Question 1

Owen has trouble remembering a friend's new phone number; he keeps recalling the old number instead. Completing a rental application, Pippa finds she can't recall one of her previous addresses, as she's had several addresses since. Owen is experiencing __________ interference; Pippa is experiencing _________.
A)retrograde; anterograde interference
B)retroactive; retroactive interference as well
C)proactive; proactive interference as well
D)proactive; retroactive interference

Accepted Answer

Owen is experiencing proactive interference, where old information (the old phone number) interferes with the recall of new information (the new phone number). Pippa is experiencing retroactive interference, where new information (new addresses) interferes with the recall of old information (previous addresses).

Question 2

Participants are asked to judge whether a string of letters forms a word in English. The first string they receive is the word VIOLIN. On a subsequent list of words, results show that the participants are substantially faster at answering "Yes" to the word PIANO than to the word TOILET or BASKET. Which concept does this result most clearly illustrate
A)episodic memory
B)state-dependent learning
C)the spacing effect
D)spreading activation

Accepted Answer

This result illustrates the concept of spreading activation, where the activation of one memory (or concept) in the brain leads to the easier retrieval or recognition of related memories or concepts. In this case, VIOLIN and PIANO are both musical instruments, so the activation of the concept of VIOLIN makes it easier and faster for participants to recognize PIANO as a word.

Question 3

Which of the following defines proactive interference
A)Memory impairment that occurs when earlier learning impairs later learning
B)Memory impairment that occurs when later learning is impaired by earlier learning
C)Memory impairment that occurs when longer lists come before shorter lists
D)Memory impairment that occurs in short-term memory

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when information learned earlier interferes with the ability to remember new information.

Question 4

Which of the following defines retroactive interference
A)Memory impairment that occurs when earlier learning impairs later learning
B)Memory impairment that occurs when later learning is impaired by earlier learning
C)Memory impairment that occurs when longer lists come before shorter lists
D)Memory impairment that occurs in short-term memory

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when new information interferes with the ability to recall information that was learned earlier. This means that later learning impairs memory for information acquired before it.

Question 5

One evening, you examine the schedule for your favorite football team. The team plays sixteen games each season. Later you try recalling that schedule for a friend who likes the same team you do. Chances are, you will recall opponents at the beginning of the schedule particularly well. What is this phenomenon called
A)the list effect
B)the primacy effect
C)the consolidation effect
D)context-dependent learning
E)overlearning

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect is a cognitive bias that results in a person recalling items at the beginning of a list better than those in the middle or at the end. This is why you would likely remember the opponents at the beginning of the football team's schedule particularly well.

Question 6

In ________ interference, information learned earlier disrupts the recall of information learned more recently; in _________ interference, recently learned information disrupts the recall of information learned earlier.
A)retroactive; proactive
B)proactive; retroactive
C)regressive; progressive
D)progressive; regressive

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when older memories interfere with the recall of newer memories, while retroactive interference happens when new information interferes with the recall of older information.

Question 7

Before going home, Dr. Rosen tries to flesh out his patient notes. He can remember the first and last sessions of the day, but his memory of the middle ones is a bit fuzzy. Dr. Rosen's memory reflects the ________ effect.
A)primacy
B)recency
C)serial position
D)A, B, and C

Accepted Answer

The serial position effect encompasses both the primacy effect (better recall of items at the beginning of a list) and the recency effect (better recall of items at the end of a list), which explains Dr. Rosen's memory pattern.

Question 8

The primacy effect refers to the fact that
A)the most important items in a list are more most to be remembered.
B)the last items presented in a list are most likely to be remembered.
C)the first items presented in a list are most likely to be remembered.
D)the items in a list which have the greatest emotional impact are most likely to be remembered.

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect is a cognitive bias that results in a person recalling the first items presented in a list more easily than those in the middle or at the end. This is because the initial items are more likely to be transferred to long-term memory.

Question 9

How might you describe the shape of the function relating the probability of an item's recall to the item's position on a list
A)U-shaped
B)squiggly
C)a linear, negatively sloped line
D)an inverted-U shape

Accepted Answer

The shape is typically U-shaped due to the serial position effect, where items at the beginning (primacy effect) and end (recency effect) of a list are more likely to be recalled than those in the middle.

Question 10

The "recency effect" refers to the fact that:
A)the last items on a list are more likely to be remembered than the middle items
B)the first several items on a list are more likely to be remembered than the middle items
C)rehearsed items are more likely to be remembered than unrehearsed items
D)the most personally relevant items on a list are most likely to be remembered

Accepted Answer

The recency effect refers to the tendency for people to have better memory for items that were presented last in a list, compared to items in the middle of the list. This effect is thought to occur because the last items are still fresh in the person's working memory when they are asked to recall the items.

Question 11

Bruce watches a new television program with enthusiasm. He then watches a second, similar program. Bruce later finds it
A)interference
B)misinformation
C)overlearning
D)repression

Accepted Answer

Bruce's experience is an example of interference, where the learning of new information interferes with the recall of previously learned information.

Question 12

Research participants are asked to judge whether or not a string of letters forms a word in English. They are first given the string CABBAGE. Based on what you know about categories and spreading activation, which of the following strings might participants then judge the most rapidly
A)CRIBBAGE
B)CARROT
C)TOILET
D)CABOOSE

Accepted Answer

The answer of Research participants are asked to judge whether...

Question 13

On a test of recall, participants who learn a list of words in one room do better if tested in that same room than if tested in a different room. This finding is best explained by:
A)elaborative encoding
B)the spacing effect
C)state-dependent learning
D)context-dependent learning

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is explained by context-dependent learning, which suggests that people are more likely to remember information in the same environment or context in which they learned it. The similarity between the learning and recall environments enhances memory retrieval.

