Module 23: Storing and Retrieving Memories

The neural storage of a long-term memory is called A) context-dependent memory. B) memory consolidation. C) the serial position effect. D) priming.

B) memory consolidation.

Which of the following has been suggested as an explanation for infantile amnesia? A) The hippocampus is one of the last brain structures to mature. B) The emotional reactivity of infants inhibits the process of encoding. C) The accumulation of life experiences disrupts the retrieval of early life events. D) Implicit memories last for less than a second in infants.

A) The hippocampus is one of the last brain structures to mature.

Stress provokes the ________ to initiate a memory trace that boosts activity in the brain's memory-forming areas. A) amygdala B) hippocampus C) hypothalamus D) cerebellum

A) amygdala

The human capacity for storing long-term memories is A) essentially limitless. B) roughly equal to seven units of information. C) typically much greater in young children than in adults. D) greatly reduced after people reach the age of 65.

A) essentially limitless.

Having read a story once, certain people with severe memory problems will read it faster the second time even though they can't recall having seen the story before. They have most likely suffered damage to the A) hippocampus. B) cerebellum. C) basal ganglia. D) amygdala.

A) hippocampus.

Reading a romantic novel caused Consuela to recall some past experiences with a high school boyfriend. The effect of the novel on Consuela's memory retrieval is an illustration of A) priming. B) memory consolidation. C) automatic processing. D) the serial position effect.

A) priming.

Shortly after you see a missing-child poster you are more likely to interpret an ambiguous adult- child interaction as a possible kidnapping. This best illustrates the impact of A) priming. B) long-term potentiation. C) infantile amnesia. D) state-dependent memory.

A) priming.

The basal ganglia most clearly facilitate the processing of A) procedural memories. B) explicit memories. C) mood-congruent memories. D) flashbulb memories.

A) procedural memories.

The happier Judie is, the more readily she recalls positive life experiences. This best illustrates that emotional states can become A) retrieval cues. B) a primacy effect. C) procedural memories. D) flashbulb memories.

A) retrieval cues.

Recalling a visual scene of last month's party and holding it in working memory would be most likely to activate the A) right frontal lobe. B) left frontal lobe. C) right cerebellum. D) left cerebellum.

A) right frontal lobe.

Consciously recalling that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth best illustrates A) semantic memory. B) state-dependent memory. C) procedural memory. D) episodic memory.

A) semantic memory.

After long-term potentiation has occurred A) sending neurons release their neurotransmitters more easily. B) it takes longer to process new information. C) a receiving neuron's receptor sites are reduced. D) you more readily forget facts that you once knew.

A) sending neurons release their neurotransmitters more easily.

The tendency to recall the first and last items in a list better than the middle items is known as A) the serial position effect. B) implicit memory. C) memory consolidation. D) flashbulb memory.

A) the serial position effect.

Conscious memories of emotionally stressful events are especially likely to be facilitated by activation of the A) basal ganglia. B) amygdala. C) cerebellum. D) hypothalamus.

B) amygdala.

Which part of the brain plays a key role in forming and storing the implicit memories created by classical conditioning? A) hippocampus B) cerebellum C) hypothalamus D) amygdala

B) cerebellum

After learning that kicking would move a crib mobile, infants showed that they recalled this learning best if they were tested in the same crib. This best illustrates A) the serial position effect. B) context-dependent memory. C) flashbulb memory. D) infantile amnesia.

B) context-dependent memory.

It's harder for Alonso to recall the name of a workplace colleague when he sees her in a grocery store rather than in the hallway outside his workplace office where he was first introduced to her. This best illustrates A) the serial position effect. B) context-dependent memory. C) long-term potentiation. D) memory consolidation.

B) context-dependent memory.

Memories initially processed in the hippocampus are transferred to the ________ for long-term storage. A) basal ganglia B) cortex C) cerebellum D) amygdala

B) cortex

When Tony is in a bad mood, he interprets his parents' comments as criticisms. When he's in a good mood, he interprets the same types of parental comments as helpful suggestions. This best illustrates that our emotional states influence the process of A) infantile amnesia. B) encoding. C) storage. D) retrieval.

B) encoding.

Damage to the hippocampus would be most likely to interfere with a person's ability to develop A) procedural memories. B) episodic memories. C) implicit memories. D) classically conditioned associations.

