Question

Chris just telephoned Roberta and listed eight items that they need for the afternoon picnic. Roberta didn't have a pencil and did not write them down. Although she could not remember the entire list, she remembered the first three items very well. This is an example of ______.

a) Retrograde amnesia
b) Sensory memory
c) Primacy effect
d) Short-term memory

Answer 1

Roberta's remembrance of the first three picnic items represents the primacy effect and the functioning of short-term memory, which holds a limited amount of information for a brief period and often requires rehearsal or chunking strategies for better retention.

Step-by-step explanation:

The situation with Roberta trying to remember the items for the afternoon picnic is an example of short-term memory. Short-term memory allows individuals to retain a limited amount of information for a short period of time. In this instance, Roberta was able to recall the first three items effectively, which can be attributed to the primacy effect, where individuals have a tendency to remember items at the beginning of a list better than those in the middle or at the end.

However, her inability to remember the entire list may be a result of the limited capacity and duration of short-term memory. It can process only about seven items at a time and holds information for approximately 20 to 30 seconds without rehearsal. This is why we often use strategies such as repetition or chunking to extend the duration and capacity of our short-term memory, which can lead to transfer of information into long-term memory.