Psychology Memory Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What is the duration of iconic memory?

About 5 seconds

1 to 2 seconds

Less than 1 second (correct)

10 seconds or more

What term describes the process of losing memory passively over time?

Retroactive interference

Decay (correct)

Rehearsal

Proactive interference

According to Miller, what is the typical capacity of short-term memory?

7±2 items (correct)

10±3 items

4±1 items

2±1 items

Which process can allow an individual to remember more items in their short-term memory?

Chunking Signup and view all the answers

How long does echoic memory typically last?

About 1 to 3 seconds Signup and view all the answers

What causes proactive interference when learning new information?

Previously learned information disrupting new information Signup and view all the answers

How can chunking affect short-term memory performance?

It allows remembering more items by grouping them Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary content type of sensory memory?

Sensory information from all senses Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of working memory?

To temporarily hold and manipulate information Signup and view all the answers

Which component of Baddeley’s working memory model is responsible for coordinating the activities of the other parts?

Central executive Signup and view all the answers

How does working memory differ from long-term memory?

Working memory processes information temporarily, while long-term memory holds it permanently Signup and view all the answers

In the context of language processing, what role does working memory play?

It actively holds linguistic information for processing Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes long-term memory compared to short-term memory?

It retains information for more than 30 seconds Signup and view all the answers

What illustrates an interaction between working memory and long-term memory during a conversation?

Recalling the meaning of a complex sentence while listening Signup and view all the answers

What is NOT a function of the phonological loop in working memory?

Storing visual images Signup and view all the answers

What best describes the duration of information retention in long-term memory?

Days to a lifetime Signup and view all the answers

What effect does generating information have on encoding?

It improves encoding through attention and elaboration. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between massed practice and distributed practice?

Distributed practice incorporates breaks between study sessions. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about bias in memory is true?

Memories can be altered to fit existing beliefs. Signup and view all the answers

How does the misinformation effect influence memory recall?

It alters how people report details of an event after exposure to misleading information. Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of memory is primarily addressed by Ebbinghaus's Forgetting Function?

The inevitability of forgetting information over time. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main advantage of elaborative rehearsal compared to rote learning?

It helps integrate information and make connections. Signup and view all the answers

Which words tend to be remembered more easily according to the serial position effect?

Words at the beginning and end of the list. Signup and view all the answers

What type of memory involves conscious recollection of events?

Declarative memory Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of nondeclarative (implicit) memories?

They require conscious recollection. Signup and view all the answers

What describes the phenomenon where the initial items on a list are remembered better?

Primacy effect Signup and view all the answers

Which statement about the recency effect is true?

It occurs because the last items are still fresh in short-term memory. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main factor that contributes to the serial position curve in memory?

Word position in the list. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a type of declarative memory?

Episodic memory Signup and view all the answers

What is retroactive interference?

New memories make it harder to remember old information. Signup and view all the answers

Which type of amnesia is characterized by the inability to form new explicit long-term memories?

Anterograde amnesia Signup and view all the answers

What is a common cause of Alzheimer's disease-related memory issues?

Presence of amyloid plaques in the brain Signup and view all the answers

Which memory theory involves competition between old and new memories?

Interference theory Signup and view all the answers

Damage to which brain structure is primarily associated with anterograde amnesia?

Hippocampus Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of the hippocampus in memory processing?

It co-activates multiple brain structures. Signup and view all the answers

Which method is effective for improving memory by enhancing the match between encoding and retrieval conditions?

Encoding specificity Signup and view all the answers

What effect is observed when scuba divers remember more words when tested in the same environment they studied?

Context-dependent effect Signup and view all the answers

How does deep processing differ from shallow processing according to the levels-of-processing theory?

It emphasizes the meaning of stimuli. Signup and view all the answers

What is a likely reason for forgetting, as mentioned in the content?

We cannot effectively utilize the retrieval cue. Signup and view all the answers

What effect does transfer appropriate processing have on memory recall?

Enhances recall when encoding matches task demands. Signup and view all the answers

What does the generation effect demonstrate in memory improvement?

Generating information leads to better memory than passive reading. Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes shallow processing in the context of memory encoding?

Focusing only on the physical properties. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

PSYC100: Psychology Memory

Psychology memory is the process of retaining, retrieving, and using information about stimuli, images, events, ideas, and skills after the original information is no longer present.
Sensation converts physical input into neural signals.
Perception interprets sensation.
Memory retains information about a stimulus in the absence of the stimulus.
Learning is acquiring new memories.
Memory is about something in the past influencing the present/future.
There are different types of memories.
Long-term memory holds information for a long time, holding information for a long time.

What is Memory?

Episodic memory: Personal memories
Procedural memory: Know-how
Semantic memory: Facts
Sensory memory: Briefly retains sensory information for about a second.
Short-term memory: Retains a memory for a few seconds; it includes your immediate thoughts.

Memory Processes

Encoding: Forming new memories.
Storing: Keeping items in the memory.
Retrieval: Recalling a memory from storage.

What Makes Different Memory Systems Different?

Duration: How long a memory lasts.
Content: The type of information, e.g., visual or auditory.
Loss: Why memories are lost (decay, interference, etc.).
Capacity: How much information a system can hold.
Maintenance: How memories are maintained or refreshed.

Information passes through distinct stages to be stored in long-term memory:
- Sensory memory
- Short-term memory (STM)
- Long-term memory (LTM)

Sensory Memory

Holds information for seconds or fractions of a second.
Persistence of vision is an example; you see a stimulus even after it's removed.
Duration is shorter than a second.
Iconic memory (visual)
Echoic memory (auditory).

Sensory Memory: Capacity and Duration

Sensory memory takes all/most of the information, but its duration is very brief.
Iconic memory (visual): Lasts less than a second. Corresponds to sensory memory in the modal model of attention.
Echoic memory (auditory): Lasts a few seconds.
Example: Persistence of vision, watching a movie in frames.

Iconic Memory

Duration: Very, very short (within half a second or less).
Content: Visual.
Maintenance: Fades quickly due to decay or interference.
Loss: Simply fades away (decay).

Short-Term Memory/Working Memory

Duration: About 15-20 seconds without rehearsal.
Decay: Passive loss of memory over time.
Proactive interference: Previously learned information disrupts later information.
Retroactive interference: Newly learned information disrupts previously learned information.
Capacity: 7 ± 2 items (according to Miller, 1956).
Chunking: Grouping items together to increase capacity.

Working Memory (WM)

A limited-capacity system for temporary storage and manipulation of information for complex tasks.
Holds and processes verbal and auditory information.
Holds and processes visual and spatial information.
Coordinates the activity of the phonological loop and the visuospatial sketch pad.

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

Stores large amounts of information for long periods (from a few minutes to a lifetime)
Retains more than 30 seconds.
Recent memories are usually more vivid, but can decay over time.
Explicit memory: Conscious recollection of events (Episodic & Semantic memories).
Implicit memory: Unconscious memories (Procedural memory, priming, and emotional conditioning).

Interaction between LTM and WM

Working memory keeps information active, while long-term memory provides context and meaning.

Long-Term Memory: Encoding

Rote learning: Simply repeating information.
Elaborative rehearsal: Repeating and associating information with enriched cues.

Serial Position Curve

Primacy effect: Easier to remember words at the beginning of a list.
Recency effect: Easier to remember words at the end of a list.

The Forms of LTM

Explicit memory: Episodic memory (events/experiences) and semantic memory (facts/concepts).
Implicit memory: Procedural memory (how-to things), priming (stimulus exposure affects responses), and emotional conditioning (classically conditioned emotional responses).

Relational Learning: Declarative and Nondeclarative Memories

Declarative memory (explicit): Conscious recollection of events (semantic & episodic memories).
Nondeclarative memory (implicit): Does not require conscious recollection and does not depend on the hippocampus. These include conditioning, perceptual learning, and motor (skill) learning.

Declarative Long-Term Memory: Where do we store them?

Sensations processed in sensory areas.
Sensory areas send info to hippocampus.
Hippocampus activates multiple brain structures, connecting them.
Information kept in the cortex.
Semantic memories particularly stored in the temporal lobe.

How to Retrieve? Retrieval Cues

Retrieval cue activates the circuit storing the memory.
Activation of that circuit causes retrieval (akin to pattern completion).
Why forgetting? Sometimes the memory is there but the cue is not good enough

How can We Improve Our Memory?

Encoding specificity
Paying attention
Elaborative processing
Generation effect
Spacing effect

Encoding Specificity

Good match between encoding and retrieval conditions.
Context-dependent effect: Retrieval is better when the context is the same.
State-dependent effect: Retrieval is better when the mental state during encoding is matched.

Encoding: How well do we encode?

Levels-of-processing theory: Deeper processing (meaning) yields better encoding than shallow processing (physical properties).
Transfer appropriate processing: Matching the encoding process to the task's demands.

The Generation Effect

Generating information yourself leads to better encoding.

The Spacing Effect

Distributing study sessions over time leads to better retention than cramming.
Massed practice vs distributed practice.

Are Memories Always 100% Accurate?

Memories can be biased, suggested, and subject to forgetting.

Bias

Memories are distorted to fit expectations and existing knowledge.
Belief bias: Reshaping memories to fit beliefs.
Consistency bias: Reshaping memories to be consistent with present beliefs.

Misinformation Effect

Misleading information presented after an event can change how the event is recalled.

Forgetting

Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve: Rapid initial forgetting, followed by a slower rate of forgetting.
Encoding failure, memory trace decay, and interference (proactive and retroactive) are common reasons for forgetting.

Brain Lesions and Memory

Retrograde amnesia: Inability to remember the past following brain damage.
Anterograde amnesia: Inability to form new explicit memories following brain damage.
Temporal lobe damage, especially hippocampus: Common cause of anterograde amnesia (Patient HM is an example).

Alzheimer's Disease

Cell death and the formation of plaques in the brain lead to severe memory loss, including basic abilities (e.g., walking, talking, eating).

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Description

Test your knowledge on different types of memory, including iconic, echoic, and working memory. This quiz covers concepts like memory duration, capacity, and the effects of interference, helping you understand the fundamentals of memory processes as outlined in psychology studies.