Question 1

A witness on the stand swears that he saw someone commit a crime. Must you believe that the testimony is valid when a witness testifies so forcefully?
A) Yes, because seeing is believing.
B) No, because eyewitnesses are not usually honest.
C) Yes, because eyewitnesses are very confident about their testimony.
D) No, because there is a great possibility of a "false positive" identification.

Accepted Answer

Eyewitness testimony can be influenced by a variety of factors such as stress, fear, and perception biases, which can lead to false identifications. Therefore, even if a witness testifies forcefully, there is still a great possibility of their testimony being invalid. It is important to evaluate the reliability and accuracy of an eyewitness testimony based on corroborating evidence, details of the crime, and other factors before accepting it as valid.

Question 2

In one study, over 2,500 photographs were shown to participants, one every 10 seconds. Participants were then shown pairs of photographs in which one member of each pair was one of the previously seen photographs. Accuracy for identifying the previously seen photos was ________.
A) 10 to 20 percent 
B) 50 to 60 percent
C) 70 to 80 percent
D) 85 to 95 percent

Accepted Answer

This study tests recognition memory, which is typically more accurate than recall memory. A high accuracy rate would be expected, and D) 85 to 95 percent is the only choice that falls within that range.

Question 3

The case of Father Bernard Pagano, who was identified by seven eyewitnesses as a criminal, was an instance of a ________.
A) tip-of-the-tongue effect 
B) retrieval failure
C) primacy effect
D) false positive

Accepted Answer

The fact that Father Bernard Pagano was identified by seven eyewitnesses as a criminal suggests that this was a false positive, as he was later found to be innocent. False positives occur when an individual is identified as a perpetrator when they are innocent.

Question 4

Keisha can remember only the first two items and the last two items on the grocery list that her roommate just read to her over the phone. The other five items in between are gone. Her memory of things at the end of the list demonstrates the ________.
A) encoding specificity effect
B) primacy effect 
C) recency effect 
D) TOT effect

Accepted Answer

The recency effect refers to the tendency to better recall items that are at the end of a list, such as in this case where Keisha can remember the last two items on the grocery list. The primacy effect, on the other hand, refers to the tendency to better recall items that are at the beginning of a list, and the encoding specificity effect refers to the notion that retrieval of information is improved when the context at retrieval matches the context at encoding. The TOT (Tip-of-the-Tongue) effect refers to the phenomenon of feeling that a word is "on the tip of your tongue" but not being able to retrieve it.

Question 5

Studies have found that the BEST way to overcome the tip-of-the-tongue effect is to ________.
A) try even harder to remember the items 
B) take a nap
C) forget about it and let the item just come to you 
D) use the serial position effect

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that trying too hard to remember the item can actually increase the feeling of being stuck. Taking a break and focusing on something else, such as letting the item come to you naturally, can help alleviate the tip-of-the-tongue effect. Therefore, the best choice is C) forget about it and let the item just come to you.

Question 6

Under most circumstances, when you are intentionally trying to remember an item of information, ________ is an easier task than ________.
A) recognition; recall 
B) recall; recognition 
C) priming; the savings method
D) the savings method; priming

Accepted Answer

Recognition is generally easier than recall because it involves identifying information from a set of options, whereas recall requires retrieving information without cues.

Question 7

The most influential researcher into eyewitness memory has been ________.
A) Broadbent 
B) Sperling
C) Loftus 
D) Treisman

Accepted Answer

Elizabeth Loftus is considered one of the most influential researchers into eyewitness memory, especially in regards to the reliability of eyewitness testimony in criminal trials. She has conducted extensive research on how memory can be distorted and influenced by external factors such as leading questions and post-event information. Her findings have had an impact on the legal system and practices surrounding eyewitness identification.

Question 8

Many older adults can vividly recall where they were and what they were doing the day that John F. Kennedy was assassinated, although they cannot remember what they were doing the day before he was assassinated. This is an example of ________.
A) an eidetic image 
B) a flashbulb memory 
C) a semantic memory
D) a procedural memory

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a flashbulb memory, where a person remembers a significant and emotionally charged event with intense detail and clarity.

