MLAT Paired Associate Memorization 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A learner uses the keyword method to remember 'plet = fire' by imagining a plate on fire. Which memory principle does this exploit?
- Spaced repetition
- Elaborative encoding (Correct answer)
- Chunking
- Shadowing
Correct answer: Elaborative encoding
Elaborative encoding creates a meaningful mental connection between a new word and its meaning, strengthening the memory trace.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the format of the recall phase in the MLAT Paired Associates subtest?
- Write the English meaning from memory with no prompts
- See the artificial word and choose the correct meaning from four options (Correct answer)
- Hear the word and write its spelling
- Match a picture to the correct artificial word
Correct answer: See the artificial word and choose the correct meaning from four options
The recall phase presents each artificial word with four English meaning choices, and the test-taker selects the one studied during the learning phase.
Question 3: A student scores high on Paired Associates but low on Grammatical Sensitivity. What does this pattern suggest?
- Strong overall language aptitude
- Good rote memory but weak pattern-detection for grammar (Correct answer)
- Weak vocabulary but strong grammar
- Equal ability across all aptitude components
Correct answer: Good rote memory but weak pattern-detection for grammar
This pattern indicates the student excels at memorizing individual items but struggles to notice and use grammatical patterns.
Question 4: Why might a test-taker who is bilingual NOT necessarily outperform a monolingual on the Paired Associates subtest?
- Bilinguals have smaller working memories
- The test uses artificial words unrelated to any real language (Correct answer)
- Monolinguals are faster readers
- Bilinguals cannot learn new vocabulary
Correct answer: The test uses artificial words unrelated to any real language
Since the words are invented and meaningless, existing knowledge of multiple languages provides no advantage during the memorization task.
Question 5: In the MLAT Paired Associates section, what happens if a test-taker skips a word pair during the study phase?
- They earn bonus time to review it later
- They are likely to guess randomly on that item during recall (Correct answer)
- The item is automatically removed from the test
- They receive a hint during the recall phase
Correct answer: They are likely to guess randomly on that item during recall
Skipping a pair means the test-taker has no stored information for that item, so recall becomes a random guess among four choices.
Question 6: The MLAT was developed primarily to predict success in which type of language program?
- University translation programs
- Intensive foreign language courses for U.S. government personnel (Correct answer)
- Children's bilingual education
- Self-paced app-based language learning
Correct answer: Intensive foreign language courses for U.S. government personnel
The MLAT was originally created by Carroll and Sapon to screen U.S. government and military personnel for intensive language training programs.
Question 7: If you studied 'vorn = house' and 'vorn = tree' appeared as a distractor during recall, selecting the distractor indicates what type of memory error?
- Source monitoring error (Correct answer)
- False recognition
- Intrusion from semantic association
- Tip-of-the-tongue state
Correct answer: Source monitoring error
A source monitoring error occurs when one cannot correctly identify the origin or details of a memory, leading to selecting an incorrect but related option.
MLAT Paired Associate Memorization 4
A learner uses the keyword method to remember 'plet = fire' by imagining a plate on fire.
Which memory principle does this exploit?