Questions

v/ Correct 1. It is tempting to compare human memory to memory storage on computers. Which of the following best illustrates the problem with such metaphors? A single computer file sent to several people would be identical, but memories of the same event can vary between individuals. Unlike the hard drive of a computer, the brain being damaged does not result in a loss of stored memories. A computer file is an immutable record, but memories are often altered and recalled differently over time. Feedback: Correct! Computer metaphors of mind are all misleading because they suggest a “memory” is discrete en- tity in the brain that can later be retrieved in its original form. Instead, memories are reconstructed “on the fly" at the time of remembering, and so are often altered or recalled differently depending on how they are reconstructed. v/ Correct 1. Imagine you are studying for a big final exam. However, because your schedule is jam packed with other commitments, there will be a 2 day period between your last study session and the final exam. What statement best captures this? There is a 2-day storage interval. There is a 2-day retention interval. Feedback: Correct! A retention interval is a fancy phrase that memory researchers use to describe the time that elapses between encoding (in this case studying) and the time of retrieval (the final exam). In other words, the information has to be retained in memory for that duration. Encoding and storage are separated by 2 days. Retrieval cues will be stronger after one day then after two days.

Vv Correct 1. The questions on your quizzes tend to fall into one of two categories. By looking over your previous tests, you realize that you seem to do relatively well on the multiple choice questions, but you stumble when it comes to those pesky long-answer questions. Which of the following might explain this difference? You are learning material at a sufficient level to perform well on multiple choice questions, but not recogni- tion-based questions. You are over-rehearsing the material. You are learning material at a sufficient level to perform well on recognition-based questions, but not recall-based questions. Feedback: Correct! You are performing well at recognition questions where very strong retrieval cues are provided (e.g., you can identify a key word in one of the options), but falling short on recall-based long-answer ques- tions that provide fewer retrieval cues (e.g., an open-ended question that forces you to recall the content from a whole unit of the course). v/ Correct 1. Chunking allows us to: store more information in short-term memory Feedback: Correct! Although simplified, it is often said the capacity of short-term memory is 7 + 2 "chunks" of infor- mation. Larger chunks allow more total information to fit within this limit, such as seven words versus seven letters. store more information in long-term memory bypass the short-term memory store group details of an event in the long-term memory store