

• A. loudness
• B. frequency
• C. distance
• D. timber

Explanation: Frequency is a physical property of sound and corresponds mainly to perceived pitch.

• A. closure
• B. similarity
• C. proximity
• D. relative size

Explanation: Closure, similarity, and proximity are Gestalt principles of perceptual organization, whereas relative size is a monocular depth cue.

• A. innate capability index
• B. innate surface structure ability
• C. prosody index
• D. language acquisition device

Explanation: Chomsky proposed a language acquisition device, an innate human capacity that helps children detect and learn the structural rules of…

• A. organize movements in terms of purpose
• B. do something when instructed verbally
• C. make movements
• D. both a and b

Explanation: Apraxia is the inability to organise and carry out a learned, purposeful movement, even when the person understands the instruction and…

• A. psycho-grammarists
• B. psycholinguists
• C. psycho-metricians
• D. morphemologists

Explanation: Psycholinguistics examines how language is represented, understood, produced, and acquired.

• A. the morphemes used
• B. the phonemes used
• C. both morphemes and phonemes
• D. the rules used to connect phrases

Explanation: Grammar is the system of rules that determines how words and phrases are organized into meaningful sentences.

• A. the surface structure of a sentence
• B. the smallest unit of meaning in a language
• C. the deep structure of a sentence
• D. the basic declarative thought of the sentence

Explanation: A kernel is a simple basic sentence underlying more complex forms and serving as the source for transformational operations.