Deck 6: The Acquisition of Memories and the Work-Ing-Memory System

Question 1

In list-learning experiments,participants' performance in the pre-recency portion of the curve will be improved by

A)employing more common,familiar words.
B)presenting the list of words more quickly.
C)employing a longer list of words.
D)distracting participants for a moment just after the list's end.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Modern conceptualization of memory asserts that information processing involves at least two kinds of memory: working memory and long-term memory.Long-term memory is

A)theoretically unlimited in capacity.
B)the active component of working memory.
C)not susceptible to forgetting.
D)limited in duration.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

In the past,working memory (WM)was likened to a storage container that would hold current information for a short period of time.This analogy is problematic in what way?

A)The container analogy is too static: WM is capable of more than simply short-term storage.
B)WM is more like a filing cabinet with a specific number of slots into which information can be put.
C)The size of WM varies across individuals,but a storage container never changes size.
D)There is no problem with this analogy.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The operations through which we gain new knowledge,retain that knowledge,and later use that knowledge are often divided into three processes.Which of the following is NOT one of those processes?

A)retrieval
B)acquisition
C)deliberation
D)storage

Question 5

Ira is asked to remember the order of a previously presented list of words;the experimenter asks him to recall the words immediately after hearing them.Devon is asked to remember the same list,but his recall is delayed by 20 seconds after the list presentation;during that time,Devon is given no other task to form.We would expect

A)little or no difference between Devon's performance and Ira's.
B)that Devon would have poorer memory for the list's early words but better memory for words presented later in the list.
C)that Devon would have better memory for the entire list.
D)that Devon would have poor memory for words at the end of the list.

Question 6

Which of these is NOT true for an information-processing view of memory?

A)It involves discrete steps.
B)Each step within the model has its own characteristic and its own job to do.
C)All the steps of the model run in parallel.
D)The output of one step provides the input of the next step in the sequence.

Question 7

Researchers' conceptualization of memory has been revised in recent years,but a few key components remain from the earlier "modal model." Which of the following is NO LONGER an accepted aspect of memory?

A)Working memory holds on to its contents independent of the current focus of the person's thoughts.
B)Working memory and long-term memory are considered separate memory processes.
C)Working memory is fragile and easily disrupted.
D)Working memory is limited in capacity.

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT an attribute of working memory?

A)unlimited storage capacity
B)drawn on by a wide range of tasks
C)easily accessible
D)contents closely associated with the current focus of attention

Question 9

According to the modal model of memory,words presented early in a list are easier to remember than words presented later because

A)they are still residing in working memory at the time of the test.
B)participants are particularly alert at the beginning of the list presentation.
C)the early words receive more of the participants' attention than the later words.
D)the early words suffer from less interference than the later words.

Question 10

Free recall refers to

A)word association within a list of words.
B)recalling words from a list in any order.
C)recognizing words from a list.
D)memory that requires few attentional resources.

Question 11

When thinking of a list of digits in terms of racing times,one person is found to report up to 79 digits.Evidence suggests that this person

A)has a larger working memory than most other participants.
B)is well practiced at memory retrieval.
C)can remember this information due to a unique chunking strategy.
D)does not show the primacy or recency effect.

Question 12

A participant who is asked to recall a series of numbers chooses to think about the numbers as though they were years (e.g. ,2,0,1,6 becomes "The year I turned 16").The participant is organizing information into the memory unit known as a(n)

A)sentence.
B)chunk.
C)image.
D)package.

Question 13

When asked to recall a list of 25 words,participants are likely to remember only some of them.The words they can recall are likely to include

A)approximately the last 12 words on the list.
B)the first few words on the list and also approximately the last 5 or 6 words on the list.
C)approximately the first 12 words on the list.
D)words drawn from positions scattered throughout the list.

Question 14

Modern conceptualization of the modal model asserts that information processing involves at least two kinds of memory: working memory and long-term memory (LTM).Working memory

A)has the same capacity to hold items as LTM.
B)differs from LTM in how easily one can access the stored items.
C)uses the same rehearsal mechanisms as LTM.
D)has no discernible effect on functioning outside the laboratory.

