Question 1

The research by Ericsson and colleagues (1980) examined the ability of a college student to achieve amazing feats of memory by having him remember strings of random digits that were recited to him. They found that this student used his experience with running times to help him retain these strings of numbers. The significance of this finding was that
A) experts show larger primacy and recency effects than beginners.
B) knowledge in an area of expertise increases a person's digit span.
C) expertise with some material reduces susceptibility to proactive interference with that material.
D) chunking requires knowledge of familiar patterns or concepts.

Accepted Answer

The significance of Ericsson and colleagues' finding was that chunking, a memory strategy, requires knowledge of familiar patterns or concepts, which the student utilized by relating the random digits to his experience with running times.

Question 2

It is easier to perform two tasks at the same time if
A) one is handled by the visuospatial sketch pad and one is handled by the phonological loop.
B) both are handled by the visuospatial sketch pad.
C) both are handled by the phonological loop.
D) the central executive is deactivated during the dual task time period.

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that performing two tasks simultaneously is easier when they utilize different systems in working memory, such as the visuospatial sketch pad and the phonological loop. This is because these systems can operate independently, reducing interference between the two tasks.

Question 3

Have you ever tried to think of the words and hum the melody of one song while the radio is playing a different song? People have often noted that this is very difficult to do. This difficulty can be understood as
A) articulatory suppression.
B) an overload of sensory memory.
C) rehearsal interference.
D) an LTM recency effect.

Accepted Answer

Articulatory suppression is the process of inhibiting inner speech to prevent the repetition of items in working memory. In this case, trying to think of the words and hum of one song while another song is playing would require inner speech, which is inhibited by the need to hear and process the sensory information from the radio. This inhibitory effect can make it difficult to perform the task of thinking of one song while listening to another. The other options, such as an overload of sensory memory, rehearsal interference, and LTM recency effect, do not fully explain the difficulty involved in this task.

Question 4

Given what we know about the operation of the phonological loop, which of the following word lists would be most difficult for people to retain for 15 seconds?
A) BIP, TEK, LIN, MOD, REY
B) SAY, BET, PIN, COW, RUG
C) MAC, CAN, CAP, MAN, MAP
D) PIG, DOG, RAT, FOX, HEN

Accepted Answer

The phonological loop, part of the working memory model, has difficulty with similar sounding items because they are more likely to be confused with one another. List C contains words that are phonologically similar, making it harder to retain accurately.

Question 5

Research suggests that the capacity of short-term memory is
A) somewhat small, holding only about seven items at one time.
B) quite large, holding a large number of items simultaneously.
C) equivalent to sensory memory, holding about a hundred items at one time.
D) larger than the capacity of long-term memory among young people.

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that the capacity of short-term memory is somewhat small, holding only about seven items at one time. This is known as Miller's Law, which states that the average person can hold seven plus or minus two items in their short-term memory.

Question 6

Chantal has frontal lobe damage. She is doing a problem-solving task in which she has to choose the red object out of many choices. She can easily complete this repeatedly, but when the experimenter asks her to choose the blue object on a new trial of the task, she continues to choose the red one, even when the experimenter gives her feedback that she is incorrect. Chantal is displaying
A) sensory memory.
B) decay.
C) perseveration.
D) agnosia.

Accepted Answer

Chantal's behavior is characteristic of perseveration, which is a difficulty in switching from one task or response to another after the previous response has become irrelevant or inappropriate. This is a common symptom of frontal lobe damage, which can also lead to difficulties in planning, decision-making, and inhibiting inappropriate responses. Sensory memory refers to the brief storage of sensory information, decay refers to the loss of information over time, and agnosia refers to a difficulty in recognizing familiar objects or stimuli. None of these terms accurately describe Chantal's behavior in this scenario.

