Unit 7 Review – Flashcards

The three steps in memory information processing are A. input, processing, output B. input, storage, output C. input, storage, retrieval D. encoding, storage, retrieval

Visual sensory memory is referred to as A. iconic memory B. echoic memory C. photomemory D. semantic memory

Echoic memories fade after approximately A. 1 hour B. 1 minute C. 1 second D. 3 to 4 seconds

Which of the following is NOT a measure of retention? A. recall B. recognition C. relearning D. retrieval

Our short-term memory span is approximately _________ items. A. 2 B. 5 C. 7 D. 10

Memory techniques such as acronyms and the peg-word system are called A. consolidation devices B. imagery techniques C. encoding strategies D. mnemonic devices

One way to increase the amount of information in memory is to group it into larger, familiar units. This process is referred to as A. consolidating B. organization C. encoding D. chunking

Kandel and Schwartz have found that when learning occurs, more of the neurotransmitter __________ is released into synapses. A. ACh B. dopamine C. serotonin D. noradrenaline

Research on memory construction reveals that memories A. are stored as exact copies of experience' B. reflect a person's biases and assumptions C. may be chemically transferred from one organism to another D. even if long term, usually decay within about five years

In a study on context cues, people learned words while on land or when they were underwater. In a later test of recall, those with the best retention had A. learned the words on land, that is, in the more familiar context B. learned the words underwater, that is, in the more exotic context C. learned the words and been tested on them in different contexts D. learned the words and been tested on them in the same context

The spacing effect means that A. distributing study yields better retention that cramming B. retention is improved when encoding and retrieval are separated by no more than 1 hour C. learning causes a reduction in the size of the synaptic gap between certain neurons D. delaying retrieval until memory has consolidated improves recall

Studies demonstrate that learning causes permanent neural changes in the __________ of animals' neurons. A. myelin B. cell bodies C. synapses D. dendrites

In Sperling's memory experiment, research participants were shown three rows of three letters, followed immediately by a low, medium, or high tone. The participants were able to report A. all three rows with perfect accuracy B. only the top row of letters C. only the middle row of letters D. any one of the three rows of letters

Studies of amnesia victims suggest that A. memory is a single, unified system B. there are two distinct types of memory C. there are three distinct types of memory D. memory losses following brain trauma are unpredictable

Memory for skills is called A. explicit memory B. declarative memory C. prime memory D. implicit memory

The eerie feeling of having been somewhere before is an example of A. state dependency B. encoding failure C. priming D. deja vu

When Gordon Bower presented words grouped by category or in random order, recall was A. the same for all words B. better for the categorized words C. better for the random words D. improved when participants developed their own mnemonic devices

The three-stage processing model of memory was proposed by A. Richard Atkinson and Richard Shriffin B. Herman Ebbinghaus C. Elizabeth Loftus and John Palmer D. George Sperling

Hypnotically "refreshed" memories may prove inaccurate - especially if the hypnotist asks leading questions - because of A. encoding failure B. state-dependent memory C. proactive interference D. memory construction

Which area of the brain is most important in the processing of implicit memories? A. hippocampus B. cerebellum C. hypothalamus D. amygdala

Which of the following does NOT belong with the others? A. misattribution B. blocking C. suggestibility D. bias

Which of the following best describes the typical forgetting curve? A. a steady, slow decline in retention over time B. a steady, rapid decline in retention over time C. a rapid initial decline in retention becoming stable thereafter D. a slow initial decline in retention becoming rapid thereafter

Jenkins and Dallenbach found that memory was better in people who were A. awake during the retention interval, presumably because decay was reduced B. asleep during the retention interval, presumably because decay was reduced C. awake during the retention interval, presumably because interference was reduced D. asleep during the retention interval, presumably because interference was reduced

Which of the following measures of retention is the least sensitive in triggering retrieval? A. recall B. recognition C. relearning D. they are equally sensitive

Amnesia victims typically have experienced damage to the _________ of the brain. A. frontal lobes B. cerebellum C. thalamus D. hippocampus

According to the serial position effect, when recalling a list of words you should have the greatest difficulty with those A. at the beginning of the list B. at the end of the list C. at the end and in the middle of the list D. in the middle of the list

