Question

After the end of the semester, certain students seem to have forgotten everything they learned. To find out whether their amnesia is complete or only partial, their professor teaches them the material again to see whether they learn any faster the second time than they did the first time. What kind of memory test is this?

a) Recognition memory test
b) Relearning test
c) Recall memory test
d) Short-term memory test

Answer 1

The test described is a relearning test for long-term memory, not short-term memory. Relearning demonstrates that some information remains in long-term memory even if it is not immediately accessible, as shown by the forgetting curve.

Step-by-step explanation:

The memory test described where a professor reteaches material to students to see if they learn it faster the second time is an example of a relearning test, which assesses long-term memory rather than short-term memory. Relearning is a way to retrieve information from long-term memory that involves faster reacquisition of knowledge previously learned.

This process hints at the existence of some memory trace of the initial learning. The forgetting curve, as discovered by Ebbinghaus, illustrates how information is lost over time, usually quickly at first and then leveling out. The notion that students may relearn material more quickly suggests that although information may not be immediately accessible, it is not entirely forgotten and can be recalled more efficiently on subsequent learning attempts, indicating some retention exists in long-term memory storage.