Deck 7: Memory

Question 1

After the end of the semester, certain students seem to have forgotten everything they learned. To find out whether their amnesia is complete or only partial, their professor teaches them the material again to see whether they learn any faster the second time than they did the first time. What kind of memory test is this?

A) recognition
B) savings
C) free recall
D) cued recall

Answer 1

savings

Question 2

Professor Lord gives you a list of 400 names and asks you to check the ones that appeared in the book of Deuteronomy. What kind of memory test is this?

A) free recall
B) cued recall
C) recognition
D) savings

Answer 2

recognition

Question 3

Psychologists use the term memory to refer to

A) the process of retaining information as well as to the information retained.
B) the process of retaining information only.
C) the information retained only.
D) the process of retrieving information from the brain.

Answer 3

the process of retaining information as well as to the information retained.

Question 4

In order to be sure that the items on the lists that he learned would be unfamiliar, Ebbinghaus

A) learned lists of foreign words.
B) spelled all the words backwards.
C) invented nonsense syllables.
D) had his students make up the lists.

Question 5

Suppose I asked you to tell me the names of the members of your third-grade class. To help you out, I provide all of their first and last initials. This is an example of what kind of memory test?

A) savings
B) relearning
C) free recall
D) cued recall

Question 6

In psychology, the term memory refers to,

A) generally, the retention of information.
B) specifically, the retention of facts that rarely change.
C) specifically, the retention of facts that seldom change.
D) specifically, the retention of facts that never change.

Question 7

Professor Yawnmore asks you to write by memory a list of all the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize. What kind of memory test is this?

A) free recall
B) cued recall
C) recognition
D) savings

Question 8

In Ebbinghaus's studies of memorization of nonsense syllables, who did the memorizing?

A) students in Ebbinghaus's General Psychology course
B) mentally retarded adults
C) Ebbinghaus's children
D) Ebbinghaus himself

Question 9

If asked to tell your social security number (without looking it up), you are being asked to perform a __________ memory test.

A) recognition
B) cued-recall
C) free recall
D) savings

Question 10

The savings method of testing memory

A) is similar to the recall method.
B) requires physiological monitoring of brain activity.
C) can be completed in less time than other methods of testing memory.
D) can detect weaker memories than the recall method can.

Question 11

Your friend asks you to name the seven dwarves from "Snow White". This is a memory test that psychologists would call a __________ test.

A) free recall
B) cued recall
C) recognition
D) relearning

Question 12

Ebbinghaus used nonsense syllables in his experiments on memory because nonsense syllables are

A) highly interesting to most people.
B) immune to the von Restorff effect.
C) unfamiliar.
D) easier to remember than real words.

Question 13

An essay exam is best described as a __________ test of memory.

A) cued recall
B) free recall
C) recognition
D) relearning

Question 14

Why did Ebbinghaus use nonsense syllables in his memory experiments?

A) People have no previous learning of nonsense syllables.
B) It is easy for computers to generate nonsense syllables.
C) Nonsense syllables are distinctive and meaningful.
D) Nonsense syllables do not generate proactive or retroactive interference.

Question 15

When Ebbinghaus pioneered the experimental study of memory, the information he memorized was

A) poetry.
B) scripture verses.
C) nonsense syllables.
D) word pairs.

Question 16

Your history professor gives you a list of the initials of all the U.S. presidents and vice presidents and asks you to fill in the names. What kind of memory test is this?

A) free recall
B) cued recall
C) recognition
D) savings

Question 17

When comparing human memory to a computer, most psychologists today would agree with which of the following?

A) Human memory is very similar to a computer.
B) Humans store information in a way very similar to computers, but humans do not retrieve information in the same way as computers.
C) Humans retrieve information from storage in a way very similar to computers, but humans do not store information in the same way as computers.
D) Human memory is really not similar to computers.

Question 18

The savings method of testing memory

A) measures whether a person can identify the correct item from a list of choices.
B) measures whether a person relearns faster than he or she learned the first time.
C) requires a person to generate the memory without any hints.
D) can be used only with nonhuman animals.

Question 19

Which kind of memory test are you taking right now?

A) free recall
B) cued recall
C) recognition
D) savings

Question 20

You say you cannot remember the geography you learned in junior high school. Someone tests whether you can relearn it faster than you learned it the first time. Which method of testing memory is this?

A) savings
B) recognition
C) free recall
D) cued recall

Question 21

You are asked to sketch a picture of your General Psychology lecture hall. While you never actually tried to remember the types of chairs and the color of the carpet, you are told that your drawing has a number of features correct. Your memory for you classroom would be an example of __________ memory.

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

Question 22

"Once you learn to ride a bicycle, you never forget" is a statement regarding __________ memory.

