Question 1

Research on memory construction indicates that
A) recent events are more vulnerable to memory distortion than events from our more distant past.
B) false memories of imagined events are often recalled as something that really happened.
C) hypnotic suggestion is a particularly effective technique for accurate memory retrieval.
D) it is very difficult to lead people to construct memories of events that never happened.

Accepted Answer

Research shows that false memories of imagined events can often be recalled as if they were real, indicating the malleability of human memory and its susceptibility to distortion.

Question 2

Researchers observed that people exposed to very convincing arguments about the value of frequent toothbrushing tended to
A) quickly forget the arguments if they were in the habit of brushing frequently.
B) quickly forget the arguments if they were not in the habit of brushing frequently.
C) exaggerate how frequently they had brushed their teeth in the past.
D) exaggerate how infrequently they had brushed their teeth in the past.

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as the consistency bias, where individuals retroactively adjust their memories to be more consistent with their current behavior or beliefs. In this case, after being exposed to convincing arguments about the value of frequent toothbrushing, people are likely to remember themselves as brushing their teeth more often in the past than they actually did, to align their past behavior with the newly accepted value of frequent toothbrushing.

Question 3

Becky's car is in the shop and her father has allowed her to use his truck until her car is repaired.Although she has never driven his truck before,she finds that after a few minutes she has the hang of it.This is an example of
A) déjà vu.
B) positive transfer.
C) reconsolidation.
D) the misinformation effect.

Accepted Answer

Positive transfer refers to the ability to apply previously learned skills and knowledge to a new, related task. In this case, Becky has transferred her driving skills from her own car to her father's truck, demonstrating positive transfer. Déjà vu refers to a feeling of familiarity in a new situation, reconsolidation refers to the process of strengthening memories upon recall, and the misinformation effect refers to the influence of misleading information on memory. None of these concepts apply to the scenario described.

Question 4

Sigmund Freud emphasized that the forgetting of painful experiences is caused by a process that involves
A) retroactive interference.
B) memory decay.
C) retrieval failure.
D) anterograde amnesia.

Accepted Answer

Freud proposed that the mechanism behind forgetting painful experiences is called repression, which involves unconsciously pushing these memories out of awareness and making them difficult to retrieve. This is different from retroactive interference, memory decay, and anterograde amnesia, which do not involve deliberate or unconscious suppression of memories.

Question 5

Many of the experimental participants who were asked how fast two cars in a filmed traffic accident were going when they smashed into each other subsequently recalled seeing broken glass at the scene of the accident.This experiment best illustrated
A) proactive interference.
B) source amnesia.
C) positive transfer.
D) the misinformation effect.

Accepted Answer

The experiment described in the question best illustrates the misinformation effect, where exposure to misleading information can lead to the formation of false memories. In this case, participants were asked a leading question about the speed of the cars "smashing" into each other, which led to the false memory of broken glass at the scene. Proactive interference refers to the phenomenon where previously learned information interferes with the recall of newly learned information, which is not applicable in this scenario. Source amnesia pertains to forgetting the source of a particular memory, while positive transfer refers to the facilitation of learning a new skill due to the previous acquisition of another related skill. These concepts do not adequately explain the scenario described in the question.

Question 6

Previously learned information often facilitates our learning of new information.This phenomenon is called
A) déjà vu.
B) positive transfer.
C) reconsolidation.
D) the misinformation effect.

Accepted Answer

Positive transfer is the phenomenon where previously learned information makes it easier to learn new information. Déjà vu refers to the feeling of having experienced something before, while reconsolidation is the process of updating or modifying existing memories. The misinformation effect occurs when a person's memory of an event is altered due to misleading information.

Question 7

Research on memory construction indicates that memories of past experiences are likely to be
A) difficult to retrieve but never completely lost.
B) distorted by our current expectations.
C) much easier to recall if they are seldom rehearsed.
D) retrieved in the very same form and detail as they were originally encoded.

Accepted Answer

Research on memory construction suggests that memories are not perfect recordings of past events, but rather are reconstructed based on our current expectations and beliefs. This can result in distortions or inaccuracies in our memories.

