Free AP Psychology Memory Exam Question and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following rehearsing techniques would help you remember someone's name who you just met?
- Elaborative rehearsal (Correct answer)
- Proactive rehearsal
- Retroactive rehearsal
- Intentional rehearsal
Correct answer: Elaborative rehearsal
Elaborative rehearsal is a memory technique that involves actively thinking about the meaning of new information and connecting it to existing knowledge in your long-term memory. To remember a name, you might associate it with a famous person, a visual image, or a personal experience. This deeper processing makes the information more meaningful and significantly improves retention compared to simple repetition.
Question 2: Memory for automatic tasks, like riding a bike and writing, is referred to as:
- Repressed memory
- Semantic memory
- Procedural memory (Correct answer)
- Declarative memory
Correct answer: Procedural memory
Procedural memory is a type of implicit long-term memory responsible for knowing how to do things, often without conscious thought. It involves motor skills and habits, such as riding a bike, tying shoelaces, or writing. These memories are typically acquired through practice and repetition and are resistant to forgetting.
Question 3: As a result of a brain injury brought on by a stroke or an accident, a person may experience retrograde amnesia, in which case they become forgetful about the:
- Events immediately after the injury
- Events immediately before the injury (Correct answer)
- Newly formed declarative memories
- Procedural memories
Correct answer: Events immediately before the injury
Retrograde amnesia is a form of memory loss where an individual cannot recall events that occurred *before* the onset of the amnesia-causing injury or disease. The severity can vary, with memories closer to the injury often being more affected than older memories. This contrasts with anterograde amnesia, which affects the formation of new memories after the injury.
Question 4: What is the name for memory loss that only happens with the passage of time?
- Encoding failure
- Interference
- Amnesia
- Decay (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Decay
Decay theory suggests that memories fade or weaken over time if they are not regularly retrieved or rehearsed. This process is often compared to a physical trace that deteriorates with disuse. While other factors like interference also contribute to forgetting, decay specifically refers to the natural fading of memory strength solely due to the passage of time.
Question 5: Anterograde amnesia is associated with what area of brain damage or removal?
- Corpus callosum
- Hippocampus (Correct answer)
- Hypothalamus
- Cerebellum
Correct answer: Hippocampus
The hippocampus is a crucial brain structure located in the medial temporal lobe, essential for the formation of new declarative memories (facts and events). Damage to the hippocampus, often seen in cases of stroke or specific brain injuries, typically results in anterograde amnesia, where individuals lose the ability to form new long-term memories after the injury.
Question 6: The process through which a stimulus is attended to, identified, studied, and assimilated into memory is known as:
- Retrieval
- Appraisal
- Rehearsal
- Encoding (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Encoding
Encoding is the initial process of transforming sensory information into a form that can be stored in memory. This involves attending to the stimulus, identifying its features, and actively processing it so that it can be assimilated and retained. Effective encoding is crucial for successful memory formation and later retrieval.
Question 7: Which of the subsequent is an illustration of prospective memory?
- Remembering how to ride a bike
- Remembering the capital of Georgia
- Remembering to buy your sister a birthday present next week (Correct answer)
- Remembering how to play checkers
Correct answer: Remembering to buy your sister a birthday present next week
Prospective memory refers to remembering to perform an action or intention at a future point in time. It involves remembering *to do* something, rather than remembering past events or facts. Remembering to buy a birthday present next week is a classic example, as it requires planning and recalling an action to be executed in the future.
Free AP Psychology Memory Exam Question and Answers 1
Which of the following rehearsing techniques would help you remember someone's name who you just met?