Question 1

When memories are stored, physical changes take place in brain activity and in the nerve cells. These physical changes are called

Accepted Answer

Memory traces, also known as engrams, are the physical changes that occur in the brain and nerve cells as a result of memory storage.

Question 2

As Jake gets to class, he realizes that he did not study for the quiz today. He quickly scans the information in the chapter but makes an "F" on the quiz. Jake's quick scan of the chapter failed to store sufficient information to form a useful memory to use in taking the quiz, a type of forgetting known as

Accepted Answer

Jake's quick scan of the chapter did not allow for effective encoding of the information, leading to encoding failure. This means the information was never properly stored in memory for later retrieval during the quiz.

Question 3

Memories currently stored in memory are available, but in order for them to be retrieved, they must also be

Accepted Answer

For memories to be retrieved, they must be accessible. This means that the individual must be able to reach and recall these memories when needed. Accessibility is crucial for memory retrieval, as it determines whether a stored memory can be successfully recalled.

Question 4

Regarding forgetting, which of the following statements is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

The disuse explanation, suggesting that memories fade over time simply because they are not used, is not considered the best explanation for forgetting in long-term memory. Other theories, such as interference or retrieval failure, offer more comprehensive explanations for why we forget information.

Question 5

Memories currently stored in memory would be considered

Accepted Answer

Memories that are currently stored in memory are considered available, meaning they exist in the memory system and can potentially be accessed or retrieved.

Question 6

Physical changes in nerve cells or brain activity that take place when memories are stored are referred to as

Accepted Answer

Memory traces, also known as engrams, are the physical changes in nerve cells or brain activity that occur when memories are stored.

Question 7

The fact that a majority of elderly persons have excellent long-term memories for events that happened when they were young tends to cast doubt on which explanation of forgetting?

Accepted Answer

The fact that elderly persons often retain strong long-term memories of their youth suggests that the "disuse" theory of forgetting, which posits that memories fade simply because they are not accessed or used, may not fully explain the phenomenon of forgetting. This is because even memories not frequently revisited can remain vivid over long periods.

Question 8

People growing senile may become so forgetful that they can't remember what happened a week ago, although they may have vivid memories of trivial and long-forgotten events from the past. This senility is often due to

Accepted Answer

Senility, characterized by forgetfulness and vivid memories of long-past trivial events, is often due to Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. These conditions affect memory and cognitive functions, leading to the symptoms described.

Question 9

If you can't remember whose picture is on a U.S. ten dollar bill, the most likely reason is

Accepted Answer

Encoding failure occurs when the brain does not successfully store a memory, which would explain why someone can't remember whose picture is on a U.S. ten dollar bill.

Question 10

Which type of forgetting occurs when memory traces weaken because these memories have not been periodically utilized or retrieved?

Accepted Answer

Disuse, also known as decay theory, suggests that memories fade or weaken over time if they are not accessed or used, leading to forgetting. This is often summarized by the phrase "use it or lose it."

Question 11

Regarding our memories for people, which of the following statements is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

B is false because our tendency to categorize strangers often involves broad, rather than very specific, terms. This generalization can contribute to stereotypes and biases, rather than detailed or specific categorizations of individuals.

Question 12

A good way to prevent encoding failure is to actively think about the information to be learned, a process known as

Accepted Answer

Elaborative processing involves actively thinking about the material to be learned by relating it to knowledge already stored in memory, which helps in preventing encoding failure by creating more associations and making the information more memorable.

Question 13

Eyewitnesses tend to be better at identifying members of their own ethnic group than persons from other groups. This phenomenon is best explained by

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is best explained by the tendency to categorize strangers in general terms, often referred to as the "cross-race effect" or "own-race bias." People are generally better at recognizing and differentiating faces of their own ethnic group than those of other ethnic groups, partly because they have more experience with faces from their own group and tend to process them more individually, while they more often categorize faces from other groups in general terms.

Question 14

While surfing the Internet, you see an interesting website you wish to visit. So you begin typing in the URL and realize that you have already forgotten it. This fading of your short-term memory for the URL is due to the process known as

Accepted Answer

Memory decay refers to the loss or fading of memories over time when they are not used or retrieved, which in this case applies to forgetting the URL shortly after deciding to visit the website.

Question 15

If you like to study while watching television or instant messaging, beware because dividing your attention like that often leads to forgetting due to

Accepted Answer

Dividing attention between tasks, such as studying while watching television or instant messaging, can lead to encoding failure because the brain does not fully process the information into memory due to the distraction. This results in the information not being properly stored for later recall.

Question 16

An experiment was conducted in which a person was talking to a young adult stranger, and two workers carried a door between this person and the young man. Another young man was switched with the original stranger. Only half of the participants tested this way noticed the switch. What were the conclusions regarding this experiment?

Accepted Answer

This experiment illustrates the concept of change blindness, where changes in a visual scene are not detected by the observer. The conclusion that more older persons did not notice the switch because they encoded both young men in very general terms as a "college student" suggests that the encoding process, rather than visual acuity or cognitive decline, played a significant role in the failure to detect the change. This highlights how people's perceptions and memory encoding can influence their attention to detail in their environment.

Question 17

The fading or weakening of a memory trace due to a passage of time is called

Accepted Answer

Memory decay refers to the process where memories become less accessible over time due to the passage of time, not necessarily because of any specific interference or psychological process. It's a natural part of the forgetting process.

Question 18

On a TV game show, you are asked which way Lincoln's head faces on a penny. You are unable to answer correctly, and you lose a large prize. Your memory failure is most likely a result of

Accepted Answer

Encoding failure occurs when the brain does not successfully store a memory, often because the information is deemed unimportant at the time of encoding. In this case, the direction Lincoln's head faces on a penny is a detail many people do not actively commit to memory, leading to an inability to recall it later.

Question 19

Sensory memory and short-term memory operate like "leaky buckets" with new information constantly pouring in, but also rapidly fading away and being replaced by still newer information. Thus, much of the forgetting that takes place in these two stages of memory occurs due to

Accepted Answer

Memory decay is the process where memory traces begin to fade and disappear over time if they are not used, which aligns with the "leaky bucket" analogy for sensory and short-term memory where information fades away rapidly.

Question 20

You are trying to remember a short list of letters, numbers, or words after seeing or hearing them once. If it takes you more than four to six seconds to repeat the list, you will forget some of the items due to

Accepted Answer

Memory decay refers to the loss of memory over time, particularly when information is not rehearsed or repeated, leading to forgetting items from a short list if not repeated within a few seconds.

Quiz 7: Memory