Question 1

Which of the following procedures,used by law enforcement officials,is most likely to reduce eyewitness errors?

Accepted Answer

Presenting suspects to the witness in a sequential fashion, one at a time, is most likely to reduce eyewitness errors. This method prevents witnesses from making a relative judgment and reduces the chance of the witness feeling the need to choose someone from the lineup, even if they are not positive it is the correct person. Encouraging witnesses to speak to each other before talking to the police, giving the witnesses background information on the suspect, and opposing the use of double-blind procedures can all lead to biases and increased likelihood of errors.

Question 2

Motivated forgetting is usually associated with _____.

Accepted Answer

Motivated forgetting is associated with traumatic memories, where an individual intentionally suppresses or represses memories that are emotionally distressing or traumatic.

Question 3

Jillian,a flight attendant,is fluent in Spanish.Ever since she has learnt French,however,Jillian finds it difficult to remember Spanish words and phrases.In this scenario,Jillian's failure to retrieve Spanish words and phrases is most likely caused by

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when newly learned information interferes with the retrieval of previously learned information. In this case, learning French may have caused interference with the retrieval of Spanish words and phrases, leading to difficulty in remembering them. Absentmindedness, tip-of-the-tongue phenomena, and anterograde amnesia are not relevant factors in this scenario.

Question 4

Charlie has opted to study both Spanish and French in school this semester.As he studies a list of words for his French test,he realizes that he has forgotten the list of Spanish words he learnt the day before.In the context of retrieval failure,this is an example of

Accepted Answer

This situation exemplifies retroactive interference, where the information from the French list has interfered with the retrieval of the Spanish list. Retroactive interference occurs when new information interferes with the retrieval of older information.

Question 5

In the context of retrieval failures,the decay theory states that memories fade because

Accepted Answer

The decay theory states that memories fade or decay as the neurochemical memory trace disintegrates over time. This theory suggests that if we don't actively retrieve or use a memory, it will gradually fade away. Retroactive interference (where new learning interferes with old memories), cerebellum size, and constant replacement of old memories by new memories do not directly explain the decay of memories.

Question 6

_____ was the first person to conduct scientific research on forgetting.

Accepted Answer

Hermann Ebbinghaus was the first person to conduct scientific research on forgetting. He used himself as a subject and conducted experiments on his own memory. He is known for the discovery of the forgetting curve and the spacing effect in learning.

Question 7

While on her way to work,Rachel remembered that she forgot her phone at home.She then decided to paste a note on her house door to remind herself to take the phone.In this scenario,Rachel's plan to paste a note will be stored in her _____.

Accepted Answer

Prospective memory refers to the ability to remember to perform a planned action or intention at a future point in time, such as remembering to take one's phone before leaving the house. Paste a reminder is an example of prospective memory.

Question 8

Hila made a mental note to buy milk on the way home,as her husband might like some milk before going to bed.In this scenario,Hila recalled that her husband might like to drink milk using her

Accepted Answer

Retrospective memory involves remembering information from the past, such as recalling that her husband likes to drink milk before bed.

Question 9

James was required to attend a conference with his supervisor,Alan,on Sunday.Even though Alan told James to make a note of it in his diary,James did not do so.On the day of the conference,James was at home talking to a friend who mentioned a conference that she attended.James was immediately reminded of the conference he was supposed to attend and just about made it on time.This scenario best illustrates _____ memory.

Accepted Answer

Event-based prospective memory involves remembering to perform an action when a certain event occurs, like being reminded of a conference when a friend mentions attending one.

Question 10

_____ refers to a situation in which material that was learned later disrupts the retrieval of information that was learned earlier.

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when information learned after an event makes it harder to recall information learned before the event. This is different from proactive interference, which occurs when information learned before an event makes it harder to recall information learned after the event. Priming refers to the activation of related concepts in memory that can make it easier to retrieve information. Motivated forgetting and repression both involve the intentional or unconscious suppression of memories, and are not related to interference.

Question 11

Gary was in a rush to get to his school.While on the way to school,he remembered that he had left his homework at home.In this scenario,Gary recalled that he had left his homework at home using his

Accepted Answer

Retrospective memory involves remembering events from the past or previously learned information, which applies to Gary recalling that he left his homework at home.

Question 12

Encoding failure occurs when

Accepted Answer

Encoding failure happens when the information is never stored in long-term memory, usually because the person was not paying attention or the information was not processed deeply enough. Trauma, time, and interference from other information are separate memory phenomena.

Question 13

According to Hermann Ebbinghaus's scientific research on forgetting,

Accepted Answer

According to Ebbinghaus's research, most forgetting takes place soon after an individual learns something. This is known as the "forgetting curve," which shows that the greatest amount of forgetting occurs in the first few hours and days after learning something new.

Question 14

_____ refers to a situation in which material that was learned earlier disrupts the recall of material that was learned later.

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when previously learned information interferes with the ability to remember new information. This is in contrast to retroactive interference, which occurs when newly learned information interferes with the ability to remember old information. Priming refers to the phenomenon in which exposure to a stimulus influences a person's response to a subsequent stimulus. Repression is a defense mechanism in which the mind automatically banishes traumatic memories from conscious awareness.

Question 15

Aaron was solving a crossword puzzle.The clue for a seven-letter word said "prose literature,not based on facts." Aaron was confident that he knew the word,but kept coming up with other words such as "faction," "friction," and "fraction." After saying these few words out loud,Aaron suddenly remembered the correct word: "fiction." In this scenario,Aaron experienced the

Accepted Answer

Aaron experienced the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon, where he knew the word but could not immediately retrieve it.

Question 16

_____ memory involves remembering information about doing something in the future.

Accepted Answer

Prospective memory is the ability to remember to perform a task or an activity in the future. It involves remembering to do things at a particular time, in a particular place or context, or after some event or cue. Flashbulb memory is a type of explicit memory that involves remembering details about a significant, emotionally-charged event. Retrospective memory involves remembering past events, experiences, and information.

Question 17

Belinda and John were best friends through their school years.Belinda now works in a café and has become good friends with her colleague,Jim.However,Belinda often finds herself referring to Jim as John,even though she has not spoken to John for at least four years.Belinda's confusion with the names may be attributed to the occurrence of

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when older memories interfere with the recall of newer memories. In this case, Belinda's long-term friendship with John is interfering with her ability to correctly recall her newer friend Jim's name.

Question 18

A store run by Mr.Mathers was robbed by three armed men.Mr.Mathers and his staff are waiting for the police to arrive.While doing so,they discuss the robbery and decide on a common story to tell the police.Which of the following is a likely outcome of this collaborative sharing of information by the eyewitnesses?

Accepted Answer

Collaborative sharing of information between eyewitnesses can lead to contamination of their memories as they may unknowingly adopt each other's details or even change their own recollections to match with the group consensus. This phenomenon is known as the misinformation effect. Therefore, the likelihood of accurate recall of details decreases with increasing discussion among eyewitnesses.

Question 19

Kyle was one of the eyewitnesses for a robbery that took place in a convenience store.She was called in to the police headquarters to identify the suspect in a lineup.Which of the following is most likely to elicit the most accurate response from Kyle?

Accepted Answer

Presenting the suspects to Kyle in a sequential fashion, one at a time, is more likely to elicit an accurate response from Kyle. This reduces the likelihood of the witness making a relative judgment (i.e., choosing the suspect who looks most like the perpetrator among the lineup) and increases the likelihood of an absolute judgment (i.e., identifying the perpetrator regardless of his or her similarity to the other suspects). Encouraging Kyle to discuss the event with other eyewitnesses immediately before viewing the lineup and letting Kyle know which suspect was identified by the other eyewitnesses can influence her perception of the event, and strongly opposing the use of double-blind procedures can bias the lineup procedure.

Question 20

According to the _____ theory,people forget not because memories are lost from storage but because other information gets in the way of what they want to remember.

Accepted Answer

The interference theory suggests that forgetting occurs when other information interferes with what one wants to remember, unlike the decay theory, which suggests that information is lost from storage over time. The connectionist theory focuses on how memory is formed through neural connections, while the schema theory suggests that we organize information into mental frameworks or schemas. Therefore, the interference theory is the best fit for the description given in the question.

Quiz 7: Memory