Question 1

When asked to describe an examination room at his doctor's office,John seemed to do an accurate job.However,he included a framed medical degree on the wall that in fact was not there.This is an illustration of ____.
A) context specific memory
B) elaborative rehearsal
C) constructive memory
D) a retrieval cue

Accepted Answer

This is an example of constructive memory, which is when our memories can be influenced by our existing knowledge, beliefs, and expectations. In this case, John's knowledge that doctors typically have medical degrees led him to construct a memory of seeing a framed degree on the wall, even though it was not actually there.

Question 2

Doumitra is telling Carrie about a movie she saw last month.She knows that Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal both star in the movie and that it involves a scary bunny rabbit,but she cannot come up with the title of the movie.According to the textbook,such difficulty in retrieving information is known as ____.
A) spreading activation
B) proactive inhibition
C) the primacy effect
D) incomplete knowledge

Accepted Answer

The difficulty in retrieving specific information despite knowing some details about it, as described in the scenario, is referred to as incomplete knowledge. This term accurately captures the situation where Doumitra knows certain aspects of the movie (actors and a plot detail) but cannot recall its title.

Question 3

You watch a demonstration taking place on campus.You are excited and when you get home,you tell your roommate Alberta about what you saw.Another roommate,Lucy,returns later and you overhear her excitedly telling Alberta about the same demonstration,but her description doesn't sound anything like what you saw.What most likely accounts for this difference?
A) eidetic imagery
B) proactive inhibition
C) constructive memory
D) retrograde amnesia

Accepted Answer

The difference in description between the two roommates suggests that each of them constructed their own memories of the demonstration based on their own individual perceptions and interpretations of the event. This phenomenon is referred to as constructive memory, where our memories are not simply a replication of objective reality, but rather a reconstruction of it based on our personal experiences and biases.

Question 4

The semantic memory network theory says that ____.
A) concepts are represented by neural networks within the brain
B) information is stored in memory by a process called spreading activation
C) semantic memories must be processed by sensory and short-term memory before entering long-term memory
D) information is more likely to be remembered if it is processed deeply

Accepted Answer

The semantic memory network theory proposes that concepts are represented by neural networks within the brain.

Question 5

While studying diligently for his midterm,Raoul consumes massive quantities of sugar by drinking Rush cola and eating Grandma's cookies.The day of the midterm examination,Raoul is careful to eat nutritious,low-sugar foods and drink lots of milk and water.During the exam,Raoul has trouble recalling what he has studied.This can best be explained by ____.
A) context-specific memory
B) retroactive inhibition
C) state-dependent memory
D) proactive inhibition

Accepted Answer

State-dependent memory suggests that a person's internal physiological or psychological state at the time of encoding and the time of retrieval should match in order to facilitate memory recall. Raoul consumed a lot of sugar while studying, which could have led to a certain physiological state that was not present during the exam when he consumed low-sugar foods and drinks. The mismatch in physiological state could have resulted in poor memory recall during the exam.

Question 6

During a psychology lecture,your instructor uses the word college as a metaphor for social life.When he says the word college,lots of information comes to mind: dorm rooms,students,tests,professors,textbooks,pencils,and sporting events.The word has activated a ____.
A) script
B) schema
C) sensory register
D) semantic memory

Accepted Answer

A schema is a cognitive framework or concept that helps organize and interpret information in the brain. The mention of college activates a schema for a university experience, which includes dorm rooms, students, professors, textbooks, and sporting events. This concept is more consistent with a schema than a script, which refers to a sequence of events. Sensory register is a brief and temporary storage of sensory information, and semantic memory is a long-term memory system that involves the processing of meaning. Neither of these concepts is as directly related to the activation of a college schema.

Question 7

Which example best illustrates spreading activation at work?
A) Your sensory registers allow you to perceive smooth motion when you move your head.
B) You find it difficult to remember happy things when you are in a bad mood.
C) You find it easy to relearn vocabulary words that you had once learned but forgot.
D) You start thinking about cars, and that leads you to think about trucks and sport-utility vehicles.

Accepted Answer

Spreading activation is the process where the activation of one concept in memory leads to the activation of related concepts. Thinking about cars can activate related concepts like trucks and SUVs, which is an example of spreading activation. The other options do not directly involve the concept of spreading activation.

Question 8

Lester is testifying against a person accused of robbery.Lester recalls with precise detail the number of people in the bank and what they looked like,the weather outside,and the song playing on the radio.He also provides details about the bank robbery itself.If you are a juror,you should ____.
A) believe Lester's testimony because of its detail
B) believe Lester's testimony only if he presents the details in a confident manner
C) be skeptical of Lester's testimony because of what you know from research on divided attention
D) be skeptical of Lester's testimony because of what you know of implicit memory

Accepted Answer

Research on divided attention suggests that it's difficult for people to pay attention to multiple things at once with high levels of detail. In a stressful situation like a bank robbery, it's unlikely that Lester could accurately recall so many specific details about the environment and the event itself, which suggests a reason to be skeptical of his testimony.

