Deck 19: Doing Together What We Would Not Do Alone

Question 1

Retroactive interference involves the disruption of
•automatic processing.
•sensory memory.
•memory retrieval.
•meaningful encoding.

Answer 1

•memory retrieval

Question 2

Proactive interference refers to the
•blocking of painful memories from conscious awareness.
•incorporation of misleading information into one's memory of an event.
•disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of previously learned information.
•disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information.

Answer 2

•disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information

Question 3

A type of motivated forgetting in which anxiety-arousing memories are blocked from conscious awareness is known as
•retroactive interference.
•proactive interference.
•repression.
•source amnesia.

Answer 3

•repression

Question 4

The disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of previously learned information is called
•repression.
•source amnesia.
•retroactive interference.
•infantile amnesia.

Question 5

Compulsive gamblers frequently recall losing less money than is actually the case. Their memory failure best illustrates
•source amnesia.
•proactive interference.
•motivated forgetting.
•the spacing effect.

Question 6

Michael Ross and his colleagues observed that people exposed to very convincing arguments about the value of frequent toothbrushing tended to
•quickly forget the arguments if they were in the habit of brushing frequently.
•quickly forget the arguments if they were not in the habit of brushing frequently.
•exaggerate how frequently they had brushed their teeth in the past.
•exaggerate how infrequently they had brushed their teeth in the past.

Question 7

Old information can sometimes facilitate our learning of new information as when knowing Spanish can help us learn Italian. This facilitating effect is called
•proactive interference.
•positive transfer.
•automatic processing.
•the spacing effect.

Question 8

The finding that people who sleep after learning a list of nonsense syllables forget less than people who stay awake provides evidence that forgetting may involve
•encoding failure.
•repression.
•implicit memory loss.
•interference.

Question 9

The inability to recall what letters accompany the number 5 on your telephone is most likely due to
•encoding failure.
•the spacing effect.
•retroactive interference.
•source amnesia.

Question 10

The occasional memory failures of older adults to recall recently learned information can be best explained in terms of the greater difficulty older people have with
•automatic processing.
•repression.
•sensory memory.
•retrieval.

Question 11

Ebbinghaus discovered that the rate at which we forget newly learned information is initially
•slow and subsequently stays slow.
•slow and subsequently speeds up.
•rapid and subsequently stays rapid.
•rapid and subsequently slows down.

Question 12

Arnold so easily remembers his old girlfriend's telephone number that he finds it difficult to recall his new girlfriend's number. Arnold's difficulty best illustrates
•retroactive interference.
•encoding failure.
•source amnesia.
•proactive interference.

Question 13

A person who has trouble forgetting information,such as the Russian memory whiz S,often seems to have a limited capacity for
•working memory.
•sensory memory.
•abstract thinking.
•visual imagery.

Question 14

Memory of your familiar old e-mail password may block the recall of your new password. This illustrates
•source amnesia.
•retroactive interference.
•mnemonics.
•proactive interference.

Question 15

Judy is embarrassed because she momentarily fails to remember a good friend's name. Judy's poor memory most likely results from a failure in
•storage.
•encoding.
•rehearsal.
•retrieval.

Question 16

The inability to remember who's face appears on a five-dollar bill is most likely due to a failure in
•encoding.
•storage.
•retrieval.
•sensory memory.

Question 17

After learning the combination for his new locker at school,Milton is unable to remember the combination for his year-old bicycle lock. Milton is experiencing the effects of
•source amnesia.
•retroactive interference.
•proactive interference.
•automatic processing.

Question 18

Our inability to remember information presented in the seconds just before we fall asleep is most likely due to
•motivated forgetting.
•the misinformation effect.
•retroactive interference.
•encoding failure.

Question 19

The famous Ebbinghaus forgetting curve indicates that how well we remember information depends on
•how long ago we learned that information.
•the nature of our mood during encoding and retrieval.
•whether the information is part of our implicit or explicit memory.
•whether the information was acoustically or visually encoded.

Question 20

The title of a song is on the tip of Gerard's tongue,but he cannot recall it until someone mentions the songwriter's name. Gerard's initial inability to recall the title was most likely caused by
•encoding failure.
•hypnotic suggestion.
•retrieval failure.
•repression.

