43 exam-style questions on Cognitive approach to behaviour — topic CON.2 of Content: Approaches to understanding behaviour in the IB Psychology syllabus — with answers and explanations. Samples below; the full set is free with an account.
In Baddeley & Hitch's (1974) working memory model, which component is the 'inner voice' that rehearses verbal information?
Answer: The phonological loop
The phonological loop stores and rehearses speech-based information (the 'inner voice' and 'inner ear'). The visuospatial sketchpad handles visual/spatial data, the central executive allocates attention, and the episodic buffer (added by Baddeley in 2000) integrates information across systems.
Glanzer & Cunitz (1966) found that delaying recall after a word list eliminated which part of the serial position curve?
Answer: The recency effect
Glanzer & Cunitz (1966) showed that immediate recall produces both primacy (good recall of early words) and recency (good recall of last words). A delay filled with a distractor task removed the recency effect but not primacy, supporting separate short-term and long-term stores.
In Brewer & Treyens (1981), participants waited in an office and were later tested on what they remembered. The schema effect was shown because they:
Answer: Falsely recalled expected objects
Brewer & Treyens (1981) found participants recalled schema-consistent items well (desk, chair) and often falsely reported objects expected in an office, such as books, that were not actually there. This demonstrates schemas can create both accurate recall and false memories.
In Loftus & Palmer (1974), participants who were asked how fast cars were going when they 'smashed' rather than 'hit' gave:
Answer: Higher speed estimates
Loftus & Palmer (1974) showed that the verb used in a leading question influenced speed estimates: 'smashed' produced higher estimates than 'hit'. A week later, 'smashed' participants were also more likely to falsely recall broken glass, demonstrating reconstructive memory and the misinformation effect.
Tversky & Kahneman's (1981) 'Asian disease problem' demonstrated that decisions can be reversed depending on whether outcomes are described as:
Answer: Gains or losses
Tversky & Kahneman (1981) found that when a policy was framed in terms of lives saved, people preferred the certain option; when the identical outcome was framed as lives lost, they preferred the risky option. This framing effect shows decisions depend on presentation, not just objective facts.
In the working memory model, the component that directs attention and coordinates the other subsystems is the
Answer: central executive
The central executive allocates attention; the phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad are specialised slave systems.
That was 6 of 43 Cognitive approach to behaviour questions.
Practise all 43 freeOutlineAO1 · 1–9 marks
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43 Cognitive approach to behaviour questions — free with an account. Spaced repetition, streaks and full exam simulations included.
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