Your teacher has given each student the name of a key figure in the history of psychology. The assignment is to describe at least one significant contribution made by this person. If your historical figure is Hermann Ebbinghaus, what contribution might you describe to the class?
A) He described the limits of sensory storage.
B) He discovered the parts of the brain responsible for processing memories.
C) He created nonsense syllables in order to study memory in a "pure" form.
D) He developed a series of memory aids that is still used by students today.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Hermann Ebbinghaus created nonsense syllables in order to study memory in a "pure" form. He is best known for his pioneering study of memory and forgetting, in which he used nonsense syllables (consonant-vowel-consonant combinations that do not correspond to words in any language) to investigate memory processes. Through his work, he discovered many important findings on how memory works, including the forgetting curve (the idea that forgetting occurs rapidly at first and then levels off), the spacing effect (the idea that memory is improved when studying is spaced out over time), and the idea of overlearning (the idea that continued practice after a concept is learned helps to cement the information in memory).

Your Teacher Has Given Each Student the Name of a Key