Question 1

Typically, information is held in working memory for about
A) 5 to 10 seconds.
B) 20 to 30 seconds.
C) 2 to 3 minutes.
D) an hour or two.
E) about 1 day.

Accepted Answer

Working memory typically holds information for about 20 to 30 seconds unless it is actively rehearsed or encoded into long-term memory.

Question 2

Maintenance rehearsal is defined as
A) processing the physical features of the stimulus to be remembered.
B) analyzing new material in order to make it memorable.
C) associating new material to be learned with information maintained in long-term memory.
D) repeating some bit of information over and over in one's head in order to maintain it in working memory.
E) creating a "photograph" of a stimulus and storing it in a visual format.

Accepted Answer

Maintenance rehearsal is the process of repeating information over and over in one's head in order to maintain it in working memory.

Question 3

Suzy looks up from her lunch, realizing that Jacques has just said something to her. What was it? Oh, yes, he has just asked her if she wants to go to the movies. Suzy's ability to retrieve what Jacques said is due to her
A) iconic sensory memory.
B) echoic sensory memory.
C) working memory.
D) tactile sensory memory.
E) gustatory sensory memory.

Accepted Answer

Echoic sensory memory is the sensory memory system responsible for the auditory input and lasts for a couple of seconds. Therefore, Suzy's ability to retrieve what Jacques said is due to her echoic sensory memory.

Question 4

You are learning a list of items for a test by relating the items to each other and to information that you already have stored in memory. Which type of rehearsal are you using?
A) condensed
B) permanent
C) maintenance
D) elaborative
E) proactive

Accepted Answer

Elaborative rehearsal involves connecting new information to existing knowledge and memories in order to enhance retention and long-term recall. This is often a more effective form of encoding than maintenance rehearsal, which simply involves repeating information over and over again without much thought or elaboration. Therefore, if you are relating the items on the list to each other and to information you already know, you are engaging in elaborative rehearsal.

Question 5

The capacity of working memory is about ________ items.
A) 3
B) 7
C) 11
D) 20
E) 30

Accepted Answer

Studies suggest that the capacity of working memory is around 7 items, plus or minus 2. This is often referred to as Miller's Law.

Question 6

Jamal is trying to buy something over the phone. He asks his partner to read him his credit card number. However, when he tries to repeat it to the sales clerk on the other end of the line, he can't remember all the numbers. Jamal is coming up against
A) the decay of numerical memory
B) the extinction of auditory traces.
C) George Miller's magic number 7, plus or minus 2.
D) the limits of procedural memory.
E) the problem of absent-mindedness.

Accepted Answer

Jamal's difficulty in remembering the credit card number is related to George Miller's theory that the average person can hold about 7 (plus or minus 2) items in their short-term memory. Credit card numbers, typically being 16 digits long, exceed this capacity, making it hard for Jamal to remember all the numbers at once.

Question 7

What "magic number" did Miller find to be the capacity of working memory?
A) 11
B) 9
C) 7
D) 5
E) 3

Accepted Answer

Miller famously proposed that the capacity of working memory, or the number of items that can be held in our conscious awareness at one time, is approximately 7 (plus or minus 2) chunks of information. This means that individuals can hold around 7 meaningful units of information, such as digits, letters, or words, in their working memory at once. While some researchers have suggested slightly different numbers, the idea of a limited capacity for working memory remains widely accepted in the field of cognitive psychology.

Question 8

Repeating items over and over in order to aid memory is known as ______ rehearsal.
A) repetitive
B) imagery
C) elaborative
D) maintenance
E) self-referent

Accepted Answer

Maintenance rehearsal involves repeating information over and over in order to keep it in short-term memory, without necessarily trying to extract meaning or understanding from it. This is different from elaborative rehearsal, which involves making connections between new information and existing knowledge in order to better remember it. Repetitive and imagery rehearsal are not specific types of memory rehearsal, while self-referent rehearsal involves relating new information to oneself in order to better remember it, which is similar to elaborative rehearsal.

