PSY 360 Chapter 6
Verona Bishop summarizes her experiment by telling her students that they will forget some details of the experiment but remember others. Which of the following explanations accurately states why is this so? A. According to levels-of-processing theory, we tend to retain information that has been subject to thorough processing. If the students gave meaning to the information, it is likely to be remembered. B. According to dual-code theory, visual information is more likely to be retained than verbal information. If the students saw the information, it is more likely to be remembered than if they heard it.
According to levels-of-processing theory, we tend to retain information that has been subject to thorough processing. If the students gave meaning to the information, it is likely to be remembered.
The part of the brain cell that passes information to other brain cells is known as the: A. Neuron B. Synapse C. Axon D. Dendrite
Axon
Verona Bishop asks her students to "imagine that you could keep everything that ever entered your mind. What would that be like?" One student responds, "You'd be a genius!" Another responds, "You'd go crazy!" Why does Ms. Bishop side with the second student? A. Being bombarded with too much information at once decreases learning. B. There is no correlation between genius and paying attention to environmental clues. C. Genius is an inherited trait not associated with memory. D. People with mental illness absorb more environmental information than do people without mental illness.
Being bombarded with too much information at once decreases learning.
Which one of the following students is most likely to engage in metacognition in studying classroom material? A. Monica hypothesizes that everything we learn is either true or not true and that textbooks are always true. B. Chelsea hypothesizes that learners are like spongeslong dashthey soak up everything they hear in the classroom and read in textbooks. C. Gio hypothesizes that the best way to study is through reading and reviewing the material in the lecture and the textbook. D. Brock hypothesizes that unless he truly thinks about what he is learning and how it relates to his own life, he will not remember most of the newly acquired knowledge.
Brock hypothesizes that unless he truly thinks about what he is learning and how it relates to his own life, he will not remember most of the newly acquired knowledge.
Which one of the following situations most clearly reflects the typical duration of working memory? A. Arnie remembers his locker combination through the entire school year. By the end of summer vacation, however, he has forgotten it. B. Darrell looks up the correct spelling of the word fossil, repeats the letters once, and closes the dictionary. By the time he finds a piece of paper on which to write the word, he has forgotten how to spell it. C. Carol remembers most of the information she has been learning about World War II in class this week, but she remembers very little of what she learned about World War I two weeks ago. D. At noon, Barney makes a mental list of the five homework assignments he needs to complete that night. Midway through the afternoon he checks himself and realizes that he still remembers all five. However, by early evening he cannot recall two of the five assignments.
Darrell looks up the correct spelling of the word fossil, repeats the letters once, and closes the dictionary. By the time he finds a piece of paper on which to write the word, he has forgotten how to spell it.
During the 3-second memory experiment, Verona Bishop asks her students to recall information not associated with the overhead information she presented. What type of memory are students using when they recall smells, sounds, and details of the classroom and the people in it? A. Dual code memory B. Procedural memory C. Episodic memory D. Semantic memory
Episodic memory
If you wanted students to remember the concept of gravity, well beyond the end of your class and, especially when they need that concept to help them understand a new situation or solve a new problem, which one of the following instructional strategies would be most beneficial? A. Ask students to create a series of 3-minute movies showing what the world would be like without gravity. B. Design an in-depth lesson about gravity, with a particular focus on how Sir Isaac Newton developed his universal law of gravitation. C. Arrange a field trip to an aerospace museum, where students can walk through exhibits and watch a short movie introduced by the head of NASA. D. Have students participate in a field experiment in which they take turns dropping objects and recording the objects' height, the objects' weight, and the speed of the falls.
Have students participate in a field experiment in which they take turns dropping objects and recording the objects' height, the objects' weight, and the speed of the falls.
Cheryl, one of Verona Bishop's students, recalled seeing the word learning on the overhead screen, even though it was not there. How does Ms. Bishop explain this phenomenon? A. Learning and memory, a word that was actually presented, are closely related and most likely stored closely together in memory. When one is recalled, so is the other. B. Because the students had only 3 seconds to review the information, Cheryl's report of what she remembered contained guesses. C. Ms. Bishop actually said the word during the 3-second experiment, so Cheryl picked it up there. D. Humans have a tendency to learn the first and last bits of information presented, so Cheryl thought of the word learning after the 3-second experiment.
Learning and memory, a word that was actually presented, are closely related and most likely stored closely together in memory. When one is recalled, so is the other.
As an assignment in his geometry class, Vladimir is trying to calculate the area of a half-circle. Which one of the following alternatives best describes how his brain is involved in this activity? A. This activity is occurring primarily in the back half of his cortex. B. Any mathematical calculation involves precise, sequential logic. Therefore, he is working primarily in his brain's left hemisphere. C. Geometry involves visual material. Therefore, he is working primarily in his brain's right hemisphere. D. Many parts of his brain are actively collaborating as he works.
