Question 1

In the curve of forgetting developed by Ebbinghaus, the greatest amount of forgetting occurs ________.

Accepted Answer

Ebbinghaus's curve of forgetting shows that the most significant drop in memory retention happens within the first hour after learning new material.

Question 2

Shalissa has two exams today. One is in French and the other is in history. Last night she studied French before history. When she gets to her history test, all she can remember is French! Shalissa's memory is suffering from ________.

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when previously learned information interferes with the ability to learn or recall new information, which is what is happening in this scenario. Shalissa's memory of French is interfering with her ability to recall information from her history studies.

Question 3

Imagine that the first car you learned to drive was a manual transmission with a clutch, but the car you drive now is an automatic. Sometimes you find yourself reaching for the clutch that is no longer there. This example illustrates ________.

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference is when previously learned information interferes with the retention of new information. In this case, the previous knowledge of driving a manual car with a clutch is interfering with the retrieval of the new information that the current car is an automatic.

Question 4

What type of stimuli did Hermann Ebbinghaus use in his memory experiments?

Accepted Answer

Hermann Ebbinghaus used nonsense syllables (such as "xog" or "jib") as stimuli in his memory experiments, rather than meaningful words or images. This was to avoid any preexisting associations or meanings that might influence participants' ability to remember the stimuli. Using nonsense syllables allowed Ebbinghaus to study pure memory processes, free from any potential interference from semantic factors.

Question 5

Forgetting in long-term memory is most likely due to ________.

Accepted Answer

Interference from other information is a primary reason for forgetting in long-term memory, as new information can disrupt the retrieval of previously stored information.

Question 6

Retroactive interference, as used in the study of memory, refers to when ________.

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when newer information interferes with the retrieval of older information.

Question 7

Quinn is getting ready for an exam in his biology class tomorrow. He has not studied yet, and is preparing all sort of caffeinated beverages to help him pull an "all-nighter." In memory terms, he is about to engage in ______ practice.

Accepted Answer

Massed practice involves cramming or studying a large amount of material in a short amount of time, often in one session with little to no breaks. This type of practice is not effective for long-term retention of information and can lead to stress and burnout.

Question 8

When newer information interferes with the retrieval of older information, this is called ________.

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when newly acquired information interferes with the ability to retrieve previously learned information. This is the opposite of proactive interference, which occurs when previously learned information interferes with the ability to remember newly acquired information. Cue-dependent forgetting refers to the inability to retrieve information because of a lack of appropriate cues or triggers, while decay refers to the fading of memories over time.

Question 9

You start out using Firefox, then change to Explorer because your company demands that browsers be Microsoft products. If you have trouble with Explorer, it is most likely due to ________.

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when old information (Firefox usage) interferes with the ability to learn or use new information (Explorer usage).

Question 10

________ is the tendency for older or previously learned material to interfere with the retrieval of newer, more recently learned material.

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when older information interferes with the ability to recall newer information.

Question 11

Proactive interference, as used in the study of memory, refers to when ________.

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when older information that is already stored in memory interferes with the ability to retrieve newer information.

Question 12

Decay theory works well to explain forgetting in ________.

Accepted Answer

Decay theory suggests that information fades over time if not actively maintained, which is applicable to both sensory memory and short-term memory where information is held temporarily.

Question 13

Your teacher has given each student the name of a key figure in the history of psychology. The assignment is to describe at least one significant contribution made by this person. If your historical figure is Hermann Ebbinghaus, what contribution might you describe to the class?

Accepted Answer

Hermann Ebbinghaus created nonsense syllables in order to study memory in a "pure" form. He is best known for his pioneering study of memory and forgetting, in which he used nonsense syllables (consonant-vowel-consonant combinations that do not correspond to words in any language) to investigate memory processes. Through his work, he discovered many important findings on how memory works, including the forgetting curve (the idea that forgetting occurs rapidly at first and then levels off), the spacing effect (the idea that memory is improved when studying is spaced out over time), and the idea of overlearning (the idea that continued practice after a concept is learned helps to cement the information in memory).

Question 14

Evidence suggests that short-term memories are stored in the ________.

Accepted Answer

Short-term memories are primarily stored in the prefrontal lobes of the cortex. The cerebellum is involved in the coordination of movement, not memory storage. The hippocampus is involved in the formation and retrieval of long-term memories, but not short-term memories. The amygdala is involved in emotional processing and memory, but not specifically in short-term memory storage.

Question 15

Jessica took psychology in the fall semester and is now taking sociology. Several of the concepts are similar, and Jessica finds that she sometimes has trouble recalling some of the major psychological theorists. She keeps getting them confused with sociological theorists. Jessica's problem is most likely due to ________.

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when new information interferes with the recall of previously learned information. In this case, the new information from sociology is interfering with the recall of previously learned information from psychology, resulting in confusion between psychological and sociological theorists.

Question 16

Shalissa has two exams today. One is in French and the other is in history. Last night she studied French before history. When she gets to her French test, all she can remember is history! Shalissa's memory is suffering from ________.

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when new information interferes with the ability to recall older information. In this case, studying history after French caused Shalissa to remember history instead of French.

Question 17

The practice of spacing out the study of material to be remembered by including breaks between study periods is called ________ practice.

Accepted Answer

The practice described in the question is known as distributed practice, where studying material is spaced out over time to enhance retention and recall. Option A, infiltrated, does not make sense in the context of the question. Option B, segmented, is a close synonym, but not commonly used in this context. Option D, massed, refers to studying material in one long period without breaks, which is less effective for retention and recall.

Question 18

Most people have difficulty actually recognizing the correct image of the Lincoln penny. The most likely cause of this problem is ________.

Accepted Answer

Encoding failure refers to the inability to create a memory trace for a piece of information, making it difficult to recognize or retrieve that information later. In the case of the Lincoln penny, people may not have paid enough attention to its details during encoding, leading to difficulty in recognizing the correct image later on. Interference, memory trace decay, and repression are less likely explanations for the problem of recognizing the Lincoln penny.

Question 19

A psychologist asks people to recall the name of their kindergarten teacher. Surprisingly, the majority of people correctly do this and comment, "Gee whiz, I haven't thought about that old bat [or old coot] in years!" Their ability to do so tends to conflict with which theory of forgetting?

Accepted Answer

The decay or disuse theory suggests that memories fade over time if they are not accessed. The ability to recall a kindergarten teacher's name after many years suggests that the memory has not decayed, conflicting with this theory.

Question 20

You are invited to take part in a study by a researcher trying to replicate the work of Hermann Ebbinghaus. What might this researcher ask you to do?

Accepted Answer

Hermann Ebbinghaus was a pioneer in the field of memory research, known for his use of nonsense syllables (like BEC, DAX, FER, KOJ) to study memory processes. Asking participants to repeat these syllables back would be a way to replicate his work. Choices A, B, and D do not specifically relate to Ebbinghaus' research on memory.

Quiz 6: Memory