Question 1

At college Jim is learning to speak French, but he keeps using Spanish words he learned in high school. What is this an example of?

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when previously learned information interferes with the ability to learn new information. In this case, Jim's prior knowledge of Spanish is interfering with his ability to learn and use French words. Retroactive interference would occur if Jim's newly learned French words interfered with his ability to recall previously learned Spanish words. Repression and method of savings are not applicable to this situation.

Question 2

Which of the following statements is True regarding Freud's concept of repression?

Accepted Answer

All of these statements are true regarding Freud's concept of repression. Repression involves the unconscious blocking or pushing down of painful memories or unacceptable impulses in order to avoid conscious awareness of them. This process is motivated by the desire to avoid the anxiety or discomfort associated with these memories or impulses. While the concept of repression is difficult to scientifically prove due to its nature as an unconscious process, there is some evidence to suggest its existence.

Question 3

Forgetting that occurs because new information inhibits the retrieval of previously learned information or because previously learned information inhibits the retrieval of new information is explained by

Accepted Answer

This is because interference theory proposes that forgetting occurs due to the interference of new information with the retrieval of previously learned information, or vice versa.

Question 4

When an old piece of information interferes with your ability to learn something new, this memory problem is called ____________ interference.

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when old memories or previously learned information interferes with the retrieval of new information. This can happen when the old information is similar to the new information or when there is a lot of overlap between the two. Retroactive interference, on the other hand, is when new information makes it difficult to remember old information. Informational and incidental interference are not specific types of memory interference.

Question 5

Psychoanalysts believe that dissociative amnesia involves

Accepted Answer

Psychoanalysts believe that dissociative amnesia involves repression, which is the unconscious blocking of unpleasant memories or thoughts as a defense mechanism.

Question 6

Joy just learned to speak French, but she notices that sometimes when speaking Spanish to her friends French words come to mind. What is this an example of?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Joy just learned to speak French, but...

Question 7

George just bought a new laptop computer after years of using a personal computer with a larger keyboard. He is having difficulty in recalling and striking the correct keys on the laptop; it seems the keyboard arrangement of the PC is easier to recall. It appears George suffers from

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when old information interferes with new information. In this case, George's familiarity with the PC keyboard is interfering with his ability to recall and type on the laptop keyboard. Repression, retrograde amnesia, and retroactive interference do not fit the situation described.

Question 8

The concept of "method of savings" was developed by Ebbinghaus to study the efficiency of

Accepted Answer

The concept of "method of savings" was developed by Ebbinghaus to study the efficiency of relearning, which refers to the amount of time it takes to learn new material or relearn material that has previously been learned but forgotten.

Question 9

In Ebbinghaus's classic curve of forgetting, the greatest memory loss occurs

Accepted Answer

According to Ebbinghaus's classic curve of forgetting, the greatest memory loss occurs most rapidly just after the material is initially learned. This is because during the initial learning period, the memory is not yet strong and can easily decay.

Question 10

The paired associates task is used to measure the ______ memory task.

Accepted Answer

The paired associates task requires the participant to recall which word was paired with another word that was previously presented, which is a task of recall memory.

Question 11

According to interference theory, we forget material because

Accepted Answer

Interference theory suggests that both old and new information can interfere with each other, causing forgetting. Specifically, proactive interference occurs when old information interferes with new information, while retroactive interference occurs when new information interferes with old information. Therefore, both statement A and B are correct, leading to the selection of option D.

Question 12

Peter, a participant in a paired associates learning experiment, noted that the pair GAQ-KET sounded like racquet and that TUV-LAH sounded like tough luck. When GAQ and TUV were presented he came up with KET and LAH respectively. In linking the pairs, Peter used

Accepted Answer

Peter used both acoustic and semantic encoding. He associated the pairs based on their sound (acoustic) and meaning (semantic).

Question 13

Freud discovered that many patients could not recall episodes that happened prior to the age of three and that their recall was cloudy through the age of five. He identified this phenomenon as __________ amnesia.

Accepted Answer

Freud identified the phenomenon of not being able to recall episodes from early childhood as infantile amnesia.

Question 14

The memory problem called retroactive interference happens when

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when recently learned information interferes with the recall of previously learned information. This can happen when new memories disrupt the consolidation or retrieval of old memories.

Question 15

Beatrice took four years of Spanish in high school. In college she studied German for four years. Upon graduation from college, she visited Madrid and found that her mastery of Spanish was at a very low level of proficiency. Possibly, Beatrice's failure to remember Spanish was due to

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when new learning interferes with the ability to remember old information. In this case, the four years of learning German may have interfered with Beatrice's ability to remember her four years of learning Spanish, resulting in a low level of proficiency when she visited Madrid.

Question 16

Bill recently found out that when he was a child, his dog, which he thought was lost, was actually stolen by a stranger. What could this example demonstrate?

Accepted Answer

This example could demonstrate repression, as Bill had suppressed the memory of his dog being stolen and instead believed it was lost.

Question 17

Nonsense syllables are sometimes arranged as paired associates, such that the first item serves as a stimulus to cue the second item. The memory task is

Accepted Answer

Nonsense syllables arranged as paired associates require recall, as the individual must retrieve the second item from memory after being presented with the first item as a cue.

Question 18

The difference between the number of times required to learn material initially and the number of times required to relearn the same material is referred to as

Accepted Answer

The difference between the number of times required to learn material initially and the number of times required to relearn the same material is referred to as savings. This concept is a measure of how much information is retained in memory over time and is often used in studies of memory and learning.

Question 19

Fred's history professor exhibits traits similar to those of a nasty and critical Boy Scout leader from Fred's past. Fred cannot remember the history professor's name. Sigmund Freud would probably attribute this memory lapse to

Accepted Answer

Repression is the psychological mechanism by which memories, thoughts, or impulses that are unacceptable to the conscious mind are excluded from it. In this case, Fred's inability to recall the history professor's name may be due to repression caused by his previous negative experience with a boy scout leader who exhibited similar behavior.

Question 20

The lack of support for the existence of recovered memories is based on

Accepted Answer

The lack of support for the existence of recovered memories is based on both evidence that therapists may be suggesting traumatic memories and studies that show how easily false memories can be implanted through leading questions. Additionally, the testimony of individuals who have confessed to falsely accusing people of abuse also contributes to the lack of support for recovered memories.

Quiz 6: Memory: Remembrance of Things Past--And Future