Psychology Degree Cognitive Psychology and Memory 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which theory proposes that forgetting occurs because memory traces fade over time without rehearsal, rather than because of interference from other memories?
- Interference theory
- Motivated forgetting theory
- Decay theory (Correct answer)
- Encoding failure theory
Correct answer: Decay theory
Decay theory attributes forgetting to the gradual fading of the memory trace (engram) due to the passage of time and disuse.
Question 2: What distinguishes 'recall' from 'recognition' as measures of memory?
- Recall requires reproducing information without cues; recognition requires identifying previously encountered information from options (Correct answer)
- Recognition is always more difficult than recall
- Recall measures implicit memory; recognition measures explicit memory
- Recall requires the hippocampus; recognition does not
Correct answer: Recall requires reproducing information without cues; recognition requires identifying previously encountered information from options
Recall (e.g., free recall, cued recall) requires active retrieval with few or no cues, while recognition provides the target among alternatives for identification.
Question 3: Which phenomenon describes surprisingly vivid and detailed (though not always accurate) memories for personally significant, emotionally charged public events?
- Episodic future thinking
- Flashbulb memory (Correct answer)
- Mood-congruent memory
- Hypermnesia
Correct answer: Flashbulb memory
Flashbulb memories are highly detailed, confident recollections of the circumstances surrounding a shocking public event, though their accuracy degrades over time like other memories.
Question 4: A researcher finds that participants remember more words when tested in the same underwater environment where they originally learned them. This is evidence for:
- Mood-congruent memory
- Context-dependent memory (Correct answer)
- Transfer-appropriate processing
- Retroactive interference
Correct answer: Context-dependent memory
Godden and Baddeley's (1975) classic scuba-diver study demonstrated context-dependent memory: retrieval is best when the environmental context at test matches that at encoding.
Question 5: Which neurotransmitter system is most directly implicated in the emotional enhancement of memory consolidation, particularly for fear-based memories?
- Dopamine in the nucleus accumbens
- Acetylcholine in the basal forebrain
- Norepinephrine acting on the amygdala (Correct answer)
- Serotonin in the raphe nuclei
Correct answer: Norepinephrine acting on the amygdala
Norepinephrine released during emotionally arousing events activates beta-adrenergic receptors in the amygdala, which modulates hippocampal consolidation and enhances long-term retention of emotional memories.
Question 6: What is 'metamemory,' and why is it important for academic learning?
- The ability to recall memories from early childhood
- Knowledge and monitoring of one's own memory processes and capabilities (Correct answer)
- The process of converting implicit memories into explicit ones
- A neural mechanism for error-correction during retrieval
Correct answer: Knowledge and monitoring of one's own memory processes and capabilities
Metamemory is self-knowledge about how one's memory works, including judgments of learning and monitoring comprehension, which helps students allocate study time effectively.
Question 7: In Tulving's distinction between episodic and semantic memory, which type stores general world knowledge independent of personal experience?
- Episodic memory
- Procedural memory
- Semantic memory (Correct answer)
- Autobiographical memory
Correct answer: Semantic memory
Semantic memory contains context-free factual knowledge (e.g., 'Paris is the capital of France') not tied to any specific personal episode of learning.
Psychology Degree Cognitive Psychology and Memory 5
Which theory proposes that forgetting occurs because memory traces fade over time without rehearsal, rather than because of interference from other memories?