AP Psychology · Topic 2.4

Encoding Memories Practice

Part of Cognition.

Practice questions

16

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Sample questions

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  1. Sample 1difficulty 2/5

    In a study by Craik and Tulving, participants were shown a list of words. For each word they answered one of three questions: a question about whether the word was in capital letters (structural), a question about whether it rhymed with another word (phonemic), or a question about whether it fit a sentence (semantic). On a surprise recall test afterward, words processed semantically were remembered far better than those processed at the other two levels.

    A student who relates new vocabulary words to personally meaningful experiences is using:

    • A

      Elaborative rehearsal (a form of deep, semantic processing)

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    • B

      Iconic memory

    • C

      Maintenance rehearsal

    • D

      Echoic memory

    Why

    Elaborative rehearsal connects new information to existing meaningful knowledge and produces deep, semantic encoding that yields strong memory. Maintenance rehearsal is shallow repetition.

  2. Sample 2difficulty 3/5

    Effortful processing requires

    • A

      Passive sensory adaptation

    • B

      Random selection of inputs

    • C

      Little to no cognitive effort

    • D

      Active attention and rehearsal

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    Why

    Studying for a test, memorizing names — requires deliberate work.

  3. Sample 3difficulty 3/5

    In a study by Craik and Tulving, participants were shown a list of words. For each word they answered one of three questions: a question about whether the word was in capital letters (structural), a question about whether it rhymed with another word (phonemic), or a question about whether it fit a sentence (semantic). On a surprise recall test afterward, words processed semantically were remembered far better than those processed at the other two levels.

    These findings most directly support which theoretical framework?

    • A

      The dual-coding hypothesis: visual and verbal codes are equally effective.

    • B

      The levels-of-processing model: deeper (semantic) processing produces stronger memory traces.

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    • C

      The Atkinson-Shiffrin multi-store model with no role for processing depth.

    • D

      The decay theory of forgetting in short-term memory.

    Why

    Craik and Lockhart's levels-of-processing framework proposes that information processed for meaning (semantic/deep processing) creates more durable memories than shallow processing (structural or phonemic).

  4. Sample 4difficulty 3/5

    In a classic study by Godden and Baddeley, scuba divers learned a list of 40 words either on land or 10 feet underwater. Later, divers were tested on recall either in the same environment where they learned the list or the opposite environment. Recall was significantly better when divers were tested in the same environment in which they had learned the words, regardless of whether that was on land or underwater.

    The broader principle that retrieval cues at testing should match those present at encoding is called:

    • A

      The misinformation effect

    • B

      The spacing effect

    • C

      The encoding specificity principle

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    • D

      The serial position effect

    Why

    The encoding specificity principle holds that retrieval is most effective when retrieval cues match the cues present at encoding. The serial position effect concerns recall by list position.

  5. Sample 5difficulty 3/5

    A mnemonic device is

    • A

      A type of degenerative brain disorder

    • B

      A memory aid (e.g., acronyms, method of loci)

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    • C

      A neuroimaging technique (e.g., MRI scans)

    • D

      A randomly chosen unrelated word

    Why

    "Roy G. Biv" for rainbow colors; method of loci for ordered lists.