Memory, Cognition and Intelligence Practice Questions | GRE Subject Test Psychology

Memory, Cognition and Intelligence

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A researcher compares three encoding tasks on a surprise free-recall test 20 minutes later. Participants see the same 40 nouns once each, but the orienting task varies:

(i) Count the number of vowels in each word (structural)
(ii) Decide whether each word rhymes with train (phonological)
(iii) Rate how pleasant each word is (semantic)

Accuracy differs strongly by task. Which explanation best accounts for the most typical ordering of recall across these conditions?

Select one option.

Rhyming decisions induce the strongest encoding because they require auditory imagery.
Vowel counting produces the best recall because it increases exposure time to each word.
All three tasks should yield equivalent recall because the study list is identical.
Pleasantness ratings yield higher recall because deeper semantic processing produces more distinctive, elaborated memory traces.
Vowel counting yields higher recall because it minimizes interference from meaning-based associations.

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