Deck 8: Memory and Information Processing

Question 1

Timmy is visiting the dog pound and looking for a new pet. He looks from cage to cage until he suddenly sees a collie sitting in the far corner. He thinks to himself, "That dog looks great. I think I'll bring her home and name her Lassie." At this moment, the best example of what's in Tommy's working memory would be the

A)the excitement Timmy will feel when he takes Lassie for a walk.
B)words that Timmy is saying to himself.
C)image of collies that Timmy has stored in his brain but is not currently accessing.
D)fact that Timmy will buy the dog before the end of the day.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which pair is best known for developing an information-processing-based model of memory?

A)Young and Helmholtz
B)Watson and Skinner
C)Fechner and Weber
D)Atkinson and Shriffin

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Cognitive theorists suggest that the most likely order of the process of memory when information is being processed for the first time would be

A)encoding, consolidation, storage, retrieval.
B)retrieval, encoding, consolidation, storage.
C)consolidation, storage, encoding, retrieval.
D)storage, retrieval, encoding, consolidation.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Research participant "AJ" (real name Jill Price) has the unusual ability to

A)recall the name of every person she has ever met, regardless of how long they interacted.
B)"see" a running image of past events as if they were currently happening.
C)calculate "pi" to 1,000,000 digits.
D)learn any language within one week's time.

Question 5

The main distinction between short-term memory and working memory is that working memory is

A)larger.
B)unconscious.
C)actively processed.
D)sensory based.

Question 6

Information typically stays in _____ for the briefest amount of time.

A)working memory
B)short-term memory
C)long-term memory
D)sensory register

Question 7

Which statement concerning memory is true?

A)The sensory register is located in long-term memory.
B)Short-term memory has a much larger storage capacity than long-term memory.
C)Working-term memory provides a temporary space for processing information.
D)Long-term memory appears not to exist until around age two years.

Question 8

Which is the best description of a typical short-term memory?

A)Fairly brief duration (seconds) and small capacity (seven or so items)
B)Fairly long duration (minutes) and small capacity (seven or so items)
C)Fairly brief duration (seconds) and large capacity (seventy or so items)
D)Fairly long duration (minutes) and large capacity (seventy or so items)

Question 9

Ethel looks up the phone number of a gas station and remembers it just long enough to walk over to the telephone and dial. When she is dialing, the information is contained in her

A)sensory register.
B)short-term memory.
C)long-term memory.
D)metamemory.

Question 10

As you are reading this exam question, what would best represent information in your long-term memory?

A)The light waves as they excite the cells in your visual system
B)The words from the question as you read them
C)The words from the possible answers as you repeat them in your head
D)The information you access about the concept of long-term memory that you encoded during the previous night's study session

Question 11

Shirley is introduced to her friend's mother. While Shirley heard the woman's name, she had no idea what the woman's name was immediately after it was spoken. It is most accurate to say that the woman's name

A)never made it past Shirley's sensory register.
B)is trapped in Shirley's short-term memory.
C)is lost in Shirley's long-term memory.
D)could be cued for recall later on if Shirley would relax a bit.

Question 12

Information is stored in _____ memory for a relatively permanent period of time.

A)short-term
B)sensory
C)long-term
D)working

Question 13

In the information-processing model, the purpose of the sensory register is to

A)briefly hold a piece of information for possible processing.
B)control the activities of long-term memory.
C)retrieve data from short-term memory.
D)develop strategies for storing encoded data.

Question 14

The information-processing approach to learning

A)focuses exclusively on the impact of genetics on intelligence.
B)relies heavily on modeling and imitation.
C)likens the human mind to a computer.
D)is concerned primarily with affective responses to the environment.

Question 15

An information-processing theorist would most likely refer to _____ as being part of the mind's "software."

A)the brain
B)sensory receptors
C)neural connections
D)mental problem-solving strategies

Question 16

Encoding is best described as the process of

A)cued recall.
B)putting information into the system.
C)uncued recall.
D)taking information out of the system.

Question 17

Who would be most likely to describe the process of reading and understanding this test question by focusing exclusively on the concepts of an "external stimulus" and an "overt response," with no discussion of the mind?

A)Larry, who is a behaviorist
B)Curly, who is a psychoanalyst
C)Moe, who is a cognitive-oriented theorist
D)Shemp, who is a Piagetian

Question 18

In the information-processing approach, hardware is to software as

A)the nervous system is to the skills used to retrieve information.
B)memory is to the brain.
C)feelings are to thoughts.
D)perception is to sensation.

Question 19

When someone asks you, "What's on your mind?" the response you give would best exemplify the information currently in your

A)sensory register.
B)long-term memory.
C)collective unconsciousness.
D)working memory.

