Deck 4: Short-Term Working Memory

Question 1

The tasks used to test Short-Term Memory (STM)

A)do not require simultaneously arriving information.
B)do not present a perceptual overload.
C)do not present the information so briefly as to make perception of them difficult.
D)All of these

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The difference between master chess players and novice chess players viewing a chess board briefly is

A)a difference in the ability to memorize legal but not illegal chess positions.
B)a difference in the ability to memorize legal and illegal chess positions.
C)no difference in the ability to memorize chess positions.
D)None of these

Answer 2

A

Question 3

In proactive interference,

A)information in STM interferes with information in LTM.
B)information in the sensory store interferes with information in LTM.
C)previously presented information interferes with subsequent learning.
D)recently learned information interferes with prior learning.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Wickens' study on release from proactive interference by introducing a new category of words suggests that STM can be influenced by

A)sensory codes.
C)visual codes.
B)semantic codes.
D)phonemic codes.

Question 5

Old learning interfering with new learning is

A)retroactive interference.
C)release from proactive interference.
B)proactive interference.
D)release from retroactive interference.

Question 6

Peterson and Peterson estimated that the duration of short-term memory (STM) was approximately

A)3 seconds.
C)60 seconds.
B)18 seconds.
D)90 seconds.

Question 7

Wickens' study on release from proactive interference showed that recall could be improved by

A)giving more practice trials.
C)shifting to a new class of words.
B)presenting items at a slower rate.
D)encouraging more rehearsal.

Question 8

I tell you 3 numbers and then ask you to count backward by fours before asking you to recall the 3 numbers. What am I trying to demonstrate?

A)proactive interference
C)release from proactive interference
B)retroactive interference
D)release from retroactive interference

Question 9

Which of the following is not a control process with short-tem memory as proposed by Atkinson and Shiffrin?

A)rehearsal
C)decisions
B)coding
D)identification

Question 10

Short-Term Memory is a critically important component of the information processing system because

A)it can combine information from the environment and Long-Term Memory whenever a person tries to learn new information, make decisions, or solve problems.
B)nothing can be output through the sensory store without passing through it first.
C)the rules of behavior are stored in STM.
D)it lasts longer than the other forms of memory and, unlike the other forms of memory, it has the advantage of being 'erasable,' so that incorrect information can be filtered out.

Question 11

Which concept did not result from the application of cognitive load theory to instruction?

A)split attention effect.
C)rehearsal effect.
B)expertise reversal effect.
D)redundancy effect.

Question 12

Waugh and Norman's (1965) probe digit study indicates support for _____ as the primary cause of forgetting.

A)decay theory
C)lack of studying
B)interference theory
D)acoustic confusions

Question 13

Pausing in the letter string FBITWACIAIBM to form familiar groups allows people to take advantage of

A)absolute judgment.
C)acoustic codes.
B)chunking.
D)paraphrases.

Question 14

Which of the following is used as a temporary working memory?

A)the visual sensory store
C)short-term memory
B)the auditory sensory store
D)long-term memory

Question 15

George Miller argued that the limited capacity of short-term memory accounts for the results of experiments on

A)memory span.
C)Both of the above
B)absolute judgment.
D)Neither of the above

Question 16

'The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two' refers to

A)the capacity of short-term memory.
B)our perceptual encoding capacity.
C)the rate of transfer of information into long-term memory.
D)None of these

Question 17

Waugh and Norman used a probe memory scan task in which subjects recalled a test digit following a probe. They found that the probability of recalling the test digit was determined by

A)the rate of presentation, supporting an interference theory.
B)the rate of presentation, supporting a decay theory.
C)the number of interfering items, supporting an interference theory.
D)the number of interfering items, supporting a decay theory.

Question 18

Short-term memory span of 7 plus or minus 2 refers to

A)the number of items that can be held in memory.
B)the number of chunks that can be held in memory.
C)the length of time information can be held in memory.
D)the length of time to transfer information into long-term memory.

Question 19

Waugh and Norman's Short-Term Memory (STM) study separated the effects of decay from the effects of interference by independently manipulating

A)the number of intervening digits independently of the amount of time that elapsed between the digits.
B)the intensity of the stimulus independently of its duration.
C)the phonetic similarity of the digits independently of rehearsal time.
D)the amount of study time independently of the retention interval.

Question 20

What kind of task requires people to learn to identify stimuli that vary along a single, sensory continuum?

A)digit span
C)absolute judgment
B)memory span
D)relative judgment

Question 21

Laughery can account for acoustic confusions in recall by assuming that

A)names are stored as phonemes.
B)auditory components (phonemes) are forgotten at different rates.
C)recalled phonemes are used to constrain guessing.
D)All of these

Question 22

Subvocalization appears to be important

A)in facilitating recall of simple orally presented material.
B)in facilitating recall of complex orally presented material.
C)in facilitating recall of simple written material.
D)in facilitating recall of complex written material.

Question 23

Information from short-term memory is lost within 20-30 seconds if not rehearsed.

Question 24

Which is not a component of Baddeley's working memory model?

A)filter
C)visual-spatial sketch pad
B)phonological loop
D)central executive

Question 25

De Groot argued that master chess players are better than average players in recalling the location of pieces on a chess board because

A)they have superior memories.
B)they are better at guessing where the pieces belong.
C)they can code the pieces better into familiar groups.
D)they rely more on verbal rehearsal than average players.

