Question 1

Your roommate asks you which section of political science you are taking next semester. You have just registered and confidently turn to tell her the section when you are astonished to realize that you can't remember. Your memory lapse is an example of:
A) change blindness
B) tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
C) blocking
D) absentmindedness

Accepted Answer

The answer of Your roommate asks you which section of...

Question 2

You are following the plot of a complicated Shakespeare play quite clearly while you are watching it. However, the next week you find that you cannot remember the details. Your loss of memory is most likely due to:
A) transience
B) interference
C) blocking
D) absentmindedness

Accepted Answer

Transience refers to the gradual fading of memories over time. In this situation, the individual was able to follow the plot clearly while watching the play, but over the course of a week, their memory of the details faded. This is a common example of transience.

Question 3

Srimoyee and Richa, who are fourth year university students, are reminiscing about their high school prom. Srimoyee enjoyed the prom, but it was not particularly important to her. For Richa, the prom was a very significant event. That was the night her boyfriend told her that he was going to break up with her because he had been secretly involved with Richa's best friend for quite a while. You would expect that Srimoyee would have trouble ____________ the prom and Richa would have trouble ____________ the prom.
A) remembering; remembering
B) forgetting; forgetting
C) forgetting; remembering
D) remembering; forgetting

Accepted Answer

Srimoyee enjoyed the prom but it was not important to her, so she would have no trouble remembering it. On the other hand, Richa had a significant and traumatic experience at the prom, so she would have trouble forgetting it.

Question 4

A character on a TV show wanders into a hospital seeking help because he can't remember who he is or where he is from. If the doctor on the show knows anything about memory, she will diagnose the man with:
A) a concussion
B) retrograde amnesia
C) anterograde amnesia
D) absentmindedness

Accepted Answer

Retrograde amnesia is the loss of memory for events that occurred before a traumatic event or injury. In this case, the character on the TV show cannot remember who he is or where he is from, indicating that he has lost a significant portion of his past memories. A concussion can cause memory loss, but it would not necessarily lead to the complete loss of identity and personal history described in the scenario. Anterograde amnesia refers to the inability to form new memories, which does not fit the situation described. Absentmindedness is a mild forgetfulness that does not result in the complete loss of memory.

Question 5

Bob and Sally watch a horror movie. The ____________ amygdala of Bob's brain will be activated and the ____________ amygdala of Sally's brain will be activated.
A) left; right
B) left; left
C) right; right
D) right; left

Accepted Answer

The amygdala is responsible for processing emotions, including fear. Studies have shown that the right amygdala is more strongly activated during the processing of fearful stimuli. Therefore, Bob's right amygdala will be activated and Sally's left amygdala will be activated during the horror movie.

Question 6

It could be argued that change blindness is adaptive because it:
A) saves space in working memory
B) prioritizes important information
C) decreases encoding time and effort
D) reduces the need for rehearsal

Accepted Answer

Change blindness may be adaptive because it allows us to prioritize important information and filter out insignificant details. This can aid us in efficiently allocating attention and resources towards more relevant aspects of our environment. While the other options may also play a role in cognitive processes, they do not directly relate to the function of change blindness.

Question 7

Jacob learned French in high school and is now learning Spanish in university. He finds that sometimes when he intends to write a Spanish word he instead writes a French word. Jacob's problem is due to:
A) blocking
B) persistence
C) proactive interference
D) retroactive interference

Accepted Answer

Proactive interference occurs when previously learned information interferes with the ability to remember new information. In this case, Jacob's knowledge of French is interfering with his ability to learn new Spanish vocabulary, leading to the incorrect use of French words instead of Spanish words.

Question 8

Nadia changed her computer password on Monday. On Friday, she realizes that she failed to change the password in one system. When she tries to get in to that system with her old password, she cannot remember it; her new password keeps coming to mind. Nadia's problem is due to:
A) blocking
B) persistence
C) proactive interference
D) retroactive interference

Accepted Answer

Nadia's problem is due to retroactive interference, which occurs when newly acquired information interferes with the ability to recall previously learned information. In this case, Nadia's new password is interfering with her ability to remember her old password.

Question 9

Rose often worries that her boyfriend, Hadi, does not seem as emotionally involved with her as she is with him. She has much better and more vivid memories for the important events in their relationship than Hadi does. Rose might take comfort from the finding that:
A) men remember fewer emotional events than women when they are content
B) men remember but are less inclined to talk about emotional events than women
C) women have stronger reactions and memories for emotional events than men
D) women remember equally but talk more about emotional events than men

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that women generally have stronger emotional reactions and memories for emotional events compared to men, which might explain why Rose has more vivid memories than Hadi.