Question 20

The information-processing approach stresses all of the following basic mental processes EXCEPT

A)decision-making.
B)reinforcers.
C)perception.
D)attention.

Question 21

If information fails to be encoded it is _____ to remember.

A)easy
B)a little difficult
C)very difficult
D)impossible

Question 22

On a(n) ____ memory task, a person trying to remember some information is given a hint but not the entire answer.

A)episodic
B)implicit
C)recall
D)cued-recall

Question 23

On a true recall memory task,

A)no memory cues/aids are presented.
B)a few hints are presented.
C)a correct answer is presented along with a few distracters.
D)a correct answer is presented by itself.

Question 24

When information is taken out of long-term memory, it is being

A)scripted.
B)encoded.
C)retrieved.
D)stored.

Question 25

The process during which information is organized into a form suitable for long-term storage is called

A)retrieval.
B)utilization.
C)recognition.
D)consolidation.

Question 26

Regis asks a game show contestant, "In inches, how far is the Earth from the sun?" If no other information is given to the contestant, this task is best classified as an assessment of _____ memory.

A)recognition
B)metamemory
C)recall
D)cued-recall

Question 27

A memory that occurs without any conscious effort is best referred to as

A)explicit.
B)implicit.
C)scripted.
D)autobiographical.

Question 28

Most people find that test questions requiring _____ memory are easier to answer than those requiring _____ memory.

A)recall; recognition
B)cued-recall; recognition
C)recognition; recall
D)recall; cued-recall

Question 29

Which is the best example of a test of recall memory?

A)An essay test with no hints
B)An essay test with some hints
C)A multiple-choice test with no hints
D)A multiple-choice test with hints

Question 30

Pujols is watching his favorite baseball player in a home run derby and is trying to remember all of the movements that this player makes before he hits a long ball so that he can also become a big league player himself. Which of the following would best represent the consolidation stage of this process?

A)The attention that he is paying to each movement
B)His organizing the player's swing into a series of memories for sequential motions that can be stored in long-term memory
C)Holding of the information in long-term store
D)His retrieval of past episodes of home runs hit by this player

Question 31

On a recognition task, a person

A)is presented with a list of alternatives that includes the correct answer.
B)is not presented with the correct answer but is given a hint.
C)is neither presented with the correct answer nor given a hint.
D)must generate the answer completely on his or her own.

Question 32

Professor Sotomayor gives the students in her law class a multiple-choice test on Supreme Court Justices. This method of assessment requires students to use _____ memory.

A)recall
B)cued-recall
C)repressed
D)recognition

Question 33

While sitting in his psychology class and daydreaming as his instructor drones on about memory, Mac suddenly recalls a great hamburger he ate at a fast-food restaurant a month ago. Mac's unintentional recall for this event provides a great example of _____ memory.

A)explicit
B)fuzzy-trace
C)scripted
D)implicit

Question 34

An explicit memory

A)always has a sexual overtone.
B)is deliberately recalled.
C)occurs only after a hint has been given.
D)involves recalling behaviors but not ideas.

Question 35

Which process would best be described as "holding information"?

A)Perception
B)Retrieval
C)Storage
D)Encoding

Question 36

Which statement would best represent a failure of retrieval?

A)I never actually learned that information.
B)I don't know the answer because I never read the book containing the answer.
C)I know the answer, but I just cannot find it in my mind.
D)I would know the answer, but the teacher talked so fast about the information that I could not keep up.

Question 37

At one time in his life, Edward could name every province in Canada. Somehow this information has disappeared from where it was being held. Information-processing theorists would most likely argue that this is a failure of the _____ system.

A)elaboration
B)storage
C)metamemory
D)encoding

Question 38

At which age do people do better on recall tasks than on recognition tasks?

A)Adolescence
B)Middle age
C)Old age
D)No age group does better on recall tasks

Question 39

On a political science test, Barack is asked to write down the name of the main democratic presidential candidate in the United States in 2008. He has no idea of the answer, so he asked his teacher for a hint. The teacher says, "I can tell you this, when he won my friend said, "oh mama." With the hint, Barack is now being presented with a _____ memory task.

A)cued-recall
B)recognition
C)recall
D)implicit

Question 40

In a police lineup, a witness is shown a group of potential perpetrators that includes the actual perpetrator. He or she is then asked to point to the individual who committed the crime. The basic premise of this method involves assessing _____ memory.

A)recall
B)cued-recall
C)implicit
D)recognition

Question 41

Cognitive psychologists believe that humans are capable of engaging in "parallel processing." This means that humans can

A)carry out several mental activities at the same time.
B)think about complex issues, like religion.
C)pay selective attention to an event.
D)encode information into long-term memory.

