Chapter 6

The capacity of short-term memory is about how many items?

7, plus or minus 2

How long is information stored in short-term memory?

About 20 seconds

Which of the following is a characteristic of short-term memory?

It holds unrehearsed information for no more than about twenty seconds.

Which one of the following involves the learning of complex new information in a single long study period?

Massed practice

In the semantic memory network, what do stronger associations produce?

Quicker responses

Which one of the following is an example of semantic memory?

Remembering the location of different continents on a map

How common is memory distortion and inaccurate memories?

Very common

When we use existing knowledge to fill in the gaps during encoding and retrieval, that is called

constructive memory.

Todd is back at school after summer break, but he can't remember his gym locker combination. Why did he forget it?

decay

Mental representations of categories of objects, places, events, and people are known as _____.

schemas

The basis for making inferences about new information during the encoding stage is provided by the generalized knowledge contained in _____.

schemas

Mental representations using categories to organize types of information, such as objects and events, are called

schemas.

External stimuli picked up by the eye first enters _____.

sensory memory

Long-term memories are often encoded in terms of:

their general meaning.

Roediger and McDermott studied false memories using

themed word lists.

Which one of the following is the retrieval cue that most likely works best to recall the sentence "He has a red car"?

Automotive paint

Which two processes explain forgetting?

Decay theory and interference

Which study strategy works best for remembering information over a long period of time?

Distributed practice

Tommy is trying to remember specific information about military actions that occurred on December 7, 1941. What model best explains what is happening when Tommy relates new information with information he already knows?

Elaborative rehearsal

Which one of the following best describes retroactive inhibition?

It is a cause of forgetting whereby new information placed in memory interferes with the ability to recall information already in memory.

Who among the following has most likely formed a false memory?

Lucas, who narrates his first visit to a wildlife sanctuary as having taken place during a winter, whereas it actually took place in a summer

Which of the following examples best demonstrates how to overcome the tip-of-tongue phenomenon when trying to recall a vocabulary word on a test?

Look for retrieval cues in other parts of the test

According to research, which of the following involves people suppressing information willfully, so that it is no longer accessible on a later memory test?

Motivated forgetting

During jury selection, defense attorneys in a wrongful death auto accident trial asked potential jurors to recall times when they had seen people texting and driving. What memory effect were the attorneys trying to use to their advantage?

Retrieval cues

Which one of the following involves loss of memories that were formed prior to a brain injury?

Retrograde amnesia

Which of the following theories describes forgetting as the gradual disappearance of information from memory?

The decay theory

In the context of models of memory, what is the difference between the levels-of-processing model and the transfer-appropriate processing model?

Unlike the levels-of-processing model, the transfer-appropriate processing model emphasizes the match between how one tries to retrieve information and how he or she originally encoded it.

When is it best to employ the method of loci?

When trying to remember an unrelated list

Learning calculus is most likely to result in

an increase in dendritic spines.

The loss of ability to form new memories for events after a brain injury is known as _____.

anterograde amnesia

Learning new information in many study sessions that are spaced across time is known as _____.

distributed practice

Memories of events that happened to you personally are referred to as

episodic memory.

Remembering events differently from the way they actually happened are part of errors known as _____.

false memories

Detective McFarland let an eyewitness know that the suspect for a robbery may or may not be in the lineup. This will most likely result in

fewer false identifications.

Gavin completed paper worksheets in preparation for a standardized test. The test was administered on a computer. This might

hinder retrieval due to the different contexts.

The best way to study short-term memory is to provide a list and then

immediately provide distraction, and then test different groups after delays of 10, 15, 20, or 25 seconds.

Methods to put information into an organized framework in order to remember it more easily are known as _____.

mnemonic strategies

Chemicals released by axons into synapses are known as _____.

neurotransmitters

The process by which old information interferes with a person's ability to learn or remember newer information is called _____.

proactive inhibition

Stimuli that help a person retrieve information from long-term memory are known as _____.

retrieval cues

Varun goes to a restaurant to have lunch. A waiter guides him to a vacant table and hands over the menu to him. Varun notices that the restaurant is bustling with people. He can hear the conversation of a couple seated nearby and the songs being played on the television a few meters away from him. He notices the distinct smell of the freshly-cooked steak that is being served at the table adjacent to his. To focus on choosing an item from the menu for his lunch, Varun will most likely have to use _____.

selective attention

The theory that each unit of information we know is related or associated with other units of information is called a

semantic memory network

Kevin and Sally are playing a game in which both of them have to memorize a list of words and the person who can remember the most words in their accurate order wins. When it's Kevin's turn, he reads a list of seven words. He then recalls six words accurately but forgets the seventh one. However, he feels like he almost knows the word and is even able to state one of its features but cannot remember the word itself. Kevin is most likely experiencing:

the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon.

Christina is waiting at the airport to pick her friend who is coming to visit her. After spending time with her friend, Christina needs to go to her workplace to finish some urgent work. While waiting at the airport, she mentally calculates what time she will have to return home after going out. In the context of storing new memories, Christina is most likely using her _____.

working memory