Question 26

The number of items a person can keep active in Short-Term Memory is determined by

A)the rate at which the person can pronounce the items in STM.
B)the speed with which the person can retrieve the items in STM.
C)Both a and b
D)None of these

Question 27

To prevent use of the visual-spatial sketchpad component of Baddeleys' working memory model people are required to

A)tap a series of keys.
C)produce a random string of letters.
B)count aloud.
D)All of these

Question 28

Application of Baddeley's working memory model to logical reasoning tasks indicate that these tasks require use of

A)the articulatory loop.
C)the central executive.
B)the visual-spatial sketchpad.
D)All of these

Question 29

One reason psychologists believe that there is a phonological rehearsal loop in Short-Term Memory is Sperling's (1963) finding that

A)some people remember sounds better than other people.
B)people sometimes recall incorrect letters that sound like the correct ones.
C)it is impossible for people to rehearse images.
D)nonverbal information must be converted into verbal information before it can be stored in STM.

Question 30

Sternberg argued that people do not use a self-terminating search of STM because it takes too much time to

A)scan the memory set.
C)encode the test digit.
B)check for matches.
D)respond after finding a match.

Question 31

Which of the following is not true of Laughery's model of STM?

A)Items are represented in terms of their phonemes.
B)The phonemes can decay at different rates.
C)The model can account for acoustic confusions.
D)The model can account for visual confusions.

Question 32

Using pauses as a measure of chunk boundaries, Chase and Simon found that master chess players have

A)fewer chunks stored in LTM.
C)Both of these
B)larger chunks stored in LTM.
D)Neither of these

Question 33

Conrad's (1964) study demonstrated that visually presented letters are stored as

A)visual codes.
C)semantic codes.
B)kinesthetic codes.
D)acoustic codes.

Question 34

Levy asked readers to count from 1 to 10 as they were reading in order to prevent

A)vocalization of the text.
C)involuntary attention.
B)subvocalization of the text.
D)voluntary attention.

Question 35

Baddeley revised his working memory model by adding an Episodic Buffer to account for

A)the integration of visual and verbal codes.
B)decisions that manage the use of working memory.
C)the control of attention.
D)the rapid rate of forgetting.

Question 36

The basic sounds of the English language are called

A)phonemes.
C)syllables.
B)vowels.
D)words.

Question 37

When presented with a memory set and then given a probe in Sternberg's (1966) study, the length of time it took subjects to respond whether the probe was in the memory set was linearly related to

A)the position of the probe in the memory set.
B)their individual memory span.
C)the rate of encoding.
D)the size of the memory set.

Question 38

As processing (such as updating, response selection) becomes more demanding in working memory, memory span

A)remains the same.
C)increases.
B)varies randomly.
D)decreases.

Question 39

One of the aspects of Baddeley's model of working memory is that

A)both acoustic and visual codes are processed within the same subsystem.
B)both acoustic and spatial codes are processed within the same subsystem.
C)acoustic and visual-spatial information are processed within the same subsystem.
D)None of these

Question 40

The major difference between the original idea of Short-Term Memory and the newer concept of 'working memory' is

A)the original idea of STM was primarily template-based image processing.
B)the newer idea of working memory includes a visual-spatial sketchpad, and a central executive in addition to the phonological rehearsal loop.
C)the newer idea of working memory states that ideas that do not work very well are unlikely to be remembered.
D)working memory denies the distinction between Short-Term Memory and Long-term Memory.

Question 41

The sensory registers are limited to visual and auditory input.

Question 42

Of the three memory models discussed in the text (Atkinson and Shiffrin; Baddeley and Hitch; and Baddeley) which do you prefer? Why?

Question 43

Define subvocalizing. Do you find that it helps you remember what you read? Do you think that you remember what you read as well when you try to suppress subvocalization?

Question 44

Limited capacity and rapid forgetting are two major distinguishing characteristics of short-term memory.

Question 45

Short-term memory is searched in a self-terminating manner.

Question 46

If you are affected by retroactive interference, you should study in the evening in order to minimize its impact.

Question 47

There were three diagrammatic models of memory presented in your text: Atkinson and Shiffrin; Baddeley and Hitch; and Baddeley. Draw and label each of these models.

Question 48

Information flows from short-term memory into long-term memory and long-term into short-term memory.

Question 49

The split-attention effect is one example of cognitive load theory to instruction.

Question 50

Attention is not a part of traditional models of short-term memory.

Question 51

Define retroactive and proactive interference effects. Now think about your own study strategies. Would you say that you are more prone to retroactive or proactive interference effects? How could you improve your study habits to accommodate interference effects?

Question 52

The visual-spatial sketchpad is a component of sensory memory.

Question 53

How is short-term memory searched? What evidence is there for this?

Question 54

Discuss the limitations of short-term memory. What studies have demonstrated these limitations?

Question 55

Results of research on rates of forgetting in short-term memory indicate that we can hold information indefinitely without effort.

Question 56

What are the distinctions between the three models of memory (Atkinson and Shiffrin; Baddeley and Hitch; and Baddeley)?

Question 57

What is the significance of chunking in memory? How can you use chunking to enhance your memory? Apply the concept of chunking to your life: Give at least one example related to studying and one example related to social activities.

Question 58

Explain Baddeley's working memory model. What is the key difference between Baddeley's model compared with other memory models?

Question 59

Explain the differences between interference theory and decay theory. What has research shown about which one is the main cause of forgetting?