Question 42

Colette is participating in a research study. In the first phase of the study, she is shown a list of 20 French words. She is then asked to count backwards from 50 to 1 by threes. Colette is then asked to write down all of the French words she can remember. She has taken part in a study of _____ memory.

A)explicit
B)implicit
C)cued-recall
D)recognition

Question 43

Research has indicated that procedural memory is mediated by the striatum. This means that

A)only information that is attended to is recalled.
B)language plays a significant role in the development of memory.
C)memory requires cognitive effort.
D)the brain is involved in processing memory.

Question 44

Which is the best example of a semantic memory?

A)Knowing that the first record you ever liked was by the Beatles.
B)Remembering the time you saw the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan show
C)Recalling how to play the song "A Hard Day's Night" on the guitar
D)Knowing that the Beatles were a band

Question 45

Information-processing theorists use the term _____ to describe the part of the unique element of the cognitive system that plans and monitors problem-solving.

A)fuzzy-traces
B)sensory registers
C)executive control processes
D)implicit memory

Question 46

Semantic memories are for

A)specific events.
B)general facts.
C)early childhood experiences.
D)how to perform an action.

Question 47

Carlos has experienced significant damage to his hippocampus (an area located in the medial temporal lobe). How would this most likely impact his memory?

A)He would not be able to recall events from his childhood.
B)He would have trouble creating new episodic memories.
C)He would not be able to recall who he is.
D)He could recall past events but not past factual information.

Question 48

A researcher develops a test in which participants are first given a list of types of fruit that includes the words "grapes, bananas, apples, oranges, and cherries" and asked to identify which is the longest. A while later, they are given the word stem "ban_____" and are asked to complete the word as quickly as possible. When a participant fills out the word by writing "banana," he or she is exhibiting what is called a(n) _____ memory.

A)implicit
B)procedural
C)semantic
D)recognition

Question 49

Allison is attempting to recall the code number that she uses to unlock her high school locker. As she tries different combinations, a part of her consciously keeps track of the combinations of numbers she has already tried. Information-processing theorists would refer to this aspect of Allison's cognitive system as her

A)fuzzy-trace.
B)sensory register.
C)executive control process.
D)implicit memory.

Question 50

Carlos's teacher tells the class that they should be sure to listen to an important announcement that is coming in on the school's intercom. Carlos, however, misses the message as he is focused on a fly that is crawling across his desk. Carlos's failure is best blamed on faulty

A)deferred imitation.
B)implicit memory.
C)attention skills.
D)sensory memory.

Question 51

Research on early infant ability to imitate (e.g., Meltzoff, 2004) has tended to assess the action of

A)eye blinking.
B)rolling over.
C)sticking out the tongue.
D)smiling.

Question 52

_____ memories always involve personal experiences.

A)Procedural
B)Episodic
C)Implicit
D)Cued-recall

Question 53

Which is the best example of an episodic memory?

A)Remembering how to light a candle
B)Recalling the words to the song "Happy Birthday"
C)Recalling your 21st birthday party
D)Naming four kinds of ice cream

Question 54

Problem solving is best defined as the use of _____ to achieve a goal.

A)unconscious motivators
B)a non-cognitive response
C)information-processing systems
D)operant conditioning

Question 55

The fact that some forms of amnesia destroy explicit memory but not implicit memory indicates that

A)these forms of memory operate independently.
B)implicit memory is learned and explicit is innate.
C)explicit memory develops earlier than implicit memory.
D)long-term memory lacks organization.

Question 56

Piaget argued that six-month-olds were incapable of imitating a mother who is intentionally opening her mouth very wide because infants

A)do not have vision that allows them to accurately see their mother's face.
B)cannot mentally represent the act of a wide, open mouth at that age.
C)are not physically capable of opening their mouth very wide until they reach 12 months of age.
D)refuse to imitate any actions they see.

Question 57

Implicit memory is to explicit memory as

A)unintentional is to deliberate.
B)retrieval is to storage.
C)cued it to uncued.
D)effort is to automatic.

Question 58

In assessing his newborn son's cognitive ability, Cosmo waves his hand at the baby and watches to see if his son reacts by also waving his hand. Cosmo is using a(n) _____ technique to assess his son's abilities.

A)implicit memory
B)imitation
C)cued-recall
D)operant conditioning

Question 59

Which statement concerning memory is true?

A)Explicit memory increases in capacity from infancy through adulthood then declines, while implicit memory capacity peaks in childhood then declines.
B)Explicit memory increases in capacity from infancy through adulthood then declines, while implicit memory capacity is constant across the lifespan.
C)Implicit memory increases in capacity from infancy through adulthood then declines, while explicit memory capacity peaks in childhood then declines.
D)Implicit memory increases in capacity from infancy through adulthood then declines, while explicit memory capacity is constant across the lifespan.