B) episodic memories.

Consciously recalling an event that you experienced during your last year of high school best illustrates A) procedural memory. B) episodic memory. C) context-dependent memory. D) semantic memory.

B) episodic memory.

The hippocampus helps process ________ memories for long-term storage. A) procedural B) explicit C) automatic D) implicit

B) explicit

Many people can easily recall exactly what they were doing when they first learned of the death of a close friend or family member. This best illustrates ________ memory. A) procedural B) flashbulb C) implicit D) state-dependent

B) flashbulb

Exceptionally clear memories of emotionally significant events are called A) implicit memories. B) flashbulb memories. C) mood-congruent memories. D) procedural memories.

B) flashbulb memories.

Damage to the ________ would most likely interfere with a person's ability to form new memories of a family vacation trip. A) basal ganglia B) hippocampus C) cerebellum D) amygdala

B) hippocampus

Memory consolidation is the process in which memories initially registered in the ________ are transferred for long-term storage in other regions of the brain. A) sensory cortex B) hippocampus C) thalamus D) hypothalamus

B) hippocampus

A good night's sleep improves recall of the previous day's events by facilitating the transfer of memories from the A) amygdala to the hippocampus. B) hippocampus to the cerebral cortex. C) cerebral cortex to the basal ganglia. D) basal ganglia to the cerebellum.

B) hippocampus to the cerebral cortex.

Stress hormones promote stronger memories by A) decreasing the availability of serotonin. B) increasing the availability of glucose. C) decreasing the availability of epinephrine. D) increasing the availability of propranolol.

B) increasing the availability of glucose.

Recalling an old password and holding it in working memory would be most likely to activate the A) right frontal lobe. B) left frontal lobe. C) right cerebellum. D) left cerebellum.

B) left frontal lobe.

Damage to the ________ is most likely to interfere with explicit memories of newly learned verbal information. Damage to the ________ is most likely to interfere with explicit memories of newly learned visual designs. A) right hippocampus; left hippocampus B) left hippocampus; right hippocampus C) right cerebellum; left cerebellum D) left cerebellum; right cerebellum

B) left hippocampus; right hippocampus

Which of the following provides a neural basis for learning and remembering conditioned associations? A) the serial position effect B) long-term potentiation C) procedural memory D) priming

B) long-term potentiation

The hippocampus and brain cortex display simultaneous activity rhythms during sleep. This appears to be an indication of A) priming. B) memory consolidation. C) the serial position effect. D) procedural memory.

B) memory consolidation.

The process in which memories registered in the hippocampus are transferred for long-term storage to other regions of the brain is called A) priming. B) memory consolidation. C) the serial position effect. D) implicit memory.

B) memory consolidation.

Whenever Valerie experiences intense feelings of fear, she is overwhelmed with childhood memories of her abusive parents. Valerie's experience best illustrates A) memory consolidation. B) mood-congruent memory. C) implicit memory. D) the serial position effect.

B) mood-congruent memory.

A sea slug releases more serotonin in order to promote the ________ necessary to learn a classically conditioned association. A) priming B) neurotransmission C) working memory D) serial positioning

B) neurotransmission

After hearing a list of items, peoples' immediate recall of the items is more likely to show a(n) ________ effect than is their later recall of the items. A) automatic processing B) recency C) memory consolidation D) implicit memory

B) recency

Research by Kandel and Schwartz on sea slugs indicates that memory formation is associated with the A) structure of DNA molecules. B) release of certain neurotransmitters. C) activity level of the hippocampus. D) development of the cerebellum.

B) release of certain neurotransmitters.

Psychologist Karl Lashley found that rats retained at least a partial memory of how to navigate a maze after he A) administered a drug to the rats that prevented LTP. B) removed small pieces of the rats' cerebral cortex. C) injected the rats with stress hormones. D) deprived the rats of any opportunity to sleep.

B) removed small pieces of the rats' cerebral cortex.

Memories are primed by A) memory consolidation. B) retrieval cues. C) long-term potentiation. D) infantile amnesia.

B) retrieval cues.

Mood-congruent memory best illustrates that the emotions we experienced while learning something become A) implicit memories. B) retrieval cues. C) procedural memories. D) flashbulb memories.

