Question 1

What are the necessary circumstances to produce false memories in research participants?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the necessary circumstances to produce...

Question 2

Information that is perceived as relevant to the self is better remembered. This is referred to as the:

Accepted Answer

The self-reference effect refers to the phenomenon where information that is personally relevant to oneself is better remembered. This effect has been demonstrated across a variety of cognitive tasks and is thought to reflect the enhanced processing and encoding of information that is related to oneself. Choice A ("ego directive") and choice D ("self-importance law") are not terms that are commonly used in cognitive psychology research. Choice B ("autobiographical perspective advantage") is a related concept that refers to the advantage that arises when individuals process information from a first-person perspective, but this is not synonymous with the self-reference effect.

Question 3

Research on very-long-term remembering indicates that:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Research on very-long-term remembering indicates that:
...

Question 4

The creation of false memories in someone is possible:

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that it is possible to implant entirely false memories in individuals, including memories of large-scale events that never actually occurred. Studies have also found that emotionality of the event does not necessarily affect the likelihood of a false memory being formed.

Question 5

In the process of memory consolidation, memories are:

Accepted Answer

Memory consolidation is the process of stabilizing a memory after it is initially acquired. This process involves the biological "cementing" of the memory trace in the brain, involving changes in synaptic connections and protein synthesis. This strengthens the memory and makes it less susceptible to interference and forgetting. A, B, and C are incorrect because they do not accurately describe the process of memory consolidation.

Question 6

The misinformation effect refers to the fact that false information, presented after a participant has encoded an event, can intrude into the participant's subsequent recall of the event. This "planting" of memories:

Accepted Answer

The misinformation effect can occur outside of the laboratory and in real-life situations. False information can be introduced through various sources, such as media, conversations with others, and personal beliefs or biases.

Question 7

The misinformation effect is an example of:

Accepted Answer

The misinformation effect is a phenomenon in which a person's existing memories can be altered or influenced by misleading information after the event has occurred. This is due to source confusion, where an individual misattributes the source of their memory to the misleading information rather than the original event.

Question 8

Emotion has multiple effects on the encoding and retrieval of memories. Which of the following is MOST likely to occur during the recall of everyday emotional events?

Accepted Answer

During recall of everyday emotional events, accurate recall of the event's gist (i.e., the emotional events center) is more likely to occur, but relatively poor recall of the event's background details ("periphery") is likely. This is known as the "emotional memory trade-off" where emotional events are remembered vividly, but non-emotional details are not as well-remembered. Amnesia and repression are not likely to occur during the recall of everyday emotional events, and decreased accuracy in recall is possible but is not the most likely outcome.

Question 9

An important theme emerging from memory research is that memory connections:

Accepted Answer

Memory connections can make it easier to locate memories, but they can also lead to intrusion errors where unrelated information interferes with accurate retrieval.

Question 10

Dmitri witnessed a bank robbery but now seems unable to remember what he saw. To improve Dmitri's recall, a friend hypnotizes him and asks him, while he is hypnotized, to recall the crime. Research indicates that if questioned while under hypnosis:

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that hypnosis can lead to increased elaboration of memories and may allow individuals to recall more details about a past event than they can recall without hypnosis. However, the accuracy of these memories is still debatable, as hypnosis can also lead to the creation of false memories. Additionally, hypnosis does not necessarily make an individual less vulnerable to leading questions and may not prevent retrieval failure.

Question 11

By using leading questions and misinformation, researchers have been able to:

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that leading questions and misinformation can alter virtually any aspect of participants' memories and can even create memories for entire events that never took place.

Question 12

An expert is asked to comment on the confidence-accuracy relationship of an eyewitness's report. The expert will state that:

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that confidence levels are not a reliable indicator of the accuracy of recall. Many factors, including suggestion and post-event information, can increase confidence in an inaccurate memory. Therefore, it is important to assess the accuracy of a witness's recall using other evidence and factors, beyond just their confidence level.

Question 13

The memory that contains the full recollection of our lives is referred to as _____ memory.

Accepted Answer

Autobiographical memory refers to the memory of someone's life experiences, including personal events, time periods, and emotions associated with those experiences. It is a type of long-term memory that allows individuals to recall details and events from their past. None of the other options accurately describe this type of memory.

Question 14

Some researchers have suggested that highly painful memories can be repressed. This theory:

Accepted Answer

The theory that highly painful memories can be repressed is controversial among researchers, and the evidence supporting it is at best ambiguous. There is no consensus among experts on whether repressed memories can be validly retrieved or if they are simply constructed memories. Therefore, option C is the best choice.

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT true of memory?

Accepted Answer

Amnesia cannot be cured by probing the brain with electrodes. While there are treatments for amnesia, such as therapy and medication, there is no known cure. Choices A, B, and D are all true statements about memory.

Question 16

An eyewitness to a crime is quite confident that his memory of the crime is correct. In evaluating the eyewitness's testimony, the jury should note that:

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that memory confidence is a weak indicator of memory accuracy. Eyewitnesses can be confident in their memories even when they are incorrect or have been influenced by external factors such as leading questions or post-event information. Therefore, the jury should not rely solely on the eyewitness's confidence in their memory when evaluating their testimony.

Question 17

Connections among our various memories do all of the following EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

Source confusion occurs when the origins of a memory are misattributed, and connections among memories can actually increase the likelihood of such confusion by making it easier to mix up the sources of similar memories.

Question 18

Flashbulb memories are extremely detailed, vivid memories, usually associated with highly emotional events. The accuracy of these memories seems:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Flashbulb memories are extremely detailed, vivid memories,...

Question 19

Which of the following claims about memory accuracy is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

This claim is not true as research has shown that people can indeed create entirely new false memories and not just be mistaken about minor details.

Question 20

Memory errors and distortions have been documented:

Accepted Answer

Memory errors and distortions have been documented in the recall of complex events.

Quiz 7: Remembering Complex Events