Module 11—Types of Memory
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Despite Daniel Tammet’s incredible memory, he struggled with:
a. recalling birthdates
b. learning simple mathematics
c. recalling strings of numbers
d. using associations to store information
Answer: B
2. Daniel Tammet’s amazing memory ability is due to:
a. an ability to visualize numbers as shape, colors, and textures
b. an abnormally large cerebral cortex
c. flashbulb memory
d. photographic memory
Answer: A
3. In the case of Clive Wearing described in Module 11, his memory loss was caused by:
a. unresolved unconscious conflicts
b. a brain chemical imbalance
c. a disease that led to brain damage
d. flashbulb memories of being abused
Answer: C
4. According to the textbook, ____ is the ability to retain information over time through the
process of encoding, storage, and retrieval.
a. memory
b. repression
c. metamemory
d. implicit memory
Answer: A
5. The three processes of memory are:
a. encoding, imitation, retrieval
b. attention, encoding, feedback
c. encoding, retrieval, motivation
d. encoding, storage, retrieval
Answer: D
6. Place the three memory processes in their correct order with regard to the flow of memory.
a. retrieval, storage, encoding
b. encoding, retrieval, storage
c. storage, encoding, retrieval
d. encoding, storage, retrieval
Answer: D
7. The word that best describes encoding is:
a. output
b. input
c. recall
d. reorder
Answer: B
8. Information is first placed into memory in the form of mental representations through the
process of:
a. encoding
b. retrieval
c. storage
d. recording
Answer: A
9. ____ refers to making mental representations of information.
a. Encoding
b. Feedback
c. Storage
d. Retrieval
Answer: A
10. Placing information in a relatively permanent “warehouse” is called:
a. encoding
b. retrieval
c. storage
d. recording
Answer: C
11. Remembering is getting information out of storage. The term ____ refers to the same
process.
a. encoding
b. retrieval
c. storage
d. recording
Answer: B
12. “I’ve encoded the material and I’ve stored it. I just can’t seem to remember it.” This case
best describes a problem with:
a. encoding
b. retrieval
c. storage
d. recording
Answer: B
13. If you have no difficulty with encoding and storing, but you still think you’ve got
problems with your memory, then the real problem must be in:
a. levels of processing
b. sensory memory
c. declarative memory
d. retrieving
Answer: D
14. The correct order for the three kinds of memory is:
a. short-term memory, episodic memory, sensory memory
b. long-term memory, iconic memory, echoic memory
c. semantic, echoic memory, episodic memory
d. sensory memory, short-term memory, long-term memory
Answer: D
15. Which of the following is the correct answer to finish this sentence? “The sound of my
voice will enter your sensory memory and:
a. cause interference as you recall other information from sensory memory.”
b. short-term memory at the same moment.”
c. will be automatically transferred to long-term memory.”
d. will be held for just a brief period of time.”
Answer: D
16. The initial kind of memory that holds information in a “raw” form for a few seconds is
called:
a. short-term memory
b. sensory memory
c. chunking memory
d. maintenance rehearsal memory
Answer: B
17. If you pay no attention to the information currently in your sensory memory, that
information will:
a. be transferred to short-term memory
b. stay in sensory memory until it is needed
c. disappear
d. be transferred to long-term memory
Answer: C
18. Which kind of memory holds seven or eight items of information for several seconds?
a. sensory memory
b. long-term memory
c. short-term memory
d. echoic memory
Answer: C
19. For how long will information stay in short-term memory if you do not focus on it?
a. up to 5 seconds
b. up to 10 seconds
c. up to 20 seconds
d. up to 30 seconds
Answer: D
20. You are writing an article about short-term memory for the local newspaper. Which of the
following would be the most appropriate title for the article?
a. Unlimited Storage in Short-Term Memory
b. Short-Term Memory: Holding Seven Items
c. Processing Information from the Senses: Short-Term Memory
d. Iconic Memory in Short-Term Memory
Answer: B
21. An almost unlimited amount of information can be stored in:
a. sensory memory
b. long-term memory
c. short-term memory
d. echoic memory
Answer: B
22. Your success in remembering information from long-term memory depends partly on:
a. how the information was encoded
b. the storage capacity of long-term memory
c. the storage capacity of short-term memory
d. how the information was retrieved
Answer: A
23. The momentary lingering of an image or sound after the stimulus has been removed is
called:
a. sensory memory
b. long-term memory
c. short-term memory
d. semantic memory
Answer: A
24. Iconic memory is a form of sensory memory that holds:
a. auditory information
b. visual information
c. general knowledge, facts, and definitions
d. knowledge about performing motor skills
Answer: B
25. What is a good and accurate way to remember what iconic memory refers to?
a. Iconic memory is visual information in short-term memory.
b. Icon means sound, and therefore iconic memory refers to auditory information.
c. “Con” in iconic refers to something false or bogus, and therefore iconic memory refers to a
false memory.
d. Icon means image, and therefore iconic memory refers to visual information.
Answer: D
26. The word “icon” meAnswer:
a. difficult idea
b. knowledge
c. sound
d. image
Answer: D
27. What allows you to see a visual world that is smooth and not jerky?
a. semantic memory
b. short-term memory
c. photographic memory
d. iconic memory
Answer: D
28. An usher points out a seat to Peter in a darkened theater by moving a flashlight in a
rectangular motion. Peter sees the form of a rectangle because images from the flashlight are
being briefly stored in:
a. semantic memory
b. short-term memory
c. photographic memory
d. iconic memory
Answer: D
29. Polly gets a piece of dust in her eye but is still able to drive, despite having to blink a lot.
Her ability to maintain a visual image of the road is due to:
a. short-term memory
b. iconic memory
c. semantic memory
d. eidetic memory
Answer: B
30. A mad scientist plots to take over the world. His plan is to make our visual perception of
the world appear to be very jerky and full of darting, discontinuous movements. He has
perfected a ray gun that can destroy anything in the world. As his trusted advisor, what do
you suggest he destroy to achieve his dastardly objective?
a. iconic memory
b. echoic memory
c. semantic memory
d. eidetic memory
Answer: A
31. In the study described in your textbook on iconic memory, how many letters on average
could subjects immediately recall?
a. 4
b. 6
c. 9
d. 12
Answer: C
32. What happened in the study described in your textbook on iconic memory when the delay
between the presentation of the letters and when subjects are asked to recall the letters is
increased to one second?
a. Memory of the letters is reduced to an average of four letters.
b. Memory of the letters is increased to an average of four letters.
c. Memory of the letters is increased to an average of nine letters.
d. Memory is not affected.
Answer: A
33. Echoic memory allows an individual to:
a. see separate images as continuous
b. see the world as stable, despite the movement of the eyes
c. remember sensed sounds long enough to move them to short-term memory
d. maintain knowledge about one’s own personal experiences
Answer: C
34. You may be able to repeat a series of words that you thought you did not hear because:
a. the words are stored in echoic memory
b. you did not initially pay attention to the words that had been moved to working memory
c. stimuli often enter long-term memory without our conscious effort
d. of cross-modal memory
Answer: A
35. Echoic memory lasts as long as:
a. 2 seconds
b. 4 seconds
c. 8 seconds
d. 16 seconds
Answer: A
36. Iconic is to echoic as ____ is to ____.
a. graphical; visual
b. visual; auditory
c. general; specific
d. long duration; short duration
Answer: B
37. Who is most likely to have the longest echoic memory?
a. Alyssa, who is 21 years old
b. Miranda, who is 12 years old
c. Katelyn, who is 10 years old
d. Noelle, who is 8 years old
Answer: A
38. Of the following, which is not a function of sensory memory?
a. prevents being overwhelmed
b. gives decision time
c. allows for rehearsal of information
d. provides stability, playback, and recognition
Answer: C
39. Martin sees a fireworks display on the Fourth of July. The display will first encounter
____ memory, which will ____ sensory input.
a. short-term; limit
b. eidetic; clarify
c. working; amplify
d. sensory; limit
Answer: D
40. Of the following, which is not a feature of sensory memory?
a. maintaining visual images despite interruptions caused by blinking
b. recognizing words by momentarily holding strings of speech sounds so that related sounds
can be grouped as words
c. limiting sensory input
d. facilitating permanent storage through the process of chunking
Answer: D
41. Which is the most accurate statement regarding sensory memory?
a. Information stored in it may be recalled without conscious control.
b. It lasts much longer than it was previously thought.
c. Information stored in it will rapidly fade unless attended to.
d. It has a very limited capacity.
Answer: C
42. While walking across campus, you see someone standing on his head. The fact that you
pay attention to this person probably means that you will:
a. never forget him
b. process the information into short-term memory
c. lose the information in sensory memory
d. put the information into long-term memory without using working memory
Answer: B
43. A more recent understanding of short-term memory is referred to as:
a. working memory
b. sensory memory
c. semantic memory
d. long-term memory
Answer: A
44. Which of the following pairs accurately describes the two central characteristics of shortterm memory?
a. limited duration, limited capacity
b. limited duration, unlimited capacity
c. unlimited duration, unlimited capacity
d. unlimited duration, limited capacity
Answer: A
45. Repeating information over and over so that it does not fade from short-term memory is
called ____ rehearsal.
a. intentional
b. elaborative
c. maintenance
d. episodic
Answer: C
46. Maintenance rehearsal involves:
a. measuring the amount of a person’s short-term memory
b. intentionally repeating information over and over again
c. processing iconic and echoic images simultaneously
d. recalling items at the beginning of a list, but not at the end of a list
Answer: B
47. Tovio is an actor who is practicing his part. He keeps repeating the lines over and over
and over again. What is this called?
a. maintenance rehearsal
b. memory span rehearsal
c. priming
d. chunking
Answer: A
48. If you have ever looked up someone’s phone number, but were unable to write it down,
and you repeated it over and over again, then you have engaged in:
a. iconic memory
b. retrieval
c. maintenance rehearsal
d. interference
Answer: C
49. Heidi sees a hit-and-run accident. She repeats the license plate number to herself in order
to remember it for the police. Heidi’s way of remembering is an example of:
a. decoding
b. maintenance rehearsal
c. storage
d. mnemonics
Answer: B
50. Alice tells Lana that the combination to her mailbox is 38-24-36. Lana repeats the
numbers over and over to herself so that she doesn’t forget them. Lana’s behavior is an
example of:
a. automatic encoding
b. elaborative rehearsal
c. episodic memory
d. maintenance rehearsal
Answer: D
51. Brian is driving to Candy’s house for the first time. As he drives, he repeats to himself the
directions she has given him. “Highway 8 ‘til Lincoln, left on Lincoln, go to the second light
and make another left.” Brian is engaging in:
a. free recall
b. maintenance rehearsal
c. eidetic imagery
d. chunking
Answer: B
52. What typically happens to information in short-term memory if it is not actively
processed?
a. It enters long-term memory.
b. It blocks incoming information.
c. It goes back to sensory storage.
d. It disappears within seconds.
