Deck 8: Short-Term Retention

Question 1

In trying to differentiate between different memory systems, William James used the terms:

A) short-term memory and long-term memory
B) short-term memory and primary memory
C) primary memory and secondary memory
D) secondary memory and long-term memory

Answer 1

primary memory and secondary memory

Question 2

The conceptual element that was included in Atkinson & Shiffrin's modal model of memory that was missing from James's and Waugh & Norman's accounts of memory was:

A) short-term memory
B) sensory memory
C) long-term memory
D) all of the above

Answer 2

sensory memory

Question 3

The modal model of memory includes a separate subsystem within the Short-Term Store for:

A) sensory registers
B) permanent memories
C) working memory
D) environmental input

Answer 3

working memory

Question 4

Working Memory would theoretically take the place of which of the following elements of Atkinson & Shiffrin's modal model of memory?

A) short-term memory
B) sensory memory
C) long-term memory
D) all of the above

Question 5

The Brown-Peterson task is used to assess:

A) anterograde amnesia
B) divided attention
C) memory span
D) all of the above

Question 6

Performance levels that are observed from the Brown-Peterson task can be said to be due to

A) spacing between trials
B) proactive interference
C) both a and b
D) neither a nor b

Question 7

The inability to remember new information as a result of older information blocking one's retrieval ability is known as

A) retroactive interference
B) proactive interference
C) anterograde amnesia
D) retrograde amnesia

Question 8

Rebecca has been presented with the names of 30 different colors to commit to memory. Item number 31, however, is a type of food. When asked to recall all 31 items, she is relatively accurate for the first 10 colors, but then performs terribly on colors 11-30. The type of food she is presented with on trial 31, however, is recalled perfectly. This enhanced recall for item 31, in relation to her performance on items 11-30, is known as:

A) retroactive interference
B) proactive interference
C) a flashbulb memory
D) release from proactive interference

Question 9

The ability to recall, in order of presentation, which of the following number of items from a sequence of items is indicative of a normal adult memory span:

A) 4
B) 12
C) 2
D) 8

Question 10

According to the word-length-effect, which of the following words has the best chance of being recalled correctly?

A) RESERVATION
B) EXAMINATION
C) REFLEX
D) MAGAZINE

Question 11

A poor digit span is directly related to having a weak short-term memory.

Question 12

Which of the following features has been identified as being a critical characteristic of STM?

A) unlimited capacity
B) lack of potential for forgetting
C) limitless duration
D) acoustic encoding

Question 13

Information in STM can exist in an acoustic or semantic form.

Question 14

Successful performance on memory span tests are believed to rely of which of the following systems?

A) STM only
B) LTM only
C) STM and LTM
D) working memory only

Question 15

The suffix effect tends to:

A) enhance recall of recently-presented information
B) enhance recall of information presented 24 hours or more prior to recall
C) diminish recall of recently-presented information
D) diminish recall of information presented 24 hours or more prior to recall

Question 16

The impairment in patient K.F. suggests that:

A) one needs STM to get information into LTM
B) STM is not necessary for the transfer of information into LTM
C) LTM has a limited capacity
D) STM actually has an unlimited capacity

Question 17

The existence of Working Memory could explain:

A) the unlimited capacity of STM
B) the unlimited capacity of LTM
C) the ability of amnesia patients to get information into LTM in the apparent absence of STM
D) none of the above

Question 18

Which of the following is not a modality of STM?

A) olfactory
B) spatial
C) procedural
D) none of the above

Question 19

When applied to classical conditioning, STM is said to facilitate the association between a:

A) CS and US
B) CS and CR
C) US and UR
D) CS and UR

Question 20

Studies of Delayed Matching to Sample are used to assess which memory system in animals?

A) sensory memory
B) procedural memory
C) short-term memory
D) long-term memory

Question 21

Animal research shows that animals possess which of the following human-like skills?

A) STM
B) STM control processes
C) primacy effects
D) all of the above

Question 22

The ability to recall the answer choices in question 8.10 would most directly depend upon which of the following elements of Working Memory?

A) phonological loop
B) central executive
C) visuospatial sketchpad
D) sensory memory

Question 23

Which of the following is not a component of Working Memory?

A) phonological loop
B) central executive
C) visuospatial sketchpad
D) sensory memory

Question 24

Joe is having a hard time taking notes in Professor Jones's class, because he can't repeat the professor's words fast enough to hold them in his mind and write them down. Joe's memory difficulty is most likely stemming from a difficulty within which working memory component?

A) phonological loop
B) central executive
C) visuospatial sketchpad
D) sensory memory

Question 25

Mary is at a party, talking to Tom. However, in the middle of her conversation, she hears her name mentioned across the room, and almost immediately turns her attention to the place in the room from where she believes she heard her name. The element of Working Memory most responsible for this shifting of attention is most likely the:

A) phonological loop
B) central executive
C) visuospatial sketchpad
D) sensory memory

Question 26

Professor Smith believes that one's immediate memory can hold a variety of pieces of information, from different domains, simultaneously. Such an ability would be possible only if which system functions properly?