Question 14

Ron receives some stock tips when he's slightly 'buzzed' at an office party. Based on the notion of state-dependent memory, what might you predict regarding the likelihood that Ron will recall the tips the following week
A)He will probably best remember the tips if he is sober.
B)He will probably best remember the tips if he has had a few drinks.
C)He will probably best remember the tips if he is drunk.
D)He will remember the tips equally well regardless of his state of intoxication.

Accepted Answer

State-dependent memory suggests that people recall information better when they are in the same state of consciousness as when they learned the information. Since Ron received the stock tips while he was 'buzzed,' he is more likely to recall them if he is in a similar state.

Question 15

"Cat food, cola, toothpaste," your roommate begins reciting items into the phone as you throw your books in the backseat and get into your car; you're supposed to hit the store on the way home. He continues to list a few more items. Finally, he wraps up: "Coffee creamer, spaghetti sauce, dish liquid, and ice tea mix." You forget a few things, but the Ragu, Dawn, and Lipton's are in the bag. Your memory for these items reflects the _________ effect.
A)primacy
B)serial order
C)list memory
D)recency

Accepted Answer

The recency effect refers to the tendency to remember the last items in a list better than the middle items, which explains why you remembered the last few items like Ragu, Dawn, and Lipton's.

Question 16

Suppose you begin to list all the classes you've ever taken in college. Chances are, you will recall your last few classes particularly well. What is this phenomenon called
A)chunking
B)the primacy effect
C)the recency effect
D)memory consolidation

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon is called the recency effect, which is part of the serial position effect. It describes the tendency to remember the most recently presented information best.

Question 17

In a lexical decision task in which participants must judge whether a string of letters forms a word in English, participants are first shown the string BANANA. Based on what you know about categories and spreading activation, which of the following strings might participants then judge the most rapidly
A)APPLE
B)ANANAB
C)MAVEN
D)BANDANA

Accepted Answer

The word "APPLE" is semantically related to "BANANA" as both are fruits, and spreading activation theory suggests that related concepts are activated in the brain, leading to faster recognition.

Question 18

"Cat food, cola, toothpaste," your roommate begins reciting items into the phone as you throw your books in the backseat and get into your car; you're supposed to hit the store on the way home. He continues to list a few more items. Finally, he wraps up: "Coffee creamer, spaghetti sauce, dish liquid, and ice tea mix." You forget a couple of things, but you do manage to get the cat food, cola, and toothpaste. Your memory for these items reflects the _________ effect.
A)primacy
B)recency
C)serial memory
D)item order

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect is demonstrated here, where you remember the first few items listed (cat food, cola, toothpaste) more effectively than those mentioned later. This effect is part of the serial position effect, which shows that people tend to recall the first and last items in a series best, and the middle items worst.

Question 19

A research participant is required to report as much of a poem as he can remember immediately after having read the poem once. We would expect the greatest number of recall errors in lines:
A)at the beginning of the poem
B)in the middle of the poem
C)at the end of the poem
D)at the beginning or the end of the poem

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is explained by the serial position effect, which suggests that items in the middle of a list (or poem, in this case) are less likely to be remembered than those at the beginning (primacy effect) or at the end (recency effect).

Question 20

Nana is taking a Spanish final at the end of the spring semester. The problem is, the French vocabulary she learned the semester before keeps getting in the way, causing her to forget Spanish words. Nana is experiencing ________ interference.
A)retroactive
B)progressive
C)proactive
D)retrograde

Accepted Answer

Nana is experiencing proactive interference, where old information (French vocabulary) interferes with the ability to remember new information (Spanish vocabulary).

Quiz 8: Remembering and Judging

Owen has trouble remembering a friend's new phone number; he keeps recalling the old number instead. Completing a rental application, Pippa finds she can't recall one of her previous addresses, as she's had several addresses since. Owen is experiencing __ interference; Pippa is experiencing _.

Which of the following defines proactive interference

Which of the following defines retroactive interference

In interference, information learned earlier disrupts the recall of information learned more recently; in _ interference, recently learned information disrupts the recall of information learned earlier.

Before going home, Dr. Rosen tries to flesh out his patient notes. He can remember the first and last sessions of the day, but his memory of the middle ones is a bit fuzzy. Dr. Rosen's memory reflects the ________ effect.

The primacy effect refers to the fact that

How might you describe the shape of the function relating the probability of an item's recall to the item's position on a list

The "recency effect" refers to the fact that:

Bruce watches a new television program with enthusiasm. He then watches a second, similar program. Bruce later finds it

Research participants are asked to judge whether or not a string of letters forms a word in English. They are first given the string CABBAGE. Based on what you know about categories and spreading activation, which of the following strings might participants then judge the most rapidly

On a test of recall, participants who learn a list of words in one room do better if tested in that same room than if tested in a different room. This finding is best explained by:

Ron receives some stock tips when he's slightly 'buzzed' at an office party. Based on the notion of state-dependent memory, what might you predict regarding the likelihood that Ron will recall the tips the following week

Suppose you begin to list all the classes you've ever taken in college. Chances are, you will recall your last few classes particularly well. What is this phenomenon called

A research participant is required to report as much of a poem as he can remember immediately after having read the poem once. We would expect the greatest number of recall errors in lines:

Nana is taking a Spanish final at the end of the spring semester. The problem is, the French vocabulary she learned the semester before keeps getting in the way, causing her to forget Spanish words. Nana is experiencing ________ interference.