Question 1

If two brain cells become more active at the same time, the connections between them grow stronger. This process is called
A) the serial position effect.
B) long-term potentiation.
C) redintegration.
D) proactive consolidation.

Accepted Answer

The process described is long-term potentiation, which refers to the strengthening of connections between neurons that occurs when they are often activated simultaneously. The other answer choices are unrelated to this process.

Question 2

You made an "F" on your first psychology test. Whenever that grade creeps into your mind, you consciously push it back out of your mind. This illustrates
A) repression.
B) suppression.
C) disuse.
D) interference.

Accepted Answer

The conscious effort to push the thought of the bad grade out of one's mind is an example of suppression. Repression refers to the unconscious blocking of a thought or memory. Disuse and interference are not applicable in this scenario.

Question 3

The degree of interference that occurs when studying two school subjects for equal amounts of time during an evening study session is based on
A) whether retroactive interference occurred.
B) whether proactive interference occurred.
C) the intelligence of the learner.
D) the similarity of the two school subjects.

Accepted Answer

The degree of interference when studying two school subjects for equal amounts of time during an evening study session is based on the similarity of the two school subjects. If the two subjects are similar and share common information, interference is likely to occur, making it difficult for the student to remember which information belongs to each subject. If the two subjects are dissimilar, interference is less likely to occur.

Question 4

Susan has been using the new computer operating system for over six months. A friend who has an older version of the operating system calls Susan for help, since Susan used this older system for five years before getting the new one. As soon as Susan starts typing on her friend's computer, she realizes that she cannot remember specific details regarding this older operating system. Her inability to remember this older system is due to
A) memory decay.
B) suppression.
C) retroactive interference.
D) proactive interference.

Accepted Answer

Retroactive interference occurs when new learning interferes with the ability to remember old information. In this case, Susan's familiarity with the newer operating system is interfering with her ability to remember specific details regarding the older operating system.

Question 5

Consolidation refers to the
A) time taken for a short-term memory to fade.
B) ability to see relationships between objects or events.
C) process whereby memory storage is speeded up by using electroconvulsive shock treatment.
D) forming of a long-term memory.

Accepted Answer

Consolidation refers to the process of forming a long-term memory, whereby information is actively processed and integrated into existing knowledge structures in the brain. It is a crucial step in the memory formation process, allowing information to be retained for longer periods of time.

Question 6

Which of the following refers to the tendency for new memories to impair the retrieval of older memories as well as the tendency for older memories to impair one's retrieval of new memories?
A) suppression
B) repression
C) interference
D) consolidation

Accepted Answer

Interference refers to the idea that the memory of certain information is interfered with by the presence of other information. There are two types of interference: proactive and retroactive. Proactive interference occurs when previously learned information interferes with the ability to learn new information, while retroactive interference occurs when new information interferes with the ability to retrieve old memories.

Question 7

People who are having memories of abuse should try to verify the memories through
A) others who were there or may have witnessed it.
B) analysis using a self-help book on recovered memory.
C) a psychoanalytically-trained therapist.
D) age regression, hypnosis, and guided visualizations.

Accepted Answer

It is important for individuals to try and verify their memories of abuse through other sources such as witnesses or individuals who were present at the time of the abuse. This can help provide additional information and support the accuracy of the memories, while also addressing any potential issues with false memories. Relying solely on self-help books or therapy techniques like hypnosis and age regression can increase the risk of false memories and should not be used as the sole means of verification.

Question 8

Helen has a six-month "gap" in her memories of grade school. Her "gap" corresponds to the period immediately after her father's death. Helen's memory loss is most likely accounted for by
A) cue-dependent forgetting.
B) repression.
C) retroactive inhibition.
D) the decay of memory traces.

Accepted Answer

Helen's memory loss occurs during the period immediately after her father's death. This suggests that the traumatic event of her father's death may have triggered the unconscious mechanism of repression, which is the selective forgetting of unpleasant or traumatic memories. Therefore, the most likely explanation for Helen's six-month gap in her memories is repression.

