Psychology Memory Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. Why are the first items in a studied list often remembered better than items in the middle?
They remain active because they were heard most recently
They bypass encoding and enter permanent storage automatically
They often receive more rehearsal and are more likely to enter long-term memory
They are protected from interference by the final items
2. In an immediate free-recall task, which pattern most clearly represents the serial-position effect?
Only the middle items are recalled well
Every list position is recalled equally well
Recall improves steadily from the first item to the last
Items near the beginning and end are recalled better than middle items
3. On Tuesday morning, Sam remembers that a library book must be returned after work that evening. This is an example of what kind of memory?
Procedural memory
Prospective memory
Semantic memory
Echoic memory
4. An experienced cyclist can ride smoothly without consciously describing every movement. Which memory system best supports this ability?
Procedural memory
Semantic memory
Sensory memory
Prospective memory
5. After changing a password, Leo repeatedly types his old password by mistake. What is this an example of?
Proactive interference
Retroactive interference
Source monitoring
State-dependent retrieval
6. A participant hears a word list, completes a 30-second arithmetic task, and then recalls the words. Compared with immediate recall, which change is most likely?
The primacy effect disappears while the recency effect grows
Both primacy and recency effects become stronger
The recency effect is reduced more than the primacy effect
Middle items become easier to recall than both early and late items
7. After learning a new locker combination, a student has more difficulty recalling the previous combination. Which process is illustrated?
Proactive interference
Retroactive interference
Maintenance rehearsal
Perceptual priming
8. Which process most directly moves selected information from a brief sensory register into short-term awareness?
Response inhibition
Retrieval from long-term memory
Memory reconsolidation
Selective attention
9. A learner closes the textbook and tries to write down everything remembered from the chapter before checking the notes. Which study principle is being used most directly?
Massed practice
Context reinstatement
Maintenance rehearsal
Retrieval practice
10. Two students spend the same total time studying. One uses four short sessions across a week, while the other studies in one long session. The first student generally gains which advantage?
The spacing effect
The primacy effect
Proactive interference
Sensory adaptation
11. While looking for a pen, Maya silently repeats a new phone number so she will not lose it. Which working-memory component is most directly involved?
The episodic buffer
The visuospatial sketchpad
The phonological loop
Long-term procedural memory
12. A student recalls material more easily in the same quiet room where it was learned. Which principle best explains this pattern?
The misinformation effect
Encoding specificity
The recency effect
Retroactive interference
13. After witnessing a minor collision, someone is asked, “How fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?” Later, the person remembers a more severe crash. Which concept best fits this example?
Mood-congruent memory
The misinformation effect
The spacing effect
Implicit learning
14. Nina remembers the digits 1-9-4-5 by treating them as the year 1945. Which memory strategy is she using?
Chunking
State-dependent encoding
Elaborative retrieval
Directed forgetting
15. Which statement about flashbulb memories is most consistent with psychological research?
They are permanent sensory recordings of surprising events
They occur only when a person directly witnesses a public event
Their vividness guarantees that details remain accurate
They can feel vivid and certain even when some details change over time
16. Remembering what happened at your last birthday celebration is primarily an example of which kind of memory?
Procedural memory
Semantic memory
Episodic memory
Priming