Question 1

Research participants who were exposed to very convincing arguments about the desirability of frequent toothbrushing misrecalled how frequently they had brushed their teeth in the preceding two weeks. This best illustrates

Accepted Answer

The participants' misrecollection of their toothbrushing frequency suggests that they may have engaged in motivated forgetting, meaning they selectively forgot information that contradicted their beliefs or desires. The other options (self-reference effect, proactive interference, spacing effect) do not fit with the scenario described.

Question 2

The disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information is called

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when previously learned information interferes with the recall of new information. Retroactive interference occurs when new information interferes with the recall of previously learned information. The testing effect and spacing effect are both memory phenomena that enhance the retention of information, rather than disrupt it.

Question 3

An attorney uses misleading questions to distort a court witness' recall of a previously observed crime. This best illustrates

Accepted Answer

The attorney's use of misleading questions to alter a witness's memory is an example of the misinformation effect, where post-event information can alter a person's memory of an event. Choices A, C, and D do not accurately describe the scenario presented in the question.

Question 4

Hermann Ebbinghaus found the task of learning new lists of nonsense syllables increasingly difficult as his research career progressed. Which of the following best explains his problem?

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when older memories interfere with the ability to learn and remember new information, which explains Ebbinghaus's difficulty in learning new lists as he accumulated more prior knowledge.

Question 5

Although Yusef was having difficulty recalling the capital of Spain, he quickly and correctly identified it after being given a list of cities in Spain. Yusef's initial inability to recall the answer was due to a failure in

Accepted Answer

Yusef's initial inability to recall the capital of Spain points towards a retrieval failure, where he had difficulty accessing the information. However, he was able to retrieve the information when given a cue (the list of cities), indicating that the information was stored in his memory but was temporarily inaccessible.

Question 6

Every time we "replay" a memory, we replace the original memory with a slightly modified version. Researchers call this

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as memory reconsolidation, which occurs when previously stored memories are activated and then updated with new information before being consolidated again. This means that each time we retrieve a memory, we modify it and the new version replaces the original memory.

Question 7

After studying biology all afternoon, Alonzo is having difficulty remembering details of the organic chemistry material he memorized that morning. Alonzo's difficulty best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Alonzo's difficulty in remembering organic chemistry material may be due to retroactive interference, where recently learned information interferes with the recall of previously learned information.

Question 8

Philippe has just completed medical school. In reflecting on his years of formal education, he is able to recall the names of all his instructors except the fifth-grade teacher who flunked him. According to Freud, his forgetting illustrates

Accepted Answer

Freud believed that forgetting is a result of repression, which is the unconscious blocking of thoughts or memories that are too painful or traumatic to remember. In this scenario, Philippe is able to recall all of his instructors except for the fifth-grade teacher who flunked him, which could be an example of repression as the memory of the teacher may be associated with negative emotions.

Question 9

Two people learned nonsense syllables and then tried to recall them after up to eight hours had elapsed. Jenkins and Dallenbach observed that forgetting occurred least rapidly when the individuals spent their time

Accepted Answer

Jenkins and Dallenbach observed that forgetting occurred least rapidly when the individuals slept, suggesting that sleep consolidation plays a role in memory retention.

Question 10

When Loftus and Palmer asked observers of a filmed car accident how fast the vehicles were going when they "smashed" into each other, the observers developed memories of the accident that

Accepted Answer

The observers' memories were influenced by the language used in the question (e.g. "smashed") and portrayed the event as more serious than it had actually been.

Question 11

Repression most clearly involves a failure in

Accepted Answer

The answer of Repression most clearly involves a failure in
...

Question 12

Retroactive interference refers to the

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when new information disrupts the recall of previously learned information. It is different from proactive interference, which occurs when previously learned information disrupts the recall of new information. Decay of physical memory traces is a theory of forgetting but does not relate specifically to retroactive interference. Blocking of painful memories from conscious awareness is a process called repression and is not specifically related to retroactive interference.

Question 13

The misinformation effect refers to the

Accepted Answer

The misinformation effect refers to the incorporation of misleading information into one's memory of an event. This can happen when someone is given false or misleading information after an event and then their memory of the event is later influenced by this inaccurate information.

Question 14

Professor Maslova has so many memories of former students that she has difficulty remembering the names of new students. The professor's difficulty best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when older memories interfere with the recall of newer memories. In this case, the professor's memories of former students are interfering with her ability to remember the names of new students. Retroactive interference occurs when new memories interfere with the recall of older memories. Mood-congruent memory is the tendency to recall information that is congruent with one's current mood. Source amnesia is the inability to remember the source of a memory, not necessarily the difficulty in recalling specific information.

Question 15

Jackie frequently experiences intrusive memories of an emotionally traumatic experience, which she has been trying to forget. Her intrusive memories provide evidence of unsuccessful

Accepted Answer

The intrusive memories that Jackie experiences suggest that she may be trying to repress the traumatic experience, but is not successful in doing so. This is because repression is a defense mechanism where individuals try to push unwanted or traumatic memories into their unconscious mind in order to protect themselves from emotional pain. However, these memories can resurface in the form of intrusive thoughts, dreams or flashbacks. Options A, B and D do not explain Jackie's experience of intrusive memories.

Question 16

It's evening and we're mentally replaying the day's events. We picture our facial expressions as we listened to a friend's tale of woe. Because we were unable to see these expressions at the time, our recall illustrates

Accepted Answer

Memory construction refers to the process of filling in missing information in our memories based on past experiences and expectations. In this scenario, we are reconstructing the memory of our own facial expressions because we were unable to see them at the time. Flashbulb memory refers to vivid and detailed recollections of emotionally significant events. Implicit memory is non-conscious memory for skills and procedures. The spacing effect refers to the fact that spaced-out study sessions lead to better retention of information than cramming.

Question 17

Knowledge of Latin can help people to learn French. This illustrates

Accepted Answer

Positive transfer refers to the beneficial effects of previously learned information on new learning or performance. In this case, knowledge of Latin can help people learn French because French vocabulary and grammar have significant roots in Latin. This is an example of positive transfer.

Question 18

When asked misleading questions after observing an accident, eyewitnesses often reconstruct their initial memories of the event. This best illustrates

Accepted Answer

The misinformation effect occurs when misleading information alters an individual's memory of an event. In this case, the misleading questions asked of the eyewitnesses after observing an accident can lead to a reconstruction of their initial memories, illustrating the misinformation effect.

Question 19

As we retrieve memories from our memory bank, we often alter them based on past experiences and our current expectations. This best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Memory construction refers to the process by which we retrieve old memories and potentially modify them or incorporate new details. This happens because memories are not perfect recordings of past events, but are instead constantly constructed and reconstructed based on our current context and past experiences. The other answer choices (implicit memory, proactive interference, and the spacing effect) do not specifically refer to this process of memory construction.

Question 20

Who emphasized that we repress anxiety-arousing memories?

Accepted Answer

Sigmund Freud emphasized that we repress anxiety-arousing memories.

Quiz 8: Memory