psych--module 23

A long time ago, Leslie was stuck in an elevator for over 3 hours. Though generally not claustrophobic, after 2 hours she felt like the elevator walls were closing in on her. Now, 10 years later, she still vividly recalls the details of the emotionally traumatic experience. What is MOST likely causing her long-lasting robust memory of this event?

Stress hormones increase glucose activity, which then fuels brain activity.

On a business trip last year, Susan and Pam flew from Los Angeles to Boston. Susan really hates to fly. In the middle of the flight, Susan and Pam experienced 20 minutes of very severe turbulence. Susan remembers this incident as if it were yesterday, but Pam cannot recall it. Why?

Susan experienced emotion-triggered hormonal changes.

Damage to a brain area called the _____ would MOST likely interfere with learning a conditioned fear response to the sight of a dog that had bitten one on several occasions.

cerebellum

Damage to the _____ would MOST likely interfere with learning a conditioned fear response to the sight of a dog that had bitten one on several occasions.

cerebellum

Learning to ride a bike is likely to require activation of the _____ rather than the _____.

cerebellum and basal ganglia; hippocampus

After having an argument with one's significant other, one is likely to view him or her very negatively as a person. This is BEST seen as reflecting:

state-dependent memory.

If one learns a list of chemistry terms while one is in a great mood, one has a better chance of recalling that list if one is in the same kind of mood when one takes the exam. This is known as:

state-dependent memory.

Rachel's friend disappointed her, and she tells another friend, "That friend is really unreliable. She doesn't care about people's feelings." Later, when Rachel's friend apologizes and does something kind, Rachel tells a friend, "That friend is always so nice to me!" This alteration of perception is BEST explained by:

state-dependent memory.

Ralph came home quite drunk from a party on Saturday night. Luckily, he was given a ride home. He threw his apartment keys down somewhere and immediately fell asleep. He may not be able to find his keys again until he is once again drunk because of:

state-dependent memory.

When something good happens to people, the rest of their life feels more positive. This is BEST explained by:

state-dependent memory.

Professor Mollier suggests that her students study for an exam in a room that has sound and lighting similar to their own classroom. She even suggests that they wear the same type of clothing while studying and taking the exam. To increase their memory retention while studying, Professor Mollier wants the students to consider:

the context in which learning occurred.

When one goes for a job interview and is introduced to many people, whose name is one MOST likely to remember?

the first person one meets

Hakeem has a very clear memory of his daughter's birth. He remembers the weather, what he was wearing, the sounds in the hallway, and the joy he felt. Psychologists would say that:

he has a flashbulb memory for this event.

Damage to the _____ would MOST likely interfere with a person's ability to form new memories of a family vacation trip.

hippocampus

Lara is trying to remember events from her life as an 18-month-old. However, as hard as she might try, she has no conscious memory for anything that occurred before her third birthday. This is MOST likely due to the fact that her _____, which is involved in storing explicit memories, was NOT fully developed at that age.

hippocampus

Luke experiences some damage to his cerebellum. Based on information provided in the textbook, Luke's _____ memory may be impaired.

implicit

Six-year-old Fiona has no memory of a trip she took to the hospital when she was 2 years old, yet the rest of her family recalls what happened in vivid detail. Her inability to remember this event is known as:

infantile amnesia

Sonya is trying to remember events from her life as an 18-month-old. However, as hard as she might try, she has no conscious memory for anything that occurred before her third birthday. This is likely due to the fact that her hippocampus, which is involved in storing explicit memories, was not fully developed at that age. This inability to remember events when she was 3 years old and younger is called _____.

infantile amnesia

James has suffered hippocampal damage from a near-fatal bus crash. He is not able to remember verbal information, but retains the ability to recall visual designs and locations. He may have suffered damage to his:

left hippocampus

Whenever Mindy experiences intense feelings of fear, she is overwhelmed with childhood memories of her abusive parents. Mindy's experience BEST illustrates _____ memory.

mood-congruent

Megan starts making a grocery list early in the week, and adds items daily throughout the week. At the end of the week, when Megan gets to the grocery store, she realizes that she left her list at home. The items she is MOST likely to recall on the list are those that she added:

most recently.

Episodic memory is exemplified by one's memory for:

one's first kiss.

"Cat food, cola, toothpaste . . ." Ned's roommate recites items over the phone as he throws his books in the back seat and gets into his car. Ned is supposed to stop at the store on the way home. The roommate continues to list a few more items. Finally, he wraps up, ". . . coffee creamer, spaghetti sauce, dish soap, and iced tea mix." Ned forgets a couple of things, but he does get the cat food, cola, and toothpaste. His memory for these items reflects the _____ effect.

primacy

At a block party, Cyndi meets nine new neighbors. Moments later, she can only remember the names of the first three and last two neighbors she met. The fact that Cyndi can remember the first few people she met BEST reflects the _____ effect.

primacy

In an effort to recall his early life experiences, Aaron forms vivid mental images of the rooms in his childhood home. Aaron is engaged in the process of:

priming

At a block party, Derek meets nine new neighbors. Moments later, he can only remember the names of the first three and last two neighbors he met. The fact that Derek can remember the last two people he met BEST reflects the _____ effect.

recency

The happier Judie feels, the more readily she recalls experiences with former teachers who were warm and generous. This BEST illustrates that emotional states can be _____ cues.

retrieval

An oldie playing on the radio reminds Donald of events that occurred when the song was current. For Donald, the song is acting as a:

retrieval cue.

Chad is puzzling over a difficult question on a multiple-choice sociology test; however, as he rereads the response options he remembers the correct answer. Chad has made use of a:

retrieval cue.

Darlene is trying to remember the name of a woman sitting next to her on the bus. She knows she met her at a party, and she is trying to remember which one. Darlene is able to imagine where the woman was seated at the party, as well as what she was eating. Darlene is using _____ to remember the woman's name.

retrieval cues

Jonny has suffered hippocampal damage from a near-fatal bus crash. He is able to remember verbal information, but has no ability to recall visual designs and locations. He has MOST likely suffered damage to his:

right hippocampus.

Theo suffers from depression and is currently in treatment. His physician is using electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which will affect his _____ memory.

short-term

Long-term potentiation (LTP) is enhanced by the neurotransmitter:

glutamate

Estelle remembers a night she was mugged and brutally beaten. This memory probably involves not only her hippocampus but also her _____ because of the emotional nature of the event.

amygdala

If students study for a test by reviewing multiple-choice items, but the test is given in an essay format, they are not likely to do as well as they might have if the test were also multiple choice. This is explained by the:

encoding specificity principle.

Mabel has Alzheimer's disease and her _____ memories for people and events are lost, but she is able to display an ability to form new _____ memories by being repeatedly shown words.

explicit; implicit

John remembers very clearly the day his best friend died in a bicycle accident at the hands of a drunk driver. This BEST illustrates _____ memory.

flashbulb

Many people in the United States can easily recall exactly what they were doing when they heard the news of the attacks on September 11, 2001. This BEST illustrates _____ memory.

flashbulb

If the functioning of one's cerebellum is impaired, one would have trouble:

tying a knot.