Psychology Degree Cognitive Psychology and Memory 3

Question 1

A student studies chemistry using the same background music she plans to listen to during the exam. This strategy exploits which memory principle?

Accepted Answer

Encoding specificity principle

Answer

The encoding specificity principle holds that retrieval is best when the cues present at encoding match those present at retrieval.

Question 2

Which experimental paradigm is most commonly used to study false memory formation, where participants 'remember' words never actually presented?

Accepted Answer

Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm

Answer

The DRM paradigm presents lists of semantically related words, reliably inducing false memories for a non-presented 'critical lure' word.

Question 3

In Atkinson and Shiffrin's multi-store model, information moves from sensory memory to short-term memory through:

Accepted Answer

Selective attention

Answer

Selective attention determines which information from the large-capacity but brief sensory store is transferred into the limited-capacity short-term store.

Question 4

The mnemonic technique of the 'method of loci' primarily relies on which cognitive ability?

Accepted Answer

Visuospatial imagery and familiar locations

Answer

The method of loci requires mentally placing items to be remembered at specific locations along a familiar route, leveraging visuospatial memory.

Question 5

Which finding provides the strongest evidence that long-term memory has virtually unlimited capacity?

Accepted Answer

People can recognize thousands of previously seen photographs with high accuracy

Answer

Standing's (1973) recognition memory study demonstrated that participants could accurately recognize tens of thousands of images, suggesting LTM capacity is practically limitless.

Psychology Degree Practice Test

Psychology Degree Practice Test

Psychology Degree Cognitive Psychology and Memory 3