Question 1

What is the order of the basic memory processes in which information enters our memory system and is used later?

Accepted Answer

The three basic processes of memory are encoding (processing information and converting it into a usable form for memory), storage (retaining information over time), and retrieval (accessing previously stored information). Encoding must occur before storage and retrieval, which follow in that order. Therefore, the correct order is A) encoding, storage, retrieval.

Question 2

Which process is important for memory, and involves focusing awareness on a narrow range of stimuli or events?

Accepted Answer

Attention is the process of focusing awareness on a narrow range of stimuli or events, and it is important for memory formation. Elaboration involves creating connections between new information and existing knowledge, clustering involves grouping related items together, and encoding refers to the process of converting sensory input into a form that can be stored in memory. While all of these processes are important for memory, attention specifically involves focusing on relevant information in order to encode it effectively.

Question 3

Frances is daydreaming during her botany class, and has not been listening to the lecture at all. She is suddenly aware that her professor has just called her name, and is waiting for her to respond to a question that has been asked. Which type of model is supported by this example?

Accepted Answer

The late-selection model of attention suggests that all information in the environment is processed at a low level before the mind selects certain information for further processing. In Frances's case, her ability to become aware of her name being called, despite not consciously attending to the lecture, supports the idea that information (her name) was processed to some extent before she consciously attended to it.

Question 4

Which memory process would you be using if you were attempting to remember where you left your keys?

Accepted Answer

Retrieval is the memory process used when trying to recall information that has already been encoded and stored, such as trying to remember where you left your keys. Encoding is the process of taking in information and committing it to memory, while storage refers to the retention of that information over time. Acquisition is the process of initially learning new information.

Question 5

Which of the following is a component of most theories of attention?

Accepted Answer

The concept of attention as a selective filter that screens out most stimuli is a component of most theories of attention.

Question 6

Even if you are not attending to a particular conversation between two people, you may notice if one of the people says your name. What is the term for this type of occurrence?

Accepted Answer

The cocktail party phenomenon refers to the ability to focus one's attention on a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli. In this case, even though someone may not be actively listening to a conversation, they will still likely notice if their own name is mentioned.

Question 7

What is the term for the process of recalling information from memory?

Accepted Answer

Retrieval is the term used to describe the process of recalling information from memory. Encoding refers to the process of initially acquiring and processing information, storage refers to maintaining information over time, and information registry is not a commonly used term in memory psychology.

Question 8

Which of the following was NOT a level of processing associated with verbal information as suggested by Craik and Lockhart?

Accepted Answer

"Functional" is not one of the levels of processing associated with verbal information as suggested by Craik and Lockhart. The three levels of processing they identified are structural (focused on physical attributes of words), phonemic (focused on sounds of words), and semantic (focused on meaning of words).

Question 9

Which of the following has been demonstrated to be the least dangerous method of conversation while driving?

Accepted Answer

Talking to passengers in the vehicle has been demonstrated to be the least dangerous method of conversation while driving as passengers can adjust the conversation and can alert the driver to potential hazards on the road.

Question 10

Which of the following is proposed by early-selection theories of attention?

Accepted Answer

Early-selection theories propose that stimuli are screened out before the brain processes the meaning of sensory input, meaning that attention is biased towards certain inputs based on their physical characteristics (e.g. color, shape, location). This occurs before semantic processing occurs.

Question 11

Jorge listens attentively to the premier's speech and translates the information from the speech into new memories. What is the main memory process that accounts for the fact that Jorge is able to form new memories as information is encountered for the first time?

Accepted Answer

Encoding is the process of taking information and converting it into a form that can be stored in memory. In this scenario, as Jorge listens to the premier's speech, he is actively encoding and organizing the information he is receiving. This allows him to later retrieve and recall the information as needed.

Question 12

Thalia studied for her midterm and when her roommate quizzed her, she gave correct answers to all sorts of questions. The day of the midterm, however, Thalia was unable to provide answers to questions that she had answered the night before. What can you conclude from this memory failure?

Accepted Answer

Thalia's memory failure suggests that she successfully encoded and stored the information, but was unable to retrieve it when needed. This is a classic example of retrieval failure, a common memory error where information is simply inaccessible or temporarily unavailable, but not permanently lost.

Question 13

In which level of processing is emphasis placed on the sounds of words?

Accepted Answer

Phonemic processing emphasizes the sounds of words, whereas morphemic processing focuses on the meaning of word parts (such as prefixes and suffixes) and semantic processing involves understanding the overall meaning of a word or sentence. Platonic and mnemonic are not relevant to the processing of language.

Question 14

Curtis is working on a presentation and doesn't hear the phone ringing in the background. Later, he is surprised to find three phone messages have come in for him, because he was totally unaware that the phone had even rung. Which of the following models is supported by this example?

Accepted Answer

The early-selection model of attention suggests that attentional selection occurs at the earliest stages of processing, before sensory inputs are fully processed. In this case, Curtis did not consciously perceive the ringing of the phone, indicating that he likely filtered out the auditory input at an early stage of processing.

Question 15

When a driver of a vehicle is having a conversation, which of the following is most likely to lead to problems with driving?

Accepted Answer

Divided attention, or trying to focus on two tasks at once (driving and having a conversation), is most likely to lead to problems with driving. The driver's attention is not fully on the road, which can increase the risk of accidents or errors in judgment. The other options may also cause distractions but are less likely to have as significant an impact on driving ability.

Question 16

What must occur in order for a memory to be stored?

Accepted Answer

Encoding is the process of transforming the information perceived by our senses into a specific code that can be stored in our brain. This is the first process that must occur for a memory to be stored. Retrieval is the process of accessing stored information, not the process of storing it. Modelling is a term that can refer to various things and does not apply specifically to memory storage. Ablation refers to the removal of brain tissue and is not a process involved in memory storage.

Question 17

Shayla is able to retain the vocabulary she learned in her first-semester Spanish class after the class has ended. What memory process accounts for the fact that Shayla can hold information in her memory for extended periods of time?

Accepted Answer

Storage is the memory process that allows information to be retained in the brain for an extended period of time. Encoding refers to the initial process of getting information into memory, retrieval refers to the process of accessing stored information, and chunking involves grouping items together to enhance memory capacity.

Question 18

Kiana was given a list of words as part of a memory test that included "dog, pail, and hate." Later, she recalled these words as "dig, paint, and hard." Based on Kiana's errors in recall, how did she encode the original word list?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Kiana was given a list of words...

Question 19

Cherie is trying to do two things at once. She is completing a time-limited online quiz for a very important course (so she has to pay attention to the questions), and she is trying to monitor a conversation going on behind her, involving some juicy gossip. Which of the following would you expect if you asked Cherie to recall as much as possible about the conversation?

Accepted Answer

Cherie's divided attention between the quiz and conversation would likely result in poor memory for details of the conversation. The limited cognitive resources available for attention and processing would make it challenging to retain all the information from both tasks.

Question 20

Zachariah was nervous about his midterm exams, but once he started he found that he was able to accurately recall the necessary information. Which memory process accounts for Zachariah's access and utilization of the information in his memory?

Accepted Answer

Retrieval is the memory process that involves accessing and utilizing previously encoded and stored information, which is what Zachariah is doing during his exams. It allows him to retrieve the necessary information and make use of it to answer exam questions accurately. Encoding involves transforming information into a memory representation, storage involves retaining information over time, and rehearsal involves repeating information to enhance its retrieval later.

Quiz 7: A: Human Memory