A) declarative
B) procedural
C) semantic
D) episodic

Question 23

After you witness a robbery, you have trouble describing the thief. The police show you several photographs and ask whether any of them was the thief. They are checking your memory by which method?

A) implicit memory
B) cued recall
C) savings
D) recognition

Question 24

One unusual feature of implicit memory is that

A) implicit memory, unlike any other kind of memory, grows stronger after the passage of time.
B) people can display this kind of memory without consciously realizing that they are using their memory.
C) implicit memory is absent in early childhood and begins to develop after about age five.
D) almost any kind of brain damage impairs implicit memory, even if the damage does not affect any other kind of memory.

Question 25

According to the information-processing model of memory, human memory is most analogous to

A) a library classification system.
B) a food processor.
C) an encyclopedia set.
D) a computer.

Question 26

People who seem to have forgotten some information may be able to remember that same information if you

A) change the environment to one less similar to the original learning environment.
B) change the method of testing.
C) decrease the levels of available glucose to the brain.
D) change from deep to shallow processing.

Question 27

Two people in the background are discussing Tibet, but you are paying no attention. After they leave, someone asks you what they had been talking about, and you say you don't know. Nevertheless, a few minutes later you start discussing Tibet yourself. What kind of memory are you displaying?

A) procedural
B) implicit
C) explicit
D) savings

Question 28

In what way is identifying a suspect from a lineup similar to taking a multiple choice test?

A) both are a form of an implicit memory test
B) both are a form of a recognition memory test
C) both are a form of a recall memory test
D) police officers, like professors, enjoy asking trick questions to confuse you

Question 29

Viewing memory as a process in which items enter memory and go from a brief sensory store to a short-term temporary memory to a long-term permanent memory is an example of

A) a trichromatic theory.
B) an information-processing model.
C) associationism.
D) a procedural model.

Question 30

When you remember how to tie your shoes, what type of memory is this?

A) factual
B) procedural
C) episodic
D) state dependent

Question 31

What is unusual about implicit tests of memory, as compared to the recall and recognition methods?

A) Implicit tests of memory provide a direct measurement of the person's depth of processing.
B) Implicit tests of memory are based on direct measurement of the activity of various parts of the brain.
C) Implicit tests of memory sometimes show signs of memory even in people who say they do not remember.
D) Implicit tests of memory require people not only to remember but also to explain how they remember.

Question 32

Your friend asks, "What's the name of our chemistry lab instructor? I think it's Kathy or Karen something." If you answer correctly that it is Kathy Katzenjammer, which kind of memory are you displaying?

A) implicit memory
B) source amnesia
C) savings
D) cued recall

Question 33

Which method of testing memory is most likely to show signs of memory even in people who claim that they do not remember something at all?

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

Question 34

People read a list of words including PENDULUM. Later they are shown something like __E__D__L__M and they try to fill in the missing letters. Most get the correct answer (which is PENDULUM). What is unusual about this method of testing memory?

A) People who can recite the list of words perfectly often fail to show any memory by this fill-in-the-blanks test.
B) People frequently show signs of memory according to this test although they are not able to recall the words on the list.
C) People actually show a stronger memory on this test the longer they wait after originally reading the list.
D) People often fill in the blanks incorrectly and then insist that the incorrect words were actually on the original list.

Question 35

If a memory is very weak, which method of testing memory is most likely to detect that memory?

A) free recall
B) cued recall
C) recognition
D) savings

Question 36

Remembering how to ride your bike is an example of a __________memory.

A) declarative
B) episodic
C) procedural
D) semantic

Question 37

A lineup measures memory in what way?

A) recall
B) cued recall
C) savings
D) recognition

Question 38

When witnesses choose a suspect from a lineup, they sometimes identify the wrong person. To minimize such errors, psychologists recommend the following change in procedure:

A) Present the suspects sequentially (one at a time).
B) Tell the witness which suspect the police think is probably guilty.
C) Provide more encouragement.
D) Have several witnesses discuss the choice among themselves.

Question 39

You don't have a telephone directory and you are trying to remember the phone number of your local pizza parlor. You must rely on

A) recognition.
B) free recall.
C) savings.
D) implicit memory.

Question 40

One unusual feature of implicit memories is that

A) unlike explicit memories, implicit memories grow stronger and stronger over time.
B) implicit memories relate only to actions or skills, not to words.
C) a person can have an implicit memory without having any conscious recognition of a memory.
D) they are the memories most likely to be damaged in people with amnesia.

Question 41

The telephone company's use of area codes followed by different 4-digit phone numbers makes it easier to remember the numbers of several different friends because of

A) chunking.
B) sensory storage.
C) the von Restorff effect.
D) matrix memory.

