Deck 12: Individual Differences in Learning and Memory

Question 1

The role that biology plays in memory ability is referred to as:

A) nurture
B) nature
C) environmental effects
D) all of the above

Answer 1

nature

Question 2

Joe and Betty want their kids to grow up as smart as possible, so they enroll them in the best schools, buy them all the newest computer-learning software, and give them lots of praise and affection. What aspect of their kids' lives are these parents manipulating with these above methods?

A) their hereditary endowment
B) their nature-based processes
C) their nurture-based processes
D) all of the above

Answer 2

their nurture-based processes

Question 3

Tryon's selective breeding experiments revealed that:

A) one's genetic endowment cannot be manipulated to produce certain characteristics
B) manipulating one's genetic endowment produces life-threatening biological mutations
C) one's environment plays a stronger role in learning than one's genetics
D) one's genetic endowment can be manipulated to produce certain characteristics

Answer 3

one's genetic endowment can be manipulated to produce certain characteristics

Question 4

Genes and environment tend to interact in producing behavior.

Question 5

Which of the following procedures has been used to study the influence of genes on learning skills?

A) chemical exposure
B) DNA insertion
C) both A and B
D) neither A nor B

Question 6

Studying the effects of selective breeding on learning in humans is_______when compared to studying the same effects in lower animals.

A) easier
B) the same
C) more difficult
D) none of the above

Question 7

If one wanted to understand the role that genetics play in behavior, the best subset of the human population to study would be:

A) dizygotic twins
B) monozygotic twins
C) fraternal twins
D) non-twin siblings

Question 8

Identical twins tend to show similar memory ability on tasks involving:

A) short-term memory
B) digit span
C) sensory memory
D) associative memory

Question 9

Twin studies show that episodic and semantic memory systems do not have a genetic basis.

Question 10

Lisa and Denise are identical twins, and are having their episodic and semantic memories tested. They are asked questions about American History prior to 1950, as well as about events that occurred to them during their high school and college years. Results of research involving twins would suggest that Lisa and Denise's responses to the semantic and episodic questions will likely:

A) show similar responses on both types of memory tasks
B) would be similar on semantic memory yet different on episodic memory education
C) would be similar on episodic memory yet different on semantic memory education
D) be independent of one another

Question 11

Which individual is likely to show the best classical conditioning ability?

A) a 27-year-old
B) a 7-year-old
C) a 2-year-old
D) a 72-year-old

Question 12

There is no research showing that learning occurs prior to birth.

Question 13

Prenatal classical conditioning involves:

A) exposing a child to a CS and US immediately after birth
B) testing for a conditioned response at 1 month, and then 1 year, after birth
C) exposing a fetus to CS-US pairings
D) none of the above

Question 14

A prenatal CS and serve as a post-natal_______in the context of Instrumental Conditioning.

A) CS
B) US
C) punishment
D) reinforcement

Question 15

Episodic memories can be assessed during infancy by using:

A) classical conditioning
B) habituation
C) dishabituation
D) none of the above

Question 16

Childhood amnesia may be the result of:

A) prenatal exposure to alcohol
B) enhanced hippocampal activity during the first year of life
C) well-formed metamemory skills
D) diminished memory capacity during infancy, compared to adulthood

Question 17

Very young children tend to rely on__________data to encode information, whereas older children and adults utilize________data during encoding.

A) sensory; motor
B) sensory; verbal
C) verbal; motor
D) motor; sensory

Question 18

Cindy, a 6-year-old, is presented with several random strings of letters to commit to memory. Which of the following strings is she most likely to remember in the correct order?

A) RQY
B) BHFZP
C) MPLSTGX
D) WYZDHLPMT

Question 19

Research on the supposed decline of metamemory ability with aging has found that older adults have a(n) understanding of how memory works.

A) inaccurate
B) poor
C) mildly inaccurate
D) good

Question 20

In a 1-room schoolhouse with students of all ages, Mr. Smith notices that some of his students are taking notes about what is being discussed in class, whereas others are not. Which of the following students would be most likely to be one of the students taking notes?

A) Joe, a 5-year-old boy
B) Jen, a 6-year-old girl
C) Victor, a 9-year-old boy
D) Rhonda, a 12-year-old girl

Question 21

Johnathan, a 14-year-old boy, cannot remember details of the first year of his life. Which of the following is NOT an explanation as to why this amnesia is occurring?

A) babies do not think until they are at least 2 years old
B) the lack of self-recognition hurts early memory formation
C) newborns do not possess appropriate language skills to form detailed memories
D) all of the above

Question 22

The decline in memory abilities seen in many adults can be attributed to:

A) the consumption of heart medication
B) strong metamemory processes
C) damaged working memory elements
D) all of the above

Question 23

Mental retardation can be caused by:

A) birth defects
B) head injury
C) malnutrition
D) all of the above

Question 24

The cognitive impairment of Down Syndrome is the result of:

A) lack of formal education
B) a genetic defect
C) head injury
D) malnutrition

Question 25

Barry has three copies of chromosome 21. Which of the following tasks will he most likely have difficulty with?

