Question 1

As a general rule, the intention to learn

Accepted Answer

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 an indirect effect on learning.

Question 2

According to fMRI evidence, which of the following areas is/are critical to the successful encoding of words?

Accepted Answer

A)  amygdala 
B)  medial temporal lobe 
C)  prefrontal cortex 
D)  medial temporal lobe and prefrontal cortex

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

A)  It involves a large number of 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 4

The intention to learn new material

Accepted Answer

A)  leads 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 5

The operation span of working memory measures the

Accepted Answer

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 6

Which of the following does NOT correlate with working-memory capacity?

Accepted Answer

A)  reading ability 
B)  reasoning skills 
C)  following directions 
D)  making an eye movement toward a cue

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

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 on and therefore employed a maintenance memorization strategy that she believed 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 8

Describe and then evaluate Baddeley's working-memory model. Name two cognitive phenomena that are well explained by the model and one that is not.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe and then evaluate Baddeley's working-memory model....

Question 9

Which of the following exemplifies the memory effects of repeated exposure without intention to remember?

Accepted Answer

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)  Mary is unable to recall the name of her first-grade teacher. 
C)  Tony is unable to remember his high school algebra even though he did well in his algebra courses. 
D)  Samantha has managed, with some effort, to learn the names of all of her classmates.

Question 10

Imagine you are shown the word "DOG" and asked one of the following questions about that word. According to the principles of elaborative encoding, which of the following questions is going to lead to the best memory performance?

Accepted Answer

A)  Does it fit into the sentence, "The ________ wags his tail"? 
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 11

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

Accepted Answer

A)  deep > shallow > maintenance > deep elaborate 
B)  deep elaborate > deep > shallow > maintenance 
C)  maintenance > shallow > deep > deep elaborate 
D)  deep > deep elaborate > shallow > maintenance

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

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 13

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

Accepted Answer

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 14

Working memory (WM) has been likened to a desk space that holds the current information for a short period of time. This analogy is problematic in what way?

Accepted Answer

A)  The desk 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 desk never changes size. 
D)  There is no problem with this analogy.

Question 15

When using the digit-span task, the capacity of working memory is estimated to be

Accepted Answer

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

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why is the term "working memory" now...

Question 17

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.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Bill is given a list of words...

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

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 19

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

You are watching TV when a commercial advertising a new pizza place in town comes on. You decide you want pizza and try to memorize the phone number given in the commercial. 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?

Accepted Answer

A)  You definitely remember the phone number for the pizza place, 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 remember the number and try calling, and you are correct. 
D)  You have forgotten the phone number and must rewind your DVR to retrieve it.

Exam 6: The Acquisition of Memories and the Working-Memory System