Gemma studies History immediately before she falls asleep, so that it will be the last thing that she learns each day. Holt plays tapes of his professor's Economics lectures while he sleeps, thinking he'll absorb the material 'subconsciously.' Armed with your knowledge of the psychology of memory, what might you tell Gemma? Holt?
A) I would tell Gemma that material encoded immediately prior to sleep is unlikely to be rehearsed sufficiently for its optimal retention. I would tell Holt that he'll actually learn a surprising amount that way.
B) I would tell Gemma that she has a good idea, because learning material immediately prior to sleep minimizes interference. I would tell Holt that the material on his tapes will not be encoded while he sleeps.
C) I would tell Gemma that material encoded immediately prior to sleep is unlikely to be rehearsed sufficiently for its optimal retention. I would tell Holt that the material on his tapes will not be encoded while he sleeps.
D) I would tell both Gemma and Holt that the material they are trying to learn is unlikely to be encoded given their strategies.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Research suggests that material encoded immediately prior to sleep is unlikely to be rehearsed sufficiently for its optimal retention. Therefore, Gemma is unlikely to retain the information she studies right before she falls asleep. As for Holt, research also suggests that information is not effectively encoded while sleeping, so his strategy of playing tapes of his professor's lectures while he sleeps is unlikely to be effective. Therefore, the best choice is C.

Gemma Studies History Immediately Before She Falls Asleep, So That