Question 1

After research participants have retrieved a long-term memory of a traumatic experience,researchers have attempted to use a drug or painless electroconvulsive shock to disrupt the ________ of that memory.

Accepted Answer

The process of disrupting a long-term memory after retrieval is called reconsolidation. Both drugs and electroconvulsive shocks have been used in attempts to disrupt the reconsolidation of traumatic memories. Therefore, the best choice is B (reconsolidation).

Question 2

Judy is embarrassed because she momentarily fails to remember a good friend's name.Judy's poor memory most likely results from a failure in

Accepted Answer

Retrieval is the process of accessing information from memory. In this case, Judy is unable to retrieve her friend's name from her memory, resulting in forgetting the name momentarily.

Question 3

Memory of your familiar old e-mail password may block the recall of your new password.This illustrates

Accepted Answer

The answer of Memory of your familiar old e-mail password...

Question 4

In the study led by Elizabeth Loftus,two groups of observers were asked how fast two cars had been going in a filmed traffic accident.Observers who heard the vividly descriptive word "smashed" in relation to the accident later recalled

Accepted Answer

The observers who heard the vividly descriptive word "smashed" were more likely to remember details that were not present in the actual video, such as broken glass at the scene of the accident.

Question 5

An inability to access information in long-term memory is known as

Accepted Answer

Retrieval failure refers to the inability to access information that is stored in long-term memory. It occurs when the information is encoded and stored, but cannot be accessed at the time it is needed. This can be due to a variety of reasons, such as interference from other information or inadequate cues for retrieval.

Question 6

The finding that people who sleep after learning a list of nonsense syllables forget less than people who stay awake provides evidence that forgetting may involve

Accepted Answer

The fact that the group who stayed awake forgot more than the group who slept suggests that interference played a role in the forgetting process. Interference occurs when new information interferes with the ability to remember previously learned information, which is likely what happened to the group who stayed awake and were exposed to other stimuli during the retention interval. This finding cannot be explained by encoding failure, repression, or implicit memory loss.

Question 7

After learning the combination for his new locker at school,Milton is unable to remember the combination for his year-old bicycle lock.Milton is experiencing the effects of

Accepted Answer

Milton is experiencing retroactive interference, where the new information (locker combination) is making it difficult for him to recall old information (bicycle lock combination). Source amnesia refers to forgetting where or when an information was acquired, proactive interference is when old information interferes with new information, and automatic processing refers to information that is processed unconsciously without effort.

Question 8

The disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of previously learned information is called

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference is the phenomenon where new learning disrupts the ability to recall previously learned information. Repression refers to the unconscious blocking of memories, source amnesia involves forgetting the origin of a memory rather than disrupting recall of the memory itself, and reconsolidation refers to the process by which memories become susceptible to change after they are retrieved.

Question 9

When retrieving memories of a past event,we often fill in memory gaps with guesses about details.The fact that these guessed details are then incorporated into our memory of that event is most relevant to appreciating the importance of

Accepted Answer

Memory construction refers to the process by which we form memories based on a combination of actual memories and guesses or inferences about missing information. This phenomenon can lead to the incorporation of false details into our memories, which can have significant implications for eyewitness testimony and other types of memory recall.

Question 10

Arnold so easily remembers his old girlfriend's phone number that he finds it difficult to recall his new girlfriend's number.Arnold's difficulty best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Arnold's difficulty in recalling his new girlfriend's number due to the memory of his old girlfriend's number is an example of proactive interference, where old information interferes with the recall of new information.

Question 11

Compulsive gamblers frequently recall losing less money than is actually the case.Their memory failure best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Compulsive gamblers may engage in motivated forgetting, where they unconsciously forget or minimize memories of losses to protect their self-esteem or reduce cognitive dissonance.

Question 12

A type of motivated forgetting in which anxiety-arousing memories are blocked from conscious awareness is known as

Accepted Answer

Repression is a type of motivated forgetting that involves blocking anxiety-arousing memories from conscious awareness. Retroactive and proactive interference refer to different types of memory interference, and déjà vu is a feeling of familiarity that is not related to forgetting.

Question 13

Retroactive interference involves the disruption of

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference is the disruption of memory retrieval, specifically when new information interferes with the recall of old information. Automatic processing and sensory memory are not typically affected, and while effortful processing may be impacted, it is not the main focus of retroactive interference.

Question 14

Memory reconsolidation involves the modification of stored memories following the process of

Accepted Answer

Memory reconsolidation involves the process of retrieving a memory from long-term storage and bringing it back into working memory, where it can be modified or reinterpreted. This process allows for the updating of our memories with new information and experiences.

Question 15

Previously learned information often makes our learning of new information easier.This effect is called

Accepted Answer

Positive transfer refers to the phenomenon where knowledge or skills learned in one situation aid in the learning or performance of tasks in another situation. This effect can occur through the application of previously learned strategies, generalization of knowledge, or enhanced motivation and confidence. Therefore, it explains the statement that previously learned information often makes the learning of new information easier.

Question 16

Among contemporary memory researchers,increasing numbers think that ________ rarely,if ever,occurs.

Accepted Answer

Many contemporary memory researchers believe that repression rarely, if ever, occurs. This is because there is little empirical evidence to support the idea that people can completely repress traumatic memories and be unable to retrieve them through therapy or other means.

Question 17

Research on memory construction indicates that memories of past experiences are likely to be

Accepted Answer

Research on memory construction has shown that memories are not exact recordings of past experiences, but rather are reconstructed with the help of schemas (patterns of knowledge in long-term memory). These schemas are influenced by our current expectations and can lead to distortion of memories.

Question 18

The title of a song is on the tip of Gerard's tongue,but he cannot recall it until someone mentions the songwriter's name.Gerard's initial inability to recall the title was most likely caused by

Accepted Answer

Gerard's initial inability to recall the title suggests the information was already encoded, ruling out encoding failure and automatic processing. Repression is a controversial theory in psychology and is not a valid explanation here. Retrieval failure, or the inability to retrieve information due to insufficient or inadequate retrieval cues, is the most likely explanation in this case. The mention of the songwriter's name provided a retrieval cue that helped Gerard retrieve the information he was trying to recall.

Question 19

Sigmund Freud emphasized that the forgetting of painful experiences is caused by a process that involves

Accepted Answer

Freud believed that forgetting painful experiences is due to repression, a type of retrieval failure where distressing memories are unconsciously blocked from conscious awareness.

Question 20

Proactive interference refers to the

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when previously learned information interferes with the recall of newly learned information. The information previously learned is proactive in that it is interfering with the recall of new information.

Quiz 7: Memory