Question 9

If the hippocampus is damaged, patients usually show a striking inability to consolidate new memories, a condition known as
A) retrograde amnesia.
B) anterograde amnesia.
C) retroactive interference.
D) proactive redintegration.

Accepted Answer

Anterograde amnesia is the condition in which patients have difficulty laying down new memories after the onset of amnesia. The hippocampus is crucial for the formation of new memories, so damage to this brain region can result in anterograde amnesia. Retrograde amnesia (choice A) is the inability to retrieve memories that were formed before the onset of amnesia, and is not specific to hippocampal damage. Retroactive interference (choice C) refers to the phenomenon in which new learning interferes with the ability to recall old learning, which is also not specific to the hippocampus. Proactive redintegration (choice D) is not a recognized memory disorder.

Question 10

Vivid recollections of emotionally significant events, such as the shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school, the Boston Marathon bombing, your high school graduation, or your first date, are known as
A) eidetic images.
B) flashbulb memories.
C) echoic memories.
D) recovered memories.

Accepted Answer

Flashbulb memories are vivid, detailed memories of significant events, often with an emotional component, which is why the examples given (such as the Sandy Hook shooting and the Boston Marathon bombing) fit this category.

Question 11

Pauline's flashbulb memories of her children's births were caused by these exciting and stressful experiences heightening the activity in the limbic system of her brain, which intensified the formation of long-term memories through the process known as
A) consolidation.
B) redintegration.
C) habituation.
D) sensory gating.

Accepted Answer

Flashbulb memories are formed by the intense emotional experiences that stimulate the limbic system, which then enhances the process of consolidation where memories become more stable and resistant to forgetting. Redintegration, habituation, and sensory gating are not directly related to the formation of long-term memories through emotional experiences.

Question 12

Working with sea snails, Eric Kandel found that when learning took place
A) an engram was formed within the sea snails' nervous systems.
B) the next generation of sea snails also exhibited this learned behavior.
C) the sea snails' nerve cells released different amounts of neurotransmitters.
D) the sea snails' ECS increased dramatically.

Accepted Answer

Eric Kandel's research on sea snails (specifically Aplysia) demonstrated that learning in these organisms involved changes in the amount of neurotransmitters released by their nerve cells. This finding was crucial in understanding the cellular basis of learning and memory.

Question 13

If you have experienced a painful emotional event, you will probably avoid all thoughts associated with this memory and keep cues out of mind that could trigger the painful memory. This active suppression of the memory may, in time, become
A) repression.
B) relearning.
C) redintegration.
D) pseudomemory.

Accepted Answer

Repression is a defense mechanism where painful memories are unconsciously blocked from conscious awareness, which aligns with the description of actively suppressing a painful memory over time.

Question 14

Justin plays drums for a local hard rock band. When a country and western band asks Justin to fill in for their drummer, Justin initially has some difficulty adjusting to this new band's tempo since he is so used to the timing of his own band's "beat." This initial difficulty in adjusting to the new "beat" is best explained by
A) retroactive interference.
B) proactive interference.
C) memory decay.
D) encoding failure.

Accepted Answer

The difficulty Justin experiences in adjusting to the new band's tempo is an example of proactive interference, which occurs when previously learned information interferes with the ability to learn new information. Justin's previous learning of his own band's tempo is interfering with his ability to learn the new tempo for the country and western band. Retroactive interference, memory decay, and encoding failure are not as relevant to the situation as proactive interference.

Question 15

The fact that one's memory can be influenced by the mood or bodily condition that exists at the time of learning and at the time of retrieval is known as
A) eidetic imagery.
B) the serial position effect.
C) state-dependent learning.
D) the tip-of-the-tongue state.

Accepted Answer

State-dependent learning refers to the phenomenon where memory is better retrieved when the person's mood or bodily condition at the time of retrieval matches that of the time of learning. Eidetic imagery refers to photographic memory, the serial position effect refers to the tendency to remember items at the beginning or end of a list better than those in the middle, and the tip-of-the-tongue state refers to the temporary inability to recall a word or name that one knows is in their memory.

