José studies, stays awake for eight hours, then sleeps for eight hours. Santos studies, then sleeps eight hours, and is then awake for eight hours. Regarding the amount of forgetting that each of these students will experience,
A)José will forget more of what he studied than Santos.
B)Santos will forget more of what he studied than José.
C)Both will forget the same amount of material.
D)Neither will forget a significant amount of material since only 16 hours have passed since they studied.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Research in memory and learning suggests that sleep after studying helps consolidate memories, making them more resistant to forgetting. José, who stays awake for eight hours after studying before sleeping, is more likely to forget some of what he studied compared to Santos, who sleeps immediately after studying. This is because the consolidation process, which strengthens memory traces, is more effective when sleep follows learning closely.

José Studies, Stays Awake for Eight Hours, Then Sleeps for Eight