Question

(LTM) Jessica was raised speaking English and is immersed in Spanish whenever she is around her family in Los Angeles. Normally her Spanish isn't great because she doesn't get to practice much, but when she goes to Los Angeles her Spanish language abilities increase. The reason for this is:

A. Being in a familiar environment activates encoding specificity for the Spanish language.
B. Her memory of the Spanish language is activated by the phonological loop.
C. Her Spanish abilities are context-dependent as there is a relevant association between being in Los Angeles and speaking Spanish.
D. Everyone in Los Angeles speaks Spanish, so the spreading activation enables her to speak better Spanish.

Answer 1

Jessica's enhanced Spanish language skills in Los Angeles are due to context-dependent memory, where the environment cues her linguistic abilities, not due to encoding specificity, phonological loop, or the fact that many people in Los Angeles speak Spanish. So, the best option is c, Her Spanish abilities are context-dependent as there is a relevant association between being in Los Angeles and speaking Spanish.

Step-by-step explanation:

Jessica's increase in Spanish language abilities upon visiting her family in Los Angeles is best explained by C. Her Spanish abilities are context-dependent as there is a relevant association between being in Los Angeles and speaking Spanish.

This context-dependent memory suggests that the environment can cue memories and skills related to language.

Being in Los Angeles, where she is surrounded by family members speaking Spanish, likely acts as a trigger for her Spanish language knowledge, thereby improving her ability.

The concept of encoding specificity aligns with this idea; however, it is more directly related to the recall of explicit memories rather than the improvement of a skill set such as language from exposure to a familiar context.

The phonological loop, part of the working memory, helps with the temporary storage and manipulation of auditory information, but it does not specifically explain the contextual improvement of skill.

Additionally, the assertion that everyone in Los Angeles speaks Spanish is an overgeneralization and does not accurately reflect the cognitive processes involved in Jessica's language improvement.

In summary, context-dependent memory explains why Jessica's Spanish improves when she is in the context of Los Angeles, supporting the underlying principle that our environment can act as a cue to retrieve specific memories or skills.

So, the best option is c, Her Spanish abilities are context-dependent as there is a relevant association between being in Los Angeles and speaking Spanish.