Question 9

Suppose you overhear a juicy rumor one night when you are drunk at a bar but cannot recall it the next day when you are sober.This illustrates ____.
A) dissociation
B) context-specific memory
C) state-dependent memory
D) hyperamnesia

Accepted Answer

This situation exemplifies state-dependent memory, where the ability to recall information is influenced by the individual's physiological or psychological state at the time of encoding and retrieval. In this case, the individual's drunkenness served as a state that facilitated the encoding of the memory, but the inability to recall the memory when sober suggests that the state-dependent cues needed for retrieval were absent. Dissociation refers to a disruption in memory due to psychological trauma, hyperamnesia refers to an increase in the ability to recall information, and context-specific memory refers to the ability to recall information in the same environmental context in which it was learned.

Question 10

Belinda has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.Sometimes she can be very happy and almost deliriously excited,while at other times,she becomes extremely depressed.When she is in her excited state,she is introduced to several people whom she has never met before.She doesn't encounter them again for a few weeks,but when she does,she feels depressed.Which statement is true?
A) She is more likely to remember their names than if she were excited.
B) She is less likely to remember their names than if she were excited.
C) She is about equally likely to remember their names regardless of what state she is in.
D) She definitely will not remember their names in her depressed state but might remember their faces.

Accepted Answer

Bipolar disorder can affect memory and cognitive processes, and during depressive episodes, a person may struggle with recall and concentration. Therefore, it is likely that Belinda is less likely to remember the names of the people she met while she was excited when she is in a depressed state.

Question 11

Josie is extremely unhappy while she studies for her midterm.When she actually goes to take it,however,she is in a very positive mood.Josie seems to have trouble recalling much of what she so diligently studied.This can be explained by ____.
A) context-specific memory
B) state-dependent memory
C) distraction during encoding
D) proactive inhibition

Accepted Answer

State-dependent memory suggests that memory retrieval is best when a person's current emotional or physiological state matches their state at the time of encoding. In this scenario, Josie's positive mood during the exam likely differed from her negative mood while studying, leading to difficulty in recalling the material she studied.

Question 12

During a trivia game,Blair is asked a question.The answer is on the tip of his tongue,but he can't come up with it.Which memory process failed him?
A) encoding
B) storage
C) retrieval
D) rehearsal

Accepted Answer

Retrieval is the memory process of accessing information that has been previously encoded and stored. In this case, Blair is unable to retrieve the information, even though it has been encoded and stored in his memory.

Question 13

Al is on the witness stand.He is asked if he can remember the name of the person who told him to place the bet.Al replies that he thinks the last name of the person starts with C.Al's response is an example of ____.
A) penultimate response
B) feeling-of-knowing experience
C) spontaneous generalization
D) tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

Accepted Answer

Al's response is an example of the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon, where a person knows some information but is temporarily unable to recall it or express it. In this case, Al knows that the person's last name starts with C, but he cannot recall the full name.

Question 14

Greg tries to convince his instructor to give a midterm exam in the same room where the class is held because he read that it will improve his chances of getting a higher score.Greg must know about ____.
A) state-dependent memory
B) context-specific memory
C) metamemory
D) eidetic imagery

Accepted Answer

Greg's statement suggests that he believes the context in which he learns the material will affect his ability to recall it during the exam. This concept is known as context-specific memory. State-dependent memory would refer to an individual's ability to better recall information when in the same physical or mental state that they were in when the information was initially learned. Metamemory refers to an individual's knowledge and awareness of their own memory processes. Eidetic imagery refers to the ability to vividly and accurately recall visual information.

Question 15

Alexander learns the names of all fifty states of the United States while he is in a very happy mood.Later,while he was in a sad mood,he can remember only twenty of the states.However,when Alexander was again happy,he can remember all fifty states.The principle that best explains this memory effect is ____.
A) melancholic inhibition
B) positive facilitation
C) context-specific memory
D) mood congruency

Accepted Answer

The principle that best explains this memory effect is mood congruency, which states that our mood or emotional state affects the recall of our memories. When Alexander was happy, he was able to remember all the states, but when he was sad, he could only remember twenty states. However, when Alexander's mood became happy again, he was able to remember all fifty states.

Question 16

Whenever House and Wilson argue,they bring up past issues.When they are getting along well,they have a hard time remembering what they argued about.What might produce this difference in the retrieval of memories?
A) flashbulb memory effect
B) primacy of memories effect
C) general knowledge effect
D) mood congruency effect

Accepted Answer

The mood congruency effect suggests that our current mood or emotional state can influence the retrieval of memories. When House and Wilson are arguing, they are likely experiencing negative emotions which can increase the recall of negative past events. However, when they are getting along well, they are probably experiencing positive emotions, making it more difficult to recall negative past events due to mood congruency.