A) Short-Term Memory
B) Long-Term Memory
C) Working Memory
D) Sensory Memory

Question 27

Mary suffered a stroke, the result of which damaged the Episodic Buffer of her Working Memory. As a result, Mary will likely have difficulty when she:

A) tries to connect the contents of Working Memory to Sensory Memory
B) attempts to retrieve data from Long Term Memory to use in Working Memory
C) retain visual images,
D) allocate her attentional skills across a variety of tasks

Question 28

While taking an exam, Monica is integrating all of the material she studied, along with the visual and phonological codes of this information, and in the process is able to recall massive chunks of information that each contain close to 20 individual pieces of data. Such an ability is most likely being mediated by which element of her working memory?

A) central executive
B) visuospatial sketchpad
C) phonological loop
D) episodic buffer

Question 29

Which of the following statements best represents the consciousness binding problem?

A) "My research team is studying how memories are processed within individual neurons."
B) "The work that Dr. Smith engages in is focused on understanding why older people have difficulty making memories stay within their conscious awareness."
C) "Amanda is interested in studying how auditory and spatial information are integrated when trying to understand interpersonal communications."
D) "Scientists are attempting to understand how neurotransmitters bind to their receptor sites in the part of the brain responsible for consciousness."

Question 30

James is conducting an experiment that involves having subjects read a set of 3 words from a computer monitor, and then press the [SPACE BAR] key on the computer's keyboard once all three items have been read. Which of the following individuals is likely to show the slowest ability at completing this task?

A) an 80-year-old man
B) a 77-year-old woman
C) a 32-year-old man
D) a 50-year-old woman

Question 31

Which of the following is associated with older, as opposed to younger adults?

A) inhibition of extraneous associations
B) low rates of cognitive dementia
C) quick and efficient cognitive processing
D) interference between target and irrelevant memories

Question 32

At the start of her calculus class, Professor Ann Siety tells her class that "while math majors do well in this class, non-science majors tend to earn very low grades." Steve, an English major who is already nervous about being in this class, remembers this statement all semester long, and during each exam, his anxiety becomes so overpowering that he forgets to answer many questions, and fails each one. His friend Jon, however, who is also an English major, missed the first class where the professor made her statement; he is nowhere near as nervous about the class as his friend. Steve's performance, relative to Jon's, can be seen as arising from:

A) dementia
B) proactive interference
C) a diminished memory span
D) stereotype threat

Question 33

Some people argue against two-store theories because:

A) dissociations between STM and LTM are common in brain damaged people
B) memory variables have been shown to have similar effects following short and long retention intervals
C) retroactive and proactive interference impair STM and LTM differently
D) all of the above

Question 34

Jane has no LTM for any new information she encounters, although her STM seems relatively normal. Assuming her amnesia is a result of physical brain damage, a scan of Jane's brain is likely to find damage in which of the following areas?

A) temporal lobe
B) the border between the temporal and parietal lobes
C) the hippocampus AND amygdala
D) the left hemisphere

Question 35

Impaired STM ability could stem from damage to:

A) the temporal lobe
B) the border between the temporal and parietal lobes
C) the hippocampus
D) the right hemisphere

Question 36

Single-store approaches to memory argue that all memories have similar activation levels at any point in time.

Question 37

The Memory Attribute Model of memory could best be described as a:

A) multiple- store approach to memory
B) a dual -store approach to memory
C) single-store approach to memory
D) none of the above

Question 38

Betty's grandmother died 10 years ago, and although Betty can remember what her grandmother looked like, she can no longer recall her grandmother's voice. This type of memory loss is consistent with which memory related theory?

A) Alzheimer's disease
B) proactive interference
C) anterograde amnesia
D) the memory attribute model

Question 39

The concept of one, as opposed to multiple, memory system responsible for the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information has been widely accepted by memory researchers.

Question 40

STM has been cited as being useful in playing a role in which of the following?

A) dysexecutive syndrome
B) language comprehension
C) problem-solving
D) all of the above

Question 41

The utility of language comprehension in STM has been said to be mediated by which element of working memory?

A) central executive
B) phonological loop
C) visuospatial sketchpad
D) sensory memory

Question 42

STM deficits can be used to assess:

A) psychological impairment
B) neurological impairment
C) physiological dysfunction
D) all of the above

Question 43

In assessing medical conditions, STM is defined in consistent manners by different medical workers.

Question 44

The occurrence of proactive interference has been suggested as a possible explanation for:

A) diabetes
B) schizophrenia
C) obsessive-compulsive disorder
D) none of the above

Question 45

Dysexecutive syndrome tends to arise from a dysfunctional:

A) phonological loop
B) central executive
C) visuospatial sketchpad
D) sensory memory

Question 46

Sara's frontal lobe injury has led to her being unable to focus her attention on one task for any substantial amount of time. Sara is most likely experiencing:

A) retroactive interference
B) anterograde amnesia
C) withdrawal from electroconvulsive therapy
D) dysexecutive syndrome

Question 47

Interfering with the mechanisms of STM would have which effect on LTM, according to consolidation theory?

A) enhance LTM formation
B) interfere with LTM formation
C) have no effect on LTM formation
D) interfere with LTM formation at first, but later it would enhance LTM formation

Question 48

Upon walking into his house after a day of work, Bill's family yells "SURPRISE!!!" to signify the start of a surprise birthday party for Bill. During the party, the shock of the initial surprise may cause him to:

A) be unable to recall what he did at the end of his day at work
B) have no memory of where he works
C) forget who he is
D) be unable to learn anything new at work tomorrow