Question 1

According to _____, the more similar the information in two memories is, the more likely it is that _____ will occur.

Accepted Answer

The question is discussing the relationship between similarity of information in memories and the likelihood of interference. Interference theory argues that when information in two memories is similar, interference is more likely to occur. Therefore, the correct answer is D, interference theory and interference.

Question 2

Identify the psychologist at the forefront of research on memory distortions who is one of the most widely recognized authorities on eyewitness memory.

Accepted Answer

Elizabeth Loftus is the psychologist at the forefront of research on memory distortions and is widely recognized as an authority on eyewitness memory. She has conducted extensive research on the malleability of memory, the impact of leading questions on eyewitness accounts, and the creation of false memories.

Question 3

Whenever Yvonne tried to recall her new cell phone number, she kept getting it mixed up with an old phone number. Yvonne's failure to remember her new phone number is probably due to:

Accepted Answer

Yvonne's difficulty in remembering her new phone number is most likely due to proactive interference, which occurs when previously learned information interferes with the ability to remember new information. In this case, Yvonne's old phone number is interfering with her ability to remember her new phone number.

Question 4

As Rick was filling out the loan application, he couldn't remember his previous address even though he had lived there for five years. Rick's memory of his current address was interfering with his memory of his old address, which is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when new information interferes with the ability to recall old information. In this case, Rick's memory of his current address is interfering with his ability to remember his previous address.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that memories can be subject to distortion over time, and details may be added or subtracted. This is known as the misinformation effect. While memories in long-term storage are generally stable, the process of retrieval can alter the memory to some extent. Option A is incorrect because even though memories may be relatively stable over time, they are not remembered exactly the same way each time. Option B is incorrect because people often forget how, when, and where they learned information. Option D is incorrect because memories retrieved under hypnosis are not necessarily more accurate or detailed, and in fact, can be more prone to suggestion or manipulation.

Question 6

Proactive interference is to _____ as retroactive interference is to _____.

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when old information interferes with the ability to learn new information, hence it is forward-acting. Retroactive interference occurs when new information interferes with the ability to recall old information, hence it is backward-acting.

Question 7

Numerous studies have been conducted looking at the factors involved in criminal convictions in which the convicted person ultimately turned out to be innocent of the crime. Those studies have consistently shown that the leading cause of wrongful convictions is:

Accepted Answer

Eyewitness misidentification has been identified as the leading cause of wrongful convictions. This occurs when a witness misidentifies the perpetrator due to factors such as poor lighting, stress, and the use of suggestive identification procedures.

Question 8

According to interference theory, which of the following factors is most likely to cause the greatest interference?

Accepted Answer

According to interference theory, similarity of information is the biggest factor contributing to interference. When new information is similar to previously learned information, the two can interfere with each other and create confusion and difficulties in memory recall. This phenomenon is known as proactive interference (when old information interferes with new) or retroactive interference (when new information interferes with old). Therefore, option D is the best choice.

Question 9

According to Freud, _____ memories remain unconscious yet are still capable of influencing behavior and personality.

Accepted Answer

Freud believed that repressed memories, which are memories of traumatic or disturbing events that have been pushed down into the unconscious mind, can still affect a person's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors without their awareness. Suppressed memories, on the other hand, are consciously forgotten memories that may be recalled with effort or therapy. Prospective and retrospective memories refer to memory for future or past events, respectively, and do not involve the same unconscious processes as repressed memories.

Question 10

At a loud party, Kimberly met so many new people that when she ran into one of her new acquaintances on campus the next day she was unable to remember his name. The MOST likely explanation for her forgetting the name of her new acquaintance is:

Accepted Answer

Interference occurs when new information interferes with the storage or retrieval of previously learned information. In this case, the large number of new people Kimberly met at the party may have interfered with her ability to remember the name of the person she met.

