Last week, Jacinda took an abnormal psychology test and did not miss a single question. However, when a guest speaker came to class a week later to talk about schizophrenia, Jacinda had trouble remembering some of the relevant class material. She remembered even less about the topic when she saw a news report on schizophrenia a month later. What memory phenomenon explains what Jacinda is experiencing?
A) mirage effect
B) serial position curve
C) free recall curve
D) curve of forgetting

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Jacinda's experience is best explained by the curve of forgetting, which suggests that memory retention decreases over time if information is not rehearsed or reviewed. Jacinda did not review the abnormal psychology material that covered schizophrenia after her initial test, so her memory of the topic weakened over time.

Last Week, Jacinda Took an Abnormal Psychology Test and Did