Question 16

Research shows that people who learned a list of words while in a happy mood recalled them better when they were again happy. People who learned the list while sad remembered best when they were sad. This illustrates
A) state-dependent learning.
B) eidetic imagery.
C) suppression.
D) regressive imagery.

Accepted Answer

State-dependent learning refers to the phenomenon where memory retrieval is best when a person is in the same emotional or physiological state they were in when they learned the information. This is demonstrated in the scenario provided, where people remembered words better when their emotional state during recall matched their emotional state during learning. Eidetic imagery refers to photographic memory, suppression involves intentionally trying to forget or avoid a memory, and regressive imagery is not a recognized psychological term.

Question 17

Which of the following can elicit fantasies that are mistaken for real memories?
A) hypnosis
B) guided visualization
C) age repression
D) all of these

Accepted Answer

All three of these techniques can elicit fantasies that are mistaken for real memories. Hypnosis and guided visualization can lead individuals to construct vivid mental imagery that can be later remembered as real experiences. Age repression refers to the phenomenon of memories being stored outside of conscious awareness and retrieved later in life, often in altered or distorted forms that can be mistaken as accurate recollections.

Question 18

Memory loss accompanying electroconvulsive shock probably occurs because
A) consolidation is disrupted.
B) memory decay is accelerated.
C) powerful emotions are aroused.
D) neurons are destroyed.

Accepted Answer

Electroconvulsive shock disrupts consolidation of memories, meaning that the process by which short-term memories are turned into long-term memories is disrupted. This leads to memory loss.

Question 19

Electroconvulsive therapy has the side effect of causing memory loss because it disrupts
A) chunking or recoding.
B) consolidation.
C) flashbulb memories.
D) priming.

Accepted Answer

Electroconvulsive therapy disrupts the consolidation process, which is the process of transferring information from short-term memory to long-term memory. This disruption can result in memory loss.

Question 20

People who are extremely sensitive to emotional events tend to protect themselves from threatening thoughts through
A) encoding failure.
B) repression.
C) proactive interference.
D) retroactive interference.

Accepted Answer

People who are extremely sensitive to emotional events may use repression as a defense mechanism to protect themselves from threatening thoughts or memories. Repression involves pushing thoughts or memories into the unconscious mind in order to avoid the discomfort or anxiety they may cause.

Quiz 7: Memory

If two brain cells become more active at the same time, the connections between them grow stronger. This process is called

You made an "F" on your first psychology test. Whenever that grade creeps into your mind, you consciously push it back out of your mind. This illustrates

The degree of interference that occurs when studying two school subjects for equal amounts of time during an evening study session is based on

Consolidation refers to the

Which of the following refers to the tendency for new memories to impair the retrieval of older memories as well as the tendency for older memories to impair one's retrieval of new memories?

People who are having memories of abuse should try to verify the memories through

Helen has a six-month "gap" in her memories of grade school. Her "gap" corresponds to the period immediately after her father's death. Helen's memory loss is most likely accounted for by

If the hippocampus is damaged, patients usually show a striking inability to consolidate new memories, a condition known as

Vivid recollections of emotionally significant events, such as the shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school, the Boston Marathon bombing, your high school graduation, or your first date, are known as

Pauline's flashbulb memories of her children's births were caused by these exciting and stressful experiences heightening the activity in the limbic system of her brain, which intensified the formation of long-term memories through the process known as

Working with sea snails, Eric Kandel found that when learning took place

If you have experienced a painful emotional event, you will probably avoid all thoughts associated with this memory and keep cues out of mind that could trigger the painful memory. This active suppression of the memory may, in time, become

The fact that one's memory can be influenced by the mood or bodily condition that exists at the time of learning and at the time of retrieval is known as

Research shows that people who learned a list of words while in a happy mood recalled them better when they were again happy. People who learned the list while sad remembered best when they were sad. This illustrates

Which of the following can elicit fantasies that are mistaken for real memories?

Memory loss accompanying electroconvulsive shock probably occurs because

Electroconvulsive therapy has the side effect of causing memory loss because it disrupts

People who are extremely sensitive to emotional events tend to protect themselves from threatening thoughts through