Many parts of his brain are actively collaborating as he works.
Mr. Benet gives his students an assignment that prepares them for their upcoming debate. The assignment involves the analysis of divergent perspectives on the issue, development of arguments to support the diverse perspectives, and efficient recall of resources and persuasive points during the debate. Which of the following is most important for students to complete this assignment effectively? A. Left hemisphere of the cortex processing analytically B. The hippocampus C. Right hemisphere of the cortex processing creatively D. Many parts working simultaneously
Many parts working simultaneously
Which one of the following teachers is effectively using a concept map? A. Mr. Alexander puts the words force, gravity, velocity, acceleration, and time on the chalkboard. He then draws lines between pairs of related words and describes the relationships. B. Mr. Calvin draws a chart showing the hierarchy that biologists use to classify animals. His chart includes vertebrates, invertebrates, mammals, fish, birds, mollusks, crustaceans, and so on. C. Ms. Dubroski projects a slide that shows five types of canineslong dashdogs, wolves, foxes, jackals, and dingoeslong dashwith a list of the characteristics that differentiate each type under each picture. D. Ms. Blanchard draws a chart listing the sequence of events leading up to World War II in chronological order.
Mr. Alexander puts the words force, gravity, velocity, acceleration, and time on the chalkboard. He then draws lines between pairs of related words and describes the relationships.
Only one of the following teaching practices is consistent with what we know about working memory. Which one is consistent? A. Ms. B. tells her students that they should try to focus on main ideas rather than try to remember every detail. B. Mr. F. urges his students to make sure all the information for tomorrow's test is "in their short-term memories." C. Ms. K. teaches only five or six topics each day, because working memory can only hold that many items at once. D. Mr. A. tells his students that the best way to remember vocabulary words is to repeat them aloud, in alphabetical order.
Ms. B. tells her students that they should try to focus on main ideas rather than try to remember every detail.
Which one of the following teachers is effectively using an advance organizer? A. Ms. Hillman tells her students, "As we look at causes of the American Revolution, we'll find that most fall into three general categories: philosophical differences, British taxation policies, and several decrees known as the 'Intolerable Acts.' " B. Ms. Lawford tells her students, "On Monday we will begin a unit on how clouds are formed. Please read the next chapter in your book before then." C. Mr. Geremia describes the characteristics of each of the planets in the solar system and gives his students a handout that shows the orbits of the planets, their distances from the sun, and their relative sizes. D. Ms. Nicholas writes on the board, "Tell your parents to begin thinking about a costume that they can help you make to wear for our Thanksgiving pageant in three weeks."
Ms. Hillman tells her students, "As we look at causes of the American Revolution, we'll find that most fall into three general categories: philosophical differences, British taxation policies, and several decrees known as the 'Intolerable Acts.' "
Which one of the following teachers is likely to be the most successful at reducing retroactive inhibition? A. Ms. F. teaches English literature. Her class reads The U.S.A. Trilogy by John Dos Passoslong dashthree books that present the stories of 12 characters over a span of time. To help students remember which events occur in each book, she has different groups of students do short skits portraying key scenes each week. B. Ms. M. teaches astronomy. She introduces the unit on the rotation of the moon around the Earth using an animated presentation she has downloaded, but she introduces the unit on the rotation of the planets around the sun using a three-dimensional model the students can all touch. C. Ms. S. teaches economics. She uses a textbook that introduces principles of microeconomics in Chapters 4dash11 and principles of macroeconomics in Chapters 20dash26. D. Ms. C. teaches geometry. Her class practices computing the area of parallelograms and triangles for a week, and all students perform well on a weekly quiz. She then introduces how to compute the area of regular polygons using similar problems, allowing the students to transfer what they already know.
Ms. M. teaches astronomy. She introduces the unit on the rotation of the moon around the Earth using an animated presentation she has downloaded, but she introduces the unit on the rotation of the planets around the sun using a three-dimensional model the students can all touch.
Of the following research findings about our brains, which is likely to have the most implications for teaching and learning? A. The brain is our body's most complex organ. B. Our brains are adaptable throughout life. C. The brain is composed of up to 200 billion nerve cells, called neurons. D. Electrical circuits are the foundation of the nervous system.
Our brains are adaptable throughout life.
Three of the following students are using metacognitive strategies while reading. Which one is not necessarily using a metacognitive strategy? A. Josie guesses what an author will say before she starts reading; she continues to revise her guesses as she goes along. B. Pablo reads out loud so he can hear what the words sound like. C. Darnell always thinks about what he wants to learn from a textbook before he begins to read it. D. Keiko ignores parts of the text that don't relate to her purpose for reading.
Pablo reads out loud so he can hear what the words sound like.