B) retrieval cues.

Recalling the stunning visual images of a Broadway musical and holding them in working memory would most clearly require activation of the A) basal ganglia. B) right frontal lobe. C) cerebellum. D) amygdala.

B) right frontal lobe.

Long-term potentiation refers to A) the impact of effortful processing on retention. B) an automatic tendency to recall emotionally significant events. C) an increase in a neuron's firing potential. D) the process of learning something without any conscious memory of having learned it.

C) an increase in a neuron's firing potential.

Dramatic experiences that can trigger flashbulb memories are most likely to remain bright and clear in our conscious memories because they A) are automatically processed. B) involve classically conditioned associations. C) are frequently rehearsed. D) initiate a memory trace in the cerebellum.

C) are frequently rehearsed.

A full week after Usha heard her mother read her a list of 12 different farm animals, Usha is most likely to remember the animals ________ of the list. A) at the beginning and end B) at the end C) at the beginning D) in the middle

C) at the beginning

We lack conscious awareness of many procedural memories partially because of limited neural communication from the A) cerebellum to the basal ganglia. B) hippocampus to the frontal lobes. C) basal ganglia to the cerebral cortex. D) amygdala to the hippocampus.

C) basal ganglia to the cerebral cortex.

Recall of what you have learned is often improved when your physical surroundings at the time of retrieval and encoding are the same. This best illustrates A) long-term potentiation. B) memory consolidation. C) context-dependent memory. D) the serial position effect.

C) context-dependent memory.

Infantile amnesia involves a lack of A) implicit memories. B) basal ganglia. C) explicit memories. D) automatic processing.

C) explicit memories.

Semantic memory is best described as ________ memory of _________. A) explicit; personally experienced events B) implicit; personally experienced events C) explicit; facts and general knowledge D) implicit; facts and general knowledge

C) explicit; facts and general knowledge

Joshua vividly recalls his feelings and what he was doing at the exact moment when he heard of his grandfather's unexpected death. This best illustrates ________ memory. A) nondeclarative B) implicit C) flashbulb D) procedural

C) flashbulb

The network that processes and stores explicit memories includes the A) hippocampus and basal ganglia. B) cerebellum and frontal lobes. C) frontal lobes and hippocampus. D) basal ganglia and cerebellum.

C) frontal lobes and hippocampus.

Recalling information and holding it in working memory requires that many brain regions send input to your A) basal ganglia. B) hypothalamus. C) frontal lobes. D) cerebellum.

C) frontal lobes.

Chickadees and other birds who store food in hundreds of places cannot remember the food storage locations months later if their ________ has been removed. A) amygdala B) basal ganglia C) hippocampus D) cerebellum

C) hippocampus

Explicit memory is to ________ as implicit memory is to ________. A) automatic processing; effortful processing B) sensory memory; working memory C) hippocampus; cerebellum D) basal ganglia; frontal lobes

C) hippocampus; cerebellum

The cerebellum and basal ganglia play an important role in the processing of ________ memories. A) explicit B) flashbulb C) implicit D) spatial

C) implicit

Cerebellum is to ________ memory as hippocampus is to ________ memory. A) working; long-term B) long-term; working C) implicit; explicit D) explicit; implicit

C) implicit; explicit

A lack of conscious memories of your first three years of life best illustrates A) priming. B) long-term potentiation. C) infantile amnesia. D) the serial position effect.

C) infantile amnesia.

Which type of memory has an essentially limitless capacity? A) working memory B) short-term memory C) long-term memory D) flashbulb memory

C) long-term memory

The increase in synaptic firing potential that contributes to memory formation is known as A) priming. B) classical conditioning. C) long-term potentiation. D) the serial position effect.

C) long-term potentiation.

The receptor sites of receiving neurons have been observed to increase following A) priming. B) the serial position effect. C) long-term potentiation. D) administration of propranolol.

C) long-term potentiation.

A good night's sleep is most likely to improve exam grades by supporting the process of A) priming. B) tunnel vision memory. C) memory consolidation. D) mood-congruent memory.

C) memory consolidation.

Whenever he feels sexually jealous, David is flooded with painful memories of instances when he thought his girlfriend was flirting with other men. David's experience best illustrates A) procedural memory. B) long-term potentiation. C) mood-congruent memory. D) memory consolidation.