Experimenters gave people a list of words to be recalled. When the participants were tested after a delay, the items that were best recalled were those A. at the beginning of the list B. in the middle of the list C. at the end of the list D. at the beginning and the end of the list

Which type of word processing - visual, acoustic, or semantic - results in the greatest retention? A. visual B. acoustic C. semantic D. acoustic and semantic processing are equally beneficial

Lashley's studies, in which rats learned a maze and then had various parts of their brains surgically removed, showed that the memory A. was lost when surgery took place within 1 hour of learning B. was lost when surgery took place within 24 hours of learning C. was lost when any region of the brain was removed D. remained no matter which area of the brain was tampered with

The disruption of memory that occurs when football players have been knocked out provides evidence for the importance of A. consolidation in the formation of new memories B. consolidation in the retrieval of long-term memories C. nutrition in normal neural functioning D. semantic encoding of recent information

Long-term potentiation refers to A. the disruptive influence of old memories on the formation of new memories B. the disruptive influence of recent memories on the retrieval of old memories C. our tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with our current mood D. the increased efficiency of synaptic transmission between certain neurons following learning

Repression is an example of A. encoding failure B. memory decay C. motivated forgetting D. a memory trace

Studies by Loftus and Palmer, in which people were quizzed about a film of an accident, indicate that A. when quizzed immediately, people can recall very little, due to the stress of witnessing an accident B. when questioned as little as one day later, their memory was very inaccurate C. most people had very accurate memories as much as 6 months later D. people's recall may easily be affected by misleading information

Which of the following was NOT recommended as a strategy for improving memory? A. active rehearsal B. distributed study C. speed reading D. encoding meaningful associations

The process of getting information out of memory storage is called A. encoding B. retrieval C. rehearsal D. storage

Amnesia patients typically experience disruption of A. implicit memories B. explicit memories C. iconic memories D. echoic memories

Information is maintained in short-term memory only briefly unless it is A. encoded B. rehearsed C. iconic or echoic D. retrieved

Textbook chapters are often organized into ________ to facilitate information processing. A. mnemonic devices B. chunks C. hierarchies D. recognizable units

Memory researchers are suspicious of long-repressed memories of traumatic events that are "recovered" with the aid of drugs or hypnosis because A. such experiences usually are vividly remembered B. such memories are unreliable and easily influenced by misinformation C. memories of events happening before about age 3 are especially unreliable D. all of these

It is easier to recall information that has just been presented when the information A. consists of random letters rather than words B. is seen rather than heard C. is heard rather than seen D. is experienced in an unusual context

The misinformation effect provides evidence that memory A. is constructed during encoding B. is unchanging once established C. may be reconstructed during recall according to how questions are framed D. is highly resistant to misleading information

According to memory researcher Daniel Schacter, blocking occurs when A. our inattention to details produces encoding failure B. we confuse the source of information C. our beliefs influence our recollections D. information is on the tip of our tongue, but we can't get it out

Studying that is distributed over time produces better retention than cramming.

Generally speaking, memory for random digits is better than memory for random letters.

Preschool children can be induced to report false events through the use of suggestive interview techniques.

Most people do not have memories of events that occurred before the age of 3.

Studies by Ebbinghaus show that most forgetting takes place soon after learning.

The persistence of a memory is a good clue as to whether or not it derives from an actual experience.

Recall of newly acquired knowledge is no better after sleeping than after being awake for the same period of time.

Time spent in developing imagery, chunking, and associating material with what you already know is more effective than time spent repeating information over and over again.

Although repression has not been confirmed experimentally, most psychologists believe it happens.

Overlearning material by continuing to restudy it beyond mastery often disrupts recall.

Complete this analogy: fill-in-the-blank test questions are to multiple-choice questions as A. encoding is to storage B. storage is to encoding C. recognition is to recall D. recall is to recognition

Darren was asked to memorize a list of letters that included v, q, y, and j. He later recalled these letters as e, u, i, and k, suggesting that the original letters had been encoded A. automatically B. visually C. semantically D. acoustically

The above figure depicts the recall of a list of words under two conditions. Which of the following best describes the difference between the conditions? A. in A, the words were studied and retrieved in the same context; in B, the contexts were different B. in B, the words were studied and retrieved in the same context; in A, the contexts were different C. the delay between presentation of the last word and the test of recall was longer for A than for B D. the delay between presentation of the last word and the test of recall was longer for B than for A

