Introduction to Memory

Introduction to Memory is topic 2.3 of AP Psychology, inside Cognition. This page works through three real practice questions on it, with the full reasoning behind each credited answer.

Practise this topic freeThe whole unit
30 questionsConcept Application100% with a figure
Worked examples

Three real introduction to memory questions

From the practice pool, not the mock papers — each with the reasoning that produces the answer.

100% of them come with a figure. Reading the graph or diagram correctly is most of the work here before any content knowledge applies.

70% test a single AP skill: Concept Application. That makes this topic unusually predictable to prepare for.

Concept Application · with figure

A server repeats a six-digit table number silently while walking across a restaurant. When another customer asks a question, the server loses the number before entering it. Which memory system was most directly overloaded?

  1. AImplicit memory, because the number was stored as an unconscious skill.
  2. BLong-term potentiation, because synapses permanently stopped changing.
  3. CWorking memory: active maintenance was interrupted.correct
  4. DFlashbulb memory, because the event was emotionally shocking and durable.
Why C is correct

The interruption disrupts temporary active maintenance.

working memory is the mechanism that makes "A server repeats a six-digit table number silently while walking across a restaurant." coherent. The credited option, "Working memory, because brief active maintenance was interrupted by a competing task", is supported because The server was actively maintaining information briefly, which fits working memory. "Long-term potentiation, because synapses permanently stopped changing" is a real-looking alternative, but Long-term potentiation concerns neural strengthening, not losing a just-repeated number; "Flashbulb memory, because the event was emotionally shocking and durable" also fails because The situation is ordinary and temporary, not a vivid durable event. The aim is to connect the concrete evidence to the psychological mechanism, then reject choices that shift the process, time frame, or research logic away from the scenario pattern.

Research Methods and Design · with figure

A researcher defines recall accuracy as the number of target words reproduced within two minutes. What has the researcher created?

  1. ARandom assignment
  2. BOperational definitioncorrect
  3. CConfederate
  4. DIllusory correlation
Why B is correct

The procedure states exactly how recall accuracy will be measured.

"A researcher defines recall accuracy as the number of target words reproduced within two minutes." details toward working memory, not just a familiar Cognition label. The credited option, "Operational definition", is supported because The variable is stated in terms of a specific measurement procedure. "Random assignment" is a real-looking alternative, but No participants are placed into conditions; "Confederate" also fails because No hidden helper is described. The aim is to connect the concrete evidence to the psychological mechanism, then reject choices that shift the process, time frame, or research logic away from the scenario pattern.

Research Methods and Design · with figure

Two scorers independently count recalled words from the same response sheets and compare agreement. Which quality are they checking?

  1. ARandom assignment
  2. BEcological validity
  3. CInterrater reliabilitycorrect
  4. DConfounding
Why C is correct

The focus is consistency between scorers.

reliability explains the evidence in "Two scorers independently count recalled words from the same response sheets and compare agreement.". The credited option, "Interrater reliability", is supported because The scorers are checking whether independent ratings agree. "Random assignment" is a real-looking alternative, but No participants are placed into groups; "Ecological validity" also fails because The stem does not ask whether the task resembles real-world settings. The aim is to connect the concrete evidence to the psychological mechanism, then reject choices that shift the process, time frame, or research logic away from the scenario pattern.

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Last reviewed 2026-08-28. Topic and unit names follow the College Board course framework. Question counts describe the PrepScore practice bank, not the exam.
Same unit
Thinking, Problem-Solving, Judgments, and Decision-Making58 questionsIntelligence and Achievement49 questionsEncoding Memories42 questionsForgetting and Other Memory Challenges33 questionsPerception32 questions

Work introduction to memory until the reasoning is automatic.

Real AP questions with a full explanation on every answer, and a mistake bank that only clears when you get it right.

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