Cognitive Psych Chapter 6

Why does elaborative encoding facilitate recall? It provides many potential retrieval paths. It occurs more quickly than shallow processing. It evokes fewer memory connections. It is more likely to be evoked by simple sentences than by complex ones.

It provides many potential retrieval paths. FEEDBACK: Multiple retrieval paths are the key to deep processing, which increases long-term retention.

Which of the following is a FALSE statement about the memory strategy of "chunking"? Practice with chunking can greatly increase the actual size of an individual's working memory. Chunking does have a downside: items can be misremembered because they are often altered in some way as part of the chunking process. Some individuals can create very big chunks, enabling them to recall over 50 numbers in order. The increased processing required for chunking leaves less attention available for other tasks.

Practice with chunking can greatly increase the actual size of an individual's working memory. FEEDBACK: Chunking does not increase working memory. It simply changes the size of the items that can be placed in working memory.

Which event will improve long-term memory performance during a free-recall task? having participants count backward by threes for 30 seconds before recalling the list delaying the recall for a few seconds after the list end (with no interpolated activity) using words that all have similar sounds (like "bay," "day," "gray," etc.) slowing down the presentation of the list

slowing down the presentation of the list FEEDBACK: Slowing down the presentation rate allows more time for each word to be rehearsed and hence increases the likelihood it will be transferred to long-term memory.

Marla is given the following list of words: "giraffe, bird, alligator, lion, eagle, gorilla." She is likely to remember the word "giraffe" because of the encoding effect. elaborative processing. the primacy effect. relational mnemonics.

the primacy effect. FEEDBACK: Primacy effects allow items at the beginning of a list to be better remembered by putting them into long-term memory.

Which statement about working memory is FALSE? It has a limited storage capacity. It functions mainly as a storage container. Information in it is fragile and easily lost. It refers mainly to the resources that make up the central executive and its helpers.

It functions mainly as a storage container. FEEDBACK: Working memory is dynamic and is better understood as a status rather than as a place.

Which of the following is FALSE with respect to sensory memory? It includes iconic memory, which stores visual information. Information is stored for only a very brief period of time before it is replaced by new information. Auditory information is stored in a part of sensory memory called "echoic memory." It has a very small capacity, storing only the equivalent of a letter or two at a time.

It has a very small capacity, storing only the equivalent of a letter or two at a time. FEEDBACK: Sperling's (1960) research showed that the capacity of sensory memory can be much larger than a single letter or two, but that it lasts for only a very short period of time.

Which of the following is true of gender differences in memory? Overall, females have more accurate memories than males. Many gender differences can be explained by differences in attention priorities. Males tend to have greater memory capacity than females, especially with respect to verbal materials. There are no reliable differences between the memory of males and females.

Many gender differences can be explained by differences in attention priorities. FEEDBACK: There are few differences between the memory of males and females, and many of these can be explained by differences in what men and women tend to pay attention to.

Which group would perform the best on a memory test? Participants engaged in shallow processing without the previous warning of a memory test. Participants engaged in moderate processing with the previous warning of a memory test. Participants engaged in deep processing without the previous warning of a memory test. Participants engaged in shallow processing with the previous warning of a memory test.

Participants engaged in deep processing without the previous warning of a memory test. FEEDBACK: Depth of processing is stronger than intention. Hence, the person engaged in deep processing will remember best.

Which of the following pieces of evidence would NOT be consistent with claims about the articulatory rehearsal loop? In working memory tasks, when people see the letter "F," they sometimes remember "S" instead. In working memory tasks, when people hear "F" spoken, they sometimes remember "S" instead. Repeating a nonsense syllable over and over interferes with the ability to hold a strong of letters in working memory. Correct! Repeating a nonsense syllable over and over interferes with the ability to hold a sequence of abstract shapes in working memory.

Repeating a nonsense syllable over and over interferes with the ability to hold a sequence of abstract shapes in working memory. FEEDBACK: The articulatory rehearsal loop deals exclusively with verbal and verbalizable material, so it would not be involved with holding abstract shapes.

Which is of the following is most effective for long-term retention? peg-word learning imagery maintenance rehearsal elaborative rehearsal

elaborative rehearsal FEEDBACK: Elaborative rehearsal is the most effective for remembering because it involves adding meaning to the encoding process.

All of the following statements accurately describe the effects of mnemonics EXCEPT that they can impose organization on a list that does not have its own intrinsic organization. facilitate multiple connections between new material and prior knowledge. can help to recall, not only items, but also their serial order in the list. can be detrimental if you wish to have many retrieval paths to the information.

facilitate multiple connections between new material and prior knowledge. FEEDBACK: Mnemonics do not create multiple retrieval paths. They serve as a simple organizational way to remember things.

On her way home, Veronica decided to go to the grocery store but couldn't write a shopping list because she was driving. She came up with several possible ways to remember what she needed to buy (listed in the answer choices). Which of her ideas is NOT a simple mnemonic strategy? using the peg-word system to associate different items on the shopping list with words in an easy-to-remember rhyme imagining what she can cook with all of the items on the list and imagining what all the food would taste like imagining her drive to school and associating items on the list with prominent landmarks she passes every day using the first-letter technique to make a word or phrase composed of the first letter of each item from the list

imagining what she can cook with all of the items on the list and imagining what all the food would taste like FEEDBACK: This is actually an elaborative rehearsal strategy, in which she is adding meaning to the information. Mnemonics are complex organizational schemes for learning.

