Question 1

In list-learning experiments,participants' performance in the pre-recency portion of the curve will be improved by

Accepted Answer

Using more common and familiar words can improve participants' performance in the pre-recency portion of the curve. This is because participants are more likely to have prior knowledge or association with these words, making it easier for them to remember and recall.

Question 2

Modern conceptualization of memory asserts that information processing involves at least two kinds of memory: working memory and long-term memory.Long-term memory is

Accepted Answer

Long-term memory is theoretically unlimited in capacity, meaning that there is no known limit to the amount of information that can be stored in long-term memory.

Question 3

In the past,working memory (WM)was likened to a storage container that would hold current information for a short period of time.This analogy is problematic in what way?

Accepted Answer

The container analogy is too simplistic and static to accurately represent the functions and abilities of working memory. Working memory not only stores information temporarily but also processes it actively and manipulates it for various tasks, which is not accurately represented by a storage container. Therefore, the container analogy is problematic in this way.

Question 4

The operations through which we gain new knowledge,retain that knowledge,and later use that knowledge are often divided into three processes.Which of the following is NOT one of those processes?

Accepted Answer

The three processes are acquisition (gaining new knowledge), storage (retaining that knowledge), and retrieval (later using that knowledge). "Deliberation" is not a recognized process in the context of gaining, storing, and using knowledge.

Question 5

Ira is asked to remember the order of a previously presented list of words;the experimenter asks him to recall the words immediately after hearing them.Devon is asked to remember the same list,but his recall is delayed by 20 seconds after the list presentation;during that time,Devon is given no other task to form.We would expect

Accepted Answer

Immediate recall tends to be similar to short-delay recall when no distractor task is given during the delay, as both situations primarily test short-term memory capabilities.

Question 6

Which of these is NOT true for an information-processing view of memory?

Accepted Answer

An information-processing view of memory does not involve all the steps of the model running in parallel. Instead, it involves sequential processing of information, with the output of one step providing the input of the next step in the sequence.

Question 7

Researchers' conceptualization of memory has been revised in recent years,but a few key components remain from the earlier "modal model." Which of the following is NO LONGER an accepted aspect of memory?

Accepted Answer

Working memory is now seen as being closely tied to attention and the current focus of the person's thoughts. It is no longer believed to hold on to its contents independently.

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT an attribute of working memory?

Accepted Answer

Working memory has a limited storage capacity, unlike sensory memory and long-term memory.

Question 9

According to the modal model of memory,words presented early in a list are easier to remember than words presented later because

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the modal model of memory,words...

Question 10

Free recall refers to

Accepted Answer

Free recall refers to the ability to recall information from memory in any order, without any cues or prompts. It is different from word association and recognition, which involve the recognition of specific cues or prompts. Though memory may require fewer attentional resources than other cognitive processes, this is not specific to free recall.

Question 11

When thinking of a list of digits in terms of racing times,one person is found to report up to 79 digits.Evidence suggests that this person

Accepted Answer

It is unlikely that a person can remember 79 digits without some sort of chunking strategy, which involves grouping information into smaller, more manageable chunks. This suggests that the person has developed a unique memory strategy that allows them to remember such a large amount of information.

Question 12

A participant who is asked to recall a series of numbers chooses to think about the numbers as though they were years (e.g. ,2,0,1,6 becomes "The year I turned 16").The participant is organizing information into the memory unit known as a(n)

Accepted Answer

The participant is chunking the numbers together and assigning meaning to them based on a familiar concept (years), which is an effective memory strategy.

Question 13

When asked to recall a list of 25 words,participants are likely to remember only some of them.The words they can recall are likely to include

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as the serial position effect, where participants are more likely to remember words from the beginning and end of a list. The first few words are more easily remembered because they can be rehearsed more, and the last few words are still in the participant's short-term memory when recall is requested. Therefore, participants are likely to recall the first few words and approximately the last 5 or 6 words on the list.

Question 14

Modern conceptualization of the modal model asserts that information processing involves at least two kinds of memory: working memory and long-term memory (LTM).Working memory

Accepted Answer

Working memory differs from LTM in terms of accessibility and duration of information storage. Working memory is used for processing information in the present moment, holding a limited amount of information for a short period of time, while LTM is used for storing and retrieving information over a longer period of time. Therefore, option B is the best choice. The other options are incorrect – option A is false since the capacity of working memory is limited to a few items, while LTM has an almost limitless capacity. Option C is false because working memory does not use the same rehearsal mechanisms as LTM. Finally, option D is false since working memory has a significant impact on daily life and functioning, such as in decision making, problem-solving, and learning.

Question 15

Which of the following is the best analogy for long-term memory storage?

Accepted Answer

Long-term memory storage is best compared to a large library because like a library, it stores a vast amount of information indefinitely, and it requires effort to access and retrieve information from it. The other choices are not as fitting as they do not capture the magnitude and organization of long-term memory storage.

Question 16

Early estimates of working-memory capacity relied on the digit-span task.The data indicate working-memory capacity to be ________ items.

Accepted Answer

Early estimates using the digit-span task suggest that working-memory capacity is around 7 items (Miller, 1956). Later research has refined this estimate and proposed that capacity may be closer to 4 items for complex verbal materials and 3 items for complex visual materials (Cowan, 2001).

Question 17

One difference between working memory and long-term memory is that

Accepted Answer

Working memory is involved in the processing and manipulation of information that is currently being used or thought about, reflecting the content of one's current thinking. In contrast, long-term memory stores information more permanently and is not directly influenced by current cognitive processes.

Question 18

A sudden,loud noise often has the impact of distracting participants long enough to clear the contents of working memory.Imagine that participants hear a list of the names of 20 different fruits,followed by an unexpected loud noise.The effect of the noise will be

Accepted Answer

The sudden, loud noise will have a greater impact on the most recent items, causing a diminished recency effect. However, it is unlikely to have a significant impact on the earlier items in the list, allowing the primacy effect to still be present. Therefore, the best choice is D, a diminished recency effect but no impact on how well the other words in the list are remembered.

Question 19

An experimenter reads a list of 30 words to a group of participants at the rate of 1 word per second.This is immediately followed by a free-recall test.A second group of participants hears the same 30 words presented at the faster rate of 2 words per second.We should expect that the group hearing the slower presentation will show improved memory performance for the

Accepted Answer

The slower rate of presentation allows participants more time to properly encode and store the earlier items in the list, leading to improved recall for those items. However, the recency effect (better recall for items at the end of the list) is not affected by presentation rate.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT considered a modern change to the modal model of memory?

Accepted Answer

The idea that working memory and long-term memory are the same construct is not considered a modern change to the modal model of memory. In fact, the modal model specifically separates short-term memory (now referred to as working memory) from long-term memory as two distinct systems. A, B, and C are all examples of modern changes to the modal model.

Quiz 6: The Acquisition of Memories and the Work-Ing-Memory System