Psychology Degree Cognitive Processes and Memory 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which term describes the unconscious influence of prior experience on current task performance, without intentional recollection?
- Explicit memory
- Implicit memory (Correct answer)
- Prospective memory
- Autobiographical memory
Correct answer: Implicit memory
Implicit memory influences behavior without conscious awareness, as seen in priming, procedural learning, and conditioned responses.
Question 2: The 'generation effect' in memory research refers to the finding that:
- Older adults generate more false memories than younger adults
- Memories generated by the learner are better remembered than passively read items (Correct answer)
- Random generation of stimuli reduces interference effects
- Self-generated cues are less effective than experimenter-provided cues
Correct answer: Memories generated by the learner are better remembered than passively read items
Items that learners actively generate (e.g., solving an anagram) are recalled better than items that are simply read, due to deeper processing.
Question 3: Prospective memory refers to the ability to:
- Remember past emotional experiences with high accuracy
- Remember to perform an intended action in the future (Correct answer)
- Recall the source of a remembered fact
- Project current knowledge backward to reconstruct past events
Correct answer: Remember to perform an intended action in the future
Prospective memory involves forming an intention and later remembering to execute it at the appropriate time or in the appropriate context.
Question 4: Which phenomenon describes the finding that learning material in multiple contexts leads to better retention than learning in a single, fixed context?
- Spacing effect
- Interleaving effect
- Variability of practice effect
- Context variability effect (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Context variability effect
Context variability theory holds that encoding in varied contexts creates more retrieval cues, making memories accessible from a wider range of situations.
Question 5: Dual-process theories of memory and cognition distinguish between System 1 and System 2 processes. Which of the following is a System 1 characteristic?
- Slow, effortful, and controlled
- Rule-based and deliberate
- Fast, automatic, and associative (Correct answer)
- Conscious and reflective
Correct answer: Fast, automatic, and associative
System 1 operates quickly and automatically, relying on associations and heuristics, while System 2 is slow, effortful, and deliberate.
Question 6: What does the 'weapon focus effect' in eyewitness memory research demonstrate?
- Witnesses remember weapons better than any other detail
- Attention focused on a weapon reduces memory accuracy for peripheral details (Correct answer)
- Emotional arousal always enhances overall memory accuracy
- Firearms cues trigger state-dependent recall
Correct answer: Attention focused on a weapon reduces memory accuracy for peripheral details
The weapon focus effect shows that the presence of a weapon narrows attentional focus, impairing memory for peripheral scene details like the perpetrator's face.
Question 7: The 'testing effect' (also called retrieval practice effect) refers to the finding that:
- Test anxiety impairs performance on memory tests
- Repeated study is more effective than a single retrieval attempt
- Retrieving information strengthens its later accessibility more than restudying (Correct answer)
- Immediate testing after encoding reduces consolidation
Correct answer: Retrieving information strengthens its later accessibility more than restudying
Active retrieval practice produces stronger and more durable long-term retention than an equivalent amount of time spent re-reading or restudying material.
Psychology Degree Cognitive Processes and Memory 5
Which term describes the unconscious influence of prior experience on current task performance, without intentional recollection?