After finding her old combination lock, Janice can't remember its combination because she keeps confusing it with the combination of her new lock. She is experiencing A. proactive interference B. retroactive interference C. encoding failure D. storage failure

Which of the following sequences would be best to follow if you wanted to minimize interference-induced forgetting in order to improve your recall on the AP psychology exam? A. study, eat, test B. study, sleep, test C. study, listen to music, test D. study, exercise, test

Being in a bad mood after a hard day of work, Susan could think of nothing positive in her life. This is best explained as an example of A. priming B. memory construction C. mood-congruent memory D. retrieval failure

In an effort to remember the name of the classmate who sat behind her in fifth grade, Martina mentally recited the names of the other classmates who sat near her. Martina's effort to refresh her memory by activating related associations is an example of A. priming B. deja vu C. encoding D. relearning

Walking through the halls of his high school 10 years after graduation, Tom experienced a flood of old memories. Tom's experience showed the role of A. state-dependent memory B. context effects C. retroactive interference D. echoic memory

The first thing Karen did when she discovered that she had misplaced her keys was to recreate in her mind the day's events. That she had little difficulty in doing so illustrates A. automatic processing B. effortful processing C. state-dependent memory D. priming

Which of the following is the best example of a flashbulb memory? A. suddenly remembering to buy bread while standing in the checkout line at the grocery store B. recalling the name of someone from high school while looking at his or her yearbook snapshot C. remembering to make an important phone call D. remembering what you were doing on September 11, 2001 when terrorists crashed planes into the World Trade Center

When Carlos was promoted, he moved into a new office with a new phone extension. Every time he is asked for his phone number, Carlos first thinks of his old extension, illustrating the effects of A. proactive interference B. retroactive interference C. encoding failure D. storage failure

Elderly Mr. Flanagan, a retired electrician, can easily remember how to wire a light switch, but he cannot remember the name of the president of the United States. Evidently, Mr. Flanagan's ________ memory is better than his ________ memory. A. implicit; explicit B. explicit; implicit C. declarative; nondeclarative D. explicit; declarative

Although you cannot recall the answer to a question on your psychology test, you have a clear mental image of the textbook page on which it appears. Evidently, your __________ encoding of the answer was ___________. A. semantic; automatic B. visual; automatic C. semantic; effortful D. visual; effortful

You're visiting your elementary school for the first time since you graduated. You cannot remember the last name of your fourth grade teacher. Your failure to remember is most likely the result of A. encoding failure B. storage failure C. retrieval failure D. state-dependent memory

Brenda has trouble remembering her new five digit ZIP plus four digit address code. What is the most likely explanation for the difficulty Brenda is having? A. nine digits are at or above the upper limit of most people's short-term memory capacity B. nine digits are at or above the upper limit of most people's iconic memory capacity C. the extra four digits cannot be organized into easily remembered chunks D. Brenda evidently has an impaired implicit memory

Lewis cannot remember the details of the torture he experienced as a prisoner of war. According to Freud, Lewis' failure to remember these painful memories is an example of A. repression B. retrieval failure C. state-dependent memory D. flashbulb memory

Which of the following illustrates the constructive nature of memory? A. Janice keeps calling her new boyfriend by her old boyfriend's name B. after studying all afternoon and then getting drunk in the evening, Don can't remember the material he studied C. after getting some good news, elated Kareem has a flood of good memories from his younger years D. although Mrs. Harvey, who has Alzheimer's disease, has many gaps in her memory, she invents sensible accounts of her activities so that her family will not worry

Brad, who suffered accidental damage to the left side of his hippocampus, has trouble remembering A. visual designs B. locations C. all nonverbal information D. verbal information

During basketball practice Jan's head was painfully elbowed. If the trauma to her brain disrupts her memory, we would expect that Jan would be most likely to forget A. the name of her teammates B. her telephone number C. the name of the play during which she was elbowed D. the details of events that happened shortly after the incident

After suffering damage to the hippocampus, a person would probably A. lose memory for skills such as bicycle riding B. be incapable of being classically conditioned C. lose the ability to store new facts D. experience all of these changes