Question 17

Your friend tells you that she just bought a cat.You naturally assume that your friend means that she bought a housecat rather than a lion or a tiger.This is an illustration of ____.
A) a spontaneous generalization
B) constructive memory
C) implicit memory
D) the relearning method

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a spontaneous generalization, where we make assumptions based on past experiences and common knowledge. In this case, it is common knowledge that people generally adopt housecats as pets rather than exotic animals like lions or tigers.

Question 18

Curly and Moe are questioned by the police about a car accident they witnessed just a couple of hours ago.Curly is asked how fast the Ford was going when it smashed into the stop sign.Moe is asked how fast the Ford was going when it hit the sign.All else being equal,Moe will most likely remember that the Ford was going ____.
A) the same speed that Curly remembered
B) slower than the speed Curly remembered
C) faster than the speed Curly remembered
D) over the speed limit

Accepted Answer

This is a classic example of the misinformation effect. Since Moe was asked how fast the Ford was going when it "hit" the sign, the word "hit" may have suggested to Moe that the car was going slower than it actually was. On the other hand, Curly was asked how fast the Ford was going when it "smashed into" the sign, which may have suggested a higher speed to him. Therefore, it is likely that Moe will remember the speed as being slower than what Curly remembered.

Question 19

Many death row inmates are convicted on the basis of eyewitness testimony.Which statementbest represents what is known about this kind of testimony?
A) Eyewitness testimony is highly reliable.
B) Good and bad eyewitness testimony is evaluated accurately by juries.
C) Eyewitness testimony can be biased by the type of questions that are asked.
D) Eyewitness testimony is never reliable.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that eyewitness testimony can be influenced and biased by the way questions are phrased, as well as other factors such as the eyewitness's level of stress or emotions during the event. It is up to the legal system to ensure that eyewitness testimony is evaluated carefully and accurately by juries. Therefore, option A and D are incorrect. Option B may not always be true, as jury members may not have the necessary training or expertise to evaluate the quality of an eyewitness's testimony.

Question 20

Missa,your psychology instructor,places a basketball net upon her head.She says,"See how when I pull this part of the net,all of the links in the net closest to this point are being pulled farther along.And this part of the net isn't even moving." Missa's demonstration highlights how ____ works within a ____.
A) spreading activation; multiple memory system model
B) spreading activation; semantic network
C) encoding specificity; multiple memory system model
D) encoding specificity; semantic network

Accepted Answer

Missa's demonstration is related to the spreading activation model, which proposes that activation spreads through the network along the connections between related concepts. The basketball net on her head visually represents the interconnectedness of concepts in the semantic network. The demonstration does not relate to the encoding specificity principle, which is concerned with the match between the context of encoding and the context of retrieval. Therefore options C and D can be eliminated. Although the multiple memory system model proposes that different types of memory are processed and stored in different brain regions, it is not relevant to the demonstration given by Missa, eliminating option A.

Quiz 5: Memory

When asked to describe an examination room at his doctor's office,John seemed to do an accurate job.However,he included a framed medical degree on the wall that in fact was not there.This is an illustration of ____.

The semantic memory network theory says that ____.

During a psychology lecture,your instructor uses the word college as a metaphor for social life.When he says the word college,lots of information comes to mind: dorm rooms,students,tests,professors,textbooks,pencils,and sporting events.The word has activated a ____.

Which example best illustrates spreading activation at work?

Lester is testifying against a person accused of robbery.Lester recalls with precise detail the number of people in the bank and what they looked like,the weather outside,and the song playing on the radio.He also provides details about the bank robbery itself.If you are a juror,you should ____.

Suppose you overhear a juicy rumor one night when you are drunk at a bar but cannot recall it the next day when you are sober.This illustrates ____.

Josie is extremely unhappy while she studies for her midterm.When she actually goes to take it,however,she is in a very positive mood.Josie seems to have trouble recalling much of what she so diligently studied.This can be explained by ____.

During a trivia game,Blair is asked a question.The answer is on the tip of his tongue,but he can't come up with it.Which memory process failed him?

Al is on the witness stand.He is asked if he can remember the name of the person who told him to place the bet.Al replies that he thinks the last name of the person starts with C.Al's response is an example of ____.

Greg tries to convince his instructor to give a midterm exam in the same room where the class is held because he read that it will improve his chances of getting a higher score.Greg must know about ____.

Whenever House and Wilson argue,they bring up past issues.When they are getting along well,they have a hard time remembering what they argued about.What might produce this difference in the retrieval of memories?

Your friend tells you that she just bought a cat.You naturally assume that your friend means that she bought a housecat rather than a lion or a tiger.This is an illustration of ____.

Many death row inmates are convicted on the basis of eyewitness testimony.Which statementbest represents what is known about this kind of testimony?