Question 11

Eric couldn't remember any of his childhood until he went for psychotherapy to treat his anxiety disorder. After just a few sessions, Eric started remembering the painful incidents in his childhood in which he was beaten and made to feel ashamed. Eric's difficulty in remembering his childhood was probably because of:

Accepted Answer

Motivated forgetting occurs when individuals unconsciously block out painful or traumatic memories, which seems to be the case with Eric's childhood memories.

Question 12

It was _____ who said, "Psychological studies have shown that it is virtually impossible to tell the difference between a real memory and one that is a product of imagination or some other process. Our job as researchers in this area is to understand how it is that pieces of experience are combined to produce what we experience as 'memory.'"

Accepted Answer

Elizabeth Loftus is a prominent researcher in the area of memory and has conducted extensive studies on the reliability of eyewitness testimony, the impact of leading questions on memory, and the creation of false memories. The quote provided aligns with her research on the malleability of memory and the potential for people to create false memories.

Question 13

Motivated forgetting of a painful or embarrassing memory because we don't want to consciously remember the information is called:

Accepted Answer

Suppression is the conscious effort to forget or not think about a painful or embarrassing memory.

Question 14

The idea of repression is a cornerstone of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud's famous theory of personality and psychotherapy. According to Freud, what gets repressed?

Accepted Answer

According to Freud, repression is the unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts, feelings, and impulses. These can include psychologically threatening feelings, emotions, conflicts, and urges, especially those from early childhood, that may be too painful or uncomfortable to face consciously. Freud believed that these repressed memories and emotions may continue to influence behavior and mental health in adulthood.

Question 15

In a study by Elizabeth Loftus, subjects watched a film of an automobile accident, then answered a series of questions, including one asking them to estimate the speed of the cars. What factor affected the subjects' estimate of how fast the cars in the film were traveling?

Accepted Answer

The wording of the question, specifically whether the word "contacted," "hit," "bumped," "collided," or "smashed" was used, influenced the subjects' estimates of how fast the cars in the film were traveling. This is known as the "misinformation effect," where the wording of a question can alter a person's memory of an event. The other options (A, B, and D) do not have a significant impact on the subjects' estimates of car speed.

Question 16

Marcy was stood up by her date for the senior prom. She tried not to dwell on the painful experience, and after a few years she could remember only a few details of that humiliating evening. Marcy's deliberate attempt to forget that evening is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Suppression is the conscious effort to forget or not think about painful or unwanted memories, which is what Marcy is doing by deliberately trying not to dwell on the experience.

Question 17

Because it is too painful to think about how his marriage fell apart due to his wife's infidelity, Russell decides that he will not remember anything about his marriage. Russell is trying to use _____, a form of motivated forgetting, to help ease his pain.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Because it is too painful to think...

Question 18

Suppression is to _____ as repression is to _____.

Accepted Answer

Suppression involves consciously trying to forget or not think about something, while repression involves unconsciously blocking out painful or unwanted memories.

Question 19

_____ is due to conscious, deliberate forgetting as _____ is due to unconscious forgetting.

Accepted Answer

Suppression is the conscious, deliberate effort to forget something, while repression is the unconscious process of forgetting.

Question 20

Ned's parents got divorced when he was seven years old. Ned's older sister vividly remembers the frequent, loud screaming matches between her mother and father in the weeks prior to the divorce, but Ned claims that he has no memories of his parents ever fighting. If Ned has unconsciously blocked awareness of those painful memories, it would be an example of:

Accepted Answer

Ned's lack of memory of the fights between his parents despite his sister's vivid recollection suggests that he may have unconsciously repressed those memories as a coping mechanism. Repression involves unconsciously blocking painful or disturbing memories from conscious awareness. Suppression is a conscious effort to push unwanted thoughts or memories out of awareness, while proactive interference and memory decay are not relevant to this situation.

Quiz 6: Memory

According to _, the more similar the information in two memories is, the more likely it is that _ will occur.