When he was 8 years old, Frank was questioned by the police about a summer camp counselor suspected of molesting children. Even though he was not, in fact, molested by the counselor, today 19 year old Frank "remembers" the counselor touching him inappropriately. Frank's false memory is an example of which "sin" of memory? A. blocking B. transience C. misattribution D. suggestibility

The text defines cognition as A. silent speech B. all mental activity C. the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating information D. logical reasoning

A mental grouping of similar things, events, or people is called a(n) A. prototype B. concept C. algorithm D. heuristic

When forming a concept, people often develop a best example, or ________, of a category. A. denoter B. heuristic C. prototype D. algorithm

Confirmation bias refers to the tendency to A. allow preexisting beliefs to distort logical reasoning B. cling to one's initial concepts after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited C. search randomly through alternative solutions when problem solving D. look for information that is consistent with one's beliefs

The English language has approximately _____ phonemes. A. 25 B. 30 C. 40 D. 45

Which of the following is NOT true of babbling? A. it is imitation of adult speech B. it is the same in all cultures C. it typically occurs from about age 4 months to 1 year D. babbling increasingly comes to resemble a particular language

Mental set and functional fixedness are two types of A. algorithms B. heuristics C. fixation D. insight

Which of the following best describes the relationship between creativity and aptitude, as reflected in intelligence test scores? A. creativity appears to depend on the ability to think imaginatively and has little if any relationship to aptitude B. creativity is best understood as a certain kind of intelligence C. the better a person's intelligence scores are, the greater his or her creativity D. a certain level of aptitude is necessary but not sufficient for creativity

Whorf's linguistic determinism hypothesis states that A. language is primarily a learned ability B. language is partially an innate ability C. the size of a person's vocabulary reflects his or her intelligence D. our language shapes our thinking

Which of the following BEST describes Chomsky's view of language development? A. language is an entirely learned ability B. language is an innate ability C. humans have a biological predisposition to acquire language D. there are no cultural influences on the development of language

Failing to solve a problem that requires using an object in an unusual way illustrates the phenomenon of A. mental set B. functional fixedness C. framing D. belief perseverance

Which of the following is an example of the use of heuristics? A. trying every possible letter ordering when unscrambling a word B. considering each possible move when playing chess C. using the formula A = L x W to find the area of a rectangle D. playing chess using a defensive strategy that has often been successful for you

The chimpanzee Sultan used a short stick to pull a longer stick that was out of reach into his cage. He then used the longer stick to reach a piece of fruit. Researchers hypothesized that Sultan's discovery of the solution to his problem was the result of A. trial and error B. heuristics C. functional fixedness D. insight

You hear that one of the Smith children is an outstanding Little League player and immediately conclude it's their one son rather than any of their four daughters. You reached your quite possibly erroneous conclusion as the result of A. the confirmation bias B. the availability heuristic C. the representativeness heuristic D. belief perseverance

Deaf children who are not exposed to sign language until they are teenagers A. are unable to master the basic words of sign language B. learn the basic words but not how to order them C. are unable to master either basic words or syntax of sign language D. never become as fluent as those who learned to sign at a younger age

According to the text, language acquisition is best described as A. the result of conditioning and reinforcement B. a biological process of maturation C. an interaction between biology and experience D. a mystery of which researchers have no real understanding

Infants as young as 6 months old display a remarkable ability to learn statistical aspects of speech. Specifically, research studies have shown that they A. are quickly able to recognize syllable sequences that appear repeatedly B. respond to changes in the pitch of a speaker's voice C. pay less attention to a same-gender voice D. do all of these things

The linguistic determinism hypothesis is challenged by the finding that A. many of the language errors children make result from overgeneralizing grammatical rules B. people with no word for a certain color can still perceive that color accurately C. the Eskimo language contains a number of words for snow, whereas English has only one D. infants' babbling contains many phonemes that do not occur in their own language and that they therefore cannot have heard

Several studies have indicated that the generic pronoun "he" A. tends for children and adults alike to trigger images of both males and females B. tends for adults to trigger images of both males and females, but for children to trigger images of males C. tends for both children and adults to trigger images of males but not females D. for both children and adults triggers images of females about one-fourth of the time it is used