Question 7

One function of ___________ is to pull information out of long-term memory.
A) sensory memory
B) the phonological loop
C) articulatory suppression
D) the central executive

Accepted Answer

The central executive is responsible for directing attention and pulling information out of long-term memory. Sensory memory holds information briefly upon receipt, and the phonological loop and articulatory suppression are both components of working memory responsible for manipulating and rehearsing information.

Question 8

The episodic buffer directly connects to which two components in Baddeley's model of memory?
A) The phonological loop and the visuospatial sketchpad
B) The central executive and long-term memory
C) The central executive and the phonological loop
D) The phonological loop and long-term memory

Accepted Answer

The episodic buffer in Baddeley's model of memory serves as a bridge between the central executive and long-term memory, integrating information from different sources into coherent episodes.

Question 9

Imagine yourself walking from your car, bus stop, or dorm to your first class. Your ability to form such a picture in your mind depends on which of the following components of working memory?
A) The STM recency effect
B) Delayed response coding
C) The phonological loop
D) The visuospatial sketch pad

Accepted Answer

The visuospatial sketch pad is responsible for holding and manipulating visual and spatial information in working memory. In this case, it would allow you to form a mental picture of walking from one place to another.

Question 10

Which of the following represents the correct progression of information as it moves through the primary memory stores?
A) Short-term, long-term, episodic
B) Sensory, short-term, long-term
C) Episodic, short-term, sensory
D) Sensory, episodic, long-term

Accepted Answer

Information first enters the sensory memory store, where it is held briefly before being transferred to short-term memory. From there, information may be encoded and stored in long-term memory. Therefore, the correct progression is sensory, short-term, long-term. Option A is incorrect because episodic memory is a type of long-term memory, not a separate memory store. Option C is incorrect because episodic memory should be placed after short-term memory in the progression. Option D is incorrect because sensory memory comes before any other memory store.

Question 11

What is the typical duration of short-term memory?
A) 15 to 50 seconds
B) 15 to 20 seconds
C) 5 to 7 seconds
D) 7 to 15 seconds

Accepted Answer

While the duration of short-term memory can vary somewhat depending on the individual and the circumstances, it is generally accepted that short-term memory lasts for around 15 to 20 seconds. Some researchers have suggested that short-term memory can last for up to 30 seconds, but this is still much shorter than the duration of long-term memory, which can last for years or even a lifetime.

Question 12

Observations that people may actually process and manipulate information rather than simply store it for brief periods of time challenged the conceptualization of
A) the phonological similarity effect.
B) short-term memory.
C) the persistence of vision.
D) the physiological approach to coding.

Accepted Answer

Observations that people may actually process and manipulate information challenged the conceptualization of short-term memory, which was previously viewed as a passive storage system with limited capacity. Instead, it is now understood that short-term memory involves active manipulation and processing of information.

Question 13

Which of the following statements about short-term memory is FALSE?
A) Short-term memory has a relatively small capacity for information.
B) Retention of information in short-term memory is brief.
C) Short-term memory stores an exact replica of sensory stimuli.
D) Short-term memory provides meaning to information.

Accepted Answer

Short-term memory does not store an exact replica of sensory stimuli, but rather a representation or interpretation of that information.

Question 14

According to the model of working memory, which of the following mental tasks should LEAST adversely affect people's driving performance while operating a car along an unfamiliar, winding road?
A) Trying to imagine how many cabinets are in their kitchen
B) Trying to remember a map of the area
C) Trying to remember the definition of a word they just learned
D) Trying to imagine a portrait from a recent museum exhibit

Accepted Answer

The task of trying to remember the definition of a word involves the phonological loop, which is less likely to interfere with the visuospatial tasks required for driving compared to tasks that involve visual imagery or spatial memory.

Question 15

Working memory differs from short-term memory in that
A) short-term memory consists of a number of components.
B) short-term memory has a central executive function.
C) working memory is engaged in processing information.
D) working memory has unlimited capacity.