Question 9

According to primacy and recency effects, when reading the chapters of the textbook, you are most likely to forget ________.
A) the information you first read 
B) the information you most recently read
C) the information in the middle of the chapter 
D) the information from the summary

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect suggests better recall for information at the beginning, and the recency effect suggests better recall for information at the end. Information in the middle is less likely to be remembered.

Question 10

When given a list of items to remember, you are more likely to remember ________.
A) the items in the beginning better than those in the middle or at the end
B) the items in the middle more than those at the beginning or at the end 
C) the items at the end more than those in the middle or at the beginning of the list
D) the items at the beginning and at the end more than those in the middle of the list

Accepted Answer

The items at the beginning and at the end of the list are more likely to be remembered because of the serial position effect. The items in the middle of the list are more likely to be forgotten or confused with other items, hence option B is incorrect. Option C is also incorrect because while the recency effect supports the idea of remembering items at the end, it only works if there is no interference. Option A is also incorrect, as while the primacy effect supports remembering the items in the beginning, it is not as strong as the recency effect for items at the end.

Question 11

Moishe can remember only the first two items and the last two items on the grocery list that his wife just read to him over the phone. The other five items in between are gone. This is an example of the ________.
A) encoding specificity effect
B) serial position effect 
C) TOT effect 
D) reintegrative effect

Accepted Answer

The serial position effect states that people tend to remember the first and last items in a list better than the items in the middle. In this case, Moishe can only remember the first two and last two items, which is consistent with the serial position effect. The other options are not applicable to this scenario - the encoding specificity effect refers to the idea that cues present during encoding help with retrieval, the TOT effect refers to the feeling of knowing something without being able to retrieve it, and the reintegrative effect refers to how chunks of information are reassembled after initially being broken down into smaller components.

Question 12

Adrianna is trying to memorize the names of the bones in the hand. She had gone through a list of them when her phone rang. After she gets off the phone, she is MOST likely to remember the first few bone names because of the ________.
A) elaboration effect
B) recency effect 
C) primacy effect 
D) maintenance effect

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect refers to the tendency to remember the first items in a list better than those in the middle or end, as they are more likely to be transferred to long-term memory.

Question 13

When given a list of items to remember, people tend to do better at recalling the last items on the list. This is known as the ________.
A) phi phenomenon
B) chunking effect
C) recency effect 
D) primacy effect

Accepted Answer

The recency effect refers to the phenomenon in memory where people tend to remember the most recent (or last) items in a list better than the earlier items. This is often attributed to short-term memory consolidation and is opposite to the primacy effect, where people remember the first items better. The phi phenomenon is an optical illusion where two separate stimuli are perceived as a single stimulus in motion, and the chunking effect is a memory strategy where information is organized into smaller meaningful units to enhance recall.

Question 14

When the sound of the word is the aspect that cannot be retrieved, leaving only the feeling of knowing the word without the ability to pronounce it, this is known as ________.
A) encoding failure 
B) extinction of acoustic storage
C) auditory decay
D) the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

Accepted Answer

The tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon is a memory retrieval failure where the individual is unable to recall a word even though they know the meaning and other details about the word. It is characterized by the feeling of knowing the word without being able to retrieve it, often due to the inability to recall the sound or pronunciation of the word.

Question 15

Janie is taking an exam in her history class. On the exam, there is a question that asks her to state and discuss the five major causes of the Trans-Caspian War. Janie remembers four of them. She knows there is a fifth and can almost remember it; she knows that it starts with a "T." Janie is walking down the stairs, when all of a sudden, she remembers that the fifth point is taxes, but it is too late. Janie was suffering from ________.
A) encoding problems 
B) storage inversion
C) the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon 
D) evaluation overload

Accepted Answer

Janie's experience is a classic example of the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon, which occurs when a person has trouble retrieving a known piece of information even though they feel like they are on the brink of remembering it.

Question 16

The fact that it is easier to recall items at the beginning and end of a list of unrelated items is known as the ________.
A) phi phenomenon
B) implicit memory effect
C) serial position effect 
D) sequestering effect

Accepted Answer

The serial position effect is the phenomenon in which people are more likely to remember the first and last items in a list, but are less likely to remember the items in the middle. A) The phi phenomenon is an illusion of movement created by a rapid succession of stationary images. B) The implicit memory effect refers to the phenomenon in which previous experiences aid in the performance of a task without conscious awareness of these previous experiences. D) The sequestering effect is not a known psychological phenomenon.

