ACT SSC Psychology Unit 1: Cognition — Flashcards & Quiz

Q1: Describe the multi-store model of memory and its key components.

Atkinson and Shiffrin’s (1968) multi-store model proposes three distinct stores: sensory memory (very brief, high capacity — iconic for visual, echoic for auditory), short-term memory (limited to 7±2 items, ~30 seconds without rehearsal) and long-term memory (unlimited capacity, potentially permanent). Information flows through the stores via attention (sensory to STM) and rehearsal (STM to LTM).

Q2: Explain Baddeley and Hitch’s working memory model and its components.

The working memory model (1974) replaces the multi-store model’s passive STM with an active processing system. Components: central executive (attentional control, task coordination), phonological loop (verbal/acoustic information via articulatory rehearsal and phonological store), visuospatial sketchpad (visual/spatial information) and episodic buffer (integrates information from subsystems and LTM into coherent episodes).

Q3: What is selective attention and what factors influence it?

Selective attention is the ability to focus on relevant stimuli while filtering out irrelevant information. Broadbent’s filter model (1958) proposed early selection based on physical features. Treisman’s attenuation model (1964) proposed that unattended information is weakened but not blocked. Factors influencing attention: stimulus intensity, novelty, emotional significance, personal relevance and task demands.

Q4: How do Gestalt principles explain visual perception?

Gestalt psychologists proposed that the brain organises visual input into meaningful patterns ("the whole is greater than the sum of its parts"). Key principles: proximity (nearby elements grouped together), similarity (similar elements grouped), closure (completing incomplete figures), continuity (perceiving smooth continuous patterns) and figure-ground (distinguishing object from background).

Q5: What is confirmation bias and how does it affect reasoning?

Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret and remember information that confirms pre-existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence. It affects reasoning by creating a distorted evidence base, reinforcing stereotypes, reducing the quality of decisions and resisting belief change. Wason’s (1960) selection task demonstrated that people preferentially seek confirming rather than disconfirming evidence.

Q6: What are heuristics and how do they lead to systematic errors in judgement?

Heuristics (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974) are mental shortcuts that simplify complex decisions. Availability heuristic: judging probability based on how easily examples come to mind. Representativeness heuristic: judging probability based on how closely something matches a prototype. Anchoring: relying too heavily on the first piece of information encountered. While efficient, heuristics can produce systematic biases and errors in judgement.

Q7: Compare algorithms and heuristics as problem-solving strategies.

An algorithm is a step-by-step procedure that guarantees a correct solution (e.g. following a recipe, solving a mathematical formula). A heuristic is a mental shortcut or "rule of thumb" that simplifies the problem and may lead to a good-enough solution more quickly, but does not guarantee correctness (e.g. "if in doubt, choose C"). Algorithms are reliable but slow; heuristics are fast but error-prone.

Q8: What is Craik and Lockhart’s levels of processing framework?

Craik and Lockhart (1972) proposed that memory depends on the depth of processing during encoding rather than the store in which information resides. Shallow processing (structural — physical features, phonemic — sound) produces weaker memory traces. Deep processing (semantic — meaning, elaborative — connecting to existing knowledge) produces stronger, more durable memories.

Q1: The multi-store model proposes that sensory memory has very limited capacity and long duration.

Answer: FALSE

Sensory memory has very large capacity but extremely brief duration (iconic memory ~0.5 seconds, echoic memory ~3–4 seconds). Information is lost rapidly unless attended to and transferred to short-term memory.

Q2: The central executive in the working memory model is responsible for processing visual and spatial information.

Answer: FALSE

Visual and spatial information is processed by the visuospatial sketchpad. The central executive is an attentional control system that coordinates the subsystems, allocates resources and manages task-switching.

Q3: Treisman’s attenuation model proposes that unattended information is completely blocked from further processing.

Answer: FALSE

Treisman proposed that unattended information is attenuated (weakened), not completely blocked. Important stimuli (e.g. your own name) have lower activation thresholds and can break through the attenuated channel, explaining the cocktail party effect.

Q4: The Gestalt principle of closure describes the tendency to perceive complete figures even when parts are missing.

Answer: TRUE

Closure is the Gestalt principle where the brain fills in missing information to perceive a complete, whole figure. For example, a circle with gaps is still perceived as a circle rather than separate arcs.

Q5: Confirmation bias involves actively seeking out information that contradicts one’s existing beliefs.

Answer: FALSE

Confirmation bias is the opposite: the tendency to seek, interpret and remember information that confirms existing beliefs while ignoring or dismissing contradictory evidence.

Memory Models

The multi-store model (Atkinson & Shiffrin) and working memory model (Baddeley & Hitch) are the two primary frameworks. BSSS assessments require you to describe each model, compare their explanations of short-term memory and evaluate using supporting research evidence.

Attention and Perception

Selective attention models (Broadbent, Treisman) and Gestalt principles of perception explain how we filter and organise sensory information. Understanding the differences between early and late selection, and applying Gestalt principles to visual examples, are core BSSS assessment skills.

Heuristics and Cognitive Biases

Tversky and Kahneman’s research on availability, representativeness and anchoring heuristics, plus confirmation bias, demonstrate systematic patterns in human judgement. Being able to identify and explain these in novel scenarios is a frequently assessed skill in BSSS exams.

Encoding, Retrieval and Forgetting

Levels of processing (Craik & Lockhart), interference theory and trace decay explain how information is stored and lost. Comparing these theories using research evidence and applying them to study strategies demonstrates practical and theoretical understanding.

What does ACT SSC Psychology Unit 1 cover?

Unit 1 covers cognition including memory models (multi-store, working memory), attention (selective, divided), perception (visual illusions, Gestalt principles), problem-solving strategies, heuristics, cognitive biases (confirmation, anchoring) and the relationship between language and thought.

Are these flashcards aligned to the BSSS curriculum?

Yes — every flashcard and quiz question is mapped to the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies (BSSS) Psychology curriculum for Unit 1: Cognition.

How should I study cognitive psychology for ACT SSC exams?

Use diagrams to learn memory models, practise applying cognitive biases to real-world scenarios, and test yourself with flashcards and quizzes. BSSS exams reward practical application, so focus on connecting theories to everyday examples.