Question 1

To prepare for his test on Tuesday morning, Harvey studied on Monday night. He remembered the information long enough to do well on the test on Tuesday but could not remember it for a surprise quiz a week later. Based on this information, how far in Harvey's memory system did the information get?
A) It reached the sensory register.
B) It reached working memory.
C) It reached long-term memory.
D) It never got into the memory system at all.

Accepted Answer

Since Harvey was able to remember the information long enough to do well on the test, it suggests that the information was successfully transferred from his working memory to his long-term memory. However, since he was unable to remember the information for the surprise quiz a week later, it suggests that the information was not rehearsed or consolidated enough to stay in his long-term memory.

Question 2

Based on the textbook's discussion, you might best think of attention as being a process of:
A) Turning one's sensory receptors in the direction of desired information
B) Making stronger responses to bright or loud stimuli
C) Focusing one's cognitive processes on certain stimuli in the environment
D) Filtering out unwanted information, in much the same way that an oil filter removes unwanted particles

Accepted Answer

Attention is the process of focusing one's cognitive processes on certain stimuli in the environment. It involves filtering out irrelevant information and selecting relevant information for further processing. It is not just about sensory receptors or making stronger responses to bright or loud stimuli, although those factors may play a role in attention. The oil filter analogy is also not an accurate description of attention.

Question 3

Look at this word: KITE
Without turning the page, try to imagine how the word would look if it were rotated 180º. To perform this task successfully, you would need to make considerable use of that part of your working memory known as the:
A) visuospatial sketchpad
B) reticular formation
C) phonological loop
D) sensory register

Accepted Answer

The visuospatial sketchpad is responsible for visual and spatial processing, which is necessary to rotate the word KITE in your mind's eye. The other options, such as the phonological loop, sensory register, and reticular formation, are not directly involved in visualizing and rotating images.

Question 4

Which one of the following scenarios reflects the typical duration of working short-term) memory?
A) Arnie's family spends a summer at his grandmother's house and is able to remember his grandmother's telephone number for the two months he is there. However, he quickly forgets the number after he moves back home again.

B) Barney looks up the correct spelling of the word fossil and closes the dictionary. By the time he finds a piece of paper on which to write the word, he has forgotten how to spell it.
C) Carol remembers most of the information that she has been learning about World War II in class this week, but she remembers very little of what she learned about World War I two weeks ago.
D) At 9:00 A.m., Darrell makes a mental list of the five items he needs to purchase at the grocery store at the end of the day. At noon, he checks himself and realizes that he still remembers all five. At 3:00 p.m., however, he discovers that he has forgotten three of the five items.

Accepted Answer

Short-term memory typically lasts for a very brief period, often only seconds to a minute, unless actively rehearsed. Barney's scenario reflects this as he forgets the spelling quickly after looking it up.

Question 5

Susan is introduced to Jerry. She immediately smiles and says, "Hello, Jerry." A minute later, she wants to introduce Jerry to her friend Mary, but she cannot remember his name. Based on this information, how far in Susan's memory system did Jerry's name get?
A) It reached the sensory register.
B) It reached working memory.
C) It reached long-term memory.
D) It never got into the memory system at all.

Accepted Answer

When Susan first met Jerry, his name entered her sensory register, which has a very limited duration of less than a second. She then processed the name into her working memory, which has a capacity of around 7 items and a duration of around 20-30 seconds. However, when she wanted to introduce Jerry to Mary, she was unable to retrieve his name from her working memory, suggesting that it was not encoded into her long-term memory, which has a virtually limitless capacity and duration.

Question 6

John learned the capitals of all 50 US states when he was a child. As an adult, he can no longer recall or recognize any of the 50 state capitals. However, he relearned the capitals faster than Jenny who did not learn the state capitals as a child. John's relearning suggests that the information regarding the state capitals remained in his ________________ from the time he first learned them as a child.
A) sensory register
B) working memory
C) long-term memory
D) sensory register and working memory

Accepted Answer

John's ability to relearn the state capitals faster than Jenny suggests that the information was stored in his long-term memory from when he learned them as a child. Sensory register is a very brief storage of sensory information, and working memory is a short-term storage and processing system. Therefore, neither of these options would explain John's ability to relearn the information faster than someone who never learned it before.

Question 7

Eunice has had trouble remembering the formula for calculating the area of a circle, so she is saying it to herself over and over again as her teacher passes out a geometry test. Eunice is demonstrating:
A) Storage in the sensory register
B) Retrieval from working memory
C) The use of maintenance rehearsal
D) The use of chunking

Accepted Answer

Eunice is using maintenance rehearsal, which involves repeating information over and over to keep it in working memory. This is different from chunking, which involves organizing information into meaningful units, or retrieval from working memory, which involves recalling information previously stored in memory. Storage in sensory register refers to the initial brief storage of sensory information before it is processed further.

