Question 1

_______________ is defined as forgetting that occurs when previously stored material interferes with the ability to remember similar, more recently stored material.
A) Recency effect
B) Proactive interference
C) Decay
D) Retroactive interference

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when older memories interfere with the recall of newer memories, which matches the definition provided.

Question 2

According to the serial-position effect, if you are shown a list of items and then asked to immediately recall them
A) you will most easily recall items from the beginning and the middle of the list.
B) you will most easily recall items from the beginning and the end of the list.
C) you will most easily recall items from the middle and the end of the list.
D) retention of any particular item is based on emotional valence, not its position in the list.

Accepted Answer

The serial-position effect states that people tend to remember items from the beginning (primacy effect) and the end (recency effect) of a list, but not as well the items from the middle. This is because items at the beginning of the list have been rehearsed more (primacy), and items at the end are still fresh in memory (recency) when asked to recall them. Therefore, the correct choice is B, as items from the beginning and the end of the list are most easily recalled.

Question 3

__________ occurs when recently learned material interferes with the ability to remember older information.
A) Replacement
B) Retroactive interference
C) The primacy effect
D) Proactive interference

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when recently learned information interferes with the recall of previously learned information. This can happen when similar information is learned following the initial material, making it difficult to retrieve the original information.

Question 4

Adrianna is trying to memorize the names of the bones in the hand. She had gone through a list of them when her phone rang. After she gets off the phone, she is MOST likely to remember the first few bone names because of the
A) elaboration effect.
B) recency effect.
C) primacy effect.
D) maintenance effect.

Accepted Answer

Adrianna is most likely to remember the first few bone names because of the primacy effect, which suggests that individuals tend to remember items at the beginning of a list better than those in the middle or end.

Question 5

Using the partial report method, Sperling found the capacity of iconic memory could hold
A) about four or five letters.
B) about nine or ten letters.
C) all the letters present.
D) about one to two letters.

Accepted Answer

Sperling's partial report method demonstrated that iconic memory could briefly hold all the letters present in a visual display, but only a small portion could be reported before the memory faded.

Question 6

Echoic memory is to hearing, as ______________ memory is to vision.
A) sensory
B) long-term
C) short-term
D) iconic

Accepted Answer

Iconic memory is the memory system that holds visual sensory information for a brief period of time after the stimulus has disappeared.

Question 7

Alice was distracted when her friend asked her a question. She started to ask her friend to repeat the question, when she suddenly realized what her friend had been asking her. This is likely because the question was still stored in her
A) working memory.
B) short-term memory.
C) long-term memory.
D) sensory memory.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Alice was distracted when her friend asked...

Question 8

Margeaux is introduced to the following people when she arrives at the party: Derek, Kayla, Calvin, Debbie, Rose, Melanie, Garrett, Tom, Francis, Jane, and Vincent. According to the serial-position effect, it will be most DIFFICULT to remember the names of
A) Derek, Kayla, Jane, and Vincent.
B) Tom, Francis, Jane, and Vincent.
C) Derek, Kayla, Melanie, and Garrett.
D) Debbie, Rose, Melanie, and Garrett.

Accepted Answer

The serial-position effect suggests that people are most likely to remember the first and last items in a series (primacy and recency effects, respectively) and are more likely to forget the items in the middle. Choices A and B include names at the beginning or end of the list, which should be easier to remember. Choice D includes names from the middle of the list, making it the correct answer as these would be the most difficult to remember.

Question 9

According to the primacy effect, if your father read you a list of 10 items to pick up at the hardware store you would most easily recall those items
A) from early in the list.
B) in the middle of the list.
C) from the end of the list.
D) that are most distinctive.

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect states that we tend to better remember the items at the beginning of a list. Therefore, you would most easily recall the items from early in the list.

Question 10

Retroactive interference as used in the study of memory refers to when
A) older information already in memory interferes with the retrieval of newer information.
B) newer information interferes with the retrieval of older information.
C) information is not attended to and fails to be encoded.
D) information that is not accessed decays from the storage system over time.

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when new information interferes with the retrieval of older information. This can happen when similar information is learned and stored in memory, making it more difficult to recall the specific details of the older memories.

Question 11

Auditory images remain in the sensory register for about
A) one-half second.
B) five seconds.
C) thirty seconds.
D) one minute.

Accepted Answer

Auditory images, or echoic memories, typically remain in the sensory register for about five seconds.

Question 12

What system of memory has the longest duration?
A) iconic memory
B) long-term memory
C) sensory memory
D) short-term memory

Accepted Answer

Long-term memory has the longest duration of all memory systems, as it can last from a few minutes to an entire lifetime, whereas sensory memory lasts only for a fraction of a second and short-term memory lasts for a few seconds to a minute. Iconic memory is a specific type of sensory memory that stores visual information for a brief period of time. Therefore, the best choice is B, long-term memory.

Question 13

Without sensory memory, which of the following would be likely?
A) Moving objects would appear to be a series of isolated still images.
B) We would have trouble remembering the smell of our grandmother's old house.
C) We could not be conditioned to fear a tone.
D) We could not perform mental arithmetic.

Accepted Answer

Sensory memory acts as a buffer for stimuli received through the senses. A form of sensory memory called iconic memory is specifically responsible for holding visual information very briefly. Without this, our perception of moving objects would indeed be disrupted, making them appear as isolated still images rather than smooth, continuous motion. This is because sensory memory helps in the seamless integration of visual information over time.