A) reciting his telephone number
B) tracing the correct path though a maze
C) stating the names of his brothers and sisters
D) all of the above

Question 26

Julie, a 20-year-old, does not seem to understand why organizing her class notes is important for effective recall. This problem can also be seen in individuals with:

A) Williams Syndrome
B) Down Syndrome
C) both a and b
D) none of the above

Question 27

Cognitive training in the use of memory skills will not bring a retarded person's abilities up to a normal level.

Question 28

Williams Syndrome individuals are__________likely to have a learning disability compared to "normal" individuals.

A) more
B) equally
C) less
D) equally, but only during childhood

Question 29

Learning disabled children tend to exhibit problems with:

A) memory encoding
B) memory retrieval
C) attention
D) all of the above

Question 30

While sitting in class, Jamie, a 10-year-old girl with a learning disability, is very distracted, fidgeting in her chair and not focusing on the lesson being delivered by the teacher. Which approach is most consistent either Jamie's behavior?

A) the retrieval deficit hypothesis
B) the attentional deficit hypothesis
C) disconnection syndrome
D) classical conditioning

Question 31

Which type of cognitive process has not been found to be dysfunctional in learning-disabled individuals?

A) working memory
B) implicit learning
C) short term memory
D) semantic memory

Question 32

Dual-task experiments using learning-disabled individuals as participants have suggested that the problems experienced by people with learning disabilities is due to a problem with:

A) attention
B) retrieval
C) working memory
D) LTM

Question 33

Nick has the ability to memorize random strings of letters that are anywhere from 75-125 items long. If his brain were to undergo functional brain imaging while he was attempting to memorize such a stimulus, which area would likely show heightened activity?

A) those involved with verbal memory
B) those involved with letter processing
C) no areas would be heightened in relation to others

Question 34

The mnemonist "S." can be said to have had a memory problem in the sense that he had problems:

A) encoding information
B) retrieving information
C) with Korsakoff's Disease
D) forgetting information

Question 35

Which of the following illustrates synesthesia?

A) recalling a string of 67 random digits, in their correct order
B) listening to music and seeing musical notes coming from a speaker
C) recalling information via eidetic imagery
D) none of the above

Question 36

An IQ score of 100 is taken as an indicator of normal, or average, intelligence. Which of the following is most indicative of an IQ score of a savant?

A) 100
B) 70
C) 95
D) 120

Question 37

Which of the following best describes how savants come to have their special abilities?

A) they need to practice it for many years
B) they are born with it
C) they attain it after suffering some type of brain injury
D) none of the above--savants do not have any special skills

Question 38

The differences between men and women in terms of verbal and spatial abilities has gotten larger over the years.

Question 39

Females have been found to be better at recognizing faces when compared to males. A possible explanation of this effect involves:

A) the different experiences of men and women
B) different interests of men and women
C) biological differences between men and women
D) all of the above

Question 40

Marie has a 23-year-old female patient that is having problems with her spatial memory. Giving this patient an estrogen supplement to boost her memory will likely have what effect on her memory dysfunction?

A) it will eliminate it
B) it will make it worse
C) it will have no impact

Question 41

A possible reason why introverted people are not as sensitive to rewards when compared to extraverts is that:

A) introverts have an inhibited central nervous system that prevents them from learning properly
B) the central nervous system of extraverts is so aroused that they are sensitive to everything
C) introverts have an overaroused central nervous system that prevents them from learning properly
D) introverts are not as intelligent as extraverts

Question 42

Professor Smith can talk, without notes, about the complexity of neuropsychology for hours and hours in class. However, whenever someone asks him about neuropsychology and the question involves an image of some type, he can't seem to remember anything. Professor Smith seems to have a learning style consistent with which model?

A) Williams Syndrome
B) the visualizer-verbalizer dimension
C) reflective thinking
D) concrete thinking

Question 43

Kate's preferred mode of teaching involves having her students do many activities in class that make abstract principles "come to life." This teaching style is illustrative of which approach to learning?

A) analytical
B) reflective
C) abstract
D) concrete

Question 44

Which of the following is not associated with Sternberg's approach to learning styles?

A) analytical thinking
B) practical thinking
C) concrete thinking
D) creative thinking

Question 45

Which of the following conclusions stems from work in cross-cultural psychology?

A) evidence of reconstructive memories is limited to Western societies
B) education enhances memory ability
C) people from different cultures do not develop memory abilities that are distinct from other cultures
D) none of the above

Question 46

Kratzig & Arbuthnott's learning style research found that:

A) individuals' self-reported learning styles were consistently validated by standardized tests
B) individuals' self-reported learning styles were not consistently validated by standardized tests
C) visual learners perform better than auditory learners
D) auditory learners perform better than visual learners