Intelligence Test Memory and Attention 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What type of memory temporarily holds a small amount of information for immediate use and manipulation?
- Long-term memory
- Working memory (Correct answer)
- Procedural memory
- Semantic memory
Correct answer: Working memory
Working memory is the cognitive system that temporarily holds and manipulates information needed for ongoing tasks.
Question 2: According to Baddeley's model, which component of working memory is responsible for storing and rehearsing verbal and acoustic information?
- Central executive
- Visuospatial sketchpad
- Phonological loop (Correct answer)
- Episodic buffer
Correct answer: Phonological loop
The phonological loop stores and rehearses verbal and sound-based information, such as words and numbers.
Question 3: What is the approximate capacity of short-term memory, as proposed by George Miller?
- 3 ± 1 items
- 7 ± 2 items (Correct answer)
- 12 ± 3 items
- 20 ± 5 items
Correct answer: 7 ± 2 items
Miller's Law states that short-term memory can hold approximately 7 plus or minus 2 items at one time.
Question 4: Selective attention is best defined as the ability to:
- Focus on multiple tasks simultaneously
- Maintain focus over a long period of time
- Concentrate on a specific stimulus while ignoring irrelevant ones (Correct answer)
- Switch between different tasks quickly
Correct answer: Concentrate on a specific stimulus while ignoring irrelevant ones
Selective attention allows an individual to focus on one relevant stimulus or task while filtering out distracting information.
Question 5: Which component of Baddeley's working memory model acts as the 'controller' that coordinates the other subsystems?
- Phonological loop
- Visuospatial sketchpad
- Episodic buffer
- Central executive (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Central executive
The central executive is the supervisory component that allocates attention and coordinates the slave systems in working memory.
Question 6: The visuospatial sketchpad in Baddeley's working memory model is primarily responsible for:
- Storing verbal rehearsal loops
- Processing and storing visual and spatial information (Correct answer)
- Integrating information from long-term memory
- Managing attention switching
Correct answer: Processing and storing visual and spatial information
The visuospatial sketchpad holds and manipulates visual images and spatial relationships, such as mental maps.
Question 7: Which type of attention involves consciously focusing awareness on one specific stimulus or task from among many?
- Sustained attention
- Divided attention
- Alternating attention
- Selective attention (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Selective attention
Selective attention is the deliberate focusing of cognitive resources on a chosen stimulus while suppressing others.
What type of memory temporarily holds a small amount of information for immediate use and manipulation?