The levels of processing theory of memory has been criticized as being untestable because
A) there is no independent way of measuring depth of processing except for performance on a memory test.
B) the results of the experiments using college students have not generalized to subjects of different ages.
C) the effect of depth of processing on memory is very weak.
D) depth of processing can be measured only using incidental learning.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The levels of processing theory of memory suggests that memory recall is influenced by the depth of mental processing, which can range from shallow (e.g., focusing on physical features) to deep (e.g., focusing on meaning). Critics argue that this theory is untestable because the only way to measure the depth of processing is by looking at the performance on a memory test, which is circular reasoning. This means that there is no independent method to measure depth of processing outside of the memory performance itself, making it difficult to validate the theory empirically.

The Levels of Processing Theory of Memory Has Been Criticized