Question 8

Which of the following children best illustrate the use of effortful control.
A) John loves dogs and can read books about dogs for hours.
B) Kate does not like to read and when her mother asks her to read, she watches her favorite TV show instead.
C) Beth does not like to read, but knows it is important, so she solely attends to reading for twenty minutes a day.
D) Natalie loves to read about dogs, but when she is assigned reading about cats, she takes her dog for a walk instead of completing the reading assignment.

Accepted Answer

Beth demonstrates effortful control by forcing herself to attend to reading for a set amount of time each day, even though she does not enjoy it. The other options do not necessarily illustrate effortful control as they do not demonstrate intentionally regulating one's behavior to achieve a goal or meet expectations.

Question 9

Marnie attends very closely to the English teacher's lecture because she knows she must pass her English course in order to graduate. Marnie's attentiveness demonstrates the effect of _______ on attention.
A) stimulus intensity
B) personal significance
C) emotion
D) incongruity

Accepted Answer

Marnie's personal goal of graduating is a significant personal factor that is affecting her attention in the lecture.

Question 10

Considering current views regarding the capacity of working memory, which one of the following sets of information could be held entirely in working memory?
A) The names of 20 friends
B) The visual images of 20 friends
C) Two pages of narrative from a mystery novel
D) A list of five miscellaneous household objects

Accepted Answer

Working memory is estimated to hold an average of 7 +/- 2 chunks of information. A list of five miscellaneous household objects would likely fall within this capacity, whereas the other options would exceed it.

Question 11

When a stray dog wanders into a classroom, all of the students stop their seatwork and watch the teacher try to coax the dog from the room. The students' attentiveness demonstrates the effect of _______ on attention.
A) novelty
B) proximity
C) size
D) personal significance

Accepted Answer

The concept of novelty refers to new or unexpected stimuli that grab our attention. The appearance of a stray dog in a classroom is unexpected and novel, which would draw the students' attention away from their seatwork.

Question 12

Three of the following statements are accurate descriptions of long-term memory. Which one is not necessarily accurate?
A) Information can last for a lengthy period of time, although not necessarily forever.
B) Retrieval of information from long-term memory is sometimes difficult.
C) Much of the information stored there is stored in terms of general meanings.
D) The more information it contains, the less room it has for new material.

Accepted Answer

This statement is not necessarily accurate because research has shown that the capacity of long-term memory is virtually limitless and new information can always be added without displacing old information. Therefore, the more information it contains, the more it can potentially store.

Question 13

You know what a computer is, and you also know how to send an email message using a computer. The difference between these two kinds of knowledge can best be characterized as a difference between:
A) explicit vs. implicit memory
B) declarative vs. procedural knowledge
C) things learned through deep vs. shallow processing
D) things learned through the visuospatial sketchpad vs. through the phonological loop

Accepted Answer

The first type of knowledge (knowing what a computer is) is declarative knowledge, or knowledge that can be expressed in words or symbols. The second type of knowledge (knowing how to send an email message) is procedural knowledge, or knowledge of how to perform a task.

Question 14

Which one of the following best illustrates the "working" aspect of working memory?
A) Efficiently using a pair of scissors
B) Confusing two people's names
C) Alphabetizing five names as you hold them in memory
D) Unconsciously adjusting your grip on a tennis racket in anticipation of executing a backhand swing

Accepted Answer

Alphabetizing five names while holding them in memory requires the individual to actively manipulate and update information in their working memory, which is a key aspect of working memory function. Efficiently using a pair of scissors, confusing two people's names, and unconsciously adjusting grip are not necessarily related to working memory function.

Question 15

Which one of the following examples best illustrates involvement of a central executive in the human memory system?
A) Adam absentmindedly cracks his knuckles every minute or two.
B) Brigette works hard to keep her mind on her textbook as she reads.
C) As she sits in a science lecture, Claudia's thoughts continually drift to other topics.
D) David is frightened the first time he hears the loud noises at a fireworks display.

Accepted Answer

Brigette actively uses her central executive to focus and maintain attention on reading her textbook. This involves the executive system of working memory, which controls attention, switches between tasks, and selectively blocks out distractions. The other choices do not explicitly involve the central executive in this way.

Question 16

Which one of the following most clearly illustrates the Gestalt principle of figure-ground?
A) Aaron is watching the teacher's face so intently that he doesn't notice what she is writing on the chalkboard.
B) Bart has difficulty seeing the difference between the letters b and d because the two letters are so similar in appearance.
C) Caryn is lost in her thoughts.
D) Darlene has difficulty judging the size of objects more than six meters away from her.

Accepted Answer

The Gestalt principle of figure-ground refers to the tendency for our visual system to automatically separate objects from their backgrounds. In this scenario, Aaron is so focused on the teacher's face (the figure) that he doesn't attend to the background (the chalkboard). This illustrates the principle of figure-ground. Choices B, C, and D do not relate to figure-ground perception.