Question 10

Marianna takes the bus to school every day. One morning a different bus is used on her route. Marianna does not notice the change even though her usual bus is blue and white and the new bus is green and black. Marianna is showing:
A) change blindness
B) tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
C) blocking
D) transience

Accepted Answer

Change blindness refers to the phenomenon where a person fails to notice a significant change in their environment, such as the different bus in this scenario. Marianna's inability to notice the change in the color of the bus is a classic example of change blindness.

Question 11

You start to answer an exam question and even though you know the word for the answer, you cannot remember it. You can remember the shape of the word, the first letter, where on the page of your notes the word is, but not the word itself. You are suffering from:
A) change blindness
B) tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
C) suggestibility
D) absentmindedness

Accepted Answer

The tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon describes exactly this situation where you cannot recall a word even though you can remember certain details about it.

Question 12

People who were close to the location of Ground Zero during the 9/11 terrorist attacks are very likely to show increased physiological responses to:
A) planes overhead
B) looming skyscrapers
C) fire trucks on the street
D) hospitals in the background

Accepted Answer

People who were close to Ground Zero during 9/11 may have developed a stronger association between planes overhead and the traumatic event. This can lead to increased physiological responses, such as anxiety or fear, when hearing or seeing planes overhead. Looming skyscrapers, fire trucks on the street, and hospitals in the background are less likely to trigger a similar response.

Question 13

Raakee was walking home late at night. She was terrified because she thought she heard someone following her. Raakee realized later that she could remember exactly what the street looked like when she thought she heard the footsteps. This experience highlights the role of the ____________ in ____________.
A) amygdala; processing fear and danger
B) frontal lobe; processing fear and danger
C) amygdala; tagging the event for the future
D) frontal lobe; tagging the event for the future

Accepted Answer

The amygdala plays a key role in processing fear and danger, as well as in tagging emotional events for future retrieval. In this scenario, Raakee's ability to remember the street when she thought she heard footsteps suggests that her amygdala was tagging the event for future reference. The frontal lobe, while important in decision making and planning, is not as directly involved in processing fear and danger.

Question 14

The difference between absentmindedness and blocking is that in absentmindedness the information is:
A) less deeply encoded
B) lacking in hierarchical organization
C) more vulnerable to suggestibility
D) less well rehearsed

Accepted Answer

Absentmindedness refers to forgetting due to inadequate encoding, which means that the information was not fully processed and therefore not stored in memory as well. This results in a weaker memory trace that is more easily forgotten or displaced by other information. Blocking, on the other hand, is the inability to retrieve information that is known to be stored in memory. This occurs when the information is temporarily inaccessible, often due to interference from similar information or context. The information in blocking was typically well-encoded, but the retrieval process is hindered.

Question 15

Melanie goes to the hospital emergency room hysterical and hurt because she has just been attacked. If the ER doctor wanted to be sure that Melanie would not develop post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the attack, he could give her ____________ which block(s) postsynaptic ____________ receptors.
A) antidepressants; glucose
B) propranolol; norepinephrine
C) antidepressants; norepinephrine
D) propranolol; glucose

Accepted Answer

Propranolol is a beta-blocker medication that blocks postsynaptic norepinephrine receptors, which can help in preventing the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by reducing the emotional intensity of traumatic memories. Antidepressants mainly target serotonin and sometimes norepinephrine but do not block norepinephrine receptors directly. Glucose is a simple sugar that cannot block postsynaptic receptors and has no direct effect on PTSD prevention.

Question 16

Cultural differences in change blindness indicate that:
A) adults learn cultural norms in what should be attended to
B) socialization teaches children what should be attended to
C) adults learn cultural norms in what should not be attended to
D) socialization teaches children what should not be attended to

Accepted Answer

Cultural norms and socialization both play a role in determining what individuals attend to and what they ignore. Studies on change blindness have shown that adults are more likely to notice changes in objects or events that are culturally relevant or significant, indicating that cultural norms and socialization influence what individuals pay attention to. Therefore, the correct answer is B, as it specifically mentions socialization teaching children what should be attended to.

