Question 1

Erika usually 'crams' for tests the night before they are given.Francisco generally studies each of his courses for about 45 minutes each night throughout the term.Erika relies on __________,whereas Francisco uses _________.
A) maintenance processing; elaborative processing
B) distributed practice; massed practice
C) massed practice; elaborative processing
D) massed practice; distributed practice

Accepted Answer

Erika's studying behavior is an example of massed practice, where she tries to learn everything at once, whereas Francisco's behavior of studying each course for 45 minutes each night is distributed practice.

Question 2

Almost everybody has had the feeling of knowing the answer to a question,but not being quite able to say it.This is called the "tip-of the-tongue" phenomenon,and is a failure of __________.
A) retention
B) storage
C) retrieval
D) rehearsal

Accepted Answer

The tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon refers to the inability to retrieve and verbalize a known word or piece of information. It is a failure of retrieval, not retention, storage, or rehearsal.

Question 3

What does Ebbinghaus' forgetting curve tell us about the way we forget material over time
A) We forget information at a constant rate.
B) At first, we forget very little of what we have learned, but as time passes, the rate of forgetting accelerates.
C) Most forgetting happens immediately after we learn material; the rate of forgetting slows down as time goes by.
D) A lot of forgetting happens immediately after we learn material; the rate of forgetting then speeds up as time goes by.
E) We forget information at a variable and unpredictable rate as time passes.

Accepted Answer

Ebbinghaus' forgetting curve demonstrates that most forgetting occurs soon after learning, and the rate of forgetting decreases over time.

Question 4

The "recency effect" refers to the fact that:
A) the last items on a list are more likely to be remembered than the middle items
B) the first several items on a list are more likely to be remembered than the middle items
C) rehearsed items are more likely to be remembered than unrehearsed items
D) the most personally relevant items on a list are most likely to be remembered

Accepted Answer

The recency effect refers to the tendency for people to remember the most recent items on a list better than the middle items. This is thought to be due to the fact that the most recent items are still in short-term memory and have not been displaced by other information yet.

Question 5

Ron receives some stock tips when he's slightly 'buzzed' at an office party.Based on the notion of state-dependent memory,what might you predict regarding the likelihood that Ron will recall the tips the following week
A) He will probably best remember the tips if he is sober.
B) He will probably best remember the tips if he has had a few drinks.
C) He will probably best remember the tips if he is drunk.
D) He will remember the tips equally well regardless of his state of intoxication.

Accepted Answer

State-dependent memory suggests that people recall information better when they are in the same state of consciousness as when they learned the information. Since Ron received the stock tips while he was 'buzzed,' he is more likely to recall them if he is in a similar state.

Question 6

A research participant is required to report as much of a poem as he can remember immediately after having read the poem once.We would expect the greatest number of recall errors in lines:
A) at the beginning of the poem
B) in the middle of the poem
C) at the end of the poem
D) at the beginning or the end of the poem

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is explained by the serial position effect, which suggests that items in the middle of a list (or poem, in this case) are less likely to be remembered than those at the beginning (primacy effect) or at the end (recency effect).

Question 7

According to the ________ effect,_________ practice leads to better learning than __________ practice.
A) spacing; distributed; massed
B) spacing; massed; distributed
C) spacing; massed; spaced
D) distributive; distributed; massed

Accepted Answer

The spacing effect suggests that distributed practice, where learning is spread out over time with breaks in between, leads to better retention and learning than massed practice, where learning is done in one long session without breaks. Therefore, option A accurately represents the spacing effect with the correct order of distributed (better learning) and massed (weaker learning) practice.

Question 8

Which of the following best describes the results of Ebbinghaus's work on forgetting
A) You'll remember what you learn pretty well for a day or two, but then you'll begin rapidly forgetting the material.
B) Beginning immediately, you'll slowly forget what you've learned at a relatively constant rate.
C) You'll forget most of it right away, and you'll keep on forgetting more of it, though at a slower rate.
D) You'll forget a lot of it right away, and you'll keep on forgetting more of it, at an even faster rate.

Accepted Answer

Ebbinghaus's research on memory and forgetting demonstrated that individuals tend to forget a significant amount of information shortly after learning it, but the rate of forgetting decreases over time. This is encapsulated in the forgetting curve, which shows a rapid initial loss of memory, followed by a gradual decline.