Question 8

Compulsive gamblers frequently recall losing less money than is actually the case.Their memory failure best illustrates
A) source amnesia.
B) the misinformation effect.
C) motivated forgetting.
D) anterograde amnesia.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of motivated forgetting, where individuals may unconsciously forget unpleasant or distressing information, such as the actual amount of money lost through gambling, as a way to protect themselves from the negative emotions associated with those memories.

Question 9

Retroactive interference involves the disruption of
A) automatic processing.
B) sensory memory.
C) memory retrieval.
D) effortful processing.

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when new information interferes with the retrieval of previously learned information. This disrupts memory retrieval. Automatic processing, sensory memory, and effortful processing are not directly associated with retroactive interference.

Question 10

Children reported false memories of taking a hot air balloon ride after viewing digitally altered photos of themselves and other family members involved in such an event.The children's reports best illustrated
A) implicit memory.
B) proactive interference.
C) imagination inflation.
D) retroactive interference.

Accepted Answer

The children's reports of false memories after viewing digitally altered photos is an example of imagination inflation, where their imagination or suggestion creates false memories in their minds. The other options, such as implicit memory, proactive interference, or retroactive interference, do not best fit this scenario.

Question 11

When retrieving memories of a past event,we often fill in memory gaps with guesses about details.The fact that these guessed details are then incorporated into our memory of that event is most relevant to appreciating the importance of
A) anterograde amnesia.
B) automatic processing.
C) memory construction.
D) proactive interference.

Accepted Answer

Memory construction refers to the process by which we form and retrieve memories, including the incorporation of guessed details. This phenomenon has been well-documented in research on eyewitness testimony and can have serious implications for the accuracy of our memories. Anterograde amnesia, automatic processing, and proactive interference are not directly related to the incorporation of guessed details into memory.

Question 12

In the study led by Elizabeth Loftus,two groups of observers were asked how fast two cars had been going in a filmed traffic accident.Observers who heard the vividly descriptive word smashed in relation to the accident later recalled
A) glass fragments at the scene of the accident.
B) that the drivers of the vehicles were intoxicated.
C) that the drivers of the vehicles were males.
D) the details of the accident with vivid accuracy.

Accepted Answer

The study found that observers who heard the word "smashed" were more likely to recall seeing glass fragments at the scene of the accident, even though there were none present in the video. This demonstrates the power of suggestive language in influencing memory recall. The study did not find any evidence that hearing the word "smashed" influenced recall of the drivers' gender or alleged intoxication, nor did it find evidence of increased accuracy in recall.

Question 13

The misinformation effect best illustrates the dynamics of
A) memory construction.
B) repression.
C) proactive interference.
D) anterograde amnesia.

Accepted Answer

The misinformation effect refers to the phenomenon where people's memories of an event can be altered by misleading information they are exposed to after the event. This illustrates how memory is not always an accurate record of what happened but rather a constructive process that can be influenced by external factors.

Question 14

After research participants have retrieved a long-term memory of a traumatic experience,researchers have attempted to use a drug or brief,painless electroconvulsive shock to disrupt the ________ of that memory.
A) repression
B) reconsolidation
C) retroactive interference
D) proactive interference

Accepted Answer

Researchers have attempted to disrupt the reconsolidation of a traumatic memory, which is the process of strengthening and stabilizing a memory after it has been retrieved from long-term storage. By disrupting this process, researchers hope to weaken the memory and reduce the associated emotional distress.

Question 15

Memory reconsolidation involves the modification of stored memories during the process of
A) déjà vu.
B) repression.
C) retrieval.
D) source amnesia.

Accepted Answer

Memory reconsolidation occurs during the retrieval of a memory. It involves the destabilization and modification of the memory before it is restabilized and re-stored in a slightly modified form. Deja vu involves a feeling of familiarity with a new situation, while repression involves the unconscious blocking of memories. Source amnesia refers to the inability to remember where or how a memory was acquired.

Question 16

Visualizing an object and actually seeing that object both activate similar brain areas.This most clearly contributes to
A) anterograde amnesia.
B) proactive interference.
C) imagination inflation.
D) motivated forgetting.

Accepted Answer

Imagination inflation occurs when imagining an event can increase confidence that the event actually occurred. The activation of similar brain areas during both visualization and actual perception contributes to this phenomenon, as it can blur the distinction between imagined and real experiences.