Question 42

One way to expand the amount of material one can store in short-term memory is to

A) pause a few minutes between learning the material and testing memory.
B) organize the material into chunks.
C) think only about the sound of the words and not their meaning.
D) make sure you have more retroactive interference than proactive interference.

Question 43

In one experiment an undergraduate spent a year and a half memorizing lists of numbers and recalling them immediately. By the end of the year, how had his memory changed-if at all?

A) He had increased the capacity of his short-term memory not only for numbers (which he had practiced) but also for letters (which he had not practiced).
B) He had improved his ability to use chunking to store more numbers in his short-term memory.
C) The capacity of his short-term memory had decreased from seven to five.
D) His ability to memorize had not changed in any way.

Question 44

Your memory of the rules of basketball or golf is a type of

A) semantic memory.
B) episodic memory.
C) procedural memory.
D) declarative memory.

Question 45

Which of the following is an example of a semantic memory?

A) remembering the current score of a basketball game
B) remembering the final score of a basketball game played last week
C) remembering the first time you went to a basketball game
D) remembering the rules for playing basketball

Question 46

What type of memory is your memory of your current mailing address?

A) short-term
B) semantic
C) episodic
D) state-dependent

Question 47

Which of these types of memory can store the largest amount of information? That is, which one has the greatest capacity?

A) the sensory store
B) short-term memory
C) long-term memory
D) All three have an equal capacity

Question 48

If you remember the 12-digit number "100110021003" as the three numbers "1001-1002-1003" you improve your ability to recall it by means of

A) implicit memory.
B) chunking.
C) the von Restorff effect.
D) context-dependent memory.

Question 49

Memory for specific life events such as graduating from high school, or getting married, is known as

A) semantic memory.
B) episodic memory.
C) procedural memory.
D) implicit memory.

Question 50

In the traditional information-processing model, one difference between short-term memory and long-term memory is that

A) you forget many short-term memories almost as soon as your attention is distracted; long-term memories can be available at any time.
B) your short-term memories pertain mostly to meanings, while your long-term memories pertain mostly to sounds.
C) you can store an almost unlimited amount of information in short-term memory but your long-term memory has a limited capacity.
D) you need reminders or retrieval cues to find information stored in short-term memory; you need no such help for long-term memory.

Question 51

Which of the following is an example of episodic memory?

A) remembering how to ride a bicycle
B) remembering the name of your elementary school
C) remembering what happened your first day of elementary school
D) remembering how to shoot a basketball

Question 52

When you remember the rules of tennis, what type of memory is that?

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

Question 53

Research in the 1950's suggested that the capacity of short-term memory is

A) one or two items.
B) about seven items.
C) about the same as long-term memory.
D) unlimited.

Question 54

Someone asks you what time it is. You check your watch and answer. A few seconds later, after you have been distracted, someone asks what time you said it was. You have forgotten. According to the traditional information-processing view, what type of memory was this?

A) procedural
B) short-term
C) long-term
D) semantic

Question 55

If you remember the events of moving into your current home, what type of memory is that?

A) semantic
B) implicit
C) episodic
D) short-term

Question 56

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

A) we forget long-term memories because of decay and short-term memories because of interference.
B) long-term memory can hold a vast amount of information and short-term memory can hold only about seven items
C) short-term memory holds language items and long-term memory holds skills.
D) short-term memory holds skills and long-term memory holds language items.

Question 57

If you remember the number "14916253649" as "1-4-9-16-25-36-49" (the squares of the first seven integers), you are improving your ability to store the information by means of

A) chunking.
B) the von Restorff effect.
C) the savings method.
D) confabulation.

Question 58

When you remember how a clock works, what type of memory is that?

A) episodic
B) semantic
C) short-term
D) implicit

Question 59

"The magical number seven, plus or minus two" refers to the capacity of

A) the visual sensory store.
B) semantic memory.
C) short-term memory.
D) flashbulb memories.

Question 60

According to research, our short term memory store

A) can hold only one item at a time.
B) can hold about seven items.
C) can hold about 25 (5x5 matrix) items.
D) has nearly unlimited capacity.

Question 61

In the experiment by Peterson and Peterson that demonstrated the decay of short-term memory over 20 seconds, why did they ask their subjects to count backward by threes during the delay?

A) to increase depth of processing
B) to prevent rehearsal
C) to enable subjects to engage in chunking
D) to increase the probability of consolidation

Question 62

Bahrick studied people's ability to remember a foreign language after learning it. His results showed:

A) memory was best when tested at least six years after learning the language.
B) memory for verbs was greater than for nouns.
C) memory initially declined over the first six years but then remained relatively stable.
D) memory for words with a Latin origin were better than for words with a Greek origin.