Question 21

Research on memory construction indicates that memories of past experiences are likely to be
•difficult to retrieve but never completely lost.
•distorted by our current assumptions.
•much more vivid if they are seldom rehearsed.
•retrieved in the very same form and detail as they were originally encoded.

Question 22

Research on memory construction indicates that
•recent events are more vulnerable to memory distortion than events from our more distant past.
•false memories often feel as real as true memories.
•hypnotic suggestion is a particularly effective technique for accurate memory retrieval.
•it is very difficult to lead people to construct memories of events that never happened.

Question 23

When children are interviewed about their recollections of possible sexual abuse,their reports are especially credible if
•they are asked specific,detailed questions about the issue rather than more general,open-ended questions.
•after responding to an interviewer,they are repeatedly asked the same question they just answered.
•they use anatomically correct dolls to indicate if and where they had been physically touched.
•involved adults have not discussed the issue with them prior to the interview.

Question 24

Forgetting the correct source of an event we have experienced,heard about,or imagined is called
•source amnesia.
•the misinformation effect.
•repression.
•encoding failure.

Question 25

Karl and Dee had a joyful wedding ceremony. After their painful divorce,however,they began to remember the wedding as a somewhat hectic and unpleasant event. Their recollections best illustrate the nature of
•proactive interference.
•memory construction.
•the spacing effect.
•source amnesia.

Question 26

Loftus and Palmer asked two groups of observers how fast two cars had been going in a filmed traffic accident. Observers who heard the vividly descriptive word "smashed" in relation to the accident later recalled
•broken glass at the scene of the accident.
•that the drivers of the vehicles were intoxicated.
•that the drivers of the vehicles were males.
•the details of the accident with vivid accuracy.

Question 27

After attending group therapy sessions for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse,Karen mistakenly remembered details from others' traumatic life stories as part of her own life history. This best illustrates the dangers of
•proactive interference.
•working memory.
•abstract memory.
•source amnesia.

Question 28

Many of the experimental participants who were asked how fast two cars in a filmed traffic accident were going when they smashed into each other subsequently recalled seeing broken glass at the scene of the accident. This experiment best illustrated
•proactive interference.
•mnemonic devices.
•the spacing effect.
•the misinformation effect.

Question 29

Our assumptions about the past often influence the form in which information is retrieved from long-term memory. This fact is most relevant to appreciating the importance of
•repression.
•automatic processing.
•memory construction.
•the spacing effect.

Question 30

Among contemporary memory researchers,increasing numbers think that ______ rarely,if ever,occurs.
•proactive interference
•automatic processing
•source amnesia
•repression

Question 31

People with vivid imaginations are more likely than others to experience a(n)
•long-term memory.
•false memory.
•working memory.
•sensory memory.

Question 32

As a child,Andre dreamed that he was chased and attacked by a ferocious dog. Many years later,he mistakenly recalled that this had actually happened to him. Andre's false recollection best illustrates
•repression.
•proactive interference.
•retrieval cues.
•source amnesia.

Question 33

Research on young children's false eyewitness recollections has indicated that
•children are less susceptible to source amnesia than adults.
•children are no more susceptible to the misinformation effect than adults.
•it is surprisingly difficult for both children and professional interviewers to reliably separate the children's true memories from false memories.
•all of these statements are true.

Question 34

Sigmund Freud emphasized that the forgetting of painful experiences is caused by a process that involves
•retroactive interference.
•memory decay.
•retrieval failure.
•source amnesia.

Question 35

Visualizing an object and actually seeing that object activate similar brain areas. This most clearly contributes to
•repression.
•proactive interference.
•imagination inflation.
•sensory memory.

Question 36

The misinformation effect best illustrates the dynamics of
•memory construction.
•repression.
•proactive interference.
•the memory trace.

Question 37

When asked how they felt 10 years ago regarding marijuana issues,people recalled attitudes closer to their current views than to those they actually reported a decade earlier. This best illustrates
•memory construction.
•proactive interference.
•the spacing effect.
•sensory memory.

Question 38

By incorporating errors originating from a hypnotist's leading questions,"hypnotically refreshed" memories often illustrate
•age regression.
•mnemonics.
•the misinformation effect.
•proactive interference.