The short-term storage of verbal materials is often supported by the rehearsal loop. The short-term storage of mental images is accomplished by the operation span. the visual-cortex loop. the visuospatial buffer. perseveration.

the visuospatial buffer. FEEDBACK: The visuospatial buffer is the part of working memory dedicated to memory of visual and spatial information, which is key for mental images.

The holding capacity of working memory is often said to be 7 plus-or-minus 2 digits. 7 plus-or-minus 2 chunks. 15 plus-or-minus 2 digits. 15 plus-or-minus 2 chunks.

7 plus-or-minus 2 chunks. FEEDBACK: The answer is 7 plus-or-minus 2 chunks because a single "chunk" can include multiple items if those items form one meaningful unit (e.g., the numbers 123 or the letters CAR).

What is an advantage of trying to learn something using deep (meaning-related) processing rather than strategies like mnemonics? It helps keep track of the order of learned items. It is better at preventing the "remembering" of details that were never actually present but fit with the meaning of the items. It creates more retrieval paths for the memory. It relies less on having background knowledge about the topic being learned.

It creates more retrieval paths for the memory. FEEDBACK: Multiple retrieval paths are the best way to remember.

What causes the primacy effect? The last words to be heard are still in working memory at testing. The first words to be heard are also the first words to leave working memory. Words that get more attention are better encoded into long-term memory. Experimenters tend to present easier words first as warm-up.

Words that get more attention are better encoded into long-term memory. FEEDBACK: The first words are maintained in working memory for a longer period of time and eventually encoded into long-term memory.

Long-term memory is to working memory as __________ is to __________. an open file on your computer; the monitor on your computer a printed copy of a file; a file stored on a CD a keyboard on your computer; the cursor on your computer a file stored on a hard drive; an open document you are working on

a file stored on a hard drive; an open document you are working on FEEDBACK: Things on your hard drive are permanent, whereas an open document is temporary and currently "in use," just like long-term and working memory, respectively.

Someone with a larger working-memory capacity is likely to perform better than someone with a smaller working-memory capacity on all of the following tasks EXCEPT following directions. efficient reading. learning a computer language. discriminating shapes.

discriminating shapes. FEEDBACK: Shape recognition only involves the temporal lobe regions and hence is not determined by working-memory capacity, which involves frontal lobe function.

You decide to order pizza and look up the number for a local pizza place. You repeat the number to yourself, but just before you dial the number, you are interrupted by a text from your friend. You quickly read the text, but then realize you have forgotten the number. The text led you to forget the number because the number was not rehearsed. not encoded into working memory. displaced from working memory. elaborated.

displaced from working memory. FEEDBACK: Items in working memory are very easily displaced by new information. Here, using working memory to comprehend the text moved the number out of working memory.

Which of the following types of processing for a target word will probably lead to the best memory performance? noting whether the letters are upper-case or lower-case generating a sentence that uses the target word repeating the word over and over while trying very hard to memorize it thinking of a list of words that rhyme with the target word

generating a sentence that uses the target word FEEDBACK: This task involves having to create a complex elaborative context that is more likely to improve memory.

In using the rehearsal loop, the central executive is directly involved in the step of subvocalizing the items in the list to be remembered. planning the end-goal of the rehearsal. transferring items into the phonological buffer. storing visual information, such as mental images.

planning the end-goal of the rehearsal. FEEDBACK: Planning and goal-directed behavior are the main responsibility of the central executive.

Maintenance rehearsal is an efficient and effective way to enter information into long-term memory. well suited for delayed recall, but only if you knew were going to be tested. poorly suited for delayed recall, even if you knew you would be tested. not very efficient, but if done for long enough it will be effective at promoting memory.

poorly suited for delayed recall, even if you knew you would be tested. FEEDBACK: Maintenance rehearsal involves simple repetition and does not effectively increase long-term retention.

What factor about a person will best predict the long-term recall of newly learned complex information about biology? previous related biology knowledge performance on a digit-span task intention to learn the information amount of time spent trying to learn the information

previous related biology knowledge FEEDBACK: Previous knowledge on a topic is likely to help the ability to form new long-term memories.

Which of the following would be the least helpful in improving recall of a difficult-to-understand paragraph? quizzing yourself in order to improve comprehension of the paragraph chunking the sentences in the paragraph into smaller, meaningful groups repeating the paragraph aloud many times giving the paragraph a meaningful title

repeating the paragraph aloud many times FEEDBACK: This option is reliant on maintenance rehearsal, which is the least efficient way to learn material.

According to the modal model, all of the following are true EXCEPT that new information moves from one information-processing component to the next. the size of short-term memory can be expanded with sufficient practice. incoming information goes through sensory and short-term memory on the path to long-term memory. memory takes place in a series of discrete steps.

the size of short-term memory can be expanded with sufficient practice. FEEDBACK: Short-term memory is fixed at 7 plus-or-minus 2 items.