Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

The information-processing view of memory does not involve all steps of the model running in parallel, rather it involves each step occurring in a defined linear sequence.

Question 2

Within working memory, "helpers" like the visuospatial buffer and articulatory rehearsal loop:

Accepted Answer

The visuospatial buffer and articulatory rehearsal loop serve as short-term storage for items that may be needed by the central executive in the near future. They do not take over lower-level analyses or preserve items in their initial sensory form.

Therefore, the correct answer is C.

Question 3

Current theory suggests that the central executive may be:

Accepted Answer

The central executive is not simply a storage mechanism or lower-level assistant, but rather the central control system that allocates cognitive resources and coordinates processing in working memory.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

According to the modal model of memory, words presented early in a list receive more of the participants' attention than do the later words, leading to better recall. This effect is known as the primacy effect.

Question 5

The operation span of working memory measures the:

Accepted Answer

The answer of The operation span of working memory measures...

Question 6

An experimenter reads a list of 30 words to a group of participants at the rate of one 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 two words per second. We should expect that the group hearing the slower presentation will show improved memory performance for the:

Accepted Answer

The slower presentation rate allows for more time for encoding the earlier words in the list, resulting in better recall for the pre-recency portion of the list. The recency effect, which is believed to rely more on short-term memory, should not be affected by the presentation rate.

Question 7

The helper that stores visual materials is called the:

Accepted Answer

The visuospatial buffer is responsible for storing visual materials, such as mental images, in working memory. The rehearsal loop is responsible for repeating information in order to maintain it in working memory. The visuo-central executive is a theoretical construct that integrates visual and spatial information into working memory. The spatial image icon is not a recognized concept in cognitive psychology.

Question 8

Early estimates of working-memory's capacity relied on the so-called digit-span task. The data indicate working memory's capacity to be:

Accepted Answer

Early estimates based on the digit-span task suggest that working memory has a capacity of around 7 items (plus or minus 2). This means that most people can hold 5 to 9 items in their working memory at once. Subsequent research has refined this estimate, but the basic idea that working memory has a limited capacity has remained a fundamental concept in the field of cognitive psychology.

Question 9

By thinking of a list of digits in terms of racing times, one person was shown to report up to 79 digits. This suggests that this person:

Accepted Answer

Remembering such a large amount of digits suggests that the person has a unique chunking strategy, meaning they are able to group the digits into smaller "chunks" or units that are easier to remember. This is a common tactic used by individuals with exceptional memory abilities, such as memory champions. It is unlikely that this person has a larger working memory than most other participants or is necessarily well-practiced at memory retrieval, as their ability to remember this information is likely due to their chunking strategy rather than innate ability or extensive training. The primacy and recency effect refer to the tendency to remember items at the beginning and end of a list more easily, respectively, and are not necessarily related to the ability to remember a large amount of information.

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

The beginning and end of the list are usually better remembered, known as the serial position effect.

Question 11

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 how easily one can access the stored items. Working memory has limited capacity, with a duration of a few seconds to a minute, while LTM has an unlimited capacity and can store information for days, months, or even years. Additionally, working memory relies on active maintenance of information, whereas LTM involves the encoding and retrieval of information.

Question 12

A participant is asked to recall a series of numbers, and the participant chooses to think about the numbers as though they were years (e.g., 1, 9, 9, 7 becomes "The year I turned 16"). The participant is organizing information into the memory unit known as a(n):

Accepted Answer

In this scenario, the participant is grouping the numbers into meaningful units (years) to make them easier to remember. This is an example of chunking, which is a memory strategy where information is organized into smaller, more meaningful units. A sentence refers to a group of words that expresses a complete thought, an image refers to mentally visualizing something, and a package is not a recognized memory unit.

Question 13

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 20 different fruits, followed by an unexpected loud noise. The effect of the noise will be:

Accepted Answer

The sudden, loud noise would most likely disrupt the recency effect, which is the higher likelihood of remembering the most recently presented items in a list. However, there is no reason to believe that the noise would impact the rest of the list, so there would be no impact on the other words' memory. Therefore, choice D, "a diminished recency effect but no impact on how well the other words in the list are remembered," is the best answer.

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

Working memory is involved in holding and manipulating information temporarily and is influenced by current cognitive tasks, while long-term memory stores information more permanently and is not dependent on current thought processes.

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

Using more common, familiar words in the pre-recency portion of the curve is likely to improve participants' performance because these words are more easily encoded into long-term memory. This increases the likelihood of successful recall during the later parts of the list. Presenting the list more quickly would have the opposite effect, as it would reduce participants' ability to effectively encode and consolidate information. A longer list could also be detrimental, as it would make it more difficult for participants to successfully store all of the information. Distracting participants after the list's end would also have a negative impact on recall.

Question 16

Free recall refers to:

Accepted Answer

Free recall refers to the ability to recall items from a list in any order, without any cues or prompts. Word association (option A) involves linking words together based on meaning or similarity, but does not necessarily involve recalling them from a list. Option C refers to autobiographical memory, which may be prompted by a list of words but is not necessarily the same as free recall. Option D is not directly related to free recall.

Question 17

Which of the following does NOT correlate with working-memory capacity?

Accepted Answer

Making an eye movement toward a cue is actually positively correlated with working-memory capacity and is often used as a measure of working memory in research studies. Reading ability, reasoning skills, and following directions have all been found to be positively correlated with working-memory capacity.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT an attribute of working memory (sometimes called short-term memory)?

Accepted Answer

Working memory has a limited storage capacity, whereas long-term memory has an unlimited storage capacity.

Question 19

When recalling a list of letters (e.g., T, O, D, F, P, A, E, G) participants may group the letters into syllables for future recall (e.g., to, dif). Which of these is a potential problem for this strategy?

Accepted Answer

The chunking process requires resources, and this makes rehearsal more difficult.

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

The three categories commonly used to describe the operations of gaining, retaining, and using knowledge are acquisition (gaining new knowledge), storage (retaining knowledge), and retrieval (using knowledge). Deliberation is not typically considered a separate category, as it can be encompassed within the processes of acquisition, storage, and retrieval.

Quiz 5: The Acquisition of Memories and the Working-Memory System