Question 1

Xandra is learning rapidly and storing new memories all the time. For her brain to store these memories, her neurons will have to

Accepted Answer

When we form new memories, our brain makes new connections between neurons (synapses) and changes the strength of existing ones. This process is known as synaptic plasticity and is essential for learning and memory formation. Myelination, dopamine release, and signals to the amygdala and hypothalamus may be involved in different aspects of memory and learning, but they are not the primary mechanism for storing and forming new memories.

Question 2

Thor won a gold medal in the hammer-throw at the 1992 Olympics and then married his sweetheart, Elke. Shortly afterward, however, Thor was in an accident and suffered damage to his hippocampus. Now Thor cannot

Accepted Answer

The answer of Thor won a gold medal in the...

Question 3

Last week, Darrel memorized a poem. Now his roommate tells him that he has memorized one word incorrectly. However, Darrel has memorized the incorrect version so well that he has difficulty learning and remembering the correct word. This best illustrates

Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates proactive inhibition, where old information (the incorrectly memorized word) interferes with the ability to learn and remember new information (the correct word).

Question 4

After being hit on the head, Jean-Luc has a memory problem. He cannot learn the names of new people that he meets. Fortunately, he can still remember details of his life prior to the head injury. Jean-Luc is most likely demonstrating

Accepted Answer

Anterograde amnesia is the inability to form new memories after a brain injury or trauma. It is characterized by the inability to learn new information or remember events that occurred after the injury. This is consistent with Jean-Luc's inability to learn the names of new people he meets after the head injury, while he can still remember details of his life prior to the injury.

Question 5

Lorenzo has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. This means that Lorenzo has

Accepted Answer

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by a deficiency in the effectiveness of acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter involved in learning and memory processes. This deficiency is caused by the degeneration of cholinergic neurons in the brain.

Question 6

Karim has brain surgery to alleviate his severe epilepsy, but during his recovery, it is found that he can form no new explicit memories. Which brain structure has apparently been damaged?

Accepted Answer

The hippocampus is crucial for the formation of new explicit memories. Damage to this area can result in an inability to form new memories, a condition known as anterograde amnesia.

Question 7

In violation of the posted rules, Mahalia was standing in front of the yellow line on the public bus. When the bus made a sudden stop, Mahalia was thrown forward and hit her head on the windshield. Weeks later in the hospital, she had no memory of anything that had happened since the accident. She has most likely experienced an injury to her ________.

Accepted Answer

The hippocampus is involved in forming new memories. An injury to this area can result in an inability to form new memories, a condition known as anterograde amnesia.

Question 8

When asked to recall the past two years and report all of his positive and negative experiences, Mrugesh was able to accurately recall a much higher number of the positive memories than the negative ones. This outcome is consistent with research on the topic of

Accepted Answer

Motivated forgetting refers to the tendency to forget or recall memories selectively, often favoring positive memories over negative ones, which aligns with Mrugesh's experience.

Question 9

The Thinking Critically section presented research on recovered memories. According to the research, which of the following conclusions is false ?

Accepted Answer

There is no definitive evidence to support the notion that most recovered memories are based on actual events; research shows that while some recovered memories may be accurate, others can be false or distorted.

Question 10

An elderly professor of ichthyology (study of fish)once explained why he didn't like to learn his students' names by saying that every time he learned a new name, he forgot a fish. Which of the following best describes this phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

Retroactive inhibition occurs when new information interferes with the ability to recall old information. In this case, learning a new name (new information) causes the professor to forget a fish (old information).

Question 11

Jamie has had her hippocampus removed and cannot form new memories. Since the surgery, she spends time taking tennis lessons, although she can never remember the lessons after she has them. After a month of lessons, her tennis ability will

Accepted Answer

Despite not being able to form new explicit memories due to the removal of her hippocampus, Jamie can still improve her tennis skills because procedural memory, which involves learning motor skills, is not dependent on the hippocampus.

Question 12

You used to dial the phone number to the Tribune 's Sport Score Hotline every day, but for the last six months, you have called the Sun-Times 's Sports Line. Now you can't remember the Tribune 's number. This is probably due to __________ inhibition.

Accepted Answer

Retroactive inhibition occurs when new information interferes with the ability to recall older information. In this case, calling the Sun-Times' Sports Line has interfered with the ability to remember the Tribune's number.

Question 13

You are driving down the street when you see a billboard displaying a phone number for a service you need. You keep repeating the number so you won't forget it until you get home, where you can write it down. You do this to prevent the process of __________ from causing you to forget the number.

Accepted Answer

Decay refers to the fading of information from memory over time. By repeating the phone number, the driver is preventing decay from causing them to forget the number before they have a chance to write it down. The other options (construction, deductive inhibition, and proactive inhibition) are not applicable in this scenario.

Question 14

Bill tries to think back to his grade school play and remember the songs that they sang. However, he has trouble recalling the songs because those memories have faded with time. This kind of forgetting is called

Accepted Answer

Decay is the gradual fading of memories over time due to disuse or lack of reinforcement. This is likely what is happening in Bill's situation, as he is trying to remember something that happened a long time ago and hasn't rehearsed those memories in a while. Retroactive inhibition refers to new information interfering with the recall of old information, which doesn't seem to be the case here. The feeling-of-knowing experience refers to the sensation of knowing you have a memory without being able to recall it, and anterograde amnesia is the inability to form new memories after a certain point in time, neither of which apply to this situation.

Question 15

Which option is the best cliché to summarize the decay theory of forgetting?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which option is the best cliché to...

Question 16

Phan just moved to a new town and is having trouble remembering his new phone number. When someone asks for his new number, Phan usually provides the old one. Phan's forgetfulness is probably due to

Accepted Answer

Phan's difficulty in remembering his new phone number and instead recalling the old one is an example of proactive inhibition, where old information interferes with the ability to remember new information.

Question 17

You see a phone number on television for a product you want to buy, but you can't find a pencil to write it down. As you are trying to memorize the number, you see another number appear in the next commercial for a second product you want to buy. Suddenly, you realize that you have forgotten the first number! This outcome is due to

Accepted Answer

Retroactive inhibition occurs when new information interferes with the ability to recall previously learned information. In this case, the second phone number interfered with the memory of the first number.

Question 18

Luke does not like his roommate's girlfriend, and he keeps forgetting to tell his roommate when she calls. What best explains his actions?

Accepted Answer

Luke's actions can be explained by motivated forgetting, where he subconsciously chooses not to remember or relay the message because of his dislike for his roommate's girlfriend.

Question 19

As Red ages, his ability to remember things is declining. His doctor believes that there is a biological reason for this deterioration and prescribes a drug to improve Red's memory. The doctor most likely prescribed a drug that would __________ the amount of __________ activity in the brain.

Accepted Answer

Declining memory is often associated with a decrease in acetylcholine activity in the brain. Therefore, the doctor would most likely prescribe a drug that increases the amount of acetylcholine activity in the brain to improve Red's memory. Drugs such as cholinesterase inhibitors are commonly used to treat memory loss associated with aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Question 20

Research on false memories has found that

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that people can be just as confident in their false memories as they are in their true memories, leading to potential errors in eyewitness testimony and other situations where memory accuracy is important.

Quiz 6: Memory