Question 1

What is the difference between proactive and retroactive interference?

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when previously learned information interferes with the learning or retrieval of new information. In this case, the interference is "proactive" because it is occurring before the new information is presented. 
Retroactive interference occurs when newly learned information interferes with the retrieval of previously learned information. In this case, the interference is "retroactive" because it is occurring after the original learning. Therefore, option D correctly describes the difference between proactive and retroactive interference.

Question 2

Some psychologists believe that test anxiety results in inferior performance on examinations because the negative thoughts accompanying the anxiety impede the retrieval of test-relevant information.This illustrates an application of the ___ theory of forgetting.

Accepted Answer

The interference theory of forgetting suggests that forgetting occurs due to the interference of other information during the process of encoding or retrieval. In the case of test anxiety, negative thoughts and emotions may interfere with the retrieval of test-relevant information, leading to inferior performance on exams. The other options are not applicable in this scenario - misinformation refers to the incorporation of inaccurate information into one's memory, decay refers to the fading of memories over time, and repression refers to the unconscious blocking of memories that are psychologically threatening.

Question 3

Owen has trouble remembering a friend's new phone number; he keeps recalling the old number instead.Completing a rental application,Pippa finds she can't recall one of her previous addresses,as she's had several addresses since.Owen is experiencing ___ interference; Pippa is experiencing ___.

Accepted Answer

Owen is experiencing proactive interference, where old information interferes with the recall of new information. Pippa is experiencing retroactive interference, where new information interferes with the recall of old information.

Question 4

What happens in proactive interference?

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when previously learned information interferes with the ability to retrieve newly learned information from memory. In other words, previous learning disrupts access to information in memory. Option A is incorrect because it suggests that the ability to learn something new is disrupted, which is not the case in proactive interference. Option C is also incorrect as it suggests that learning something new disrupts access to information in memory, which is more indicative of retroactive interference. Option D is incorrect as it is the opposite of what actually occurs in proactive interference.

Question 5

Jerome NOT open his term paper on his computer because the file has become corrupted.Kaci NOT find her term paper on her computer because of all the other documents she has stored on the hard drive.Jerome's failure to retrieve his paper is analogous to the ___ theory of forgetting,whereas Kaci's failure better resembles the ___ theory.

Accepted Answer

The theory of decay posits that memories fade over time if they are not retrieved and reinforced, which would explain Jerome's inability to retrieve his corrupted file. On the other hand, interference theory suggests that information is forgotten or difficult to retrieve because it is mixed up or confused with other similar information, which is more applicable to Kaci's situation. Therefore, the correct answer is C, decay for Jerome, and interference for Kaci.

Question 6

Will served two tours in Afghanistan,and on the last one,he saw a friend,Felix,get killed by a roadside bomb.Back in Canada,a therapist asked about Felix and Will had difficulty recalling details about his friend.Which type of motivated forgetting may Will be experiencing?

Accepted Answer

Repression is a defense mechanism where a person unconsciously blocks out painful or traumatic memories. In Will's case, he may be experiencing repression as he is having difficulty recalling details about his friend Felix, who he saw get killed by a roadside bomb on his last tour of duty in Afghanistan. This traumatic experience may be too painful for him to consciously remember, and his mind may be repressing these memories as a way of coping with the trauma he experienced.

Question 7

What happens in retroactive interference?

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when newly learned information interferes with the recall of information learned previously.

Question 8

The difference between proactive and retroactive interference is that with proactive interference,information that was learned ___ interferes with ___,and with retroactive interference,information that was learned ___ interferes with ___.

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when old information interferes with the ability to learn or remember new information. Retroactive interference happens when newly learned information interferes with the recall of previously learned information.

Question 9

Laurent,a first-year university student,seems to have forgotten a painful and humiliating experience he endured earlier in his adolescence.Dr.MacEwan suggests that Laurent has avoided rehearsing the event and avoided situations that might provide cues for its retrieval.Dr.Norris counters that Laurent unconsciously pushed the event from his awareness.Dr.MacEwan is probably a ___ psychologist,while Dr.Norris is likely a ___ psychologist.

Accepted Answer

Dr. MacEwan, who suggests that Laurent has avoided rehearsing the event and avoided situations that might provide cues for its retrieval, is likely a cognitive psychologist because this explanation involves memory processes and how information is processed and remembered. Dr. Norris, who believes that Laurent unconsciously pushed the event from his awareness, aligns with the psychodynamic perspective, which emphasizes unconscious processes and defense mechanisms.

Question 10

Nabeelah is taking a Spanish final at the end of the spring semester.The problem is,the French vocabulary she learned the semester before keeps getting in the way,causing her to forget Spanish words.Nabeelah is experiencing ___ interference.

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when old information interferes with the ability to remember new information. In Nabeelah's case, the French vocabulary she learned previously is interfering with her ability to recall Spanish vocabulary.

Question 11

In ___ interference,information learned earlier disrupts the recall of information learned more recently; in ___ interference,recently learned information disrupts the recall of information learned earlier.

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when older memories interfere with the recall of newer memories, while retroactive interference happens when new information interferes with the recall of older information.

Question 12

According to your text,the need to reconstruct rather than simply retrieve memories stems from the ___ code used in long-term memory.

Accepted Answer

The need to reconstruct memories arises from the semantic code used in long-term memory. Unlike sensory codes such as phonological or visual, semantic codes represent the meaning and relationships of information rather than just its physical features. Therefore, reconstructing memories involves piecing together the meaning and context of past events, rather than simply retrieving exact sensory details.

Question 13

We often misrepresent memories or make them up from scratch.Which of the following is NOT a common reason for this?

Accepted Answer

Repression refers to the unconscious blocking of memories as a defense mechanism, which is a relatively uncommon reason for memory misrepresentation and fabrication. The other three options (source misattributions, exposure to misinformation, and effects of imagination) are common reasons for memory distortion.

Question 14

The unconscious process whereby disturbing memories are prevented from entering awareness is called ___.

Accepted Answer

Repression is the unconscious process of blocking or excluding from conscious awareness feelings, impulses, or memories that generate anxiety, conflict, or other emotions that are too difficult to tolerate. Denial is a defense mechanism in which a person denies the existence of an external threat or of a disturbing aspect of reality that they cannot deal with. Projection involves attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to others, while suppression is a conscious effort to put aside or ignore unwanted thoughts or emotions.

Question 15

What finding does the decay theory of forgetting have difficulty explaining?

Accepted Answer

The decay theory of forgetting posits that memories fade over time due to the mere passage of time, but it struggles to explain why relearning information is often faster than learning it for the first time. This phenomenon suggests that some form of memory trace remains, contradicting the idea that memories simply decay with time.

Question 16

Which theory of forgetting assumes that there are memory traces?

Accepted Answer

The decay theory of forgetting assumes that memories fade away over time due to a gradual weakening of memory traces in the brain. This theory suggests that if memories are not used or rehearsed frequently, they will eventually be lost.

Question 17

Concerning repression,which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

Repression is a defense mechanism that involves unconsciously repressing or blocking out certain thoughts, memories, or emotions that are deemed threatening or anxiety-provoking. This process generally occurs outside awareness, and the individual may not even be aware that they are repressing certain memories or thoughts. Option A is incorrect because repression can occur even in response to relatively minor stressors. Option B is incorrect because while some memories may be partially or fully repressed, they are not deleted from memory entirely. Option D is incorrect because repression is an unconscious process and not a deliberate choice.

Question 18

Yulia was having difficulty learning Spanish in university because she kept remembering the French vocabulary she studied throughout high school.Which type of interference might account for this difficulty?

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when previously learned information interferes with the ability to learn new information. In this case, Yulia's previously learned French vocabulary is interfering with her ability to learn Spanish.

Question 19

The fact that relearning is faster than original learning is very difficult for the ___ of forgetting to explain.

Accepted Answer

The decay theory of forgetting suggests that memories fade over time due to a lack of use or access. However, this theory struggles to explain why relearning information is typically faster than the original learning process. If memories simply decayed, relearning should not be significantly quicker, as the decay theory does not account for the underlying neural or cognitive mechanisms that facilitate faster reacquisition of previously learned information.

Question 20

What has empirical research had to say regarding the idea that people repress the memory of unpleasant events?

Accepted Answer

Empirical research has consistently failed to find evidence for the concept of repression. Studies have found that people may have difficulty recalling traumatic events, but this is believed to be due to other factors such as the passage of time, the way memories are encoded, and the influence of emotion on memory. Repression as a defense mechanism is not supported by current empirical evidence.

Quiz 8: Memory