Question 15

Which of the following is the best analogy for long-term memory storage?

A)a workbench
B)a zone of intense activity
C)a large library
D)a loading dock outside a warehouse

Question 16

Early estimates of working-memory capacity relied on the digit-span task.The data indicate working-memory capacity to be ________ items.

A)10 to 14
B)2 or 3
C)around 20
D)around 7

Question 17

One difference between working memory and long-term memory is that

A)the contents of working memory tend to be in the form of visual images,whereas the contents of long-term memory are often verbal and symbolic.
B)damage to the brain can disrupt working memory,but long-term memory seems not to be similarly vulnerable.
C)long-term memory has a limited capacity,whereas working memory does not.
D)the contents of working memory depend on the content of one's current thinking,but the contents of long-term memory do not.

Question 18

A sudden,loud noise often has the impact of distracting participants long enough to clear the contents of working memory.Imagine that participants hear a list of the names of 20 different fruits,followed by an unexpected loud noise.The effect of the noise will be

A)a diminished primacy effect but no impact on how well the other words in the list are remembered.
B)diminished performance for the entire list.
C)a diminished recency effect and a diminished primacy effect but no impact on how well the other words on the list are remembered.
D)a diminished recency effect but no impact on how well the other words in the list are remembered.

Question 19

An experimenter reads a list of 30 words to a group of participants at the rate of 1 word per second.This is immediately followed by a free-recall test.A second group of participants hears the same 30 words presented at the faster rate of 2 words per second.We should expect that the group hearing the slower presentation will show improved memory performance for the

A)pre-recency portion of the list,but there will be no impact on the recency effect.
B)words at the end of the list and diminished performance for the pre-recency portion of the list.
C)entire list.
D)words at the list's end,but there will be no improvement for the words earlier in the list.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT considered a modern change to the modal model of memory?

A)Sensory memory receives less emphasis than in the modal model.
B)The term "working memory" is preferred over the older term,"short-term memory."
C)Working memory refers to a process more than a storage system.
D)Working memory and long-term memory are considered the same construct.

Question 21

Which of the following ways was NOT noted in the textbook as being correlated with working-memory capacity?

A)reading comprehension
B)reasoning skills
C)tasks that require multitasking
D)making an eye movement toward a cue

Question 22

For most recall tests,the transfer of items into long-term storage is best facilitated by ________ rehearsal.

A)maintenance
B)elaborative
C)recency
D)primacy

Question 23

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)In models of working memory,the central executive is involved in planning responses and making decisions.
B)In models of working memory,the central executive is only a small player compared to the other components of the working memory system.
C)In models of working memory,the central executive relies on "helpers," such as the articulatory rehearsal loop.
D)In models of working memory,the central executive is akin to executive control.

Question 24

The intention to learn new material

A)requires participants to focus on the meaning of the material to be learned.
B)requires participants to repeat the material over and over again.
C)leads participants to employ maintenance rehearsal.
D)leads participants to approach the material in the fashion they think best for memorization.

Question 25

As a general rule,the intention to learn

A)usually leads to worse learning than incidental learning.
B)has a direct effect on learning.
C)leads all people to adopt the same memory strategies.
D)has no direct effect on learning.

Question 26

Current theory suggests that the central executive may be

A)used to temporarily store information so that the information can then be processed at a later time by the rehearsal loop.
B)the set of processes that govern the selection and timing of other mental steps.
C)another lower-level assistant in the working-memory system.
D)a kind of guidebook for how to "run a program" in the brain.

Question 27

Which of the following groups is most likely to remember the material it is studying?

A)Group 1 intends to memorize a series of words and,while studying,repeats the words mechanically over and over again.
B)Group 2 intends to memorize a series of words and,while studying,pays attention to the exact appearance of the words.
C)Group 3 has no intention of memorizing the words and searches the list for spelling errors.
D)Group 4 has no intention of memorizing the words and attempts to determine how the words are related to one another.

Question 28

Which of the following comes closest to mirroring the effects of maintenance rehearsal?

A)Irv is unable to describe the appearance of his wristwatch even though he has owned it for years and looks at it many times each day.
B)Mari is unable to recall the name of her first-grade teacher.
C)Tony is unable to remember high school algebra even though he did well in his algebra courses.
D)Samara has managed,with some effort,to learn the names of her classmates.

