Deck 1: The Study of Memory

Question 1

In your textbook, "memory" is defined as ________.

A) the use of past experiences to guide behaviour
B) a body of knowledge
C) the ensemble of neural connections modified and/or created by an experience
D) a combination of actionable past experiences, bodies of knowledge, abilities and neural changes, as suitable to the specific context of discussion

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The difference between "memory" and "learning" is ________.

A) learning is long-term while memory is short-term
B) learning is the acquisition of new information while memory is the existing record of the same
C) learning is only explicit while memory can be implicit or explicit
D) learning is the modifiable while memory is fixed

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Short-term memory ________.

A) is not available to consciousness
B) has a limited capacity
C) cannot hold the meaning of a word or sentence
D) can only hold representations of visual information

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Implicit memory ________.

A) evolved first
B) requires the intervention of an active consciousness
C) has no survival value
D) is not observed in mammals

Question 5

The following statement is not true if referred to explicit memory: ________.

A) It is a form of memory requiring consciousness
B) It requires dedicated neural circuits
C) It simply takes information from the senses and matches this information to previously stored records
D) It can be communicated more flexibly to other individuals

Question 6

Plato believed that ________.

A) memory can be described by a "wax tablet," on which words can be carved
B) observation is more important than reasoning
C) knowledge can only derive from observation
D) memory is formed when items are closely linked in space or time

Question 7

The most important contribution of Aristotle to the study of memory was ________.

A) the idea that knowledge is innate
B) the idea that reasoning is more important than observation
C) the discovery of optical illusions
D) the discovery of associations

Question 8

Aristotle was the first to introduce ________.

A) the distinction between implicit and explicit memories
B) the distinction between semantic and episodic memories
C) both the distinction between implicit/explicit and that between semantic/episodic memories
D) the method of loci

Question 9

The philosophers Hobbes, Locke, and Hume are important because ________.

A) they revived and developed the idea that associations are important for memory
B) they started experimental psychology as an independent discipline
C) they introduced the distinction between body and mind
D) they popularized Greek philosophy in the English-speaking world

Question 10

The work of Charles Darwin had a revolutionary impact on society because ________.

A) it considered humans with a fundamental identity and in continuity with other animals
B) it described fundamental experiments on memory
C) it demonstrated that also animals possess memory
D) it was not accepted by the religious authorities

Question 11

Fechner's work in psychophysics is relevant to memory studies because ________.

A) it established that empirical methods could be used to derive theories that predicted human experience
B) it showed a method to measure the amount of memories stored
C) it indicated that also animals learn to plan actions ahead of time
D) it described the first example of classical conditioning

Question 12

The work of Ebbinghaus is still relevant to memory studies because ________.

A) he used extensively and successfully animals as study subjects
B) he proposed a relationship between sleep and learning
C) he invented nonsense syllables as tools for memory work
D) he invented nonsense syllables and control groups, and separated from treated groups, as research tools

Question 13

The central dogma of the behaviourist approach was that only ________.

A) observable events could be studied
B) humans could be used for memory research
C) mathematical models could explain behaviour
D) if engrams in neural substrates could be shown memory could be investigated

Question 14

The difference between physical and cognitive skills is ________.

A) cognitive skills require strategizing while physical skills involve movement
B) cognitive skills do not use any movement, in contrast to physical skills
C) physical skills are not learned, in contrast to cognitive skills
D) cognitive skills are hereditary, in contrast to physical skills

Question 15

The main contribution of the "Gestalt" psychology school to modern psychology is ________.

A) the discovery of the difference between physical and cognitive skills
B) the discovery of the phenomenon of "transfer"
C) having stressed the importance of internal organization of materials in memory development
D) the use of the "information theory" in memory studies

Question 16

Francis Gall is famous because he________.

A) proposed that specific functions, including memory, are localized to specific areas of the brain
B) discovered the brain areas of language
C) identified the cortical visual areas
D) proposed the engrams as neural traces of memory

Question 17

The memory deficit induced by a lesion in Wernicke's area is ________.

A) the forgetting of the emotional context for an event
B) the inability to understand the meaning of words
C) a linguistic loss of grammar rules
D) amnesia for second languages

Question 18

The conclusion reached by Lashley regarding the brain location of "memory engrams" was ________.

A) all parts of the brain contributed equally to the formation of memories
B) engrams are too small to be identified surgically
C) they are localized in the hippocampus
D) they are localized in the frontal lobe

Question 19

Donald Hebb envisioned the process of memory formation as ________.

A) a rapid buildup of neural changes
B) a two-step process, in which experiences first induce structural neural changes, followed by a permanent change in electrical activity
C) a specific, localized alteration of brain chemistry
D) a two-step process, in which experiences first induce a transient, reverberating electrical activity in the brain, followed by a consolidation period

Question 20

Penfield's homunculus is important because ________.

A) it established beyond reasonable doubt that brain function can be precisely localized
B) it is fixed, therefore it ruled out that memory can be localized
C) it provides a vivid illustration for textbooks
D) for the first time showed differences in functional organization between male and females brain

Question 21

The case of H.M. revolutionized the study of memory because _________.

A) it showed that amnesias can be reversible
B) it guided future research on implicit memory systems
C) it demonstrated that multiple independent memory systems are operating in the brain
D) it indicated the location of the memory engrams

Question 22

The main impact of the cognitive revolution on memory research was ________.

A) it changed the nature of memory research from that which described overt behaviour to that which fostered the development of models of how information is coded
B) it promoted the use of human subjects
C) it encouraged the interest in the neurosciences
D) it allowed the discovery of the molecular mechanisms of memory

Question 23

The modal model of memory ________.

A) is in conflict with the cognitive revolution
B) rules out any role for the medial temporal lobe
C) proposes that information flows from sensory to short-term, and from short-term to long-term memory, and vice versa
D) is not compatible with current neuroscience

Question 24

The main contribution of Endel Tulving to the research on memory was ________.

A) he proposed the distinction between episodic, semantic, and procedural memory as distinct systems
B) he clarified the role of amygdala in emotional learning
C) he proposed the modal model of memory
D) he discovered that the procedural memory requires the cerebellum

Question 25

"Ecologically valid" memory research refers to ________.

A) research methods that are respectful of the environment
B) research that examines the effect of the environment on memory
C) a combination of methods that are respectful of the environment with studies on the effect of the environment on memory
D) applied research

Question 26

The "system approach" to the study of memory ________.

A) proposes a systematic approach to the study of memory
B) does not assume that dedicated neural structures are required for each memory system
C) believes that distinct memory systems, independently supported by dedicated neural structures, operate in the brain
D) does not imply that the proposed memory system must be functionally incompatible or distinct

Question 27

The "principle approach" to the study of memory ________.

A) points to the importance of the seven principles in memory, as illustrated by Neath and Surprenant
B) does not assume that memory is constructive in nature
C) does not believes that tasks that require information about the context in which a memory was learned will be more susceptible to interference or forgetting
D) points to the importance of ethical principles while conducting memory research in both human and non-human animals

Question 28

Neurons are separated by tiny spaces called ________.

A) engrams
B) neurotransmitters
C) lobes
D) synapses

Question 29

The phenomenon of long-term potentiation ________.

A) is observed across every brain structure
B) can be observed in a single neuron
C) does not require AMPA and NMDA receptors
D) is a persistent strengthening of a synapse

Question 30

The medial temporal lobes are crucial for memory, as illustrated by the H.M. case. Structure that are part of the medial temporal lobes do not include ________.

A) the dentate gyrus
B) the cingulate gyrus
C) the subiculum
D) the perirhinal cortex

Question 31

What are three examples of short-term memory (STM) use, and three examples of long-term memory (LTM) use?

Question 32

Why is implicit memory more primitive than explicit memory?

Question 33

Why is Plato's philosophy important in memory research?

Question 34

What are some of the reasons that made Darwin's work influential in memory research and still relevant today?

Question 35

Why are the "nonsense syllables" proposed by Ebbinghaus still used today?

Question 36

Which contribution(s) of behaviourists is/are still relevant today?

Question 37

In what ways is the work of Francis Gall still relevant today?

Question 38

Why is the case of H.M. important for modern memory research?

Question 39

What is memory and how does it work?

Question 40

Why did Karl Lashley fail to localize the memory engrams?

Question 41

How do neurons work to transmit information in the brain? How do they get modified to store memories?