Question 1

If Nicole is trying to recall a word that is "on the tip of her tongue", she is experiencing a memory problem with…

Accepted Answer

The "tip of the tongue" phenomenon is a common experience related to the problem of retrieving a memory. It occurs when a person is unable to recall a specific word or term even though they feel that they know it.

Question 2

A typical task used to investigate echoic memory would involve…

Accepted Answer

Echoic memory is related to auditory information. Presenting different speech into different ears simultaneously (dichotic listening) is a task that investigates auditory processing and memory, which is relevant to echoic memory.

Question 3

Millie gets dressed in the morning, but throughout the day she does not notice the feel of the rings on her fingers, nor does she notice feeling the tags on her clothing. This is because…

Accepted Answer

The duration of sensory memory is indeed very short, typically lasting from a fraction of a second to a few seconds, which explains why Millie does not continuously notice the feel of the rings or tags after initially getting dressed.

Question 4

Crystal could never remember her bank account number 897653890, but once she started to think of it as 897-653-890, she remembered it fine. What is the name of the mnemonic method she used?

Accepted Answer

Chunking is a mnemonic strategy that involves breaking down information into smaller, manageable units (or "chunks"), making it easier to remember. By dividing her bank account number into smaller groups, Crystal effectively used chunking to improve her memory of the number.

Question 5

What is meant by the term retroactive interference?

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when newly learned information interferes with the recall of information learned previously.

Question 6

Which of the following dementias is common in alcoholics?

Accepted Answer

Korsakoff's syndrome is a chronic memory disorder often caused by severe deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1), which is commonly associated with prolonged alcoholism. It is characterized by memory problems, confabulation, and difficulty acquiring new information.

Question 7

Which of the following is true regarding the phonological loop?

Accepted Answer

The phonological loop, a component of Baddeley and Hitch's working memory model, indeed has two main components: a short-term phonological store with auditory memory traces that are subject to rapid decay, and an articulatory rehearsal process that can refresh these traces. The phonological store can hold information for about 1.5 to 2 seconds unless it is actively rehearsed through inner speech, which is controlled by the articulatory process. Thus, all of the statements A, B, and C are correct, making E the correct choice.

Question 8

According to a study by Brooks described in your text book, it was easier for participants to remember a sentence to the degree in which it provoked a mental image (e.g., "the 3 is to the right of the 7" versus "the 3 is to the slow of 7"). It was easier to remember the imaginable sentences because…

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is A because the study suggests that sentences that provoke a mental image are easier to remember due to the involvement of the visuospatial sketchpad component of working memory, which is responsible for holding and manipulating visual and spatial information.

Question 9

Dementia can be divided into three common groups. What are they?

Accepted Answer

Dementia can be categorized based on the part of the brain that's affected or the nature of the pathology. The three common groups are cortical (affecting the brain's cortex, as in Alzheimer's disease), subcortical (affecting areas beneath the cortex, as seen in Parkinson's disease), and mixed (involving both cortical and subcortical areas, as can happen in vascular dementia).

Question 10

H.M. shows normal _________.His deficit seems largely restricted to _________.

Accepted Answer

H.M. (Henry Molaison) showed normal implicit memory (procedural or unconscious memory, such as skills and tasks he could perform without conscious recall). His deficit was largely restricted to explicit memory (conscious, intentional recollection of factual information, previous experiences, and concepts), due to his surgery for epilepsy that removed parts of his hippocampus, crucial for forming new explicit memories.

Question 11

H.M. had undergone surgery that resulted in his memory disorder. Why did the surgeon need to perform such a radical surgery?

Accepted Answer

The surgery was performed to relieve H.M.'s severe epileptic seizures, which were not being adequately controlled by other treatments available at the time.

Question 12

Which of the following is not an example of an explicit memory?

Accepted Answer

Explicit memory involves conscious recollection of information, such as facts and events. Riding a bike to school is an example of implicit memory, which involves skills and tasks that can be performed without conscious recollection.

Question 13

How does neuropsychological research attempt to explain infantile amnesia?

Accepted Answer

Neuropsychological research suggests that infantile amnesia, the inability to remember events from early childhood, is due to the incomplete development of the nervous system and the lack of language skills, which are crucial for encoding and retrieving memories.

Question 14

Which of the following is not characteristic of cortical/neurological problems associated with Alzheimer's disease?

Accepted Answer

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by general atrophy of the brain, increased size of the ventricles, a large number of amyloid plaques, and an increased amount of neurofibrillary tangles, not a decreased amount. The presence of neurofibrillary tangles is a hallmark of the disease, indicating the accumulation of tau protein inside neurons.

Question 15

Which of the following is not a true difference between Pick's disease and Alzheimer's disease?

Accepted Answer

Memory changes typically occur earlier in Alzheimer's disease, whereas Pick's disease is characterized by early personality changes.

Question 16

What is a key neurological change associated with Parkinson's dementia?

Accepted Answer

Dopaminergic cell loss in the substantia nigra is a hallmark of Parkinson's disease, which can lead to Parkinson's dementia due to the critical role of dopamine in coordinating movement and cognition.

Question 17

Which is a unique characteristic of Korsakoff's syndrome?

Accepted Answer

Korsakoff's syndrome is particularly characterized by confabulation, where individuals may make up stories unconsciously to fill gaps in their memory. This is a unique feature distinguishing it from other memory disorders.

Question 18

Which of the following is the neurodegenerative condition related to the production and accumulation of prion?

Accepted Answer

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a neurodegenerative condition that is directly related to the abnormal production and accumulation of prion proteins in the brain, leading to rapid degeneration of neural tissues.

Question 19

Which of the following is a problem with taking nutriceuticals for memory improvement?

Accepted Answer

The field of nutriceuticals is not strictly regulated, leading to issues such as lack of uniform dosing, non-standardized preparation, and inconsistent regulation between manufacturers. These factors collectively contribute to the challenges associated with using nutriceuticals for memory improvement or any other health benefits.

Question 20

What is the experimental design of the Brown-Peterson task design?

Accepted Answer

The Brown-Peterson task involves presenting participants with information to remember, followed by a distractor task, and then asking them to recall the initial information, which is designed to measure the duration of short-term memory and the effects of interference.

Quiz 7: Memory