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Before memories have been consolidated they are considered "labile," or unstable and easily altered. Sleep is theorized to be essential to the process of memory consolidation, though the mechanisms for this are still under investigation. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep has long been assumed to be the sleep stage most important for overall memory consolidation, but recent research suggests that different types of memory may be consolidated during different sleep stages. Procedural memories appear to be primarily consolidated during REM sleep while declarative memories appear to be primarily consolidated during slow-wave sleep (SWS) . Sleep duration, sleep regularity, and timing of sleep all contribute to the proportions of REM and SWS, so these factors also play an important role in memory consolidation processes.An experiment was performed at a large state university to investigate the relationship between sleep and learning in college students. Researchers screened potential participants with a sleep habits questionnaire. Those who reported having a regular sleep schedule were included in the study (N = 100) and given a vocabulary knowledge pretest. Participants were then randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental groups, each containing 25 students. During the learning phase (L) , each student was asked to memorize a set of 10 common toy objects (eg, car, ball, stuffed animal, blocks) and 10 vocabulary definitions that the student had labeled as "unknown" during the pretest. Images of the toy objects were presented in a sequence, one at a time, for 5 seconds each; the 10 vocabulary definitions were listed on a sheet that students were allowed to study for 10 minutes. During the testing phase (T) , students were asked to recall the objects in any order and define the vocabulary words (Figure 1) .
Figure 1 Experimental design for each of the 4 groupsResults were reported as the average recall accuracy for the objects and vocabulary definitions, by group (Table 1) . Participants were then given a survey about the techniques they used when attempting to remember the toy objects and vocabulary definitions. Some students reported associating the definitions and objects with one another. For instance, one student reported that she related the words "plucky" (meaning brave) and "tocsin" (meaning an alarm) to an image of a toy fire truck, making it easier to recall the toy object and both associated vocabulary definitions.Table 1 Average Recall Accuracy, per Group

-Which conclusion is LEAST supported by the data in Table 1?

Question

Passage
Before memories have been consolidated they are considered "labile," or unstable and easily altered. Sleep is theorized to be essential to the process of memory consolidation, though the mechanisms for this are still under investigation. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep has long been assumed to be the sleep stage most important for overall memory consolidation, but recent research suggests that different types of memory may be consolidated during different sleep stages. Procedural memories appear to be primarily consolidated during REM sleep while declarative memories appear to be primarily consolidated during slow-wave sleep (SWS) . Sleep duration, sleep regularity, and timing of sleep all contribute to the proportions of REM and SWS, so these factors also play an important role in memory consolidation processes.An experiment was performed at a large state university to investigate the relationship between sleep and learning in college students. Researchers screened potential participants with a sleep habits questionnaire. Those who reported having a regular sleep schedule were included in the study (N = 100) and given a vocabulary knowledge pretest. Participants were then randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental groups, each containing 25 students. During the learning phase (L) , each student was asked to memorize a set of 10 common toy objects (eg, car, ball, stuffed animal, blocks) and 10 vocabulary definitions that the student had labeled as "unknown" during the pretest. Images of the toy objects were presented in a sequence, one at a time, for 5 seconds each; the 10 vocabulary definitions were listed on a sheet that students were allowed to study for 10 minutes. During the testing phase (T) , students were asked to recall the objects in any order and define the vocabulary words (Figure 1) .

Figure 1 Experimental design for each of the 4 groupsResults were reported as the average recall accuracy for the objects and vocabulary definitions, by group (Table 1) . Participants were then given a survey about the techniques they used when attempting to remember the toy objects and vocabulary definitions. Some students reported associating the definitions and objects with one another. For instance, one student reported that she related the words "plucky" (meaning brave) and "tocsin" (meaning an alarm) to an image of a toy fire truck, making it easier to recall the toy object and both associated vocabulary definitions.Table 1 Average Recall Accuracy, per Group

-Which conclusion is LEAST supported by the data in Table 1?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In this experiment, the learning-sleeping, learning-testing, and sleeping-testing time intervals were all independent variables, which were manipulated by the researcher to see if they had an effect on the dependent variable, recall. Although many studies have suggested that the method of memorization employed is important for memory consolidation and recall accuracy, this study did not directly test the effects of various memorization methods on memory consolidation or recall accuracy. Therefore, the conclusion that the interval between sleep and testing is less critical for memory consolidation than the method of memorization employed is not supported by the data in Table 1. (Choice A) The data in Table 1 do support the conclusion that a shorter time interval between learning and testing results in better recall, because Group II, which had the shortest learning-testing time interval (12 hours), also demonstrated the best average recall accuracy for both objects (69%) and vocabulary (60%). (Choice B) The data in Table 1 do support the conclusion that when sleep occurs shortly after learning, memory consolidation appears to be enhanced, because Groups II and IV had the shortest learning-sleeping time interval (2 hours) and also demonstrated higher average recall than Groups I and III, which had a longer learning-sleep time interval (8 hours). (Choice C) The data in Table 1 do support the conclusion that recalling vocabulary definitions was more difficult than recalling toy objects for all groups, because for all groups the average percentage recalled was higher for objects than for vocabulary definitions. Educational objective: In a research study, independent variables are manipulated or controlled by the researcher and dependent variables are the outcomes that are measured. Experiments reveal how changes to the independent variable affect the dependent variable.

Passage Before Memories Have Been Consolidated They Are Considered "Labile," or or Unstable