Question 60

The main purpose of the executive control processor is to

A)store information in long-term memory.
B)collect sensory input from the environment.
C)suppress memories that are too painful.
D)plan and monitor problem-solving.

Question 61

Six-month-old Trent saw his dad blink three times when he held a baby bottle. An hour after this occurred, Trent sees a baby bottle and blinks three times. This action would best be described as _____ imitation.

A)deferred
B)implicit
C)serial
D)decentered

Question 62

Deferred imitation always

A)involves a reflex action.
B)occurs after a delay between seeing an action and the response.
C)reflects the method of loci.
D)indicates that an implicit memory has been activated.

Question 63

Case suggests that a preschooler's tendency to center (as described by Piaget) is likely related to limited _____ memory size.

A)sensory
B)working
C)long-term
D)implicit

Question 64

If short-term memory capacity is "domain-specific," then

A)all children should have the same short-term memory capacity size.
B)the more you know about something, the larger short-term memory capacity size will be for related items.
C)it is solely determined by biological factors, not experience.
D)it cannot be impacted by the size of working memory.

Question 65

Which best describes the memory abilities of an infant human?

A)Cue-dependent and context-independent
B)Cue-dependent and context-specific
C)Cue-independent and context-independent
D)Cue-independent and context-specific

Question 66

Which statement best exemplifies a "preservation error"?

A)I have never tried this before, so what the heck.
B)Trial and error is the way to go.
C)It worked in the past and even if it does not work in the present, I will still keep doing it.
D)The best way to remember something is to connect the new idea with some past memory.

Question 67

Flavell and Wellman (1977) suggested four major reasons to explain the improved memory and learning abilities in the aging child. Which was NOT on their list of reasons?

A)Increased knowledge about how memory works
B)An increase in general knowledge about the world
C)A working-term memory that increases from 1 slot at birth to about 10 slots by age five years
D)Better "software" for effective information retrieval

Question 68

Older children can learn faster and remember more than younger children because older children typically show a significant increase in

A)the size of their sensory register.
B)childhood amnesia.
C)the capacity of long-term memory.
D)working-memory space available for constructive use.

Question 69

Carolyn Rovee-Collier's (1997) research on infant memory involved recording kicking behavior when a ribbon was tied to the infant's foot, demonstrating that young children have _____ memory.

A)repressed
B)implicit
C)recall
D)elaborative

Question 70

What seems to underlie the significant increase in processing speed seen during childhood?

A)Enhanced use of preservation
B)Vastly improved sensory systems
C)A greater reliance on implicit memory
D)Brain maturation

Question 71

Nelson is going to the grocery story with his four-year-old son, Muntz. Nelson wants Muntz to help him recall the items that they need to buy. Research on memory development indicates that Nelson should expect his son to be able to store about _____ item(s) in short-term memory.

A)one
B)three
C)five
D)seven

Question 72

The research study of infant memory involving a ribbon tied to an infant's foot relied heavily on _____ conditioning techniques.

A)social-learning-theory
B)classical
C)humanistic
D)operant

Question 73

If you turn on a floor fan, an infant will immediately orient its head toward the sound. After awhile, the infant appears to lose interest and turns its head back to its original position. This phenomenon is known as

A)habituation.
B)discrimination.
C)generalization.
D)sound acuity.

Question 74

Six-month-old Frances has been listening to her mother, Connie, singing for the past 20 minutes. How would Frances demonstrate habituation?

A)While she would be excited when her mom first started singing, she would eventually become disinterested.
B)She would attempt to imitate the noise her mother is making.
C)She would become progressively more excited by her mom's singing.
D)She would begin to exhibit the rooting reflex.

Question 75

While attempting to find his lost toy bear, 10-month-old Teddy pulls away a couch's cushion and finds the bear he watched his mother hide there 10 minutes earlier. This best demonstrates the use of _____ memory.

A)recognition
B)recall
C)implicit
D)sensory register

Question 76

Flavell and Wellman (1977) suggested four major reasons to explain the improved memory and learning abilities in the aging child. Which was on their list of reasons?

A)Larger long-term memory capacity
B)Increased cognitive impairment
C)Larger sensory memory capacity
D)Increased knowledge about the world

Question 77

Habituation is best described as learning

A)a reflex.
B)a new response.
C)not to respond.
D)in reaction to reinforcement.

Question 78

By age _____, most infants first begin to verbalize events that happened months earlier.

A)6 months
B)12 months
C)18 months
D)2 years

Question 79

The tendency to keep making the same mistake over and over is referred to as making a(n) _____ error.

A)preservation
B)mediation
C)utilization
D)organization

Question 80

Short-term memory capacity _____ between ages 6 and 13.

A)increases significantly
B)remains steady
C)decreases slightly
D)decreases significantly