COOP Memory 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: To remember that 'Roy G. Biv' stands for the colors of the rainbow, you are using a:
- peg-word system
- acrostic
- acronym mnemonic (Correct answer)
- method of loci
Correct answer: acronym mnemonic
An acronym mnemonic uses the first letters of a list to form a pronounceable word for easy recall.
Question 2: Which scenario BEST demonstrates state-dependent memory?
- Remembering a lesson better in the same classroom where it was taught
- Recalling information more easily when in the same mood as when you learned it (Correct answer)
- Forgetting a phone number because you learned too many at once
- Recognizing a word you studied but being unable to define it
Correct answer: Recalling information more easily when in the same mood as when you learned it
State-dependent memory means recall is better when your internal state (e.g., mood) matches the state during learning.
Question 3: A person who suffers a blow to the head cannot remember events from the hour before the accident but can recall older memories. This is:
- anterograde amnesia
- retrograde amnesia (Correct answer)
- source amnesia
- infantile amnesia
Correct answer: retrograde amnesia
Retrograde amnesia involves loss of memories formed before a brain injury, especially recent ones.
Question 4: You learned to type on a standard keyboard. Now you switch to a Dvorak keyboard and keep making errors because your old habits interfere. This is:
- retroactive interference
- proactive interference (Correct answer)
- encoding failure
- motivated forgetting
Correct answer: proactive interference
Proactive interference occurs when older learning interferes with the ability to acquire or recall newer information.
Question 5: The reason eyewitness testimony can be unreliable is MOST related to which memory concept?
- Sensory memory decay
- Reconstructive nature of memory (Correct answer)
- Limited working memory capacity
- Proactive interference
Correct answer: Reconstructive nature of memory
Memory is reconstructive, meaning we fill in gaps with inferences and suggestions rather than replaying exact events.
Question 6: Which study habit BEST takes advantage of retrieval practice to strengthen memory?
- Highlighting key terms in a textbook
- Re-reading notes three times
- Covering answers and testing yourself on flashcards (Correct answer)
- Listening to a recorded lecture twice
Correct answer: Covering answers and testing yourself on flashcards
Retrieval practice (the testing effect) strengthens memory more than passive review because actively recalling information reinforces neural pathways.
Question 7: Episodic memory differs from semantic memory in that episodic memory:
- stores general facts and concepts
- involves motor skills learned through practice
- contains personal experiences tied to a specific time and place (Correct answer)
- operates below the level of conscious awareness
Correct answer: contains personal experiences tied to a specific time and place
Episodic memory stores autobiographical events with context (when and where), while semantic memory stores general knowledge.
COOP Memory 4
To remember that 'Roy G.
Biv' stands for the colors of the rainbow, you are using a: