Lesson 3.1.1.2.3

3.1.1.2.3 Primacy and recency effects and the serial position effect Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 1

20 questions

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Lesson 3.1.1.2.3, Primacy and recency effects and the serial position effect: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Psychology (8182), Unit 1: Memory, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is the serial position effect?

    • The tendency to forget items presented at the start of a list very quickly after they appear
    • The tendency to recall items at the start and end of a list better than items in the middle
    • The tendency to recall items in the same order in which they were presented to the learner
    • The tendency to recall items in the middle of a list better than those at its start or end

  2. What is the primacy effect?

    • Better recall of items in the middle of a list, because they receive the most rehearsal
    • Better recall of the first items in a list, because they are transferred into long-term memory
    • Better recall of the last items in a list, because they are still held in short-term memory
    • Poorer recall of the first items in a list, because attention is spread across the whole list

  3. What is the recency effect?

    • Better recall of the last items in a list, because they are still held in short-term memory
    • Better recall of items in the middle of a list, because they are repeated most often
    • Poorer recall of the last items in a list, because they interfere with the earlier items
    • Better recall of the first items in a list, because they are transferred into long-term memory

  4. Which store is most associated with the recency effect?

    • Sensory memory, because the last items are still held as an exact copy of the input
    • Short-term memory, because the last items are still held there when recall begins
    • Long-term memory, because the last items are transferred there in the final seconds
    • Working memory, because the last items are manipulated more than the first items in the list

  5. Which store is most associated with the primacy effect?

    • Long-term memory, because early items have had more time to be rehearsed and transferred
    • Working memory, because early items are used to process the later items in the list
    • Sensory memory, because early items are held as an exact copy of the input for longer
    • Short-term memory, because early items are still held there when recall begins

  6. A 20-word list is recalled best at the first and last words. Which two effects are shown?

    • Recency for the middle words and primacy for the last words in the list
    • Primacy for the first words and recency for the last words
    • Primacy for the middle words and recency for the first words in the list
    • Recency for the first words and primacy for the last words in the same list

  7. A participant recalls the start and end of a 12-word list well, but the middle poorly. What pattern is this?

    • A U-shaped serial position curve, showing both primacy and recency
    • A straight line showing equal recall at every position in the list presented
    • An inverted pattern showing that only the items in the middle of the list are recalled
    • A steadily falling line showing that recall gets worse with each word as the list goes on

  8. A list is followed by 30 seconds of counting backwards before recall. What is predicted for the recency effect?

    • Recency is reduced, because the delay clears the last items from short-term memory
    • Recency is unchanged, because the counting only affects the first items in the list
    • Recency is removed and primacy grows, because counting moves early items into sensory memory
    • Recency is increased, because the counting rehearses the last items in short-term memory

  9. A learner remembers the first three names at a meeting and the last two, but not the middle ones. Which effects explain this?

    • Recency explains every name, because the most recent names are rehearsed the most
    • Primacy explains the middle names and recency explains the first three names
    • Primacy explains the first three names and recency explains the last two names
    • Recency explains the first three names and primacy explains the last two names

  10. Why might the first words in a list be recalled better than the middle words?

    • They have been coded as images, which are easier to recall than words in a list
    • They have had more rehearsal and more time to be transferred into long-term memory
    • They were attended to less, so they stayed in short-term memory for longer than other items
    • They are held longer in sensory memory, which is an exact copy and does not fade

  11. Why is the recency effect usually reduced when a new task is given after a list?

    • Because the last items have been coded semantically, so they can no longer be recalled
    • Because the last items have been transferred to long-term memory during the new task
    • Because the last items have decayed in sensory memory while the new task is being done
    • Because the last items have been displaced from short-term memory by the new task

  12. Which prediction best matches the multi-store model for recall of early items in a list?

    • Early items should be recalled poorly because they were displaced by later items in the list
    • Early items should be recalled best of all because they are held in sensory memory until recall
    • Early items should be recalled equally with middle items because all items get the same rehearsal
    • Early items should be recalled well because they have had time to be rehearsed and transferred into long-term memory

  13. Which finding would be most consistent with the recency effect coming from short-term memory?

    • Recency disappears after a long delay filled with a task that uses up short-term memory
    • Primacy disappears after a long delay, while recency is always stronger than primacy
    • A U-shaped curve appears in recall of a list presented with no delay at all
    • Recency persists unchanged after a long delay filled with an unrelated task that uses short-term memory

  14. A recall test asks participants to recall a list in any order. What does the serial position curve show?

    • How many times each item was repeated during the learning phase of the test
    • How often items from each position in the list are recalled
    • How much attention the learner gave to each item during the presentation of the list
    • How long each item was held in the short-term store before it was lost

  15. A learner forgets the 9th word of a 20-word list but remembers the 19th. Which explanation fits?

    • The serial position effect, because items near the end are recalled better than items in the middle
    • The primacy effect, because items at the start of the list are the ones recalled best
    • Sensory memory decay, because items in the middle of the list fade within a second
    • Interference, because later items in the list replace the earlier items in memory

  16. A learner rehearses only the first few items of a 15-item list. Which result is most likely?

    • Those early items will be recalled strongly, while the middle items are recalled poorly
    • The last items will be recalled best, because rehearsal only affects the most recent items
    • Those early items will be lost, because rehearsal removes items from long-term memory
    • All items will be recalled equally well, because rehearsal spreads memory evenly over the list

  17. Which procedure change would most reduce the primacy effect in a recall test?

    • Testing recall immediately after the last item, so that the final items are fully retained
    • Reading the list aloud more slowly so that all items get equal attention from the learner
    • Removing the time for rehearsal of early items, so they are not transferred to long-term memory
    • Adding more time for rehearsal of the early items before recall begins in the test

  18. Which statement correctly links the primacy effect to rehearsal?

    • Early items get more rehearsal, so they are more likely to be lost from short-term memory
    • Early items get no rehearsal, so they are recalled from the sensory store as an exact copy
    • Early items get more rehearsal, so they are more likely to be transferred into long-term memory
    • Early items get less rehearsal, so they are more likely to be lost from sensory memory

  19. Which statement about the serial position curve is correct?

    • It shows recall as a steady rise, with the best recall at the very end of the list
    • It shows recall as a U-shape, with better recall at the start and end than in the middle
    • It shows recall as an upside-down U, with the best recall in the middle of the list
    • It shows recall as a straight line, because all items are recalled with equal accuracy

  20. Which result would count against the idea that recency comes from short-term memory alone?

    • Primacy that disappears after a long delay, as the model predicts for early items in a list
    • Recency that disappears after a short delay with counting backwards, as the model predicts
    • A U-shaped curve in recall of a list presented with no delay between items or recall
    • Recency that survives a long delay filled with an unrelated task, which the model would not predict

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