Answer: D
53. The capacity for working memory seems to be about:
a. three items
b. seven items
c. 10 items
d. 15 items
Answer: B
54. Why are telephone numbers seven digits?
a. seven digits is the capacity of short-term memory
b. that is the number of bytes a computer can handle in one millisecond
c. it is a tradition started by the first telephone operator
d. it is the capacity of sensory memory
Answer: A
55. You are taking a test that measures how many numbers you can correctly repeat back. You
are taking a:
a. chunking test
b. memory span test
c. memory limit test
d. encoding limit test
Answer: B
56. One of the main reasons that information disappears from short-term memory is because
of:
a. interference
b. maintenance
c. chunking
d. encoding
Answer: A
57. Cal is watching a cooking show and wants to try one of the dishes. The recipe is being
read aloud by the host. Unfortunately, Cal doesn’t write anything down, thinking he can
remember it. “One cup flour, one teaspoon sugar ... oh, I just can’t keep up. I’ve forgotten the
first couple of ingredients.” Cal’s problem is best explained by:
a. maintenance
b. interference
c. chunking
d. encoding
Answer: B
58. What results when new information enters short-term memory and overwrites or pushes
out information that is already there?
a. encoding
b. maintenance
c. chunking
d. interference
Answer: D
59. If you combine separate items of information into large units and then remember these
larger units rather than individual items, you are using:
a. attention
b. rehearsal
c. clustering
d. chunking
Answer: D
60. Sly is assigned a locker in gym class with the combination 19-5-4. In order to remember
it, he thinks of it as the year 1954. His method of remembering best illustrates:
a. decoding
b. chunking
c. rehearsal
d. recollection
Answer: B
61. The social security number 999-61-4374 may be best remembered as:
a. a single echoic sensation
b. three meaningful chunks of information
c. an episodic experience
d. an iconic image in sensory memory
Answer: B
62. Gaylord likes to do memory tricks. He can memorize a list of 25 digits in just 25 seconds
and then correctly recalls them. Based on this module, what is the most probable way he can
do this trick?
a. chunking
b. interfering
c. encoding
d. recoding
Answer: A
63. What happens to sensory information when you pay attention to it?
a. The information gets analyzed for a second time in iconic memory.
b. The information enters short-term memory.
c. The information is stored as explicit memory.
d. The information is rehearsed in long-term memory.
Answer: B
64. Research has found that short-term memory most involves the ____ of the brain.
a. brainstem area
b. corpus callosum
c. prefrontal area
d. cerebellum
Answer: C
65. Short-term memory performs three functions. Which of the following is not among the
three functions?
a. holds information for a short period of time
b. helps to encode information into long-term memory
c. selectively attends to information that is relevant
d. provides a location for network nodes
Answer: D
66. What is a type of memory that allows information to be held for a short period of time
until you decide what to do with it?
a. short-term memory
b. long-term memory
c. sensory memory
d. iconic memory
Answer: A
67. The textbook suggests thinking about sensory memory, short-term memory, and longterm memory as:
a. neurological locations in the brain
b. separate isolated processes
c. places in the larger memory system
d. interactive processes
Answer: D
68. As you study for a class, you find that the material is very difficult. To encode the
material into long-term memory, you should try to ____.
a. increase the storage capacity of long-term memory
b. rehearse it many times
c. memorize the material
d. make associations between the material and what you already know
Answer: D
69. An education major is interviewing a veteran teacher for a class project. The teacher is
asked about how to help students learn and says, “Give lots of examples.” Based on the
textbook, what is the best reason for teachers to give examples?
a. Examples help students to connect what they are trying to learn with old information.
b. Examples facilitate iconic memory.
c. Examples are actually “fillers” that allow students extra time to think about the lesson.
d. Examples help students to do maintenance rehearsal.
Answer: A
70. Unlike that of sensory or short-term memories, the capacity of long-term memory:
a. depends on cell development in the frontal lobe
b. is almost unlimited
c. varies tremendously from one person to the next
d. is 60 to 70 items that can be consciously recalled
Answer: B
71. The student tells the teacher, “I don’t think I can remember this material. I don’t have
much room left in my long-term memory.” As a teacher, how would you respond in a helpful
and constructive way?
a. “No, you have plenty of room in long-term memory. It’s your attitude that is the problem.”
b. “That’s a real possibility. Maybe we can work on mnemonics.”
c. “You have unlimited storage capacity in your long-term memory. Maybe the problem is
getting the information in or getting the information back out.”
d. “Maybe, since you can only store a limited amount in long-term memory. I’ll teach you
how to do chunking.”