A teacher asks students to compare two leaders, identifying similarities and differences in their leadership styles. What component of long-term memory do the students most directly need to complete this task? A. Long-term working memory B. Flashbulb memory C. Episodic memory D. Semantic memory
Semantic memory
According to information-processing theory, which component of the memory system did Verona Bishop's students first use during the 3-second experiment? A. Short-term memory B. Working memory C. Long-term memory D. Sensory register
Sensory register
Mr. Mills instructs his students to practice the steps in the process over and over. As a result of students' practice, what is happening in their brains? A. Strengthening of connections between neurons B. Increase in number of axons per neuron C. Production of new neurons in the cortex D. Neurons that are not used are dying
Strengthening of connections between neurons
During a class lecture, Jacob is not paying attention, so he cannot recall the information later. Which of the following assumptions most likely applies? A. The content was encoded and moved to long-term memory, and Jacob can retrieve it if he is given the appropriate cues. B. The content was held in working memory but was lost before moving into the long-term memory because Jacob was not attentive. C. The content was received by the sensory register but was not passed on to working memory. D. The content is in the long-term memory, but Jacob does not have the ability to retrieve it.
The content was received by the sensory register but was not passed on to working memory.
Which one of the following statements is NOT a "neuromyth"? A. The left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for analytical thinking, and the right brain specializes in creativity, music, and language. B. Throughout life, many neurons die, whereas many more become interconnected as a result of experience. C. People have brain-based "learning styles" and learn best if taught according to that style. D. Most people only use 10% of their brain capacity.
Throughout life, many neurons die, whereas many more become interconnected as a result of experience.
In general, the best strategies for increasing students' attention in the classroom all involve: A. re-engaging students when they seem to have lost attention. B. varying classroom presentation methods. C. arousing student interest in the content. D. cuing students that some aspect of the class is particularly important.
arousing student interest in the content.
In his science class, Mr. W. is teaching a unit on how chemicals bond. He demonstrates how to make a crystal snowflake out of borax, then he gives the students materials to make their own. Mr. W. is using his knowledge of the research on: A. distributed practice. B. proactive facilitation. C. enactment. D. generation.
enactment.
The part of the brain that controls the transfer of information from working memory to long-term memory is the: A. cerebral cortex. B. hypothalamus. C. amygdala. D. hippocampus.
hippocampus.
Perception is the process by which people: A. control and focus their attention. B. move information from the sensory register to working memory. C. recall information from long-term memory. D. interpret and make sense of information received by the senses.
interpret and make sense of information received by the senses.
Perhaps the best way to ensure that students do not end up with a lot of inert knowledge is to: A. teach mnemonic strategies so that students can not only encode information but also effectively retrieve it. B. encourage them to study using distributed practice rather than massed practice. C. provide hands-on learning activities that allow students to engage with the materials directly. D. make sure they know why each lesson is meaningful to them and useful in their lives.
make sure they know why each lesson is meaningful to them and useful in their lives.
In the information-processing model, the term schemata refers to: A. the process by which we encode procedural knowledge. B. very vivid memories of events that happened in the past. C. networks of connected ideas or relationships in semantic memory. D. information that fits in with what we already know.
networks of connected ideas or relationships in semantic memory.
The area of the brain that seems to be most important for cognitive tasks is the: A. cerebellum. B. hippocampus. C. prefrontal cortex. D. corpus callosum.
prefrontal cortex.
In the PQ4R Method, the P refers to: A. prompting yourself with questions about the material before reading it. B. problem-solving when you don't understand the material. C. practicing the material after you've read it. D. previewing the material before reading it in detail.
previewing the material before reading it in detail.
Richard studied French in seventh grade, but now in ninth grade he has decided to take introductory Spanish. One day his Spanish teacher asks, "Who is married to your father?" and Richard erroneously answers, "Mere." That's actually the French word. Richard's memory error can best be explained in terms of: A. proactive facilitation. B. retroactive inhibition. C. proactive inhibition. D. retroactive facilitation.
proactive inhibition.
Analogies are most effective in helping students learn new information because they: A. present the new information both verbally and visually. B. relate new information to concepts they already know. C. serve as an advance organizer for the new information. D. encourage students to elaborate on the new information.
relate new information to concepts they already know.
Skills that have been learned to automaticity: A. were learned easily through massed practice. B. require less mental effort. C. did not need a lot of practice to learn. D. are stored in working memory, not in long-term memory.
require less mental effort.
Mr. K., a high-school physics teacher, tells a friend, "I had a pretty good understanding of thermodynamics when I was in high school, but it wasn't until the first time I taught the course myself that I realized how much I didn't know ... and how much more I learned as a result of teaching it!" Mr. K.'s experience is a good example of: A. proactive inhibition. B. using a mnemonic. C. the recency effect. D. retroactive facilitation.
retroactive facilitation.
