Question 1

During a test of his short-term memory, Tommy was givenlists 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

Tommy is using chunking, which is the process of grouping individual pieces of information into larger units or chunks, allowing for easier recall and retention of the information. Clustering refers to grouping items based on a shared characteristic, which is similar to chunking, but not exactly the same. The self-referencing technique involves relating new information to oneself, which is not mentioned in the scenario. Massed practice involves repeating a task or studying for an extended period of time without breaks, which is not mentioned in the scenario.

Question 2

"Cramming" is highly recommended to enhance long-termretention of new information.

Accepted Answer

Cramming is not recommended for enhancing long-term retention of new information. The information retained after cramming is usually short-term and not retained for a longer duration. It is better to space out studying and use techniques such as active recall and repetition to enhance long-term retention of new information.

Question 3

Students who take the distributed practice approach to learning retain significantly more information than those who take the massed practice approach.

Accepted Answer

Distributed practice involves breaking up learning into smaller sessions over a longer period of time, while massed practice involves cramming all the learning into a short period of time. Studies have consistently shown that students who use distributed practice retain more information in the long term than those who use massed practice.

Question 4

The famous Ebbinghaus forgetting curve:

Accepted Answer

The Ebbinghaus forgetting curve demonstrates that much of what we forget is lost relatively soon after we originally learn the information. It shows that forgetting happens most rapidly in the first few hours and days after learning, then levels off over time.

Question 5

A classic experiment by psychologist George Sperling demonstrated that:

Accepted Answer

George Sperling's experiment demonstrated that information in visual sensory memory is held for about half a second before it decays. Sperling presented participants with a grid of letters for a very brief amount of time, and then asked them to recall as many letters as they could. When participants were asked to recall all of the letters, they could only remember a few. However, when a tone was played immediately after the letters disappeared to cue participants to remember only a specific row of letters, they were able to recall almost all of the letters in that row, indicating that the information was briefly held in sensory memory but decayed quickly.

Question 6

In Baddeley's model of working memory, one component called the _____ is specialized for verbal material, such as listsof numbers or words.

Accepted Answer

The phonological loop is specialized for verbal material and allows for the temporary storage and rehearsal of acoustic or speech-based information. The visuospatial sketchpad is specialized for visual and spatial information, the semantic network is a network of associated semantic information, and the central executive is responsible for coordinating and manipulating information in working memory.

Question 7

When you are in a positive mood, you are more likely to recall positive memories. This phenomenon is referred to as _____and it is one form that _____ can take.

Accepted Answer

Mood congruence refers to the tendency to recall information that is congruent with one's current mood. It is a form of state-dependent memory, which is one aspect of the encoding specificity principle.

Question 8

Explaining new material that you are learning out loud toothers is an effective way to improve your memory of the material.

Accepted Answer

When we explain new material out loud to others, we are actively processing and organizing the information in our minds. This helps improve our memory of the material. It also provides an opportunity for feedback and reinforcement from others, which can further enhance our understanding and retention of the information.

Question 9

The basic premise of repressed memory therapy or recovered memory therapy is that:

Accepted Answer

Repressed memory therapy or recovered memory therapy suggests that memories of childhood sexual abuse have been repressed and can be recovered through therapy. This premise has been criticized as having little empirical support and has led to false accusations and lawsuits.

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

According to George Miller, the capacity of short-term memory is about seven items of information, plus or minus two. This means that individuals can typically remember between 5 to 9 items in their short-term memory at one time. Option A is incorrect because Miller's magic number was 7 plus or minus 2, not 4 plus or minus 1. Option B is incorrect because clustering helps individuals organize information, but it doesn't necessarily increase the capacity of their short-term memory. Option C is incorrect because maintenance rehearsal can help individuals retain information in their short-term memory, but it doesn't necessarily increase its capacity.

Question 11

In the study in which participants sat briefly in a psychology professor's office:

Accepted Answer

The study found that many

Question 12

When seven-year-old Grace had to recite the Girl Scout Pledge in front of the other members of her Brownie troop,she had trouble remembering some of the lines in the middleof the pledge. This illustrates:

Accepted Answer

The serial position effect is the tendency for people to better remember items presented at the beginning and end of a list than those in the middle. In this case, Grace had difficulty remembering the lines in the middle of the Girl Scout Pledge, which is consistent with the serial position effect.

Question 13

Memory consolidation occurs during REM sleep but not non-REM sleep.

Accepted Answer

Memory consolidation occurs during both REM and non-REM sleep, with different types of memories being processed in each stage.

Question 14

You will remember new material better if you actively think about the material, make associations to your own experiences, and come up with new examples of your own.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Making connections and actively engaging with new material helps to strengthen memory and recall.

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of You can keep information in short-term memory...

Question 16

Massed practice, or "cramming," the night before a test is one of the most effective ways to study and learn new material.

Accepted Answer

Massed practice, or cramming, may temporarily improve one's ability to recall information for a test, but it is not an effective method for long-term learning and retention of material. Spaced repetition and active learning techniques are generally more effective for durable learning.

Question 17

Professor Sheehan spent most of the class session lecturing on different aspects of memory, and ended by reminding her students of the test at the next class session. After her students had shuffled out of the classroom, Professor Sheehan noticed astudent's cellphone on a desk toward the back of the classroom. The student forgetting his cellphone is an everyday example of _____ that is most probably due to _____.

Accepted Answer

The student forgetting his cellphone is an example of absentmindedness, which is a type of memory failure due to encoding failure. The student did not properly encode the information that he had his cellphone with him, which led to him forgetting it in the classroom.

Question 18

Using visual imagery is a good way to improve memory.

Accepted Answer

Visual imagery helps to create a mental image of information, which can make it easier to remember and retrieve later on. Additionally, the brain tends to remember visual information more effectively than abstract concepts or verbal instructions. Therefore, using visual imagery is an effective way to improve memory.

Question 19

The Focus on Neuroscience on mapping brain changes in Alzheimer's disease summarized a study that showed that brain regions that handle visual and sensory tasks were spared until the late stages of the disease.

Accepted Answer

The study summarized in the Focus on Neuroscience indicates that brain regions responsible for visual and sensory tasks are less affected until the later stages of Alzheimer's disease, as the disease initially impacts areas related to memory and cognitive functions.

Question 20

Counteracting the serial position effect by spending extra time studying material that falls in the middle of what you are studying is a good strategy for improving memory.

Accepted Answer

This is a valid strategy for counteracting the serial position effect. Spending extra time studying material in the middle helps to increase the chances of remembering it as it does not fall in the primacy or recency effect regions.

Quiz 6: Memory