Question 14

Steve just joined a fraternity. He was introduced to 55 new "brothers." If asked to recall all of their names, which ones would he be most likely to struggle with?
A) the names of brothers in the middle of the group
B) the names of brothers at the beginning of the group
C) the names of brothers at the end of the group
D) any names that were strange or peculiar

Accepted Answer

The serial position effect suggests that individuals are more likely to remember items at the beginning and end of a list, and struggle more with those in the middle. This is due to the primacy and recency effects, where items at the start are stored in long-term memory and items at the end are still in short-term memory, making the middle items more easily forgotten.

Question 15

In the partial report method of Sperling's study of sensory memory, the participants were to report
A) one of three lines of letters as indicated by the sound of a tone immediately presented after the letters had disappeared.
B) only one or two of the letters in the cued line.
C) the first letter of each line only.
D) the middle letter of each line.

Accepted Answer

In Sperling's partial report method, participants were shown a matrix of letters for a brief period. Immediately after the letters disappeared, a tone would sound to indicate which line of letters (top, middle, or bottom) the participant was to recall. This method demonstrated the existence and characteristics of sensory memory by showing that participants could recall any of the lines when cued by the tone, suggesting that a detailed image of all the letters was briefly held in sensory memory.

Question 16

Why is studying sensory memory so difficult?
A) Sensory memory has no effect on the way individuals perceive the world.
B) Sensory memory cannot be distinguished from long-term memory.
C) Sensory memory is not very accurate.
D) Sensory memory disappears faster than an individual can report everything that it can hold.

Accepted Answer

Sensory memory is difficult to study because it disappears very quickly, faster than an individual can report everything that it can hold. This makes observation and analysis challenging, as researchers need to find ways to capture and measure information that is being rapidly lost from memory.

Question 17

The tendency to recall items at the beginning of a list is known as the ___________ effect, and the tendency to recall of items at the end of a list is known as the ___________ effect.
A) recency; primacy
B) primacy; recency
C) serial-position; primacy
D) serial-position; recency

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect refers to the tendency to recall items at the beginning of a list, while the recency effect refers to the tendency to recall items at the end of a list. Therefore, the correct answer is B, primacy; recency.

Question 18

Visual images remain in sensory memory for about
A) one-half to one second.
B) two to three seconds.
C) thirty seconds.
D) one minute.

Accepted Answer

Visual images remain in sensory memory for about one-half to one second.

Question 19

Conrad is a participant in a memory experiment. He is shown a grid of letters for a fraction of a second, and then quickly asked to report the letters he saw in the top, middle, or bottom row. The researchers conducting this experiment are most likely measuring Conrad's _____________ memory.
A) short-term
B) long-term
C) sensory
D) echoic

Accepted Answer

The experiment described in the scenario involves a brief exposure to a visual stimulus, indicating that the researchers are measuring sensory memory, which is the immediate, initial recording of information from our senses. Short-term memory and long-term memory refer to the storage and retrieval of information over periods of seconds to minutes and days to years, respectively. Echoic memory specifically refers to sensory memory for auditory information.

Question 20

Proactive interference as used in the study of memory refers to when
A) older information already in memory interferes with the retrieval of newer information.
B) newer information interferes with the retrieval of older information.
C) information is not attended to and fails to be encoded.
D) information that is not accessed decays from the storage system over time.

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when older information in memory makes it more difficult to learn and remember new information. This is because the previously learned information interferes with the new information being stored or retrieved.

Quiz 7: Memory

_______________ is defined as forgetting that occurs when previously stored material interferes with the ability to remember similar, more recently stored material.

According to the serial-position effect, if you are shown a list of items and then asked to immediately recall them

__________ occurs when recently learned material interferes with the ability to remember older information.

Adrianna is trying to memorize the names of the bones in the hand. She had gone through a list of them when her phone rang. After she gets off the phone, she is MOST likely to remember the first few bone names because of the

Using the partial report method, Sperling found the capacity of iconic memory could hold

Echoic memory is to hearing, as ______________ memory is to vision.

Alice was distracted when her friend asked her a question. She started to ask her friend to repeat the question, when she suddenly realized what her friend had been asking her. This is likely because the question was still stored in her

Margeaux is introduced to the following people when she arrives at the party: Derek, Kayla, Calvin, Debbie, Rose, Melanie, Garrett, Tom, Francis, Jane, and Vincent. According to the serial-position effect, it will be most DIFFICULT to remember the names of

According to the primacy effect, if your father read you a list of 10 items to pick up at the hardware store you would most easily recall those items

Retroactive interference as used in the study of memory refers to when

Auditory images remain in the sensory register for about

What system of memory has the longest duration?

Without sensory memory, which of the following would be likely?

Steve just joined a fraternity. He was introduced to 55 new "brothers." If asked to recall all of their names, which ones would he be most likely to struggle with?

In the partial report method of Sperling's study of sensory memory, the participants were to report

Why is studying sensory memory so difficult?

The tendency to recall items at the beginning of a list is known as the _ effect, and the tendency to recall of items at the end of a list is known as the _ effect.

Visual images remain in sensory memory for about

Conrad is a participant in a memory experiment. He is shown a grid of letters for a fraction of a second, and then quickly asked to report the letters he saw in the top, middle, or bottom row. The researchers conducting this experiment are most likely measuring Conrad's _____________ memory.

Proactive interference as used in the study of memory refers to when