Gemma studies history immediately before she falls asleep,so that it will be the last thing that she learns each day.Holt plays tapes of his professor's economics lectures while he sleeps,thinking he'll absorb the material "subconsciously." Armed with your knowledge of the psychology of memory,what might you tell Gemma and Holt?
A) I would tell Gemma that material encoded immediately prior to sleep is unlikely to be rehearsed sufficiently for its optimal retention. I would tell Holt that he'll learn a surprising amount that way.
B) I would tell Gemma that she has a clever idea, because learning material immediately prior to sleep minimizes interference. I would tell Holt that the material on his tapes will not be encoded while he sleeps.
C) I would tell Gemma that material encoded immediately prior to sleep is unlikely to be rehearsed sufficiently for its optimal retention. I would tell Holt that the material on his tapes will not be encoded while he sleeps.
D) I would tell both Gemma and Holt that the material they are trying to learn is unlikely to be encoded given their strategies.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Research has shown that learning material immediately prior to sleep may not lead to optimal retention as the material is unlikely to be rehearsed sufficiently. Therefore, I would tell Gemma that her strategy may not be very effective. In the case of Holt, simply playing tapes while he sleeps is not likely to result in encoding of the material, as the brain needs to be actively engaged in encoding and organizing the information for effective retention. Therefore, I would tell Holt that his strategy may not be very effective either. Hence, option C best summarizes the advice that would be given to both Gemma and Holt based on the psychology of memory.

Gemma Studies History Immediately Before She Falls Asleep,so That It