Unit 3: Becoming more effective - Practice Quiz

1 What does the acronym SQ3R stand for in effective reading?

2 A mnemonic is best described as a technique used to:

3 The type of memory that holds information for only a short time and has limited capacity is called:

4 Grouping individual items into larger, meaningful units to remember them more easily is known as:

5 Skimming a text primarily means:

6 Reviewing material at increasing intervals over time to strengthen memory is called:

7 Brainstorming is a technique mainly used to:

8 Thinking that generates many varied and original solutions to a problem is called:

9 Which of the following is a common barrier to creativity?

10 A mind map is a tool that helps people:

11 Looking at a problem from a new or unusual angle is often called:

12 During the idea-generation stage of brainstorming, participants are encouraged to:

13 Self-confidence is best defined as:

14 The belief in your ability to succeed at a specific task is known as:

15 Positive self-talk is a strategy that involves:

16 Which of the following is most likely to build confidence over time?

17 Body language that tends to convey confidence includes:

18 A decision is best described as:

19 A pros and cons list helps decision making by:

20 Making a quick decision based on gut feeling rather than detailed analysis is known as an:

21 A student uses the SQ3R method while studying a textbook chapter. After surveying and questioning, which activity best represents the first "R" stage?

22 A learner reviews material after 1 day, 3 days, and then 1 week rather than cramming the night before. Which memory principle is being applied?

23 To memorise the order of planets, a student invents the sentence "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles." This technique is best described as a:

24 A reader skims headings, bold terms, and the first sentence of each paragraph to grasp the gist quickly before deciding what to study in depth. This reading strategy is called:

25 Grouping a 10-digit phone number into segments like 987-654-3210 improves recall by:

26 During a group session, participants are told to generate as many wild ideas as possible with no criticism allowed. Which creative technique is being used?

27 A designer asks, "How many uses can I think of for a paperclip?" This question is primarily testing:

28 After struggling with a problem, a person stops working and goes for a walk; the solution then appears "out of nowhere." Which stage of the creative process does this illustrate?

29 A team keeps designing a bottle-opener as only a handheld tool, unable to imagine a wall-mounted or keychain version. This mental block is best labelled as:

30 Which condition most reliably supports creative output according to research on motivation?

31 A student believes, "I can succeed at this presentation because I have prepared and rehearsed well." In Bandura's terms this belief is called:

32 According to Bandura, which source of self-efficacy is generally the most powerful?

33 A speaker reframes pre-performance nerves as "excitement that will energise me" rather than "anxiety that will ruin me." This confidence strategy relies on:

34 A confident but realistic performer sets goals that are challenging yet attainable. This best reflects the idea that healthy confidence should be:

35 A performer who fears failure so much that they never attempt challenging tasks is likely displaying:

36 A manager buys a familiar brand quickly because it "feels right," relying on a rule of thumb instead of full analysis. This decision approach is called:

37 An investor keeps a failing stock only because they have already lost a lot on it, not because it is likely to recover. This is an example of the:

38 Told a surgery has a "90% survival rate," patients choose it more often than when told it has a "10% mortality rate," though the odds are identical. This illustrates the:

39 A decision-maker settles for the first "good enough" option that meets minimum criteria rather than searching for the very best. Herbert Simon called this:

40 A person estimates plane crashes as very likely because vivid crash reports are easy to recall from the news. Which cognitive bias is at work?

41 A student uses the SQ3R method (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) but reports poor retention despite spending hours on the 'Read' stage. Analysis of their notes shows verbatim highlighting and no self-generated questions. Which underlying principle best explains why their approach fails to build durable memory?

42 Two study schedules cover identical material over 6 hours. Schedule A: one 6-hour block. Schedule B: six 1-hour sessions across six days with self-testing. On a delayed test two weeks later, Schedule B outperforms A. Which combination of effects best accounts for this?

43 A learner memorises a 20-item shopping list by imagining each item placed at a location along a familiar walk home. This technique exploits which memory mechanism, and what is its primary vulnerability?

44 During revision, a student can recall facts perfectly in their bedroom where they studied, but underperforms in the exam hall. Which principle best explains this, and what strategy directly counteracts it?

45 A reader wants to grasp the argument structure of a dense academic paper quickly. Which combination of reading strategies best balances speed with comprehension of the author's reasoning?

46 A design team consistently produces conventional solutions. A consultant argues they are stuck due to functional fixedness. Which intervention most directly targets this specific barrier?

47 Guilford distinguished divergent and convergent thinking. A test asks 'List all possible uses for a brick' and scores originality, fluency, and flexibility. A candidate lists 40 uses, but 38 involve building. How would their divergent-thinking profile most accurately be described?

48 Research on incubation suggests stepping away from a problem can boost creative insight. Which explanation is best supported by evidence for why incubation helps?

49 A manager introduces group brainstorming expecting more ideas than individuals working alone. Studies of production blocking and evaluation apprehension predict what outcome, and what redesign mitigates it?

50 The concept of 'creative constraints' claims limits can enhance rather than hinder creativity. Which scenario best illustrates the mechanism by which constraints boost creative output?

51 Bandura's self-efficacy theory identifies four sources. A coach wants to raise an athlete's efficacy most durably. Ranking the sources by typical strength, which is most powerful and why?

52 A performer scores high on trait confidence yet 'chokes' in a high-stakes final. The explicit monitoring theory of choking explains this how?

53 Distinguish self-efficacy from self-esteem in a case: a student believes they can pass any exam (task belief) but feels worthless as a person. Which statement correctly maps these constructs?

54 The Yerkes–Dodson law relates arousal to performance. For a complex, novel cognitive task versus a simple, well-learned one, how do the optimal arousal points compare?

55 A therapist notes a client's confidence collapses after minor setbacks. Their self-talk is 'I always fail at everything, forever.' Using attribution theory, which attributional style is this, and what shift builds resilience?

56 A recruiter judges a candidate as likely to succeed because they resemble the recruiter's stereotype of a 'top performer,' ignoring base rates of success. Which heuristic and error is operating?

57 Two treatments are described identically in outcome but framed as '90% survival' versus '10% mortality.' Decision-makers prefer the first. This demonstrates which principle from prospect theory?

58 A manager keeps funding a failing project because '£2 million has already been spent.' A rational analysis says future costs exceed future benefits. Which bias is this, and what is the correct decision rule?

59 A cohesive team suppresses dissent, self-censors doubts, and reaches a unanimous but disastrous decision. Janis called this groupthink. Which structural safeguard most directly counters its core mechanism?

60 Comparing decision models, when is a fast recognition-primed decision (RPD) likely to outperform a slow, exhaustive rational-analytic model?