Question 17

After a plane crash, Sherrod wakes up in the hospital and can remember everything about his life. The doctor comes in, introduces himself, and explains the course of treatment. The next day, Sherrod believes that he has never met the doctor and asks him to explain the proposed treatment. The doctor is likely to diagnose Sherrod with:
A) a concussion
B) retrograde amnesia
C) anterograde amnesia
D) absentmindedness

Accepted Answer

Anterograde amnesia refers to the inability to form new memories after a traumatic event, such as a plane crash. Sherrod's inability to remember the doctor and the proposed treatment the next day suggests that he may be suffering from anterograde amnesia. A concussion typically causes temporary confusion and memory loss, but it does not usually lead to long-term memory problems. Retrograde amnesia refers to the loss of memories before a traumatic event, which does not seem to be the case with Sherrod. Absentmindedness is a general term used to describe forgetfulness or the tendency to forget things easily, but it does not necessarily indicate a specific medical condition.

Question 18

Most forgetting is due to ____________ not ____________.
A) decay; interference
B) interference; decay
C) transience; absentmindedness
D) absentmindedness; transience

Accepted Answer

Most forgetting is attributed to interference, where new or old information disrupts the recall of other information, rather than decay, which is the fading of memory over time.

Question 19

Dion keeps having nightmares and flashbacks about his brief time in the military. His chronic anxiety is most likely due to which disorder?
A) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
B) obsessive-compulsive disorder
C) post-traumatic stress disorder
D) attention-deficit disorder

Accepted Answer

Dion's symptoms of nightmares, flashbacks, and chronic anxiety are characteristic of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can occur in individuals who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, such as combat in the military. Options A, B, and D do not fit the symptoms described by Dion.

Question 20

Aaron took French in grade 9, but he is now taking it again in his fourth year of university to fulfill requirements for his major. Based upon your knowledge of memory you could predict that the material would take ____________ in his university class as it did in his high school class.
A) as much effort and as much time to learn
B) less effort but as much time to learn
C) as much effort but less time to learn
D) less effort and less time to learn

Accepted Answer

Relearning material typically requires less effort and less time because of prior exposure and the strengthening of memory traces from the initial learning experience.

Quiz 7: Attention and Memory

Your roommate asks you which section of political science you are taking next semester. You have just registered and confidently turn to tell her the section when you are astonished to realize that you can't remember. Your memory lapse is an example of:

You are following the plot of a complicated Shakespeare play quite clearly while you are watching it. However, the next week you find that you cannot remember the details. Your loss of memory is most likely due to:

A character on a TV show wanders into a hospital seeking help because he can't remember who he is or where he is from. If the doctor on the show knows anything about memory, she will diagnose the man with:

Bob and Sally watch a horror movie. The amygdala of Bob's brain will be activated and the amygdala of Sally's brain will be activated.

It could be argued that change blindness is adaptive because it:

Jacob learned French in high school and is now learning Spanish in university. He finds that sometimes when he intends to write a Spanish word he instead writes a French word. Jacob's problem is due to:

Nadia changed her computer password on Monday. On Friday, she realizes that she failed to change the password in one system. When she tries to get in to that system with her old password, she cannot remember it; her new password keeps coming to mind. Nadia's problem is due to:

Rose often worries that her boyfriend, Hadi, does not seem as emotionally involved with her as she is with him. She has much better and more vivid memories for the important events in their relationship than Hadi does. Rose might take comfort from the finding that:

Marianna takes the bus to school every day. One morning a different bus is used on her route. Marianna does not notice the change even though her usual bus is blue and white and the new bus is green and black. Marianna is showing:

You start to answer an exam question and even though you know the word for the answer, you cannot remember it. You can remember the shape of the word, the first letter, where on the page of your notes the word is, but not the word itself. You are suffering from:

People who were close to the location of Ground Zero during the 9/11 terrorist attacks are very likely to show increased physiological responses to:

Raakee was walking home late at night. She was terrified because she thought she heard someone following her. Raakee realized later that she could remember exactly what the street looked like when she thought she heard the footsteps. This experience highlights the role of the in .

The difference between absentmindedness and blocking is that in absentmindedness the information is:

Melanie goes to the hospital emergency room hysterical and hurt because she has just been attacked. If the ER doctor wanted to be sure that Melanie would not develop post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the attack, he could give her which block(s) postsynaptic receptors.

Cultural differences in change blindness indicate that:

Most forgetting is due to not .

Dion keeps having nightmares and flashbacks about his brief time in the military. His chronic anxiety is most likely due to which disorder?

Aaron took French in grade 9, but he is now taking it again in his fourth year of university to fulfill requirements for his major. Based upon your knowledge of memory you could predict that the material would take ____________ in his university class as it did in his high school class.