Final answer:
The correct answer is a serial position curve, which reflects the tendency to remember first and last items in a sequence better than the middle ones. The correct answer is option C.
Step-by-step explanation:
The professor's graph that shows the relationship between the order in which each topic was covered in the course and the class's accuracy on items testing those topics on the final exam is known as a serial position curve. The serial position effect refers to the tendency to recall information that was presented first (primacy effect) and last (recency effect) in a list better than information in the middle. Students will typically have better recall for the information they learned at the beginning and the end of the course, which can be visually represented in the curve on the graph.
When we discuss memory retrieval, there are three main types: recall, recognition, and relearning. Recall is the ability to remember information without cues; for instance, writing an essay based on what you've learned. Recognition involves identifying previously learned information upon encountering it again, such as recognizing correct answers on a multiple-choice test. Relearning indicates how long it takes to learn information you've previously studied after a period of forgetting.
Encoding information into memory can take place at different levels. Visual processing refers to encoding images, acoustic processing involves the encoding of sounds, and semantic processing deals with the meaning of information. Hermann Ebbinghaus's research on memory introduced concepts such as the forgetting curve, which describes how memory retention diminishes over time. The rising and falling patterns observed in Ebbinghaus's and other psychological studies can be represented on different types of graphs, including linear, quadratic, inverse, and exponential relationships.