Exam 7: Basic Components of Memory

In each of the three situations below, information enters a student's memory system. For each situation, use the dual-store model of memory to: 1) identify the last component of memory in which the event has been stored, and 2) explain how you arrived at your conclusion. a. Thursday night, Jennifer studies for a test on Friday morning. She remembers the material quite accurately on Tuesday and gets an A on the test. When she takes a review test two months later, however, she can no longer remember that same material. b. Justin is trying to learn information in his textbook. His eyes are focused on the words in front of him, but he is thinking about the fishing trip he has planned for the weekend. c. After her French teacher says, "Merci beaucoup," Josephine repeats the phrase, then she immediately turns to talk to her friend.

The textbook identifies eight characteristics of a situation that tend to draw one's attention. Describe five of these characteristics. For each one, give an example to illustrate its effect.

Learning theorists often emphasize the importance of attention in the learning process? From the perspective of the dual-store model of memory, why is attention so important?

Marnie attends very closely to the English teacher's lecture because she knows she must pass her English course in order to graduate. Marnie's attentiveness demonstrates the effect of _______ on attention.

Each of the following teachers is reviewing materials their students will need to know for the upcoming final exam. Three of the following teachers are reviewing in a way that is sensitive to their students cognitive load capacity? Which teacher is not?

Describe what psychologists mean when they say that attention and working memory have a limited capacity. Discuss at least two implications of this limited capacity for learning in the classroom.

Considering current views regarding the capacity of working memory, which one of the following sets of information could be held entirely in working memory?

John learned the capitals of all 50 US states when he was a child. As an adult, he can no longer recall or recognize any of the 50 state capitals. However, he relearned the capitals faster than Jenny who did not learn the state capitals as a child. John's relearning suggests that the information regarding the state capitals remained in his ________________ from the time he first learned them as a child.

Eunice has had trouble remembering the formula for calculating the area of a circle, so she is saying it to herself over and over again as her teacher passes out a geometry test. Eunice is demonstrating:

If you know how to wrap a present, you can probably describe the process to someone else. But if you know how to skip rope, you may have difficulty explaining what you do to someone else. The difference between these two kinds of knowledge can best be characterized as a difference between:

When a stray dog wanders into a classroom, all of the students stop their seatwork and watch the teacher try to coax the dog from the room. The students' attentiveness demonstrates the effect of _______ on attention.

Mr. Wagner stands in front of the class explaining the process of evolution. Ellen is sitting in the front row, but her mind is on the fight she had with her best friend just before class. Based on this information, how far in Ellen's memory system did Mr. Wagner's lecture get?

Which one of the following statements best characterizes the duration of the sensory register?

When memory theorists talk about control processes, they are talking about:

Which one of the following kinds of knowledge is least likely to be dependent on active, conscious processing to be learned? Base your choice on research findings presented in the textbook.

Distinguish among the sensory register, working memory, and long-term memory in terms of the following: a. Capacity b. Duration c. The forms) in which information tends to be stored Describe relevant research to support your statements.

Look at this word: KITE Without turning the page, try to imagine how the word would look if it were rotated 180º. To perform this task successfully, you would need to make considerable use of that part of your working memory known as the:

Which of the following children best illustrate the use of effortful control.

Three of the following teachers are practicing principles from contemporary memory theory. Which teacher is not?

Which one of the following best reflects the use of the sensory register component of memory?