Question 39

Which of the following poses the greatest threat to the credibility of children's recollections of sexual abuse?
•proactive interference
•the spacing effect
•the misinformation effect
•mnemonics

Question 40

After reading a newspaper report suggesting that drunken driving might have contributed to a recent auto accident,several people who actually witnessed the accident began to remember the driver involved as traveling more recklessly than was actually the case. This provides an example of
•proactive interference.
•retroactive interference.
•mnemonics.
•the misinformation effect.

Question 41

Mrs. McBride can't consciously recall how frequently she criticizes her children because it would be too anxiety-arousing to do so. Sigmund Freud would have suggested that her poor memory illustrates
•source amnesia.
•proactive interference.
•automatic processing.
•repression.

Question 42

Forming many associations between new course material and what you already know is an effective way to build a network of
•retrieval cues.
•sensory memories.
•state-dependent memories.
•serial position effects.

Question 43

Speed-reading complex material yields little long-term retention because it inhibits
•imagination inflation.
•source amnesia.
•proactive interference.
•rehearsal.

Question 44

Recalling something that you had once merely imagined happening as something you had directly experienced best illustrates
•the spacing effect.
•sensory memory.
•proactive interference.
•source amnesia.

Question 45

While taking the final exam in American history,Marie was surprised and frustrated by her momentary inability to remember the name of the first president of the United States. Her difficulty most clearly illustrates
•repression.
•the spacing effect.
•the misinformation effect.
•retrieval failure.

Question 46

Austin can't remember Jack Smith's name because he wasn't paying attention when Jack was formally introduced. Austin's poor memory is best explained in terms of
•proactive interference.
•encoding failure.
•retroactive interference.
•source amnesia.

Question 47

The surprising ease with which people form false memories best illustrates that the processes of encoding and retrieval involve
•sensory memory.
•automatic processing.
•source amnesia.
•memory construction.

Question 48

During her evening Spanish language exam,Janica so easily remembers the French vocabulary she studied that morning that she finds it difficult to recall the Spanish vocabulary she rehearsed that afternoon. Her difficulty best illustrates
•the spacing effect.
•proactive interference.
•source amnesia.
•retroactive interference.

Question 49

After Teresa was verbally threatened by someone in a passing car,she was asked whether she recognized the man who was driving the car. Several hours later,Teresa mistakenly recalled that the driver was a male rather than a female. Teresa's experience best illustrates
•sensory memory.
•proactive interference.
•the misinformation effect.
•the spacing effect.

Question 50

Research reports of repression and recovered memories indicate that
•people rarely recall memories of long-forgotten events.
•most extremely traumatic life experiences are never encoded in long-term memory.
•only those memories recovered with the help of a professional psychotherapist are likely to be reliable.
•extremely stressful life experiences are especially likely to be well remembered.

Question 51

Which of the following techniques used by professional therapists is(are)likely to promote false memories in patients?
•hypnosis
•guided imagery
•dream analysis
•all of these techniques

Question 52

Although Ron typically smokes two packs of cigarettes a day,he recalls smoking little more than a pack a day. This poor memory best illustrates
•the misinformation effect.
•motivated forgetting.
•the spacing effect.
•imagination inflation.

Question 53

Several months after watching a science fiction movie about spaceship travel and alien abductions,Steve began to remember that he had been abducted by aliens and personally subjected to many of the horrors portrayed in the movie. His mistaken recall best illustrates
•hypnotic suggestion.
•the spacing effect.
•source amnesia.
•working memory.

Question 54

To help resolve the controversy over reports of repressed memories of sexual abuse,the major psychological and psychiatric associations suggest that
•all our experiences are preserved somewhere in our minds.
•the more stressful an experience is,the more quickly it will be consciously forgotten.
•repression is the most common mechanism underlying the failure to recall early childhood abuse.
•adult memories of experiences happening before age 3 are unreliable.

Question 55

People should avoid back-to-back study times for learning Spanish and French vocabulary in order to minimize
•the misinformation effect.
•source amnesia.
•the spacing effect.
•interference.

Question 56

Incest survivors who lack conscious memories of their sexual abuse may sometimes be told that they are simply in a stage of "denial" and "repression." This explanation for their lack of abuse memories emphasizes
•proactive interference.
•encoding failure.
•the spacing effect.
•retrieval failure.