Answer: C
72. Information stored in long-term memory:
a. is relatively permanent
b. decays after several days
c. is limited to about seven items at any given moment
d. requires rehearsal to prevent decay
Answer: A
73. A study of college freshmen’s recall of grades showed that:
a. the recent reforms in education have worked
b. the recent reforms in education have failed
c. we often inflate negative events and eliminate or change positive ones
d. we often have better memory of positive events than negative ones
Answer: D
74. What are the two memory systems?
a. short-term memory and long-term memory
b. momentary memory and long-term memory
c. short-term memory and primacy memory
d. recency memory and short-term memory
Answer: A
75. The ability to recall items at the beginning of a list more easily than the following items is
the result of the ____ effect.
a. attentional
b. ordering
c. primacy
d. recency
Answer: C
76. On the way to her wedding, Maria thinks about all the other men she has dated. Her
clearest memory is of Lawrence, her first boyfriend. Maria’s recall illustrates the ____ effect.
a. recency
b. primacy
c. semantic
d. encoding
Answer: B
77. Jack enlists the assistance of a travel agent to help him arrange a business trip to seven
military bases for a weapons contractor. The agent lists all the stops on the trip. Later, when
Jack tells his friend Darlene his itinerary, he can accurately remember only the date and
location of his first stop. This is an example of the ____ effect.
a. attentional
b. ordering
c. primacy
d. recency
Answer: C
78. You are being introduced to several people in your first job interview: Ted, Julie, Benito,
Dewayne, Frank, and Andy. Based on the primacy effect, whose name are you most likely to
remember?
a. Benito
b. Dewayne
c. Andy
d. Ted
Answer: D
79. With the help of a travel agent, Ron plans a Caribbean cruise. The travel agent lists all the
ports of call in the cruise. Later, when Ron is telling a friend his plans, he can only remember
the first stop on the tour. This is an example of the:
a. recency effect
b. primacy effect
c. ordering effect
d. attentional effect
Answer: B
80. The primacy effect operates because we:
a. are biologically prepared to remember first items
b. are biologically prepared to remember last items
c. have more time to rehearse the last items
d. have more time to rehearse the first items
Answer: D
81. Candy is meeting her boyfriend’s cousins at a family reunion. She remembers Cindy,
Rick, Dirk, Denece, and Garth. But she forgets Tom, Nancy, David, and Imogene. What is the
best explanation?
a. She found those cousins whose name she remembered as being friendlier.
b. The cousins she remembered were introduced to her at the beginning and end of the
reunion; the others were introduced in the middle of the reunion.
c. She relied on nondeclarative encoding for the names she remembered.
d. The cousins she did not remember were introduced to her at the beginning and end of the
reunion; the others were introduced in the middle of the reunion.
Answer: B
82. Carlos memorizes a list of 10 grocery items that he needs to buy later that day at Super
One supermarket. When at the grocery store, he will have the greatest difficulty remembering
the:
a. ones in the middle of the list
b. first one on the list
c. last item
d. first item
Answer: A
83. The psychology textbook Rochelle is reading was written by three authors: Bootzin,
Bower, and Loftus. When asked by a friend to name the authors of her psychology text,
Rochelle can only remember Loftus. Rochelle’s recall illustrates the ____ effect.
a. semantic
b. primacy
c. encoding
d. recency
Answer: D
84. You were introduced to a number of new people at a study session. You had a hard time
remembering their names, except the last person to whom you were introduced. What best
accounts for this memory?
a. encoding effect
b. procedural effect
c. recency effect
d. primacy effect
Answer: C
85. Dr. Sagan asks Carl to list the names of the moons of Jupiter during an astronomy class
quiz on the previous day’s lecture. If Carl’s recall of the moons is influenced by the recency
effect, he will:
a. remember the first moon Dr. Sagan named
b. be unable to remember the names of the moons because of material presented in previous
lectures
c. be unable to remember the names of the moons because of material presented in lectures
after Dr. Sagan’s one the previous day
d. remember the last moon Dr. Sagan mentioned
Answer: D
86. At a recent family reunion you saw cousins that you have not seen for years. Also, you
met the cousins’ spouses for the first time. Unfortunately, you don’t remember most of their
names. The name you do recall was your cousin Tom’s wife, Nancy; they came at the very
end of the reunion. Why did you remember Nancy, but forget all the other names?
a. Because of the primacy effect
b. Because of the recency effect
c. Because of the maintenance effect
d. Because of the semantic principle
Answer: B
87. The recency effect works because subjects:
a. still have the last items available in short-term memory
b. cannot transfer information into sensory memory
c. do not have enough long-term memory for all of the items
d. rehearsed the last items storing them in long-term memory
Answer: A
88. Joe interviews five candidates for a job. Later, when Joe’s boss asks who made the
greatest lasting impression on him, Joe says Erik and Ted, the first and last candidates
interviewed. From a psychologist’s view, this favoring of Erik and Ted is most likely the
result of which memory effect(s)?
a. initial and residual
b. antecedent and consequent
c. template and salience
d. serial position
Answer: D
89. On an exam, a student is asked to describe the three branches of government. The student
must retrieve:
a. procedural knowledge
b. episodic knowledge
c. semantic knowledge
d. hierarchical knowledge
Answer: C
90. On a chemistry final, Dr. Curie asks Marie to describe the properties of nitrous oxide.
Marie will likely retrieve the information from ____ memory.
