Deck 7: Learning and Remembering

Question 1

Provide everyday examples of types of non-declarative non-conscious) memories.

Answer 1

Types of non-declarative memory include skills, habituation, priming, implicit or unconscious goals and learning. Everyday examples of skill memory are driving a car, keyboarding on a laptop, and reading a sentence which also involves conscious memory processes). Other everyday examples include having a song just 'come to mind' when actually it was primed or cued by the name of the band on a website you just looked at.

Question 2

How does dividing one's attention affect memory encoding? Provide everyday examples of the effects of divided attention on memory formation.

Answer 2

Learning -- memory encoding -- works best when you pay attention. Being distracted while trying to learn - called divided attention in cognitive psychology terms - impairs retention of new items learned. Successful encoding requires a level of attention and, presumably, consciousness. How does divided attention impair memory encoding? This question is still being answered by memory scientists. One hypothesis is that the deeper processing required to learn takes time to complete and divided attention limits the time allotted for encoding. Another hypothesis is that consciousness or awareness is a necessary contributor to memory encoding. Under divided attention situations, one may not be fully conscious of the material being encoded. An everyday example of divided attention: if you are studying for an exam and have your textbook and lecture notes in front of you - but you also have your laptop on and your instant messaging open, you are playing some songs you have just downloaded, and you have a group of students at the next table talking and laughing - you are under a situation of divided attention. Although some students seem to learn well under some situations of divided attention, most will be distracted by the onslaught of multiple attention-attracting items in their immediate vicinity.

Question 3

A key difference between episodic memory and semantic memory is that

A) Episodic memories can be remembered with an active reconstruction of the actual recalled event, while semantic memories typically involve a 'feeling of knowing' rather than a fully conscious recollection of an event
B) Episodic memories are less susceptible to forgetting than semantic memories
C) Episodic memories typically involve a 'feeling of knowing' rather than a fully conscious recollection of an event, while semantic memories can be remembered with an active reconstruction of the actual recalled event
D) Episodic memories are relatively independent of context, while semantic memories are context-dependent

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Young children can immediately repeat short sentences spoken by their parents and siblings, and then start to produce new sentences that also follow the rules of their native language. The ability to produce new, rule-governed sentences is thought to involve what kind of learning?

A) Explicit
B) Implicit
C) Short term
D) Working

Question 5

Memory consolidation is thought to occur in the_____ while conscious recollection of episodic memories requires the______ .

A) Neocortex, medial temporal lobe
B) Medial temporal lobe, hippocampus
C) Hippocampus, neocortex
D) Prefrontal cortex, hippocampus

Question 6

Explicit memory operates

A) Unconsciously
B) Consciously
C) Slowly
D) Quickly

Question 7

Consolidation refers to

A) Confirming the accuracy of a remembered event
B) Forgetting a memory in old age
C) Transforming information from temporary to permanent storage
D) Merging memories together

Question 8

Working memory is traditionally divided into

A) Voluntary and unconscious processes
B) Learning and retrieval
C) Short term and long term
D) Visual and verbal components

Question 9

An individual who seems to have normal intelligence but who has a severe loss of memory for personal experiences is likely

A) To be suffering from amnesia
B) To have difficulty in everyday conversations
C) To have impaired implicit thinking
D) All of the above

Question 10

A key difference between short-term memory and long-term memory is that

A) Short-term memory is sensitive to disruption, while long-term memory is more resistant to disruption
B) Short-term memory is relatively insensitive to disruption, while long-term memory is sensitive to disruption
C) Short-term memory lasts from days to weeks, while long-term memory lasts from seconds to hours
D) Short-term memory processes are largely localized to the sensory cortex, while long-term memory processes are distributed throughout the neocortex

Question 11

The "anterograde amnesia" experienced by patient HM refers to

A) His inability to form new memories
B) His inability to recall events shortly before his surgery
C) His relatively intact short term memory
D) His ability to recall experiences from his childhood

Question 12

Which of the following is not a type of human memory system?

A) Working
B) Implicit
C) Semantic
D) Syntax