Accepted Answer

Working memory is a type of memory that is actively engaged in processing and manipulating information, whereas short-term memory simply holds information for a brief period of time. Working memory is also referred to as the "scratchpad" of the brain, as it allows us to temporarily store and manipulate information in order to complete tasks such as mental calculations or problem-solving. Short-term memory does not involve the same level of processing and manipulation of information.

Question 16

Digit span is one measure of capacity of
A) short-term memory.
B) long-term memory.
C) sensory memory.
D) long-term semantic memory.

Accepted Answer

Digit span assesses the capacity of short-term memory, which refers to the temporary storage and manipulation of information.

Question 17

Jason quickly scanned the map on his phone to get to his job interview, then took a left and ran down the block so he wouldn't be late. According to Stokes, Jason's ability to recall the directions as he's running is the result of ________.
A) a buffering process followed by an activity process
B) an activity state followed by a synaptic state
C) a buffering process followed by an executive process
D) a synaptic state followed by a buffering state

Accepted Answer

According to Stokes, the ability to recall directions or any other information after a brief period involves an activity state (where information is actively being processed or used) followed by a synaptic state (where the information is stabilized and stored in a more long-term form for later retrieval).

Question 18

A task with the instructions "Read the following words while repeating 'the, the, the' out loud, look away, and then write down the words you remember" would most likely be studying
A) articulatory suppression.
B) the visuospatial sketch pad.
C) echoic memory.
D) the central executive.

Accepted Answer

This task is an example of articulatory suppression, which involves repeating a simple word or phrase to prevent verbal rehearsal in the phonological loop, thereby making it harder to remember verbal information.

Question 19

Robin lost the softball game for her team when she ran toward home and was thrown out at the plate. The coach asked her, "Why did you run? You knew it was a risky move." Robin replied, "But I heard you yell, 'Go! Go!'" The coach replied, "I was saying, 'No! No!'" Robin's ill-fated run was the result of a ________ error.
A) visuospatial
B) control
C) suppressive
D) phonological

Accepted Answer

Robin misheard the coach's instruction, indicating a phonological error where she processed the sounds incorrectly.

Question 20

Rehearsal is important for transferring information from
A) sensory memory to long-term memory.
B) sensory memory to short-term memory.
C) long-term memory to sensory memory.
D) short-term memory to long-term memory.

Accepted Answer

Rehearsal is a process that helps to hold information in the short-term memory for longer periods, which allows for the transfer of information from short-term memory to long-term memory. Therefore, the best choice is D, which states that rehearsal is important for transferring information from short-term memory to long-term memory.

Quiz 5: Short-Term and Working Memory

It is easier to perform two tasks at the same time if

Have you ever tried to think of the words and hum the melody of one song while the radio is playing a different song? People have often noted that this is very difficult to do. This difficulty can be understood as

Given what we know about the operation of the phonological loop, which of the following word lists would be most difficult for people to retain for 15 seconds?

Research suggests that the capacity of short-term memory is

One function of ___________ is to pull information out of long-term memory.

The episodic buffer directly connects to which two components in Baddeley's model of memory?

Imagine yourself walking from your car, bus stop, or dorm to your first class. Your ability to form such a picture in your mind depends on which of the following components of working memory?

Which of the following represents the correct progression of information as it moves through the primary memory stores?

What is the typical duration of short-term memory?

Observations that people may actually process and manipulate information rather than simply store it for brief periods of time challenged the conceptualization of

Which of the following statements about short-term memory is FALSE?

According to the model of working memory, which of the following mental tasks should LEAST adversely affect people's driving performance while operating a car along an unfamiliar, winding road?

Working memory differs from short-term memory in that

Digit span is one measure of capacity of

Jason quickly scanned the map on his phone to get to his job interview, then took a left and ran down the block so he wouldn't be late. According to Stokes, Jason's ability to recall the directions as he's running is the result of ________.

A task with the instructions "Read the following words while repeating 'the, the, the' out loud, look away, and then write down the words you remember" would most likely be studying

Rehearsal is important for transferring information from