Question 63

The phonological loop and the visuospatial sketchpad are two aspects of

A) semantic memory.
B) episodic memory.
C) working memory.
D) long-term memory.

Question 64

The concept of working memory is roughly synonymous with

A) long-term memory.
B) episodic memory.
C) procedural memory.
D) one's current sphere of attention.

Question 65

The term "working memory" has been adopted by many researchers to replace the more traditional term

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

Question 66

In psychologists' current conception of working memory, what is the relationship between the phonological loop and the visuospatial sketchpad?

A) Information first enters the phonological loop and then gets transferred to the visuospatial sketchpad.
B) Information first enters the visuospatial sketchpad and then gets transferred to the phonological loop.
C) The phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad handle different kinds of information, which do not interfere with each other.
D) Anything in the phonological loop is also processed simultaneously by the visuospatial sketchpad.

Question 67

If you spent the next year or two practicing your ability to memorize numbers and recite them immediately, how would your short-term memory probably change?

A) You might be able to memorize as many as 10 digits at a time, but no more than that.
B) The capacity of your short-term memory would increase for numbers, letters, and other types of information.
C) You would eventually grow so confused that you could not memorize any more numbers.
D) You would learn to use chunking to store larger units in short-term memory.

Question 68

The most reasonable conclusion concerning the decay of short-term memories is that

A) memories are either stored in long-term memory or forgotten in about 18 seconds.
B) all types of information in short-term memory decay at the same rate.
C) there is no research evidence that supports the decay hypothesis.
D) some types of information of current concern can be maintained and updated for longer than 18 seconds even without constant rehearsal.

Question 69

The "central executive" aspect of working memory is responsible for

A) storing visual memories.
B) controlling muscle movements.
C) shifting attention.
D) rehearsing sounds.

Question 70

An experimenter has subjects listen to some information then begin counting backward by threes. After 20 seconds the subject is most likely to remember the material if it was

A) presented loudly.
B) random letters, not digits.
C) random digits, not letters.
D) meaningful.

Question 71

In working memory the component that is responsible for governing shifts of attention is called the

A) phonological loop.
B) central executive.
C) visuospatial sketchpad.
D) consolidator.

Question 72

An experimenter reads a series of letters, such as TGWNR, and asks college students to recall it 20 seconds later. They are likely to forget the letters if they

A) try to form a visual image of the letters.
B) blink their eyes frequently during the 20 seconds.
C) fail to rehearse the letters during the 20 seconds.
D) store the letters in a way that makes use of chunking.

Question 73

After students graduate from college, what happens to their memory of a foreign language that they studied in college?

A) They continue to remember it without any loss for the rest of their lives.
B) Their memory fades for the first 3 to 6 years and remains fairly stable from then on.
C) Their memory fades gradually and steadily throughout the rest of their lives.
D) Their memory remains stable for the first 3 to 6 years and then begins to fade steadily from then on.

Question 74

The levels-of-processing principle distinguishes between

A) short-term and sensory memory.
B) strengths of various long-term memories.
C) the location in the brain in which various memories are stored.
D) retroactive and proactive interference.

Question 75

When you are trying to memorize a list of words, the more you think about their meaning, the easier they will be to remember later. This is known as the

A) von Restorff effect.
B) state-dependent memory principle.
C) levels-of-processing principle.
D) method of loci.

Question 76

People can often work on two unrelated tasks (such as remembering a series of 5 digits while also doing a visual task) with less interference between the tasks than one might expect. This fact has been taken as support for the idea that

A) short-term and long-term memory are really the same thing.
B) working memory is made up of more than one component.
C) memories are stored in subcortical, not cortical, structures.
D) memories processed in the left hemisphere do not interact with memories processed in the right hemisphere.

Question 77

One of the components of working memory involves the manipulation of visual information, and is known as the

A) visual cliff.
B) occipital cortex.
C) visuospatial sketchpad.
D) visual image processor.

Question 78

The portion of working memory that most closely corresponds with what has traditionally been viewed as short-term memory is the

A) central executive.
B) phonological loop.
C) visuospatial sketchpad.
D) feature detector.

Question 79

You are supposed to memorize a list of 20 words. To improve your memory, you group them into a group of 10 birds, 5 mammals, and 5 fish. You have improved your memory by

A) making use of context-dependent memory.
B) making use of the serial-order effect.
C) increasing your depth of processing of individual items on the list.
D) increasing your processing of the organization of the list.

Question 80

According to the levels-of-processing principle, some memories are easier to recall than others because

A) we held them in short-term memory longer before transferring them into long-term memory.
B) we stored them deeper in the cerebral cortex.
C) we thought about them more during the storage process.
D) we stored them in terms of sound and structure of the word instead of meaning.