Question 17

Among contemporary memory researchers,increasing numbers think that ________ rarely,if ever,occurs.
A) retrograde amnesia
B) automatic processing
C) source amnesia
D) repression

Accepted Answer

Repression is a controversial concept in psychology and memory research. Increasing numbers of memory researchers do not believe that repression occurs or that there is any evidence to support the idea that people can unconsciously repress traumatic memories.

Question 18

The finding that people who sleep after learning a list of nonsense syllables forget less than people who stay awake provides evidence that forgetting may involve
A) encoding failure.
B) repression.
C) implicit memory loss.
D) interference.

Accepted Answer

The fact that people who sleep after learning a list of nonsense syllables forget less than those who stay awake suggests that interference is involved in forgetting. During waking hours, our brains are constantly receiving new information which can interfere with previously learned information, leading to forgetting. Sleep provides an opportunity for the brain to consolidate memories and reduce interference, resulting in better retention of information. Therefore, option D - interference - is the best choice.

Question 19

After reading a newspaper report suggesting that drunken driving might have contributed to a recent auto accident,several people who actually witnessed the accident began to remember the driver involved as traveling more recklessly than was actually the case.This provides an example of
A) proactive interference.
B) déjà vu.
C) automatic processing.
D) the misinformation effect.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of the misinformation effect, which occurs when information that is presented after an event is incorporated into one's memory of that event, leading to inaccuracies or distortions in recall. In this case, the newspaper report may have influenced the witnesses' memories of the driver's behavior.

Question 20

A type of motivated forgetting in which anxiety-arousing memories are blocked from conscious awareness is known as
A) retroactive interference.
B) proactive interference.
C) repression.
D) déjà vu.

Accepted Answer

Repression is a type of motivated forgetting in which anxiety-arousing memories are blocked from conscious awareness. Retroactive interference occurs when new information interferes with the ability to remember old information, and proactive interference is the opposite, when previously learned information interferes with the ability to remember new information. Déjà vu is the feeling of familiarity in a new situation, and is not related to motivated forgetting or repression.

Quiz 25: Encoding: Getting Information In

Research on memory construction indicates that

Researchers observed that people exposed to very convincing arguments about the value of frequent toothbrushing tended to

Becky's car is in the shop and her father has allowed her to use his truck until her car is repaired.Although she has never driven his truck before,she finds that after a few minutes she has the hang of it.This is an example of

Sigmund Freud emphasized that the forgetting of painful experiences is caused by a process that involves

Many of the experimental participants who were asked how fast two cars in a filmed traffic accident were going when they smashed into each other subsequently recalled seeing broken glass at the scene of the accident.This experiment best illustrated

Previously learned information often facilitates our learning of new information.This phenomenon is called

Research on memory construction indicates that memories of past experiences are likely to be

Compulsive gamblers frequently recall losing less money than is actually the case.Their memory failure best illustrates

Retroactive interference involves the disruption of

Children reported false memories of taking a hot air balloon ride after viewing digitally altered photos of themselves and other family members involved in such an event.The children's reports best illustrated

When retrieving memories of a past event,we often fill in memory gaps with guesses about details.The fact that these guessed details are then incorporated into our memory of that event is most relevant to appreciating the importance of

In the study led by Elizabeth Loftus,two groups of observers were asked how fast two cars had been going in a filmed traffic accident.Observers who heard the vividly descriptive word smashed in relation to the accident later recalled

The misinformation effect best illustrates the dynamics of

After research participants have retrieved a long-term memory of a traumatic experience,researchers have attempted to use a drug or brief,painless electroconvulsive shock to disrupt the ________ of that memory.

Memory reconsolidation involves the modification of stored memories during the process of

Visualizing an object and actually seeing that object both activate similar brain areas.This most clearly contributes to

Among contemporary memory researchers,increasing numbers think that ________ rarely,if ever,occurs.

The finding that people who sleep after learning a list of nonsense syllables forget less than people who stay awake provides evidence that forgetting may involve

After reading a newspaper report suggesting that drunken driving might have contributed to a recent auto accident,several people who actually witnessed the accident began to remember the driver involved as traveling more recklessly than was actually the case.This provides an example of

A type of motivated forgetting in which anxiety-arousing memories are blocked from conscious awareness is known as