C) mood-congruent memory.

Research on the storage of memory indicates that A) our brain can store new memories only if it discards some old memories. B) our capacity for storing information in our short-term working memory has no real limit. C) our brain distributes the components of a memory across a network of locations. D) once memories are consolidated in storage, they can never be forgotten.

C) our brain distributes the components of a memory across a network of locations.

After hearing the sound of an ambulance, you may be momentarily predisposed to interpret a friend's brief coughing spell as a symptom of serious illness. This best illustrates the impact of A) procedural memory. B) the serial position effect. C) priming. D) flashbulb memory.

C) priming.

Rehearsal is to encoding as retrieval cues are to A) long-term potentiation. B) memory consolidation. C) priming. D) the serial position effect.

C) priming.

Explicit memory of facts and general knowledge is known as A) episodic memory. B) state-dependent memory. C) semantic memory. D) procedural memory.

C) semantic memory.

Passing an electric current through the brain during electroconvulsive therapy is most likely to disrupt A) long-term memories. B) procedural memories. C) very recent memories. D) flashbulb memories.

C) very recent memories.

Long-term potentiation is believed to be A) a memory-blocking process triggered by high doses of propranolol. B) the cause of memory loss among patients with Alzheimer's disease. C) unnecessary for the formation of flashbulb memories. D) a neural basis for learning and memory.

D) a neural basis for learning and memory.

Shortly after hearing a list of items, people tend to recall the last items in the list especially quickly and accurately. This best illustrates A) state-dependent memory. B) context-dependent memory. C) implicit memory. D) a recency effect.

D) a recency effect.

Damage to the ________ would most likely interfere with a person's memory of how to play the piano. A) hippocampus B) amygdala C) hypothalamus D) basal ganglia

D) basal ganglia

People fail to learn a conditioned eyeblink response when the function of different pathways in their ________ is surgically disrupted. A) hypothalamus B) amygdala C) hippocampus D) cerebellum

D) cerebellum

Eyewitnesses to a crime often recall the details of the crime most accurately when they return to the scene of the crime. This best illustrates A) the serial position effect. B) memory consolidation. C) long-term potentiation. D) context-dependent memory.

D) context-dependent memory.

Explicit memory of personally experienced events is known as A) context-dependent memory. B) procedural memory. C) semantic memory. D) episodic memory.

D) episodic memory.

Episodic memory is best described as ______ memory of _______. A) implicit; facts and general knowledge B) implicit; personally experienced events C) explicit; facts and general knowledge D) explicit; personally experienced events

D) explicit; personally experienced events

The temporary release of serotonin has been found to ________ memory formation, and the temporary release of stress hormones has been found to ________ memory formation. A) disrupt; facilitate B) facilitate; disrupt C) disrupt; disrupt D) facilitate; facilitate

D) facilitate; facilitate

A year and a half after directly experiencing a San Francisco earthquake, people had very accurate recall of where they had been and what they were doing at the time of the earthquake. Their recall best illustrates ________ memory. A) implicit B) state-dependent C) procedural D) flashbulb

D) flashbulb

Elevated levels of stress hormones most clearly contribute to developing A) procedural memories. B) implicit memories. C) infantile amnesia. D) flashbulb memories.

D) flashbulb memories.

Which neural center in the limbic system helps process explicit memories for storage? A) hypothalamus B) basal ganglia C) cerebellum D) hippocampus

D) hippocampus

After recovering from a stroke, Farina was able to learn how to hit a tennis ball. She is unable, however, to learn and remember the name of the rehabilitation therapist who has been working with her each day to develop her tennis swing. Farina is most likely to have suffered damage to her A) cerebellum. B) hypothalamus. C) basal ganglia. D) hippocampus.

D) hippocampus.

An inability to form semantic memories would most likely result from damage to the A) basal ganglia. B) hypothalamus. C) cerebellum. D) hippocampus.

D) hippocampus.

Children too young to speak have not learned the words that we use to index much of our explicit memory. This most clearly helps to explain the occurrence of A) mood-congruent memory. B) long-term potentiation. C) flashbulb memory. D) infantile amnesia.

D) infantile amnesia.

Recalling your social security number and holding it in working memory would most clearly require activation of the A) amygdala. B) basal ganglia. C) cerebellum. D) left frontal lobe.

