Encoding Memories

AP Psychology· difficulty 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.

Explanation

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).

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