Question 1

Mason was absolutely certain that he knew the name of the actress who played the character of Monica on the popular television series Friends, but he could not think of her name. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a “tip-of-the-tongue” experience, which occurs when a person knows the information but is unable to readily recall it. It is a common experience and is related to retrieval failure in memory, specifically with the difficulty in accessing information that is on the “tip-of-the-tongue”.

Question 2

According to George Miller, capacity of short-term memory:

Accepted Answer

George Miller's research suggested that the capacity of short-term memory is about seven items of information, plus or minus two. This is commonly referred to as the "magic number 7". Option A is a common misconception but it is not accurate. Option B mentions clustering, which can help with organization but does not increase the capacity of short-term memory. Option C is referring to maintenance rehearsal, which can help with transferring information from short-term to long-term memory, but it does not increase the capacity of short-term memory.

Question 3

Research with the sea snail Aplysia has demonstrated that:

Accepted Answer

Research with Aplysia has shown that forming a new memory involves changes in both the function and structure of neurons. This is due to the process of long-term potentiation, which strengthens the connections between neurons involved in the memory formation. Aplysia has a relatively simple nervous system, making it a useful model for studying basic mechanisms of learning and memory.

Question 4

During a test of his short-term memory, Tommy was given lists of items to remember. He found the task much easier if he grouped the items according to whether they were animals, plants, minerals, and so on. Tommy is using a memory aid called:

Accepted Answer

The answer of During a test of his short-term memory,...

Question 5

Another name for implicit memory is _____ memory.

Accepted Answer

Implicit memory is also known as nondeclarative memory. This type of memory includes skills and habits that are unconsciously remembered, such as riding a bicycle or typing on a keyboard. This is different from declarative memory, which involves consciously remembering facts and events. Procedural memory is a subset of implicit memory that specifically includes motor skills and habits.

Question 6

Of the different stages of memory, _____ memory has the shortest duration.

Accepted Answer

Sensory memory only lasts for a fraction of a second to a few seconds, making it the shortest duration of the memory stages. Working memory lasts for several seconds to a minute, short-term memory lasts for several minutes to an hour, and long-term memory can last for years.

Question 7

Which of the following statements about long-term memory is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

The three components of long-term memory are actually the episodic memory, the semantic memory, and the procedural memory. The phonological loop and the visuospatial sketchpad are components of working memory, which is a separate system from long-term memory.

Question 8

When information in short-term memory is not rehearsed or encoded, what happens to it?

Accepted Answer

Information in short-term memory that is not rehearsed or encoded will decay or fade away within a few seconds. This failure to encode information into long-term memory is one of the primary reasons for forgetting.

Question 9

Carlos and his roommate rearranged the kitchen, and now whenever Carlos reaches for the silverware, he keeps reaching for the drawer that used to contain the silverware. Carlos's failure to remember the new location of the silverware is probably due to:

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when previously learned information interferes with the ability to encode and retrieve new information. In this case, Carlos had already learned the old location of the silverware, and that prior learning is interfering with his ability to remember the new location.

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT one of the key brain structures involved in encoding and storing memories?

Accepted Answer

The hypothalamus plays a key role in regulating basic physiological functions such as hunger, thirst, and body temperature. However, it is not directly involved in encoding and storing memories. The hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and cerebellum are all important brain structures for memory processing.

Question 11

"My first memory? I can remember the nature walks that our preschool class took almost every day. It was really just a city park that had a small lake and was about three blocks away, but I remember all of us walking in pairs, holding hands, and crossing the streets." According to the research discussed in the Culture and Human Behavior box, memories of general, group activities centered on family or community members were most likely to be:

Accepted Answer

The research mentioned in the Culture and Human Behavior box states that memories of general, group activities centered on family or community members were most likely to be reported by Chinese and Taiwanese college students. This supports choice D as the correct answer.

Question 12

When asked to define the learning concept negative reinforcement, Hannah replied, "Negative reinforcement is when you perform a behavior that stops or lets you avoid an unpleasant stimulus, so you're more likely to repeat the behavior when you encounter the same unpleasant stimulus in the future." Hannah's answer reflects which category of long-term memory?

Accepted Answer

Hannah's response involves the understanding of a complex concept, indicating the use of semantic memory, which stores general knowledge and concepts about the world. Negative reinforcement is a concept from psychology and is not directly related to personal experiences (episodic memory) or how to perform a task (procedural memory). While Hannah's response could potentially involve some unconscious learning (implicit memory), her mention of the future use of the behavior suggests a more conscious understanding.

Question 13

Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus had participants in one study watch a film about an auto accident, write a description of the accident, and then answer a series of questions, which were different for different groups of participants. A week later, the participants were questioned again. What was one basic finding of the study?

Accepted Answer

This choice describes the misinformation effect, which is the phenomenon of incorporating false information into one's memory of an event after being exposed to misleading information or questions. In this case, asking how fast the cars were going when they "smashed into each other" led participants to mistakenly remember seeing broken glass in the film.

Question 14

Psychologist George Sperling's classic experiment demonstrated that:

Accepted Answer

Sperling's experiment involved flashing an array of letters for a brief moment and asking participants to recall as many letters as possible. He found that participants were able to recall all the letters if the array was presented for a longer duration but could only recall a fraction of the letters when the duration was shortened. This suggested that the information was held briefly in visual sensory memory for about half a second before being lost.

Question 15

You can keep information in short-term memory beyond the usual 20-second duration by:

Accepted Answer

Maintenance rehearsal involves repeatedly verbalizing or thinking about information, which can help extend the duration of short-term memory beyond the typical 20 seconds.

Question 16

What is the "lost-in-the-mall" technique?

Accepted Answer

The "lost-in-the-mall" technique involves using suggestive methods, often with the help of family members, to implant a false memory in a person, such as being lost in a shopping mall during childhood.

Question 17

The phonological loop and the visuospatial sketchpad are:

Accepted Answer

The phonological loop and the visuospatial sketchpad are two of the three components in psychologist Alan Baddeley's model of working memory, along with the central executive. They are not different names for sensory memory or components in other models of memory such as George Sperling's model. While mnemonic devices can involve auditory and visual elements, the phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad are specific to working memory.

Question 18

When Kate got home, Guy rummaged through the grocery sack, then said, "Kate, you forgot the dental floss and the coffee creamer! They were the last two things I told you to get! Don't you remember me saying that?" That Kate remembered to get the first items on the list is a pattern of remembering called:

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect is the tendency to better remember the first items on a list or in a series of information. In this case, Kate remembered to get the first items on the list, but forgot the last two things that were mentioned (dental floss and coffee creamer).

Question 19

Adam vividly remembers the accident that sent him to the emergency room to get stitches. This is an example of which type of long-term memory?

Accepted Answer

Episodic memory is the type of long-term memory that stores information about specific events or experiences, such as Adam's accident. It involves remembering the details of the event, including time, place, and emotions associated with it.

Question 20

In telling the detective everything she could recall about what happened when she went into the bank to make a deposit, Lynn got to the point that she could not recall any more details. At that point, Lynn was probably experiencing:

Accepted Answer

Lynn's inability to recall more details suggests retrieval cue failure, which occurs when retrieval cues are not strong enough to bring back the desired information. Retroactive interference, inattentional blindness, and source amnesia do not explain Lynn's situation.

Quiz 6: Memory