Question 9

Bits of information are combined into meaningful units so that more information can be held in working memory through the process of
A) chunking.
B) categorizing .
C) rote rehearsal.
D) cueing.
E) priming.

Accepted Answer

Chunking is the process of combining individual pieces of information into larger, more meaningful units or chunks. This allows for more efficient storage and processing in working memory. Categorizing, rote rehearsal, cueing, and priming do not specifically involve combining bits of information into larger units.

Question 10

Luiz is being asked to remember a series of the following 15 letters: FOXHOWLSWANTBUG. He finds this to be easier to remember as the four words "fox howls want bug," rather than 15 individual letters. Luiz has used a process known as
A) maintenance rehearsal.
B) long-term potentiation.
C) recognition.
D) chunking.
E) eidetic imagery.

Accepted Answer

Luiz has used a process known as chunking, where he groups several individual items together into larger units, making them easier to remember. In this case, he has grouped the individual letters into words, which has reduced the number of items he needs to remember from 15 to 4.

Question 11

Two strategies that are useful in dealing with the limits of working memory are to
A) encode and process.
B) chunk and rehearse.
C) recall and recognize.
D) relearn and retrieve.
E) prime and repress.

Accepted Answer

Chunking and rehearsing information are effective strategies for dealing with the limits of working memory. Chunking involves breaking information into smaller chunks or units, which can be easier to remember and process. Rehearsing involves repeating information to oneself, which helps to maintain it in working memory for longer periods of time. Encoding, processing, recall, and recognition are all important cognitive processes, but they may not be as directly relevant to addressing the limitations of working memory. Prime and repress are not commonly recognized as effective strategies for working memory.

Question 12

Which memory system is the one that is a working, active system that processes the information within it?
A) long-term memory
B) working memory
C) secondary memory
D) cognitive memory
E) phenomenological memory

Accepted Answer

Working memory is the system that is actively processing information in the moment. Long-term memory is a storage system for past information, while secondary memory and cognitive memory do not exist as separate memory systems. Phenomenological memory refers to an individual's subjective experience of memory, but is not a separate memory system.

Question 13

Suppose Tamika looks up a number in the telephone book. After getting a busy signal, a minute or so later she tries to call again - but has already forgotten the number! This example illustrates the limited duration of ________ memory.
A) sensory
B) working
C) echoic
D) implicit
E) procedural

Accepted Answer

The scenario described in the question shows that Tamika initially held the phone number in her working memory (the type of memory used to temporarily hold and manipulate information). However, her failure to recall the number after a brief interruption highlights the limited duration of working memory. Sensory memory refers to the initial stage of memory processing where the senses take in information; echoic memory is a type of sensory memory that specifically refers to auditory information. Implicit and procedural memories are forms of long-term memory storage.

Question 14

What are the two major types of rehearsal (for moving information from working to long-term memory)?
A) condensed and expanded
B) elaborative and permanent
C) maintenance and permanent
D) elaborative and maintenance
E) semantic and episodic

Accepted Answer

Elaborative rehearsal involves analyzing and relating new information to existing knowledge and memories, while maintenance rehearsal involves simply repeating information over and over again. Both types of rehearsal can help move information from working memory to long-term memory, but elaborative rehearsal is generally more effective for creating strong and meaningful memories.

Question 15

_______ rehearsal results in a more lasting memory and promotes the transfer of information to long-term memory compared to _______ rehearsal.
A) Permanent; condensed
B) Condensed; permanent
C) Elaborative; maintenance
D) Maintenance; elaborative
E) Semantic; episodic

Accepted Answer

Elaborative rehearsal involves actively connecting new information to existing knowledge in long-term memory, which results in better retention and transfer to long-term memory compared to maintenance rehearsal which involves the repetition of information without actively making connections.