D) left frontal lobe.

A flashbulb memory would typically be a(n) A) procedural memory. B) very recent memory. C) implicit memory. D) long-term memory.

D) long-term memory.

Which of the following is believed to be the synaptic basis for learning and memory? A) priming B) the primacy effect C) serial positioning D) long-term potentiation

D) long-term potentiation

By activating the amygdala, stress hormones promote A) the production of propranolol. B) infantile amnesia. C) the serial position effect. D) long-term potentiation.

D) long-term potentiation.

Mice could not learn their way out of a maze if they could not produce an enzyme needed for A) automatic processing. B) the serial position effect. C) producing propranolol. D) long-term potentiation.

D) long-term potentiation.

The recall of sad experiences is often primed by feelings of sadness. This most clearly illustrates A) the serial position effect. B) flashbulb memories. C) implicit memory. D) mood-congruent memory.

D) mood-congruent memory.

In one study, people primed with words or images involving money expressed ________ support for free market capitalism and ________ support for social inequality. A) less; more B) more; less C) less, less D) more; more

D) more; more

Activating memories of your childhood by forming vivid mental images of various locations in your childhood home best illustrates A) automatic processing. B) a primacy effect. C) the serial position effect. D) priming.

D) priming.

Hearing the word rabbit may lead people to spell the spoken word hair as h-a-r-e. This best illustrates the outcome of a process known as A) flashbulb memory. B) the serial position effect. C) context-dependent memory. D) priming.

D) priming.

Watching a TV soap opera involving marital conflict and divorce led Andrea to recall several instances in which her husband had mistreated her. The effect of the TV program on Andrea's recall provides an example of A) implicit memory. B) memory consolidation. C) the serial position effect. D) priming.

D) priming.

When 80-year-old Ida looked at one of her old wedding pictures, she was flooded with vivid memories of her parents, her husband, and the early years of her marriage. The picture served as a powerful A) memory trace. B) implicit memory. C) serial position effect. D) retrieval cue.

D) retrieval cue.

After his last drinking spree, Fakim hid a half-empty liquor bottle. He couldn't remember where he hid it until he started drinking again. Fakim's pattern of recall best illustrates A) infantile amnesia. B) flashbulb memory. C) the serial position effect. D) state-dependent memory.

D) state-dependent memory.

Memory consolidation refers to the neural ________ of a long-term memory. A) encoding B) priming C) retrieval D) storage

D) storage

Cortex areas surrounding the hippocampus and supporting the processing and storing of explicit memories are located in the A) amygdala. B) basal ganglia. C) cerebellum. D) temporal lobe.

D) temporal lobe.

Damage to the hippocampus would most likely interfere with a person's ability to learn A) to ride a bike. B) to eat with a fork. C) a classically conditioned fear response. D) the names of newly introduced people.

D) the names of newly introduced people.

At a block party, Cyndi is introduced to eight new neighbors. Moments later, she remembers only the names of the first three and last two neighbors. Her experience best illustrates A) state-dependent memory. B) context-dependent memory. C) implicit memory. D) the serial position effect.

D) the serial position effect.

The experience of emotionally stressful events is especially likely to promote A) nondeclarative memory. B) infantile amnesia. C) the serial position effect. D) tunnel vision memory.

D) tunnel vision memory.

A baseball strikes Ashley in the head and she is momentarily knocked unconscious. The physical injury, though not serious, is most likely to interfere with Ashley's A) flashbulb memories. B) long-term memories. C) procedural memories. D) very recent memories.

D) very recent memories.

Memories of newly learned ________ are most likely to be disrupted by damage to the right hippocampus. Memories of newly learned ________ are most likely to be disrupted by damage to the left hippocampus. A) body coordination skills; classically conditioned fears B) classically conditioned fears; body coordination skills C) words; visual designs D) visual designs; words

D) visual designs; words

Karl Lashley trained rats to solve a maze and then removed pieces of their cortexes. He observed that storage of their maze memory A) was restricted to their right cerebral hemisphere. B) was restricted to their left and right frontal lobes. C) was restricted to their left and right temporal lobes. D) was not restricted to single, specific regions of the cortex.

D) was not restricted to single, specific regions of the cortex.