a. episodic
b. elaborative
c. semantic
d. procedural
Answer: C
91. We can retrieve ____ memory, but not ____ memory.
a. semantic; procedural
b. semantic; episodic
c. procedural; semantic
d. episodic; semantic
Answer: A
92. Which of the following is an example of semantic knowledge?
a. the first time you water-skied
b. the route you take to the nearest fast-food restaurant
c. how to check your baggage at an airport
d. the alphabet
Answer: D
93. What type of memory must you use to answer this question?
a. semantic memory
b. procedural memory
c. episodic memory
d. contemplative memory
Answer: A
94. Knowledge of facts and events is called ____ memory.
a. nondeclarative
b. procedural
c. declarative
d. episodic
Answer: D
95. The ability to remember events that we personally experience is possible through ____
memory.
a. semantic
b. procedural
c. episodic
d. attentional
Answer: C
96. Why did H. M. not remember doing mirror-drawing, but because of practice each day,
improved?
a. He was not capable of automatic encoding, but was capable of effortful encoding.
b. His short-term memory was severely impaired, but his long-term memory was intact.
c. His episodic memory was severely impaired, but his procedural memory was intact.
d. H. M.’s semantic memory was severely impaired, but his episodic memory was intact.
Answer: C
97. If you asked H. M. to tell you about how his mirror-drawing was progressing, he would
say:
a. his skill was improving
b. he doesn’t ever remember mirror-drawing, since that would use procedural memory, which
was damaged
c. his skill was deteriorating
d. he doesn’t ever remember mirror-drawing, since that would use declarative memory, which
was damaged
Answer: D
98. Which of the following is an example of episodic knowledge?
a. the highlights of your summer vacation
b. the steps required to clean a fish
c. the capital of Texas
d. how to change the oil in your car
Answer: A
99. Remembering your first day as a college student would be considered:
a. episodic information
b. semantic information
c. consequential information
d. procedural information
Answer: A
100. Of the following, which is an example of knowledge that would be stored in episodic
memory?
a. the capital of New Hampshire
b. the highlights of your trip to the Great Wall of China
c. the steps required to bake a cake
d. the differences between gorillas and chimps
Answer: B
101. Grandpa Homer is about to tell a story. “When I was a young boy ...” Grandpa Homer’s
story is about to illustrate:
a. semantic memory
b. primacy memory
c. episodic memory
d. procedural memory
Answer: C
102. Suzy is riding in a subway car when a young thug rips off her gold necklace and runs
away. Suzy’s ability to later describe to the police what happened is due to the functioning of
her ____ memory.
a. procedural
b. episodic
c. attentional
d. elaborative
Answer: B
103. On their 25th anniversary, Carol tells her husband, Charles, “You know, dear, I
remember our first kiss very well.” In remembering their first kiss, Carol is retrieving
information from ____ memory.
a. semantic
b. episodic
c. elaborative
d. procedural
Answer: B
104. Grandpa Gus had not been on a bicycle for years. As he took off on one, he yelled and
said, “I guess once you learn, you never forget.” To ride the bike, Grandpa is using:
a. semantic memory
b. episodic memory
c. elaborative memory
d. procedural memory
Answer: D
105. A memory that allows us to perform motor or perceptual tasks is known as ____
memory
a. semantic
b. procedural
c. explicit
d. episodic
Answer: B
106. Tony used to ride motorcycles in college. Now, as an adult, he’d like to ride again.
Which of the following systems would most help him remember how to ride a motorcycle?
a. procedural memory
b. episodic memory
c. semantic memory
d. sensory memory
Answer: A
107. We cannot retrieve nor are we aware of ____ memories.
a. declarative
b. episodic
c. semantic
d. procedural
Answer: D
108. Alan can’t tell you the sequence of motor movements involved in hitting a golf ball
because that information is stored in:
a. hierarchical knowledge
b. episodic knowledge
c. semantic knowledge
d. procedural knowledge
Answer: D
109. In the study by McGaugh and colleagues described in your textbook, a drug called
propranolol was given to some participants that blocked the effect of two specific hormones.
Which ones were they?
a. epinephrine and norepinephrine
b. acetylcholine and glutamate
c. serotonin and estrogen
d. estrogen and testosterone
Answer: A
110. What kind of memories seem to be “blocked” when specific hormones were decreased
by the injection of a drug in the research of McGaugh and colleagues described in your
chapter?
a. semantic memories
b. explicit memories
c. repressed memories
d. emotional memories
Answer:
111. ______, which is a type of memory loss that can be temporary or permanent, is caused
by a head injury, disease, general anesthesia, certain drugs, or extreme psychological stress.
a. Retroformation
b. Dissociation
c. Amnesia
d. Agnosia
Answer: C
112. After a series of very disturbing life events, including the death of her husband in a car
accident, learning that her mother has terminal cancer, and declaring bankruptcy, Isabella has
suddenly lost her memories of her own identity as well as her own life experiences. This
condition is called
a. dementia
b. amnesia
c. delirium
d. somatization
Answer: B
113. Information that is transferred into long-term memory without deliberate effort or
awareness is encoded ____.
a. emotionally
b. automatically
c. acoustically
d. elaborately
Answer: B
114. When you are in the library, you can probably remember what your classroom looks
like. You encoded the classroom without any awareness; this is called ____ encoding.
a. attentional
b. automatic
c. maintenance
d. elaborative
Answer: B
115. Information derived from such things as personal conversations is transferred into longterm memory through the process of ____ encoding.
a. attentive
b. automatic
c. effortful
d. episodic
Answer: B
116. Personal experiences, which are examples of ____ information, are encoded ____ into
long-term memory.