Mrs. S. is teaching her preschool students the alphabet. They can all sing the song, and they can point to each letter as she names them in sequence. Learning the alphabet in this way is an example of a: A. paired-associate task. B. serial learning task. C. massed practice task. D. free-recall task.
serial learning task.
Mr. D. has a chart of the Periodic Table of Elements on the wall in his chemistry classroom. On the first day of class, he describes it to students and notes, "Although the things on that chart are numbered in order from left to right, the colors of the boxes tell you what kind of element each one is. So, Elements 2, 10, 18, 36, 34, 86, and 118 are all purple, and they are all considered noble gases." The presentation of elements in the chart is most likely based on research that shows: A. students are more motivated to learn when they have an advance organizer like this chart. B. students learn items that are organized hierarchically better than items not grouped in meaningful ways. C. students who take charge of their own learning process are more efficient learners. D. students learn better when information is presented with visual cues, such as the color purple.
students learn items that are organized hierarchically better than items not grouped in meaningful ways.
The levels-of-processing theory posits that people are most likely to remember information when they have: A. rehearsed the information over a long period of time. B. encoded the information both verbally and visually. C. a large working memory capacity. D. studied the details in some depth.
studied the details in some depth.
Norman is studying Chinese and needs to remember that the word for "exit" is chu, so he remembers the sentence, "The choo-choo train is exiting the station." Norman's technique illustrates the use of: A. free-recall learning. B. the keyword method. C. the pegword method. D. the loci method.
the keyword method.
Highlighting and note-taking are most effective as study strategies when: A. students capture details in lecture notes and margin notes rather than trying to hold everything in their working memory. B. the learner organizes and transforms important ideas and themes. C. the student uses templates, matrices, or outlines from the teacher. D. the learner captures as much of the content as possible without adding too much interpretation.
the learner organizes and transforms important ideas and themes.
Lisa is trying to remember the eight stages in Erikson's psychosocial theory of development. She reads the unit, takes notes, makes flashcards, and practices saying the conflicts at each of the stages out loud. She thinks she's got it, but on test day she can only recall Stages 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 in order, and she mixes up stages 5, 6, and 7. Her teacher recommends that for the final exam, she should start a study session with Stage 5, rather than Stage 1. Her teacher is most likely trying to help her avoid: A. massed practice. B. the recency effect. C. retroactive inhibition. D. the primacy effect.
the primacy effect.
According to the information-processing model, executive processing refers to: A. the things that a learner is interested in and attentive to. B. the ways in which a person controls the learning process. C. a person's motivation to learn new information. D. another name for short-term memory.
the ways in which a person controls the learning process.
In general, researchers believe that most things are forgotten because: A. they weren't completely learned in the first place. B. we pay more attention to things we learn later in life. C. long-term memory has a limited capacity. D. retroactive inhibition is stronger than proactive facilitation.
they weren't completely learned in the first place.
The corpus callosum is responsible for: A. transmitting information from one hemisphere of the brain to the other. B. controlling basic functions common to all animals, like heartbeat. C. transmitting information from one neuron to another. D. controlling the release of hormones that keep the body in balance.
transmitting information from one hemisphere of the brain to the other.
The PQ4R method is an effective technique for helping students understand and remember what they read because it requires students to: A. complete assignments in which they reflect on their understanding of the information they are learning. B. write one-sentence summaries after reading each paragraph or section of the text. C. identify main ideas and then diagram connections between them. D. use effective learning strategies for meaningful organization of information.
use effective learning strategies for meaningful organization of information.
Which one of the following statements is most clearly from a student engaged in metacognitive processing? A. "The main character in the story is the man who led the group of civilians out of the country, and his actions keep the reader engaged in the story." B. "I believe the second question on the review sheet is going to be on the test tomorrow. The teacher hinted that we should review the material in the section about crustaceans." C. "The teacher assigned roles for our group work. My role is to make sure everyone in the group participates. Who read the chapter?" D. "I think I need to focus my attention on the overarching point about the cause of the conflict rather than being distracted by unrelated events."
"I think I need to focus my attention on the overarching point about the cause of the conflict rather than being distracted by unrelated events."
Consider that some of Verona Bishop's students attempted to memorize the information on the overhead screen in a random fashion. Which of the following learning strategies were they using? A. Serial learning B. Paired-associate learning C. Free-recall learning D. Process learning
Free-recall learning
Researchers generally agree that brain development constrains cognitive outcome. In terms of education, we might argue that researchers agree that students: A. use only 10% of their brain capacity, but can be taught to use more. B. won't learn something if their brains are not yet developed enough to learn it. C. find some sorts of tasks easy to learn, whereas others are harder to learn. D. will always use both hemispheres of the brain, together, to learn new information.
won't learn something if their brains are not yet developed enough to learn it.