Question 17

If you know how to wrap a present, you can probably describe the process to someone else. But if you know how to skip rope, you may have difficulty explaining what you do to someone else. The difference between these two kinds of knowledge can best be characterized as a difference between:
A) explicit vs. implicit memory
B) declarative vs. procedural knowledge
C) things learned through deep vs. shallow processing
D) things learned through the visuospatial sketchpad vs. through the phonological loop

Accepted Answer

The answer of If you know how to wrap a...

Question 18

William is trying to remember his new nine-digit social security number, and he does so by thinking of it as three groups of three digits each. William is demonstrating:
A) The use of chunking
B) Storage in the sensory register
C) Retrieval from working memory
D) The use of maintenance rehearsal

Accepted Answer

William is using chunking, a memory strategy that involves breaking down information into smaller, meaningful units or "chunks." By grouping his social security number into three sets of three digits, he is able to better remember it by organizing it in a more manageable way.

Question 19

Each of the women below is engaging in two activities simultaneously. Considering contemporary views of attention, identify the woman who should have the greatest difficulty doing both things at once.
A) Amelia is thinking about what to cook for dinner while she combs her hair.
B) Brenda is watching the evening news on television while she studies for an exam.
C) As Camille walks down the street, she calls a friend on her cell phone to express anger about his inconsiderate behavior earlier in the day.
D) As she jogs around the track at the health club, Donna is trying to decide where to go on her vacation next month.

Accepted Answer

Brenda is engaging in two activities (watching the evening news and studying for an exam) that both require high levels of cognitive processing and attention, making it difficult to effectively do both at the same time.

Question 20

Mr. Wagner stands in front of the class explaining the process of evolution. Ellen is sitting in the front row, but her mind is on the fight she had with her best friend just before class. Based on this information, how far in Ellen's memory system did Mr. Wagner's lecture get?
A) It reached the sensory register.
B) It reached working memory.
C) It reached long-term memory.
D) It never got into the memory system at all.

Accepted Answer

Ellen's attention was elsewhere, but the lecture would still reach her sensory register, which briefly holds all sensory input. Her distraction likely prevented the information from moving to working memory or long-term memory.

Quiz 6: Introduction to Cognitive Perspectives

To prepare for his test on Tuesday morning, Harvey studied on Monday night. He remembered the information long enough to do well on the test on Tuesday but could not remember it for a surprise quiz a week later. Based on this information, how far in Harvey's memory system did the information get?

Based on the textbook's discussion, you might best think of attention as being a process of:

Look at this word: KITE Without turning the page, try to imagine how the word would look if it were rotated 180º. To perform this task successfully, you would need to make considerable use of that part of your working memory known as the:

Which one of the following scenarios reflects the typical duration of working short-term) memory?

Susan is introduced to Jerry. She immediately smiles and says, "Hello, Jerry." A minute later, she wants to introduce Jerry to her friend Mary, but she cannot remember his name. Based on this information, how far in Susan's memory system did Jerry's name get?

Eunice has had trouble remembering the formula for calculating the area of a circle, so she is saying it to herself over and over again as her teacher passes out a geometry test. Eunice is demonstrating:

Which of the following children best illustrate the use of effortful control.

Marnie attends very closely to the English teacher's lecture because she knows she must pass her English course in order to graduate. Marnie's attentiveness demonstrates the effect of _______ on attention.

Considering current views regarding the capacity of working memory, which one of the following sets of information could be held entirely in working memory?

When a stray dog wanders into a classroom, all of the students stop their seatwork and watch the teacher try to coax the dog from the room. The students' attentiveness demonstrates the effect of _______ on attention.

Three of the following statements are accurate descriptions of long-term memory. Which one is not necessarily accurate?

You know what a computer is, and you also know how to send an email message using a computer. The difference between these two kinds of knowledge can best be characterized as a difference between:

Which one of the following best illustrates the "working" aspect of working memory?

Which one of the following examples best illustrates involvement of a central executive in the human memory system?

Which one of the following most clearly illustrates the Gestalt principle of figure-ground?

If you know how to wrap a present, you can probably describe the process to someone else. But if you know how to skip rope, you may have difficulty explaining what you do to someone else. The difference between these two kinds of knowledge can best be characterized as a difference between:

William is trying to remember his new nine-digit social security number, and he does so by thinking of it as three groups of three digits each. William is demonstrating:

Each of the women below is engaging in two activities simultaneously. Considering contemporary views of attention, identify the woman who should have the greatest difficulty doing both things at once.

Mr. Wagner stands in front of the class explaining the process of evolution. Ellen is sitting in the front row, but her mind is on the fight she had with her best friend just before class. Based on this information, how far in Ellen's memory system did Mr. Wagner's lecture get?