Question 29

Within working memory,"helpers" like the visuospatial buffer and the articulatory rehearsal loop

A)can take over some of the lower-level analyses ordinarily performed by the central executive.
B)can provide verbal,but not visual,analysis of the memory items.
C)provide short-term storage of items likely to be needed soon by the central executive.
D)preserve the items to be remembered in their initial sensory form (e.g. ,visual stimuli are preserved as visual images).

Question 30

Week after week,Solomon watched his favorite TV show.He never planned to memorize the characters' names,and he never took any steps to memorize them.Nonetheless,he soon knew them all.This sort of learning is called

A)elaborative.
B)intentional.
C)accidental.
D)incidental.

Question 31

A student wishes to memorize an essay so that he will be able to recall the content later.Which of the following is likely to be LEAST helpful to him?

A)making certain that he understands the argument contained within the essay
B)thinking about why the essay is organized in the way that it is
C)repeatedly reading the essay aloud
D)trying to construct a paraphrase of the essay's content

Question 32

Operation-span measures of working-memory capacity measure the

A)number of letters that working memory can store.
B)number of sentences that working memory can store.
C)rate of transfer of information from working memory into long-term memory.
D)efficiency with which working memory operates when it is working.

Question 33

Reading your notes,or the textbook,over and over again is NOT recommended as a study strategy because

A)it is an elaborate way to learn information.
B)it encourages deep processing.
C)it is a passive form of learning.
D)you should also be using a highlighter to identify important material.

Question 34

In a traditional digit-span task,the capacity of working memory is estimated to be

A)approximately one chunk.
B)approximately three chunks.
C)approximately seven chunks.
D)unlimited.

Question 35

The strategy of maintenance rehearsal involves

A)the repetition of the items to be remembered and the simultaneous consideration of the items' meaning.
B)a focus on the associations between the items to be remembered and other thoughts and ideas.
C)paying attention to the order of items,independent of their meaning.
D)the repetition of the items to be remembered,with little attention paid to what the items mean.

Question 36

The helper within the working-memory system that stores visual materials is called the

A)visuospatial buffer.
B)rehearsal loop.
C)visuocentral executive.
D)iconic storage.

Question 37

Peter has a higher working-memory capacity than Josh.Given previous correlational evidence,who would you expect performs better on standardized tests,such as intelligence tests?

A)Peter
B)Josh
C)We cannot tell.
D)There is no relationship between working-memory capacity and intelligence scores.

Question 38

Participants in an experiment were asked to keep track of the most recent word they had heard that started with a "G." Therefore,participants should report "gravy" after hearing the sequence "girl,grump,hat,scissors,whistle,pen,radio,bed,foot,glass,lantern,gravy." Later,participants are asked to report back all the "G" words they heard.We would anticipate

A)good recollection of all the words because participants were able to concentrate their attention on the task and rehearsed only one word at a time.
B)poor recollection of all the "G" words because the situation invites maintenance rather than elaborative rehearsal.
C)good recollection of "grump," since this word was in the participants' thoughts for a long time (while they were waiting for "glass").
D)poor recollection of the early words in the list but good recollection of the words in the middle of the list.

Question 39

You are watching TV when a commercial advertising a new pizza place comes on.You decide you want pizza,so you listen to the restaurant's phone number and then recite the number to yourself.Just as you are about to dial,your cell phone rings and you talk on the phone for a few minutes.What is most likely to happen after you finish your call?

A)You remember the phone number,so you call and order.
B)Out of habit,you call your favorite pizza place (whose number you have memorized),forgetting you wanted to try the new place.
C)You think you probably remember the number and try calling,and you are correct.
D)You have forgotten the phone number.

Question 40

According to the data presented in the textbook,how does the intention to memorize influence how well we learn?

A)It influences learning only with shallow processing.
B)It influences learning only with deep processing.
C)The intention to memorize on its own adds nothing to our ability to learn.
D)It improves our ability to learn,regardless of the depth of processing.

Question 41

Which of these is LEAST important for encoding and acquisition?