a. semantic; with effort
b. semantic; automatically
c. episodic; with effort
d. episodic; automatically
Answer: D
117. The things that matter to us, such as names of family members and close friends and
hobbies, are easily remembered. What kind of encoding most probably occurs with this type
of information?
a. automatic
b. episodic
c. effortful
d. attentive
Answer: A
118. Interesting facts, which are examples of ____ information, are encoded ____ into longterm memory.
a. semantic; with effort
b. semantic; automatically
c. episodic; with effort
d. episodic; automatically
Answer: B
119. After a jog, you are asked by your friend if you saw any dogs out walking. Your ability
to answer, “Yes, I think there were a couple or so” indicates that the information was most
likely encoded:
a. attentionally
b. elaboratively
c. automatically
d. semantically
Answer: C
120. Motor skills, which are examples of ____ information, are encoded ____ into long-term
memory.
a. procedural; with effort
b. semantic; automatically
c. episodic; with effort
d. procedural; automatically
Answer: D
121. “This quantum physics book is hard to understand and boring. I really have to focus on
what I am reading.” This information requires ____ encoding.
a. effortful
b. procedural
c. semantic
d. automatic
Answer: A
122. The transfer of information into long-term memory by repeating or rehearsing the
information or by making associations between the new and old information is called ____
encoding.
a. automatic
b. effortful
c. semantic
d. procedural
Answer: B
123. Intentionally making associations between new and old information is an example of a
method for ____ encoding.
a. automatic
b. semantic
c. procedural
d. effortful
Answer: D
124. Effective studying is an example of:
a. automatic encoding
b. effortful encoding
c. maintenance rehearsal
d. chunking
Answer: B
125. Claude, a foreign exchange student from France, is teaching Kelli how to say a couple of
sentences in French. Kelli repeats the words over and over, but has no idea what the
individual sounds mean. By saying the words repeatedly, Kelli is practicing:
a. interference
b. deep processing
c. maintenance rehearsal
d. elaborative rehearsal
Answer: C
126. You are studying in the student union. Another student sitting near you is muttering out
loud, “primes, natural numbers, integers, rational numbers, real numbers, complex numbers
...” over and over again. That math student is obviously using ____.
a. automatic encoding interference
b. maintenance rehearsal
c. deep processing
d. elaborative rehearsal
Answer: B
127. Memorization through repeating information over and over may result in poor retrieval
because:
a. interference is more likely to occur as the number of repetitions increases
b. repetition results in learned material rapidly decaying
c. no associations are created by repeating the information
d. memorization through repeating is usually associated with boredom and lack of motivation
Answer: C
128. ____ rehearsal is effective for encoding information into short-term memory, whereas
____ rehearsal is effective for encoding information into long-term memory.
a. Maintenance; elaborative
b. Distinctive; eidetic
c. Semantic; procedural
d. Echoic; iconic
Answer: A
129. Repeating information in a way that results in new associations is characteristic of:
a. automatic encoding
b. maintenance rehearsal
c. sensory encoding
d. elaborative rehearsal
Answer: D
130. Actively making meaningful connections between the information you are learning with
information you already know is called:
a. automatic encoding
b. maintenance rehearsal
c. elaborative rehearsal
d. sensory encoding
Answer: C
131. Which type of rehearsal will most likely result in information being encoded into longterm memory?
a. elaborative
b. automatic
c. maintenance
d. attentional
Answer: A
132. Encoding information from short-term to long-term memory is most efficient when it:
a. is not overly repetitive
b. is accompanied by relaxation
c. involves the forming of associations
d. is performed subconsciously
Answer: C
133. Early in the semester, a student asks his psychology instructor to back up and repeat a
phrase she had said because he did not quite get all the words down. If the instructor is
interested in helping the student engage in elaborative rehearsal, she should:
a. slow down, so that the student can take dictation word for word
b. slow down, so that the student can take notes in full sentences
c. tell the student to put the ideas in his own words rather than try to use those of the
instructor
d. tell the student to bring a tape recorder to class so that he doesn’t miss any of the
instructor’s words
Answer: C
134. Two friends are taking the same psychology course. One day over coffee they have an
argument about the value of operant conditioning in the treatment of mental illness. Each
provides valid arguments for his point of view. It is likely that the argument will:
a. cause them to do better on an exam testing the material, because they will have formed
new associations using the concepts involved
b. cause them to do better on an exam testing the material only if they go back and reread the
material
c. cause them to do worse on an exam testing the material, because the competition of the
argument will distract them from the material
d. cause them to do worse on an exam testing the material, because they will remember their
friend’s counterarguments better than the actual material
Answer: A
135. Which of the following note-taking strategies will best enhance future recall?
a. making sure that you write down major points word for word
b. taking notes in full sentences wherever possible
c. elaborating on the lecturer’s main points
d. paraphrasing the lecturer’s main points in note form
Answer: C
136. Levels of processing theory focuses on:
a. how many times information is repeated or rehearsed
b. how information is encoded
c. where information is stored in long-term memory
d. how repressed memories are formed
Answer: B
137. Levels of processing theory argues that the best way to encode information into longterm memory is to encode it:
a. at the deepest level, which requires thinking and forming new associations
b. at the most shallow level, which means analyzing only the most important information
c. by maintenance rehearsal
d. by the sound of the information
Answer: A
138. Which of the following is a question requiring the deepest processing of the word
“lake”?
a. How many letters are found in the word?
b. With what other words does it rhyme?
c. Does it have a “k” in it?
d. What would a person do with it?
