Question 1

What "magic number" did Miller find to be the capacity of short-term memory?
A) 11
B) nine
C) seven
D) five

Accepted Answer

Miller found that the capacity of short-term memory is around seven items, give or take two. This is known as Miller's Law or the "magical number seven."

Question 2

Information gets from sensory memory to short-term memory through the process of __________.
A) elaborative rehearsal
B) maintenance rehearsal
C) automatic encoding
D) selective attention

Accepted Answer

Information from sensory memory gets transferred to short-term memory through selective attention, which filters out irrelevant information and allows important information to be encoded and processed in short-term memory. Elaborative rehearsal and maintenance rehearsal are processes that aid in transferring information from short-term memory to long-term memory, while automatic encoding involves unconscious encoding of certain types of information.

Question 3

If a person wants to increase the capacity of short-term memory, more items can be held through the process of __________.
A) chunking
B) decoding
C) rote rehearsal
D) data compression

Accepted Answer

Chunking involves grouping different pieces of information into larger, more meaningful units, which can increase the capacity of short-term memory. For example, instead of remembering individual letters, chunking them into words or phrases can make them easier to remember. Decoding involves interpreting and understanding the meaning of information, but it does not necessarily increase the capacity of short-term memory. Rote rehearsal involves repeating information over and over again, but it does not necessarily increase capacity either. Data compression involves reducing the size of data files, which is unrelated to memory capacity in this context.

Question 4

Catalina finds that it is easier to remember her student ID number if she thinks of it in segments, such as the first three digits, then the next two, and then the final four. Each of these short segments of the number are called __________.
A) codes
B) cues
C) chunks
D) stores

Accepted Answer

These short segments of the number are called chunks.

Question 5

Sitting in a very noisy restaurant, you are able to screen out all the other conversations around you so you can listen to the friend with whom you are conversing. This is an example of __________.
A) Broadbent's forgetting theory
B) the homecoming-queen party phenomenon
C) selective attention
D) intimacy

Accepted Answer

Selective attention refers to the ability to focus on a specific stimulus while ignoring other stimuli. In this situation, the person is able to tune out the other conversations and focus on the conversation with their friend.

Question 6

Which theorist is associated with the idea that information moves from sensory memory to short-term memory through the process of selective attention?
A) Thorndike
B) Atkinson
C) Sperling
D) Broadbent

Accepted Answer

The theorist associated with the idea that information moves from sensory memory to short-term memory through the process of selective attention is Broadbent. Broadbent's filter theory of attention suggests that attention selects the most important incoming information and allows it to pass from sensory memory to short-term memory.

Question 7

Chunking is a means of __________.
A) immediately forgetting irrelevant details
B) combining information into meaningful units
C) arranging details into a hierarchy from most to least important
D) storing long-term memories

Accepted Answer

Chunking involves grouping separate pieces of information together into a larger unit or "chunk" that is meaningful and easier to remember. It is a memory strategy used to facilitate the encoding and retrieval of information in short-term and long-term memory.

Question 8

Current research finds that younger adults can hold __________ items in short-term (working) memory if they do not use any type of retention strategy.
A) three to five
B) five to seven
C) five to nine
D) nine to 12

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that younger adults can typically hold three to five items in short-term memory without using any retention strategies.

Question 9

Someone a short distance away, to whom you have been paying no attention, quietly speaks your name, and suddenly you attend to that person. This is an example of __________.
A) Broadbent's process of selective memory
B) the phi phenomenon
C) the cocktail-party effect
D) cue-controlled inhibition

Accepted Answer

This is an example of the cocktail-party effect, where someone's attention is suddenly drawn to their own name being mentioned in a nearby conversation that they had been ignoring.

Question 10

Bits of information are combined into meaningful units so that more information can be held in short-term memory through the process of __________.
A) chunking
B) categorizing
C) rote rehearsal
D) cueing

Accepted Answer

Chunking involves breaking up long strings of information into smaller, more manageable chunks. This allows more information to be held in short-term memory by grouping related bits of information together. Categorizing and rote rehearsal do not necessarily increase the amount of information that can be held in short-term memory, and cueing refers to the use of external cues to retrieve information from long-term memory.

Question 11

Carrie is trying to focus on a conversation across the room during a party she is attending. This is because she thinks she heard her name above the din of the conversation. Her ability to hear her name is due to the mechanism of __________.
A) Broadbent's forgetting theory
B) the homecoming-queen party phenomenon
C) selective attention
D) intimacy

Accepted Answer

Carrie's ability to focus on the conversation across the room and hear her name is due to the process of selective attention, where she is able to selectively filter out other noises and distractions in order to hone in on the conversation and her name.

Question 12

Which memory system is the one that is a working, active system that processes the information within it?
A) long-term memory
B) short-term memory
C) secondary memory
D) cognitive dissonance

Accepted Answer

Short-term memory, also known as working memory, is the memory system that processes the information currently being used or manipulated in the brain. It has a limited capacity and duration, typically only retaining information for a few seconds or minutes.

Question 13

In the 1950s, George Miller estimated the number of items that could be stored in short-term memory to be the magic number __________.
A) five, plus or minus four
B) seven, plus or minus two
C) nine, plus or minus three
D) 11, plus or minus one

Accepted Answer

George Miller's estimate of the number of items that could be stored in short-term memory was seven, plus or minus two. This means that the range of items that could be stored in short-term memory was between five and nine.

Question 14

According to Baddeley, which memory system is BEST conceived of as three interrelated systems: central executive, visuospatial sketchpad, and auditory action recorder?
A) sensory memory
B) working memory
C) long-term memory
D) procedural memory

Accepted Answer

Baddeley's model of memory is best conceived of as working memory, as it includes the central executive, visuospatial sketchpad, and auditory action recorder. Sensory memory refers to brief storage of sensory information, long-term memory refers to the storage of information over a long period of time, and procedural memory refers to implicit memory for how to perform tasks or actions.

