Cognition and Memory Review

The three steps in memory information processing are

• input, processing, output

• input, storage, output

• input, storage, retrieval

• encoding, storage, retrieval

Visual sensory memory is referred to as

• iconic memory

• echoic memory

• photomemory

• semantic memory

Echoic memories fade after approximately

• 1 hour

• 1 minute

• 1 second

• 3 to 4 seconds

Which of the following is not a measure of retention?

• recall

• recognition

• relearning

• retrieval

Our short-term memory span is approximately _______ items

• 2

• 5

• 7

• 10

Memory techniques such as acronyms and the peg-word system are called

• consolidation devices

• imagery techniques

• encoding strategies

• mnemonic devices

One way to increase the amount of information in memory is to group it into larger, familiar units. This process is referred to as

• consolidating

• organization

• encoding

• chunking

Research on memory construction reveals that memories

• are stored exact copies of experience

• reflect a person's biases and assumptions

• may be chemically transferred from one organism to another

• even if long term, usually decay within about five years

In a study on context cues, people learned words while on land or when they were underwater. In a later test of recall, those with the best retention had

• learned the words on land, that is, in the more familiar context

• learned the words underwater, that is, in the more exotic context

• learned the words and been tested on them in different contexts

• learned the words and had been tested on them in the same context

The spacing effect means that

• distributed study yields better retention than cramming

• retention is improved when encoding and retrieval are separated by no more than an hour

• learning causes a reduction in the size of the synaptic gap between certain neurons

• delaying retrieval until memory has consolidated improves recall