A common problem in everyday reasoning is our tendency to A. accept as logical those conclusions that agree with our own opinions B. accept as logical those conclusions that disagree with our own opinions C. underestimate the accuracy of our knowledge D. accept as logical conclusions that involve unfamiliar concepts

Phonemes are the basic units of ______ in language. A. sound B. meaning C. grammar D. semantics

Syntax refers to the A. sounds in a word B. rules for grouping words into sentences C. rules by which meaning is derived from sentences D. overall rules of a language

Skinner and other behaviorists have argued that language development is the result of A. imitation B. reinforcement C. association D. all of these

Representativeness and availability are examples of A. mental sets B. belief bias C. algorithms D. heuristics

The basic units of cognition are A. phonemes B. concepts C. prototypes D. morphemes

Assume that Congress is considering revising its approach to welfare and to this end is hearing range of testimony. A member of Congress who uses the availability heuristic would be most likely to A. want to experiment with numerous possible approaches to see which of these seems to work best B. want to cling to approaches to welfare that seem to have had some success in the past C. refuse to be budged from his or her beliefs despite persuasive testimony to the contrary D. base his or her ideas on the most vivid, memorable testimony given, even though many of the statistics presented run counter to this testimony

If you want to be absolutely certain that you will find the solution to a problem you know is solvable, you should use A. a heuristic B. an algorithm C. insight D. trial and error

Complete the following: -ed is to sh as _______ is to ________. A. phoneme; morpheme B. morpheme; phoneme C. grammar; syntax D. syntax; grammar

Which of the following is NOT cited by Chomsky as evidence that language acquisition cannot be explained by learning alone? A. children master the complicated rules of grammar with ease B. children create sentences they have never heard C. children make the kinds of mistakes that suggest they are attempting to apply rules of grammar D. children raised in isolation from language spontaneously begin speaking words

Telegraphic speech is typical of the ________ stage. A. babbling B. one-word C. two-word D. three-word

The study in which people who immigrated to the United States at various ages were compared in terms of their ability to understand English grammar found that A. age of arrival had no effect on mastery of grammar B. those who immigrated as children understood grammar as well as native speakers C. those who immigrated as adults understood grammar as well as native speakers D. whether or not English was spoken in the home was the most important factor in mastering the rules of grammar

Regarding the relationship between thinking and language, which of the following most accurately reflects the position taken in the text? A. language determines everything about our thinking B. language determines the way we think C. thinking without language is not possible D. thinking affects our language, which then affects our thought

The rules most directly involved in permitting a person to derive meaning from words and sentences are rules of A. syntax B. grammar C. phonemic structure D. semantics

Which of the following is true regarding the relationship between thinking and language? A. "real" thinking requires the use of language B. people sometimes think in images rather than in words C. a thought that cannot be expressed in a particular language cannot occur to speakers of that language D. even when we use the generic "he," people understand that we are referring to males and females

One reason an English-speaking adult may have difficulty pronouncing Russian words is that A. the vocal tracts of English and Russian speaking people develop differently in response to the demands of the two languages B. although English and Russian have very similar morphemes, their phonemic inventories are very different C. although English and Russian have very similar phonemes, their morphemic inventories are very different D. after the babbling stage, a child who hears only English stops uttering other phonemes

The order in which children acquire an understanding of various morphemes is unpredictable.

According to the confirmation bias, people often interpret ambiguous evidence as support for their beliefs.

Most human problem solving involves the use of heuristics rather than reasoning that systematically considers every possible solution.

When asked, most people underestimate the accuracy of their judgments.

Studies have shown that even animals may sometimes have insight reactions.

Mental set is the tendency to repeat problem-solving solutions that have worked in the past.

Although the morphemes differ from language to language, the phonemes for all languages are the same.

Children of all cultures babble using the same phonemes.

Thinking without using language is not possible.

Most researchers believe that we can perform statistical analyses of language throughout our lives.

