FREE Psychology Degree Cognitive Psychology and Memory Questions and Answers Flashcards

Which researcher is best known for studying the forgetting curve and nonsense syllables?

Answer: Hermann Ebbinghaus

Hermann Ebbinghaus pioneered the experimental study of memory in the 1880s, discovering that forgetting follows a predictable exponential curve over time.

What is the term for the tendency to recall information better when the emotional state at encoding matches the state at retrieval?

Answer: Mood-congruent memory

Mood-congruent memory refers to the finding that people are more likely to recall memories that match their current emotional state.

In the context of eyewitness testimony, what did Loftus and Palmer's research demonstrate about memory?

Answer: Leading questions can alter memory of an event

Loftus and Palmer showed that the wording of questions (e.g., 'smashed' vs. 'contacted') significantly altered participants' speed estimates and even led them to remember broken glass that was not present.

Which memory system is responsible for remembering how to ride a bicycle or type on a keyboard?

Answer: Procedural memory

Procedural memory is a type of implicit long-term memory for motor skills and learned procedures that operates largely outside conscious awareness.

What does the concept of 'chunking' refer to in short-term memory research?

Answer: Grouping individual items into larger meaningful units

Chunking involves organizing separate pieces of information into larger, meaningful groups to effectively expand short-term memory capacity beyond Miller's 7±2 limit.

Which brain structure plays a critical role in the consolidation of declarative memories?

Answer: Hippocampus

The hippocampus is essential for converting short-term declarative memories into long-term storage, as damage to this structure severely impairs new memory formation.