Answer: D
139. Why should a college student care about the levels of processing theory?
a. the levels of processing can influence one’s social skills
b. because it shows that the way we encode material will influence how easily we can retrieve
it
c. one day an employer may ask about it
d. it demonstrates how important explicit memory is to studying and test taking
Answer: B
140. If you studied for a test, but at a shallow level of processing, what is the most difficult
question you could probably answer?
a. Does “psychology” have an “o” in it?
b. What is the history of psychology?
c. Does the word “psychology” sound similar to the word “sociology?”
d. Describe the definition of psychology.
Answer: A
141. In the case of Katrina described in Module 11, her memory of sexual abuse was:
a. due to unresolved unconscious conflicts
b. because of a brain chemical imbalance
c. a false memory implanted through psychiatric and other controversial treatments
d. instrumental in rightfully convicting her father of the crime
Answer: C
142. The major controversy surrounding repressed memories is their:
a. bizarreness
b. detail
c. accuracy
d. content
Answer: C
143. The idea of repressed memory is based upon the theory of:
a. Sigmund Freud
b. Albert Bandura
c. George Miller
d. B. F. Skinner
Answer: A
144. When the mind pushes some traumatic memory into the unconscious, only to stay there
until it is released, ____ is said to have taken place.
a. regression
b. sublimation
c. repression
d. rationalization
Answer: C
145. Why should we be skeptical of repressed memory?
a. Most people who claim repressed memory also have multiple personality disorders.
b. The formulation of questions about repressed memories can lead to misleading or biased
results.
c. Hypnosis is used to uncover these repressed memories, and hypnosis is considered a fraud.
d. Most adults who were sexually abused as children have clear memories of the abuse.
Answer: B
146. Because a repressed memory may be so blocked, the therapist might have to be ____ to
get the memory released.
a. aggressive
b. suggestive
c. secretive
d. passive
Answer: B
147. Elizabeth Loftus would advise therapists who are treating survivors of incest to:
a. push individuals to imagine the trauma again, so healing can occur
b. use hypnosis to help individuals recall the trauma
c. use the method of loci to help memory recall
d. be careful that they are not aggressive in getting individuals to recall traumatic memories
Answer: D
148. In analyzing repressed memories, Loftus contends that therapists:
a. may play some role in suggesting or implanting traumatic memories in their clients
b. only facilitate the release of repressed memories
c. are totally responsible for their clients’ repressed memories
d. are skeptical about the existence of any repressed memories
Answer: A
149. You’ve just been given truth serum. What effect will it have on your susceptibility to
hypnotic suggestibility?
a. Your susceptibility will decrease.
b. Your susceptibility will increase.
c. There will be no change in susceptibility.
d. There are too many other variables that need to be taken into account.
Answer: B
150. An audience member attending a television talk show, which was focusing on repressed
memories, asked a noted expert if false memories could be implanted. The expert, responding
correctly, said:
a. yes—only by a trained psychologist or therapist
b. no—the mind is much too clever for that to happen
c. yes—a false suggestion can become a detailed personal memory
d. we don’t know
Answer: C
151. The bottom line on the accuracy of repressed memories is:
a. these are self-reports and can never be accepted as fact
b. to be on guard against false repressed memories
c. that clients have no reason to be untruthful
d. to be ready to further investigate the abuse and bring legal charges against those
responsible for the abuse
Answer: B
152. If you are evaluating recovered repressed memories, you would find that those
discovered:
a. outside of therapy are the most accurate
b. inside of therapy are the most accurate
c. using hypnosis are the most accurate
d. using Freudian dream analysis are the most accurate
Answer: A
153. Corroborating evidence is found in ___ of recovered repressed memories when the
memory is discovered outside therapy.
a. 7%
b. 17%
c. 37%
d. 47%
Answer: C
154. If you lived in a poor country where many people could not read or write, encoding
information by ____ would be widely practiced.
a. words
b. sounds
c. number
d. sentences
Answer: B
155. A culture that has an oral tradition is a culture that:
a. has an organized, but evolving language
b. emphasizes passing on information through speaking and retelling
c. has a mythology
d. emphasizes good dental hygiene
Answer: B
156. Which of the following cultures is most likely to have an oral tradition?
a. Ghana
b. Canada
c. Germany
d. England
Answer: A
157. Cultures that value oral traditions tend to perform better on memory tasks that require
encoding of information:
a. organized in hierarchies
b. presented as part of a play or drama
c. presented rapidly
d. presented verbally
Answer: D
158. The study comparing Ghanaian and American students on recall suggests that:
a. the English language is easier to learn than Ghanaian
b. female students have better memories than male students in each culture
c. culture can influence how information is encoded and how easily it can be retrieved
d. culture does not significantly influence how information is encoded and how easily it can
be retrieved
Answer: C
159. Julia shows her 10-year-old daughter Heidi a picture of midtown Manhattan. After
looking at the picture for half a minute, Heidi is able to vividly describe it from a visual
image of the picture that she continues to see in her mind. Heidi has a memory capacity
called:
a. photographic memory
b. flashbulb memory
c. mood convergence
d. procedural memory
Answer: A
160. In a rare case of extraordinary episodic memory, Jill can remember the details of life
since the age of 14. Ironically, though, she does not possess extraordinary _______ memory.