Question 9

Which of the following statements BEST describes the forgetting function that Ebbinghaus discovered
A) Material is forgotten at a relatively constant rate once it has been learned.
B) Material is forgotten relatively rapidly at first, then the rate of forgetting slows down.
C) Material is forgotten at a relatively slow rate at first, then the rate of forgetting speeds up.
D) Nothing is ever really forgotten.

Accepted Answer

Ebbinghaus discovered that the rate of forgetting is highest immediately after learning and then gradually slows down over time. This is known as the "forgetting curve." Option A suggests a constant rate of forgetting, Option C suggests a reverse pattern of forgetting, and Option D is not supported by research.

Question 10

How might you describe the shape of the function relating the probability of an item's recall to the item's position on a list
A) U-shaped
B) squiggly
C) a linear, negatively sloped line
D) an inverted-U shape

Accepted Answer

The shape is typically U-shaped due to the serial position effect, where items at the beginning (primacy effect) and end (recency effect) of a list are more likely to be recalled than those in the middle.

Question 11

One evening,you examine the schedule for your favorite football team.The team plays sixteen games each season.Later you try recalling that schedule for a friend who likes the same team you do.Chances are,you will recall opponents at the beginning of the schedule particularly well.What is this phenomenon called
A) the list effect
B) the primacy effect
C) the consolidation effect
D) context-dependent learning
E) overlearning

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described is called the primacy effect, which refers to the tendency to remember items at the beginning of a list or sequence better than those in the middle or at the end. This is likely why the person is able to recall the opponents at the beginning of the football schedule particularly well.

Question 12

The primacy effect refers to the fact that
A) the most important items in a list are more most to be remembered.
B) the last items presented in a list are most likely to be remembered.
C) the first items presented in a list are most likely to be remembered.
D) the items in a list which have the greatest emotional impact are most likely to be remembered.

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect refers to the phenomenon where people are more likely to remember the items presented at the beginning of a list. This is thought to occur because those items have more time and attention devoted to them and are therefore more deeply encoded into memory.

Question 13

"I know it! It's um ...um ...It starts with 'G'," begins a trivia game contestant excitedly.The contestant is falling prey to the _______ effect.
A) tip-of-the-tongue
B) flashbulb memory
C) source confusion
D) retrograde interference

Accepted Answer

The contestant is experiencing the phenomenon known as the tip-of-the-tongue effect, where they feel like they know the answer but struggle to retrieve it from memory.

Question 14

Jamal's introductory psychology class is held in Room A.For the final exam,the students in Jamal's class are divided among Rooms A,B,and C.Jamal's memory for the material is likely to be best if he takes the test in which room
A) Room A
B) the largest of the three rooms
C) the smallest of the three rooms
D) the room most different from Room A

Accepted Answer

Jamal's memory for the material is likely to be best if he takes the test in the same room where he learned the material, which is Room A. This is because environmental context plays an important role in memory retrieval, and being in the same environment can trigger recall of the learned material. The size or difference of the room is not as relevant as the familiarity of the room.

Question 15

On a test of recall,participants who learn a list of words in one room do better if tested in that same room than if tested in a different room.This finding is best explained by:
A) elaborative encoding
B) the spacing effect
C) state-dependent learning
D) context-dependent learning

Accepted Answer

The finding that participants perform better on a recall test when they are in the same context as they were during learning is an example of context-dependent learning. The context in which information is learned becomes encoded along with the information itself, so when the context is present during retrieval, it serves as a cue for memory recall.

Question 16

On his psychology exam,Mickey is asked to recall the name of the physiologist who worked on classical conditioning.He cannot quite remember the name,but he knows that it starts with a P and is two syllables long.Mickey is experiencing:
A) repression
B) proactive interference
C) retrograde amnesia
D) the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

Accepted Answer

Mickey is experiencing the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon, which is a type of retrieval failure where a person has a feeling that they know a piece of information but are unable to recall it. In this case, Mickey remembers some features of the name (starting with a "P" and two syllables) but cannot recall it completely.