A)memory connections
B)shallow processing
C)organization
D)understanding

Question 42

Imagine you are shown the word "dog" and asked one of the following questions about that word.Which of these questions is going to lead to the best memory performance?

A)Does it fit into the sentence,"The ________ enjoyed his dinner"?
B)Does it contain an "A"?
C)Does it fit into the following sentence: "The speeding car swung around the corner,music blaring,and screeched to a halt before seeing the ________"?
D)Does it rhyme with "log"?

Question 43

Which of the following most accurately represents the probability an item will be retained (most likely > least likely)?

A)deep processing > shallow processing > maintenance rehearsal > deep and elaborate processing
B)deep and elaborate processing > deep processing > shallow processing > maintenance rehearsal
C)maintenance rehearsal > shallow processing > deep processing > deep and elaborate processing
D)deep processing > deep and elaborate processing > shallow processing > maintenance rehearsal

Question 44

Researchers have used fMRI to evaluate the neural areas that are correlated with successful memory functioning.They measured brain activity during encoding,gave participants a memory test,and then

A)erased their memories.
B)measured neural activity for items that were elaborated.
C)compared active neural areas across men and women.
D)measured neural activity during retrieval.

Question 45

Is memory for details of rich,complex scenes similar to memory for words?

A)Yes;they both require mnemonics for successful retention.
B)Yes;organization facilitates memory for both types of stimuli.
C)Yes;both types of memory benefit from maintenance rehearsal.
D)No;memory connections are important for word memory but not for scene memory.

Question 46

One effect of chunking is to

A)increase the amount of material that can be held in working memory.
B)facilitate the primacy and recency effects.
C)group items based on sound.
D)encode items based on spatial properties.

Question 47

A participant is trying to memorize the word "parade." To help herself,she thinks about the word within a complicated sentence: "From their third-floor apartment,they had a great view of all the bands,the cowboys,and the floats in the Thanksgiving parade." This learning strategy will produce

A)fine memory performance,but similar performance could be achieved with simpler sentences if they require the participant to think about the meaning of the word.
B)poor memory performance because the complicated sentence draws attention away from the target word.
C)excellent memory performance because the sentence involves a great deal of maintenance rehearsal.
D)excellent memory performance because the strategy requires attention to meaning and provides many memory connections.

Question 48

In general,any technique designed to improve memory is referred to as

A)a mnemonic strategy.
B)the method of loci.
C)the method of repetition.
D)memory rehearsal.

Question 49

A helpful analogy for the encoding and retrieval process in long-term memory is

A)cataloguing,the way librarians catalogue new books.
B)stacking,the way a waiter stacks plates.
C)collating,the way clerks collate their records.
D)shaping,the way an artist shapes a new sculpture.

Question 50

If a participant is asked to recall a previously experienced event,the relevant memory generally must be accessed via

A)deep processing.
B)elaborative processing.
C)a retrieval path.
D)the memory index.

Question 51

Data indicate that,all things being equal,recall performance will be best if materials are encoded with ________ processing.

A)shallow
B)intermediate
C)deep
D)sensory

Question 52

Deep processing may lead to improved memory performance because it facilitates retrieval.How exactly does this happen?

A)Deep processing forms many connections between the current item and previous knowledge.
B)Deep processing causes items to be kept in working memory.
C)Deep processing encourages the use of mnemonics.
D)Deep processing forms fewer retrieval paths,making the correct path easier to access.

Question 53

The memorizer plays an important role in memory acquisition.Which of the following is NOT discussed in the chapter as having an effect on long-term memory?

A)prior knowledge of the memorizer
B)the situation in which the memorizer learned the material
C)the rehearsal strategy the memorizer used
D)the exact intentions of the memorizer

Question 54

Although mnemonics can be helpful for remembering a small number of specific items (like a grocery list),it does have some drawbacks.One such problem is that

A)using a mnemonic involves a trade-off with less attention spent looking for memory connections that can help you understand the material.
B)mnemonics work only when remembering up to seven items.
C)mnemonics are particularly difficult to remember when specific information is being tested.
D)the recall of all items by mnemonics is slow.

