Your teacher has given each student the name of a key figure in the history of psychology. The assignment is to describe at least one significant contribution made by this person. If your historical figure is Hermann Ebbinghaus, what contribution might you describe to the class?
A) He described the limits of sensory storage.
B) He discovered the parts of the brain responsible for processing memories.
C) He created nonsense syllables in order to study memory in a "pure" form.
D) He developed a series of memory aids that is still used by students today.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Hermann Ebbinghaus is best known for his work on memory. He created nonsense syllables, which are meaningless combinations of letters, in order to study memory in a "pure" form. He used himself as the sole subject in his studies and developed methods to measure memory retention and forgetting over time. This work resulted in his famous forgetting curve, which describes the rate at which information is forgotten over increasing intervals of time.

Your Teacher Has Given Each Student the Name of a Key