Question 17

"Cat food,cola,toothpaste," your roommate begins reciting items into the phone as you throw your books in the backseat and get into your car; you're supposed to hit the store on the way home.He continues to list a few more items.Finally,he wraps up: "Coffee creamer,spaghetti sauce,dish liquid,and ice tea mix." You forget a couple of things,but you do manage to get the cat food,cola,and toothpaste.Your memory for these items reflects the _________ effect.
A) primacy
B) recency
C) serial memory
D) item order

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect is demonstrated here, where you remember the first few items listed (cat food, cola, toothpaste) more effectively than those mentioned later. This effect is part of the serial position effect, which shows that people tend to recall the first and last items in a series best, and the middle items worst.

Question 18

Before going home,Dr.Rosen tries to flesh out his patient notes.He can remember the first and last sessions of the day,but his memory of the middle ones is a bit fuzzy.Dr.Rosen's memory reflects the ________ effect.
A) primacy
B) recency
C) serial position
D) A, B, and C

Accepted Answer

The serial position effect encompasses both the primacy effect (better recall of items at the beginning of a list) and the recency effect (better recall of items at the end of a list), which explains Dr. Rosen's memory pattern.

Question 19

Which of the following is true about studying
A) Studying and rehearsing past initial mastery increases interference, impairing memory.
B) Studying and rehearsing past initial mastery doesn't actually hurt, but it doesn't help either.
C) Studying and rehearsing past initial mastery improves short-term retention, but doesn't do much over the longer term.
D) Studying and rehearsing past initial mastery improves long-term retention.

Accepted Answer

Studying and rehearsing past initial mastery improves long-term retention. The more one practices and repeats information, the more likely it is to stick in long-term memory. This is known as the spacing effect. There is also evidence to suggest that retrieval practice, or testing oneself on the information, can further enhance long-term retention.

Question 20

Our ability to recall an item from a list depends on where in the list the item occurs.This is the __________ effect.
A) serial position 
B) list memory
C) cereal position
D) item order

Accepted Answer

The serial position effect refers to the tendency for people to better recall items that are presented at the beginning (primary effect) and end (recency effect) of a list, rather than the items in the middle. This effect has been demonstrated in a variety of memory tasks, and is thought to reflect differences in encoding and retrieval processes for items in different positions within a list.

Quiz 8: Brains, Bodies, and Behavior

Erika usually 'crams' for tests the night before they are given.Francisco generally studies each of his courses for about 45 minutes each night throughout the term.Erika relies on __,whereas Francisco uses _.

Almost everybody has had the feeling of knowing the answer to a question,but not being quite able to say it.This is called the "tip-of the-tongue" phenomenon,and is a failure of __________.

What does Ebbinghaus' forgetting curve tell us about the way we forget material over time

The "recency effect" refers to the fact that:

Ron receives some stock tips when he's slightly 'buzzed' at an office party.Based on the notion of state-dependent memory,what might you predict regarding the likelihood that Ron will recall the tips the following week

A research participant is required to report as much of a poem as he can remember immediately after having read the poem once.We would expect the greatest number of recall errors in lines:

According to the ____ effect,_ practice leads to better learning than ______ practice.

Which of the following best describes the results of Ebbinghaus's work on forgetting

Which of the following statements BEST describes the forgetting function that Ebbinghaus discovered

How might you describe the shape of the function relating the probability of an item's recall to the item's position on a list

The primacy effect refers to the fact that

"I know it! It's um ...um ...It starts with 'G'," begins a trivia game contestant excitedly.The contestant is falling prey to the _______ effect.

Jamal's introductory psychology class is held in Room A.For the final exam,the students in Jamal's class are divided among Rooms A,B,and C.Jamal's memory for the material is likely to be best if he takes the test in which room

On a test of recall,participants who learn a list of words in one room do better if tested in that same room than if tested in a different room.This finding is best explained by:

On his psychology exam,Mickey is asked to recall the name of the physiologist who worked on classical conditioning.He cannot quite remember the name,but he knows that it starts with a P and is two syllables long.Mickey is experiencing:

Before going home,Dr.Rosen tries to flesh out his patient notes.He can remember the first and last sessions of the day,but his memory of the middle ones is a bit fuzzy.Dr.Rosen's memory reflects the ________ effect.

Which of the following is true about studying

Our ability to recall an item from a list depends on where in the list the item occurs.This is the __________ effect.