Upon walking into his house after a day of work, Bill's family yells "SURPRISE!!!" to signify the start of a surprise birthday party for Bill. During the party, the shock of the initial surprise may cause him to:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The shock of the surprise may briefly disrupt Bill's ability to encode new memories, leading to difficulty recalling what he did at the end of his workday. This is a common phenomenon known as "encoding specificity." It is unlikely that the surprise would cause him to forget where he works or who he is or to have long-term effects on his ability to learn anything new at work tomorrow.

Upon Walking into His House After a Day of Work