a. semantic
b. state-dependent
c. flashbulb
d. emotion-dependent
Answer: A
161. “I never forget a face.” If that is really true, then the individual is referred to as a(n):
a. savant
b. memoirist
c. mnemonists
d. super-recognizer
Answer: D
162. Janel, a college student, can look at a stimulus and then be able to recall later a sharp,
vivid, and detailed visual image of the stimulus. Janel’s extraordinary memory is called:
a. episodic memory
b. emotion-dependent memory
c. photographic memory
d. flashbulb memory
Answer: C
163. A memory of an emotional or dramatic event that was encoded without effort and with
great detail is called:
a. flashbulb memory
b. emotion-dependent memory
c. state-dependent memory
d. explicit memory
Answer: A
164. Vivid recollections that are formed of dramatic events are called ____ memories.
a. eidetic
b. flashbulb
c. state-dependent
d. photographic
Answer: B
165. Andre remembers clearly that he was playing ping-pong in his basement when he heard
that John Kennedy had just been assassinated. This is an example of a(n):
a. eidetic memory
b. emotion-dependent memory
c. state-dependent memory
d. flashbulb memory
Answer: D
166. You are listening to a talk show on the radio. A memory expert is presenting information
about memory. She says that flashbulb memories are a special kind of memory immune from
forgetting and distortion. Is she right?
a. Yes—flashbulb memories are a special kind of memory and are only immune from
forgetting and distortion if the memory is relatively recent.
b. Yes—flashbulb memories are a special kind of memory and are immune from forgetting
and distortion.
c. No—flashbulb memories are not a special kind of memory, but are subject to distortions
and forgetting.
d. No—flashbulb memories are not a special kind of memory, but are still immune from
forgetting and distortion.
Answer: C
167. Tim claims that flashbulb memories are a separate and special kind of memory. Liz says
otherwise; flashbulb memories are subject to the same inaccuracies and biases that
characterize ordinary memories. Who is right?
a. Tim—flashbulb memories are complete and immune to forgetting.
b. Tim—flashbulb memories represent a fourth type of memory.
c. Liz—flashbulb memories result from automatic encoding.
d. Neither one is correct, since more research is needed.
Answer: C
168. The most commonly reported flashbulb memory among college students is:
a. being in or witnessing a car accident
b. opening your SAT scores
c. first date
d. first college class
Answer: A
169. The study examining Danes who lived through the Nazi occupation of Denmark found
that flashbulb memories:
a. were highly inaccurate
b. were most accurate among younger Danes
c. were very unreliable
d. occur when the events are emotional and personally interesting
Answer: D
170. According to Elizabeth Loftus, food aversions can be:
a. a genetic disposition
b. unlearned through behavioral therapy
c. only acquired through several negative experiences
d. the result of a false memory
Answer: D
171. The results of the Loftus study on food aversion suggests:
a. adults are not vulnerable to false memories about food preferences
b. food aversions are too complex to be created by false memories
c. false memories can change behaviors and preferences
d. false memories cannot change behaviors and preferences
Answer: C
TRUE/FALSE
1. The three key processes of memory are encoding, storing, and retrieving.
Answer: True
2. Attention plays little role in transferring information from short-term to long-term memory.
Answer: False
3. The case of Clive Wearing illustrates how therapists may accidentally introduce false
memories in their clients.
Answer: False
4. Sensory memory holds information for up to 30 seconds.
Answer: False
5. Iconic memory holds auditory information.
Answer: False
6. As children grow, the length of their echoic memory decreases.
Answer: False
7. A function of sensory memory is that it increases the amount of information coming in to
our memory.
Answer: False
8. Echoic memory refers to memory about motor skills.
Answer: False
9. Information in short-term memory is normally held a day or two.
Answer: False
10. Short-term memory can hold about 25 items.
Answer: False
11. Chunking occurs when information blocks other information in memory.
Answer: False
12. Memories stored in long-term memory are always highly accurate.
Answer: False
13. We tend to remember information presented in the middle of a list better than the
information that comes at the beginning or end of the list.
Answer: False
14. Semantic and episodic memories are examples of declarative memory.
Answer: True
15. Based on the case of Clive Wearing, playing the piano and remembering your children’s
names are the same type of memory.
Answer: False
16. The case of H. M. illustrates the difference between declarative and procedural memories.
Answer: True
17. Hormones released during emotional events decrease the accuracy of memories of the
events.
Answer: False
18. If you are encoding information into memory without much effort or awareness, you are
experiencing automatic encoding.
Answer: True
19. The most effective type of effortful encoding is maintenance rehearsal.
Answer: False
20. How information is encoded affects how well the information is retrieved.
Answer: True
21. Recovered memories discovered outside therapy are more accurate than those discovered
in therapy.
Answer: True
22. Flashbulb memories are more accurately remembered than other types of memories.
Answer: False
23. The amygdala plays a special role in flashbulb memories.
Answer: True
24. Loftus suggests that therapists should assume that psychological problems are caused by
earlier trauma.
Answer: False
25. Loftus found that taste aversions can only occur through actual negative experiences with
the food.
Answer: False
Test Bank for Introduction to Psychology
Rod Plotnik, Haig Kouyoumdjian
9781133939535, 9781305008113, 9781285061306