Question 15

Ivy is asked to memorize the letters I K T E A L N in no particular order. She memorizes them by reorganizing them into the words INK and LATE. This tactic is called __________.
A) cueing
B) shadowing
C) rote rehearsal
D) chunking

Accepted Answer

Ivy used chunking by organizing the letters into the words INK and LATE.

Question 16

The duration of iconic memory is __________ than echoic memory, but iconic's capacity is probably __________.
A) shorter; larger
B) longer; larger
C) longer; about the same
D) shorter; about the same

Accepted Answer

Iconic memory lasts for a very brief duration of approximately one-third of a second, which is shorter than the duration of echoic memory, which can last up to four seconds. However, iconic memory has a larger capacity than echoic memory, which can only hold a limited amount of auditory information.

Question 17

Suppose you are pitching in a softball game and facing a good hitter. You remember that you struck her out with a fastball the last time she was up. You also remember that your coach told you to always try to be unpredictable, so you decide to throw a curve ball this time. In making this decision, you are primarily using your __________.
A) central executive
B) fight-or-flight response
C) modality-specific memory
D) long-term potentiation

Accepted Answer

The central executive is responsible for making decisions based on past experiences and goals. In this situation, the pitcher is using their memory of the previous encounter with the hitter to inform their decision to throw a curveball, which shows the activation of their central executive. The fight-or-flight response is not relevant in this situation as it is a response to perceived danger. Modality-specific memory is not relevant as it refers to the specific sensory modality in which information is encoded, while here we are talking about a decision-making process. Long-term potentiation refers to the strengthening of neural connections and is not directly relevant to this scenario.

Question 18

Jamaal is trying to remember the specific route he took to the library the night before. What part of working memory is he accessing?
A) the articulatory loop
B) the visuospatial sketchpad
C) the internal executive
D) the control sequence

Accepted Answer

Jamaal is likely accessing his visuospatial sketchpad to remember the specific route he took to the library. This part of working memory allows for the temporary storage and manipulation of visual and spatial information, such as mental maps and routes.

Question 19

Taye is trying to buy something over the phone. He asks his partner to read him his credit card number. However, when he tries to repeat it to the salesclerk on the other end of the line, he can't remember all the numbers. Taye is coming up against __________.
A) the decay of numerical memory
B) the extinction of auditory traces
C) George Miller's magic number seven, plus or minus two
D) the limits of procedural memory

Accepted Answer

Taye's difficulty in remembering the credit card number is related to the capacity of short-term memory, famously described by George Miller as "the magic number seven, plus or minus two." This theory suggests that the average person can hold about 7 items (give or take 2) in their short-term memory at any given time.

Question 20

Suppose Li Min looks up a number in the telephone book. After getting a busy signal, a minute or so later she tries to call again-but has already forgotten the number! This example illustrates the limited duration of __________ memory.
A) sensory
B) short-term
C) echoic
D) implicit

Accepted Answer

The scenario describes Li Min forgetting the number after only a minute or so, which suggests that the information was not successfully transferred to long-term memory. Short-term memory has limited duration and can hold onto information for only a short period of time before either being forgotten or transferred to long-term memory. Sensory memory refers to the initial momentary storage of sensory information, and echoic memory specifically refers to the temporary storage of auditory information. Implicit memory refers to memory that is not consciously recognized, which is not relevant to this scenario.

Quiz 6: Memory

What "magic number" did Miller find to be the capacity of short-term memory?

Information gets from sensory memory to short-term memory through the process of __________.

If a person wants to increase the capacity of short-term memory, more items can be held through the process of __________.

Catalina finds that it is easier to remember her student ID number if she thinks of it in segments, such as the first three digits, then the next two, and then the final four. Each of these short segments of the number are called __________.

Sitting in a very noisy restaurant, you are able to screen out all the other conversations around you so you can listen to the friend with whom you are conversing. This is an example of __________.

Which theorist is associated with the idea that information moves from sensory memory to short-term memory through the process of selective attention?

Chunking is a means of __________.

Current research finds that younger adults can hold __________ items in short-term (working) memory if they do not use any type of retention strategy.

Someone a short distance away, to whom you have been paying no attention, quietly speaks your name, and suddenly you attend to that person. This is an example of __________.

Bits of information are combined into meaningful units so that more information can be held in short-term memory through the process of __________.

Carrie is trying to focus on a conversation across the room during a party she is attending. This is because she thinks she heard her name above the din of the conversation. Her ability to hear her name is due to the mechanism of __________.

Which memory system is the one that is a working, active system that processes the information within it?

In the 1950s, George Miller estimated the number of items that could be stored in short-term memory to be the magic number __________.

According to Baddeley, which memory system is BEST conceived of as three interrelated systems: central executive, visuospatial sketchpad, and auditory action recorder?

Ivy is asked to memorize the letters I K T E A L N in no particular order. She memorizes them by reorganizing them into the words INK and LATE. This tactic is called __________.

The duration of iconic memory is than echoic memory, but iconic's capacity is probably .

Jamaal is trying to remember the specific route he took to the library the night before. What part of working memory is he accessing?

Taye is trying to buy something over the phone. He asks his partner to read him his credit card number. However, when he tries to repeat it to the salesclerk on the other end of the line, he can't remember all the numbers. Taye is coming up against __________.

Suppose Li Min looks up a number in the telephone book. After getting a busy signal, a minute or so later she tries to call again-but has already forgotten the number! This example illustrates the limited duration of __________ memory.