The word "predates" contains ________ phonemes and ________ morphemes. A. 7; 3 B. 3; 7 C. 7; 2 D. 2; 7

Vanessa is a very creative sculptress. We would expect that Vanessa also A. has an exceptionally high intelligence test score B. is quite introverted C. has a venturesome personality and is intrinsically motivated D. lacks expertise in most other skills

A listener hearing a recording of Japanese, Spanish, and North American children babbling would A. not be able to tell the difference B. be able to tell them apart if they were older than 6 months C. be able to tell them apart if they were older than 8 to 10 months D. be able to tell them apart at any age

Which of the following illustrates belief perseverance? A. your belief remains intact even in the face of evidence to the contrary B. you refuse to listen to arguments counter to your beliefs C. you tend to become flustered and angered when your beliefs are refuted D. you tend to search for information that supports your belief

Complete the following analogy: Rose is to flower as A. concept is to prototype B. prototype is to concept C. concept is to hierarchy D. hierarchy is to concept

Your stand on an issue such as the use of nuclear power for electricity involves personal judgment. In such a case, one memorable occurrence can weigh more heavily than a bookful of data, thus illustrating A. belief perseverance B. confirmation bias C. the representativeness heuristic D. the availability heuristic

A dessert recipe that gives you the ingredients, their amounts, and the steps to follow is an example of a(n) A. prototype B. algorithm C. heuristic D. mental set

Marilyn was asked to solve a series of five math problems. The first four problems could only be solved by a particular sequence of operations. The fifth problem could also be solved following this sequence; however, a much simpler solution was possible. Marilyn did not realize this simpler solution and solved the problem in the way she had solved the first four. Her problem-solving strategy was hampered by A. functional fixedness B. the overconfidence phenomenon C. mental set D. her lack of a prototype for the solution

Dr. Mendoza is studying the mental strategies people use when solving problems. Dr. Mendoza is clearly a(n) A. cognitive psychologist B. experimental psychologist C. organizational psychologist D. developmental psychologist

Children first demonstrate a rudimentary understanding of syntax during the ________ stage. A. babbling B. one-word C. two-word D. three-word

Boris the chess master selects his next move by considering moves that would threaten his opponent's queen. His opponent, a chess-playing computer, selects his next move by considering all possible moves. Boris is using a(n) ________ and the computer is using a(n) _________. A. algorithm; heuristic B. prototype; mental set C. mental set; prototype D. heuristic; algorithm

During a televised political debate, the Republican and Democratic candidates each argued that the results of a recent public opinion poll supported their party's platform regarding job creation. Because both candidates saw the information as supporting their belief, it is clear that both were victims of A. functional fixedness B. mental set C. belief perseverance D. confirmation bias

The child who says "Milk gone" is engaging in ______. This type of utterance demonstrates that the children are actively experimenting with the rules of _______. A. babbling; syntax B. telegraphic speech; syntax C. babbling; semantics D. telegraphic speech; semantics

Experts in a field prefer heuristics to algorithms because heuristics A. guarantee solutions to problems B. prevent mental sets C. often save time D. prevent fixation

Rudy is 6 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 210 pounds, and is very muscular. If you think that Rudy is more likely to be a basketball player than a computer programmer, you are a victim of A. belief perseverance B. mental set C. functional fixedness D. the representativeness heuristic

Failing to see that an article of clothing can be inflated as a life preserver is an example of A. belief perseverance B. the availability heuristic C. the representativeness heuristic D. functional fixedness

Airline reservations typically decline after a highly publicized airplane crash because people overestimate the incidence of such disasters. In such instances, their decisions are being influenced by A. belief perseverance B. the availability heuristic C. the representativeness heuristic D. functional fixedness

Most people tend to A. accurately estimate the accuracy of their knowledge and judgments B. underestimate the accuracy of their knowledge and judgments C. overestimate the accuracy of their knowledge and judgments D. lack confidence in their decision-making strategies

In relation to ground beef, consumers respond more positively to an ad describing it as "75% lean" than to one referring to its "25% fat" content. This is an example of A. the framing effect B. confirmation bias C. mental set D. overconfidence

The sentence "Blue jeans wear false smiles" has correct ________ but incorrect __________. A. morphemes; phonemes B. phonemes; morphemes C. semantics; syntax D. syntax; semantics

In preparing her class presentation, "Updating Chomsky's Understanding of Language Development," Brittney's outline includes all of the following evidence EXCEPT that A. computers programmed to learn to form the past tense of irregular verbs can learn to do so, even without "inborn" linguistic rules B. infants rapidly learn to detect subtle differences between simple sequences of syllables C. infants can recognize color differences even before they can name different colors D. children isolated from language during the first seven years of life never fully develop language