Question 57

During the process of psychotherapy,Elaine recovered some long-forgotten and painful memories from her childhood. This experience led her to conclude that these memories must have been repressed for many years. Discuss the issues involved in assessing the validity of Elaine's claim.

Question 58

Professor Markus is a brilliant mathematician who is 70 years old and still enjoys teaching. Over the past few years,she has found it increasingly difficult to remember the names of her students. Suggest several possible explanations for the professor's memory problems.

Question 59

Research on memory construction reveals that memories
•are stored as exact copies of experience.
•reflect a person's biases and assumptions.
•may be chemically transferred from one organism to another.
•even if long term,usually decay within about five years.

Question 60

After suffering a brain injury in a motorcycle accident,Adam cannot form new memories. He can,however,remember his life experiences before the accident. Adam's memory difficulty most clearly illustrates
•repression.
•retroactive interference.
•encoding failure.
•source amnesia.

Question 61

At your high school reunion you cannot remember the last name of your homeroom teacher. Your failure to remember is most likely the result of
•encoding failure.
•storage failure.
•retrieval failure.
•state-dependent memory.

Question 62

Hypnotically "refreshed" memories may prove inaccurate-especially if the hypnotist asks leading questions-because of
•encoding failure.
•storage decay.
•proactive interference.
•memory construction.

Question 63

Which of the following sequences would be best to follow if you wanted to minimize interference-induced forgetting in order to improve your recall on the psychology midterm?
•study,eat,test
•study,sleep,test
•study,listen to music,test
•study,exercise,test

Question 64

Which of the following illustrates the constructive nature of memory?
•Janice keeps calling her new boyfriend by her old boyfriend's name.
•After studying all afternoon and then getting drunk in the evening,Don can't remember the material he studied.
•After getting some good news,elated Kareem has a flood of good memories from his younger years.
•Although Mrs. Harvey,who has Alzheimer's disease,has many gaps in her memory,she invents sensible accounts of her activities so that her family will not worry.

Question 65

Jenkins and Dallenbach found that memory was better in people who were
•awake during the retention interval,presumably because decay was reduced.
•asleep during the retention interval,presumably because decay was reduced.
•awake during the retention interval,presumably because interference was reduced.
•asleep during the retention interval,presumably because interference was reduced.

Question 66

After finding her old combination lock,Janice can't remember its combination because she keeps confusing it with the combination of her new lock. She is experiencing
•proactive interference.
•retroactive interference.
•encoding failure.
•storage failure.

Question 67

The misinformation effect provides evidence that memory
•is constructed during encoding.
•is unchanging once established.
•may be reconstructed during recall according to how questions are framed.
•is highly resistant to misleading information.

Question 68

Which of the following best describes the typical forgetting curve?
•a steady,slow decline in retention over time
•a steady,rapid decline in retention over time
•a rapid initial decline in retention becoming stable thereafter
•a slow initial decline in retention becoming rapid thereafter

Question 69

Lewis cannot remember the details of the torture he experienced as a prisoner of war. According to Freud,Lewis's failure to remember these painful memories is an example of
•repression.
•retrieval failure.
•reconstruction.
•working memory.

Question 70

Which of the following was NOT recommended as a strategy for improving memory?
•active rehearsal
•distributed study
•speed reading
•encoding meaningful associations

Question 71

Memory researchers are suspicious of long-repressed memories of traumatic events that are "recovered" with the aid of drugs or hypnosis because
•such experiences usually are vividly remembered.
•such memories are unreliable and easily influenced by misinformation.
•memories of events happening before about age 3 are especially unreliable.
•of all of these reasons.

Question 72

Studies by Loftus and Palmer,in which people were quizzed about a film of an accident,indicate that
•when quizzed immediately,people can recall very little,due to the stress of witnessing an accident.
•when questioned as little as one day later,their memory was very inaccurate.
•most people had very accurate memories as much as 6 months later.
•people's recall may easily be affected by misleading information.

Question 73

When Carlos was promoted,he moved into a new office with a new phone extension. Every time he is asked for his phone number,Carlos first thinks of his old extension,illustrating the effects of
•proactive interference.
•retroactive interference.
•encoding failure.
•storage failure.

Question 74

Repression is an example of
•encoding failure.
•memory decay.
•motivated forgetting.
•all of these things.