Lesson 2.1.3

2.1.3 Episodic and semantic long-term memory Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Psychology, Unit 2

20 questions

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Lesson 2.1.3, Episodic and semantic long-term memory: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Psychology (9PS0), Unit 2: Cognitive psychology, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which type of long-term memory, proposed by Tulving (1972), stores personal events that are linked to a time and place?

    • Procedural memory
    • Semantic memory
    • Episodic memory
    • Sensory memory

  2. Which type of long-term memory stores general knowledge and facts about the world?

    • Iconic memory
    • Working memory
    • Episodic memory
    • Semantic memory

  3. A student remembers that Paris is the capital of France, but cannot recall learning it. Which type of memory is this?

    • Episodic memory, since the student recalls a personal event in which the fact was learned at school
    • Working memory, since the student is holding the fact in mind at the moment of the question
    • Sensory memory, since the student has just perceived the name of the city in the recent past
    • Semantic memory, since the fact is general knowledge that is not tied to a specific event

  4. Which example best illustrates episodic memory?

    • Remembering a number for a few seconds until it is typed into a calculator during a task
    • Remembering that a triangle has three sides, without any link to a specific learning event at all
    • Remembering what you ate for breakfast on your last birthday, including where you were sitting
    • Remembering how to tie a shoelace, which is a skill that is stored as a motor routine

  5. What did Tulving's (1972) distinction between episodic and semantic memory emphasise?

    • That long-term memory is a single unified store, with no difference between personal and general knowledge at all
    • That long-term memory is entirely visual, with no role for words, meanings or personal experiences at all
    • That long-term memory is not a single system, but consists of different types of memory with different contents
    • That long-term memory is entirely dependent on the short-term memory's rehearsal loop for its survival

  6. Which evidence supports the distinction between episodic and semantic memory?

    • Case studies of patients who lost personal memories but retained general knowledge, such as the knowledge of language
    • Evidence that all memories are lost at the same rate, regardless of whether they are personal or general knowledge
    • Evidence that semantic memories are always more vivid than episodic memories in all people and settings
    • Evidence that the sensory register is the only long-term store, with no separate types of memory at all

  7. Which statement about the relationship between episodic and semantic memory is most accurate?

    • They are different types of long-term memory, but they can interact, such as when personal experience adds meaning
    • They are the same type of memory, distinguished only by the length of time that information remains in the store
    • They are the same as the working memory components, with no difference between long-term and short-term memory
    • They are stored in the same place with no interaction between them, so personal events never affect general knowledge

  8. Which evaluation point is most relevant to Tulving's distinction between episodic and semantic memory?

    • The distinction applies only to animals, since humans do not have episodic memories of their own personal events
    • The distinction has no research support, since no study has ever tested the difference between the two memory types
    • The distinction is completely easy to test, since episodic and semantic memories are always clearly separated in practice
    • Some distinction is difficult to test, since personal and general knowledge can overlap in everyday memories

  9. A patient can name famous historical events but cannot recall any of their own childhood experiences. What does this suggest?

    • Both memory systems are equally intact, showing that childhood memories are always stored as general knowledge
    • Episodic memory is intact while semantic memory is impaired, showing that personal memory is always the stronger type
    • Both memory systems are equally impaired, showing that the two types cannot be separated in any patient at all
    • Semantic memory may be intact while episodic memory is impaired, supporting separate systems

  10. Which of these is an example of semantic memory being used in an exam?

    • Recalling the definition of a term from a textbook without remembering when the term was first read
    • Recalling a personal event from the last exam in which the student felt particularly anxious about the paper
    • Recalling the exact room in which the student first read the textbook and the time of day it was read
    • Recalling the emotional feeling of walking into the exam hall on the first morning of the examination period

  11. Which idea about long-term memory is consistent with the multi-store model?

    • Long-term memory holds information only as visual images, with no verbal or semantic component at all
    • Long-term memory holds information only in the sensory register, which has no connection to the rest of memory
    • Long-term memory holds information for a long period, and can hold both personal and general knowledge
    • Long-term memory holds information only for a few seconds, and then the information is always lost from the store

  12. What would a researcher predict about the recall of semantic facts after a brain injury that damages the medial temporal lobe?

    • Semantic facts would be improved, since the injury removes the interference from episodic memories in the mind
    • Semantic facts may be retained, since semantic memory can be spared while episodic memory is impaired
    • Semantic facts would be unaffected, since the injury only affects sensory memory and never reaches the long-term store
    • Semantic facts would always be lost completely, since all long-term memory depends on the same medial temporal region

  13. A researcher uses a diary study to examine personal memories. Which type of long-term memory is being studied?

    • Working memory, since the diary records information that is currently being held in mind by the writer
    • Semantic memory, since the diary records general knowledge about the world and its facts
    • Sensory memory, since the diary records information that was perceived only for a fraction of a second
    • Episodic memory, since the diary records personal events linked to time and place

  14. Which of these is a limitation of Tulving's distinction in research on memory?

    • Some memories are always automatic, which means the distinction cannot apply to conscious memory at all
    • Some memories contain no information at all, which means they cannot be classified as either type of memory
    • Some memories are always visual, which means the distinction only applies to verbal memories in the model
    • Some memories contain both personal and general elements, which makes classifying them difficult

  15. Which feature best distinguishes episodic memory from semantic memory?

    • Episodic memory is stored for seconds only, while semantic memory is stored for many years at a time
    • Episodic memory has no capacity limit, while semantic memory has a limited capacity of about seven items
    • Episodic memory is stored visually, while semantic memory is stored only as sound in the phonological loop
    • Episodic memory is tied to a specific personal experience, while semantic memory is general knowledge

  16. Which of these shows episodic and semantic memory working together?

    • Recalling a sensory impression of a flash of light that lasted for only a fraction of a second in the lab
    • Recalling a learned fact, such as a historical date, and remembering the lesson in which it was first taught
    • Recalling a motor skill, such as riding a bicycle, with no conscious awareness of the event of learning it
    • Recalling a random list of numbers for a few seconds with no link to any personal experience or meaning

  17. Which measurement would a researcher use to test whether episodic memory is impaired more than semantic memory in a patient?

    • A single questionnaire about the patient's mood, which measures emotional state rather than memory
    • Separate tests of personal event recall and general knowledge recall, compared in the same patient
    • A single test of the patient's physical strength in a grip test, with no memory component at all
    • A single test of the patient's reaction time to a visual stimulus shown for a fraction of a second

  18. Why is it important that Tulving's distinction is supported by evidence from brain-damaged patients?

    • Because case studies can show dissociations between memory types, which supports the idea of separate systems
    • Because case studies show that patients never lose any kind of memory, so the distinction is trivial to test
    • Because case studies always prove that all memory is stored in a single place in the brain without exception
    • Because case studies show that patients always recover all their memories after brain injury, so distinction is unnecessary

  19. Which idea does the episodic and semantic memory distinction imply about how personal memories are recalled?

    • Personal memories are recalled only through the phonological loop, which holds words but no context at all
    • Personal memories may be recalled with contextual detail, such as time and place, which general knowledge lacks
    • Personal memories are recalled with no contextual detail, since all memories are stored as general knowledge
    • Personal memories are recalled only through the central executive, which holds all memories in one place

  20. Which statement about semantic memory is correct?

    • It stores general knowledge and meanings, such as facts about the world, without a link to a particular event
    • It stores only information for a few seconds before it decays, so it cannot hold facts for any length of time
    • It stores only the visual image of an object, with no information about the meaning of the object in the world
    • It stores only personal events with a time and place attached, and cannot store facts that are general knowledge

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