Question 55

It is sometimes difficult to predict memory performance outside of the lab because

A)some people have foolish ideas about how to proceed when they really want to memorize something.
B)memory acquisition depends on previous knowledge,and everyone has different knowledge.
C)people differ in their working-memory capacity.
D)researchers do not agree on the best ways to test memory.

Question 56

In a peg-word system,participants help themselves memorize a group of items by

A)forming an elaborate sentence about each of the items to be remembered.
B)associating each item with some part of an already memorized framework,or skeleton.
C)naming the items to themselves over and over again.
D)placing each item in its appropriate semantic category.

Question 57

A physician has just read an article about a recently developed drug.Which of the following is LEAST important in determining whether the physician will remember the article later?

A)The physician read the article carefully to determine whether it was persuasive.
B)The physician realized how suggestions within the article could be integrated with other things she already knew.
C)The physician expected to need the information later and therefore employed a maintenance memorization strategy that had helped her memorize material in the past.
D)The physician quickly saw that the new drug might have multiple uses,so she thought about several circumstances in which she might use it.

Question 58

What is the most useful approach to chunking the digit sequence 17761492911?

A)177 614 929 11
B)1776 14929 11
C)1776 1492 911
D)17 76 14 92 911

Question 59

Several researchers have compared brain activity during the learning process for words that were later remembered and words that were later forgotten.Which of the following is consistent with their findings?

A)Increased activity in the occipital cortex was associated with better retention.
B)Increased activity in the midbrain cortex was associated with better retention.
C)Increased activity in the hippocampus was associated with better retention.
D)Activity levels in the brain during the learning process were not predictive of subsequent retention.

Question 60

Which of the following is an example of a question that leads to deep processing?

A)What is the meaning of the word "tantalizing"?
B)Are there more vowels or more consonants in the word "brain"?
C)Can you think of a word that rhymes with "elephant"?
D)How many syllables are there in the word "convenient"?

Question 61

Describe the serial position curve and its relevance to the modal memory model.Include in your answer a description of the procedure,traditional findings,and the manipulations that help us understand the processes that lead to the traditional findings.

Question 62

The primacy effect is associated with ________,and the recency effect is associated with ________.

A)short-term memory;long-term memory
B)long-term memory;recognition memory
C)working memory;short-term memory
D)long-term memory;working memory

Question 63

Which of the following approaches is LEAST likely to facilitate retention of academic material?

A)reflecting on a lecture's main points an hour or so after the lecture
B)rereading lecture notes the day before an exam
C)considering the relationship between a lecture's content and previously understood material
D)describing your understanding of novel concepts to a classmate

Question 64

Imagine you are staring at a photograph of a man's face and trying to memorize it for later.Using the modal model,describe how the visual information will be processed and eventually stored in memory.

Question 65

Bill is given a list of words to memorize for a later test.While he is encoding the words,his brain activity is measured using fMRI.Describe the patterns of activity you would expect to see in Bill's brain for words he later remembers and those he later forgets.

Question 66

Compare and contrast maintenance and elaborative rehearsal by considering their effects on the creation of memory connections.

Question 67

Why is the term "working memory" now preferred over "short-term memory"?

Question 68

Which of the following statements most accurately describes the relationships among acquisition,retrieval,and storage processes?

A)Acquisition,retrieval,and storage processes turn out to be independent processes,so that weaknesses and flaws in one can routinely be compensated for by adjustments in one of the others.
B)The three terms are really just different names for the same process.
C)Acquisition is related to storage processes,but not to retrieval processes.
D)Acquisition,retrieval,and storage processes are intertwined processes.

Question 69

Your friend is having a hard time in biology and would like some tips on studying for the class.What advice would you give your friend? Include at least three suggestions based on the information you have learned in this chapter.

Question 70

Are flashcards an effective way to memorize information? Why or why not?

Question 71

Describe how previous knowledge or ideas of the memorizer can impact memory and how this can sometimes lead one to make memory errors.

Question 72

Describe Baddeley's working-memory model.Name two cognitive phenomena that are well explained by the model.

Question 73

Differentiate between the free recall procedure and the operation-span task.Relate the differences in procedure to the memory systems each test measures.