Question 16

You try to remember a phone number by repeating it over and over to yourself. What type of rehearsal are you using?
A) condensed
B) permanent
C) elaborative
D) maintenance
E) implicit

Accepted Answer

The type of rehearsal being used in this scenario is maintenance rehearsal, which involves repeating information to oneself in order to keep it in short-term memory.

Question 17

The sensory register for vision is called ________ memory, whereas the sensory register for hearing is called ________ memory.
A) declarative; procedural
B) olfactory; auditory
C) implicit; explicit
D) explicit; implicit
E) iconic; echoic

Accepted Answer

The sensory register for vision is called iconic memory, whereas the sensory register for hearing is called echoic memory. Therefore, the best choice is E.

Question 18

Bonnie is trying to remember what grocery items she needs from the stores. She repeats the words, "Eggs, cookies, bread, tortillas, and pretzels" over and over again in her mind. Bonnie is utilizing which memory technique?
A) elaborative rehearsal
B) transduction
C) maintenance rehearsal
D) chunking
E) retroactive interference

Accepted Answer

Bonnie is using maintenance rehearsal, which involves the repetition of information in order to keep it in short-term memory.

Question 19

Because of the limited capacity of ________, it is unsafe to talk on a cell phone while driving on a freeway during rush-hour.
A) sensory memory
B) procedural memory
C) episodic memory
D) working memory
E) echoic memory

Accepted Answer

Working memory is the type of memory that has limited capacity and is responsible for temporarily holding and manipulating information. Talking on a cell phone while driving requires attention and cognitive resources, which can overload working memory and impair driving performance, especially during busy traffic times.

Question 20

A ________ is any pattern or meaningful unit of information.
A) schema
B) bit
C) code
D) chunk
E) morpheme

Accepted Answer

A chunk is a pattern or meaningful unit of information, often used in the context of memory and cognitive processing. Schemas are larger frameworks of knowledge, bits and codes refer specifically to digital information, and morphemes are units of meaning in language.

Quiz 5: Memory

Typically, information is held in working memory for about

Maintenance rehearsal is defined as

Suzy looks up from her lunch, realizing that Jacques has just said something to her. What was it? Oh, yes, he has just asked her if she wants to go to the movies. Suzy's ability to retrieve what Jacques said is due to her

You are learning a list of items for a test by relating the items to each other and to information that you already have stored in memory. Which type of rehearsal are you using?

The capacity of working memory is about ________ items.

Jamal is trying to buy something over the phone. He asks his partner to read him his credit card number. However, when he tries to repeat it to the sales clerk on the other end of the line, he can't remember all the numbers. Jamal is coming up against

What "magic number" did Miller find to be the capacity of working memory?

Repeating items over and over in order to aid memory is known as ______ rehearsal.

Bits of information are combined into meaningful units so that more information can be held in working memory through the process of

Luiz is being asked to remember a series of the following 15 letters: FOXHOWLSWANTBUG. He finds this to be easier to remember as the four words "fox howls want bug," rather than 15 individual letters. Luiz has used a process known as

Two strategies that are useful in dealing with the limits of working memory are to

Which memory system is the one that is a working, active system that processes the information within it?

Suppose Tamika looks up a number in the telephone book. After getting a busy signal, a minute or so later she tries to call again - but has already forgotten the number! This example illustrates the limited duration of ________ memory.

What are the two major types of rehearsal (for moving information from working to long-term memory) ?

_ rehearsal results in a more lasting memory and promotes the transfer of information to long-term memory compared to _ rehearsal.

You try to remember a phone number by repeating it over and over to yourself. What type of rehearsal are you using?

The sensory register for vision is called memory, whereas the sensory register for hearing is called memory.

Bonnie is trying to remember what grocery items she needs from the stores. She repeats the words, "Eggs, cookies, bread, tortillas, and pretzels" over and over again in her mind. Bonnie is utilizing which memory technique?

Because of the limited capacity of ________, it is unsafe to talk on a cell phone while driving on a freeway during rush-hour.

A ________ is any pattern or meaningful unit of information.