Question 17

False positives occur when a person
A) extinction of auditory memories causes the witness to forget what was said
B) witnesses are prone to habituate to the courtroom and forget what happened 
C) false positives can cause eyewitness testimony to be quite inaccurate 
D) there is usually some sort of unconscious motivation to provide inaccurate information

Accepted Answer

False positives refer to cases where a witness identifies someone as the perpetrator of a crime when they were not actually involved. This can result in inaccurate eyewitness testimony, leading to potential wrongful convictions. It is not necessarily related to extinction of auditory memories (A), habituation (B), or unconscious motivation (D).

Question 18

When given a list of items to remember, people tend to do better at recalling the first items on the list than the middle of the list. This is known as the ________.
A) phi phenomenon
B) recency effect 
C) chunking effect
D) primacy effect

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect refers to the tendency to better remember items at the beginning of a list, while the recency effect refers to better recall of items at the end of a list. The phi phenomenon and chunking effect are not related to the order of recall in a list.

Question 19

The research of Eich and Metcalf would suggest that if you were really happy when you were learning math, you should be ________ when taking the math exam to do well.
A) calm 
B) nervous
C) happy 
D) depressed

Accepted Answer

The research suggests that if you were happy when learning math, that positive emotional state should be helpful when trying to recall the material during an exam. Being calm or nervous may not have a direct impact on performance, whereas being depressed would likely hinder performance.

Question 20

Which of the following pairings would result in the BEST overall memory?
A) sad during learning and happy at recall
B) happy during learning and sad during recall 
C) serious during learning and serious during recall 
D) intoxicated during learning and sober during recall

Accepted Answer

Consistency in emotional state during learning and recall has been found to enhance memory retrieval. Being serious during both phases of the memory process can create a stable and consistent emotional state, leading to better memory retention and recall. The other options involve inconsistent or contrasting emotions during different phases, which can hinder memory retrieval.

Quiz 6: Memory

A witness on the stand swears that he saw someone commit a crime. Must you believe that the testimony is valid when a witness testifies so forcefully?

In one study, over 2,500 photographs were shown to participants, one every 10 seconds. Participants were then shown pairs of photographs in which one member of each pair was one of the previously seen photographs. Accuracy for identifying the previously seen photos was ________.

The case of Father Bernard Pagano, who was identified by seven eyewitnesses as a criminal, was an instance of a ________.

Keisha can remember only the first two items and the last two items on the grocery list that her roommate just read to her over the phone. The other five items in between are gone. Her memory of things at the end of the list demonstrates the ________.

Studies have found that the BEST way to overcome the tip-of-the-tongue effect is to ________.

Under most circumstances, when you are intentionally trying to remember an item of information, is an easier task than .

The most influential researcher into eyewitness memory has been ________.

Many older adults can vividly recall where they were and what they were doing the day that John F. Kennedy was assassinated, although they cannot remember what they were doing the day before he was assassinated. This is an example of ________.

According to primacy and recency effects, when reading the chapters of the textbook, you are most likely to forget ________.

When given a list of items to remember, you are more likely to remember ________.

Moishe can remember only the first two items and the last two items on the grocery list that his wife just read to him over the phone. The other five items in between are gone. This is an example of the ________.

Adrianna is trying to memorize the names of the bones in the hand. She had gone through a list of them when her phone rang. After she gets off the phone, she is MOST likely to remember the first few bone names because of the ________.

When given a list of items to remember, people tend to do better at recalling the last items on the list. This is known as the ________.

When the sound of the word is the aspect that cannot be retrieved, leaving only the feeling of knowing the word without the ability to pronounce it, this is known as ________.

The fact that it is easier to recall items at the beginning and end of a list of unrelated items is known as the ________.

False positives occur when a person

When given a list of items to remember, people tend to do better at recalling the first items on the list than the middle of the list. This is known as the ________.

The research of Eich and Metcalf would suggest that if you were really happy when you were learning math, you should be ________ when taking the math exam to do well.

Which of the following pairings would result in the BEST overall memory?