Psychology · Unit 4

Memory

How we remember and why we forget

Memory is reconstructive, not a recording. Each recall rebuilds the memory and can alter it, which is why confident memories can be badly wrong.

The unit covers how memory works, short and long-term stores, forgetting, false memories, and the techniques that genuinely improve retention.

This unit breaks down into 23 short steps and 120 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 5. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.

Steps: 23
Questions: 120
Difficulty: 1-5

What this unit covers

Short and Long Term Memory
False Memories
Improving Memory
How Memory Works
Forgetting

Where this fits

Follows Senses and Perception. Underpins the study-technique material.

Where people slip

Confidence and accuracy are only weakly related in memory. A vividly recalled event can be substantially false, which is why eyewitness testimony is treated so cautiously.

How the unit is structured

Memory runs as 23 short steps that unlock in order. 17 are practice rounds and 6 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 5 as you progress.

Step 1 · easierStep 23 · harder

Challenge rounds

Example questions

30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 120 in the unit altogether.

False Memories

Choose all that applyLevel 2
1. Which of these can help create a false memory? (Pick three)
- Leading questionscorrect
- Someone suggesting it happenedcorrect
- Imagining the event over and overcorrect
- Writing down exactly what you saw right away
- Saying nothing at all
Leading questions, suggestion, and repeated imagining can plant false memories.
Fill the blankLevel 2
2. A memory of something that did not really happen is called a ____ memory.
- falsecorrect
- true
- sensory
- short
A false memory feels real but is of an event that did not actually happen that way.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
3. Which statement about memory is most accurate?
- The brain rebuilds a memory each time we recall itcorrect
- Every memory is a perfect copy of the event
- Memories can never change once they are made
- We remember every detail of our whole life
Memory is reconstructive, so the brain pieces a memory back together and can add or change details.
True or falseLevel 2
4. Our memories can sometimes be wrong even when we feel very sure about them.
Answer: True
Feeling confident does not guarantee accuracy, since memories can be changed without us noticing.
Match the pairsLevel 3
5. Match each false-memory term to its meaning.
Answer: Misinformation effect = Later false info changes a memory; Leading question = Wording that hints at an answer; Source error = Forgetting where a memory came from
Each of these shows a different way real memories can be reshaped or misattributed.
Odd one outLevel 3
6. Which of these is NOT a reason a memory can become false?
- The event was recorded on videocorrect
- Leading questions were asked
- The event was imagined over and over
- Others described it differently
Leading questions, imagining, and others' accounts can distort memory, but a video recording does not.

Forgetting

Choose all that applyLevel 2
7. Which of these can cause us to forget? (Pick three)
- Memories fading over timecorrect
- Other memories getting in the waycorrect
- Not having a good cue to jog itcorrect
- Reviewing it every day
- Getting plenty of sleep
Fading, interference, and missing cues cause forgetting, while review and sleep actually help memory.
Fill the blankLevel 2
8. The graph that shows memory dropping quickly after learning is called the forgetting ____.
- curvecorrect
- line
- circle
- box
The forgetting curve shows how memory fades fast at first and then more slowly over time.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
9. When you almost remember a word but just cannot get it out, what is this feeling called?
- The tip-of-the-tongue feelingcorrect
- The back-of-the-mind rule
- The edge-of-the-eye effect
- The top-of-the-head sign
The tip-of-the-tongue feeling is when a memory is there but temporarily hard to retrieve.
Odd one outLevel 2
10. Which of these is NOT a reason people forget things?
- Growing tallercorrect
- Time passing so the memory fades
- New memories getting in the way
- Not having a good reminder cue
Fading, interference, and missing cues cause forgetting, but growing taller does not.
True or falseLevel 2
11. We usually forget the most in the time soon after we first learn something.
Answer: True
Forgetting is fastest right after learning and then slows down, as the forgetting curve shows.
Match the pairsLevel 3
12. Match each cause of forgetting to an example.
Answer: Decay = A memory fades from years of not using it; Proactive interference = Old info blocks new info; Retroactive interference = New info blocks old info; Cue-dependent forgetting = You cannot find the right trigger
Decay is fading over time, interference is memories clashing, and cue-dependent forgetting is a missing trigger.

How Memory Works

Multiple choiceLevel 1
13. What are the three basic jobs your memory does with information?
- Encoding, storage, and retrieval
- Reading, writing, and math
- Seeing, hearing, and touching
- Sleeping, eating, and playing
Memory works by encoding information in, storing it over time, and retrieving it back out.
Odd one outLevel 1
14. Which one is NOT a step your memory uses?
- Sleepingcorrect
- Encoding
- Storage
- Retrieval
Encoding, storage, and retrieval are the memory steps, while sleeping is not one of them.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
15. Which of these are the three main processes of memory? (Pick three)
- Encodingcorrect
- Storagecorrect
- Retrievalcorrect
- Dreaming
- Guessing
Encoding, storage, and retrieval are the three main memory processes.
Fill the blankLevel 2
16. Getting new information into your memory in the first place is called ____.
- encodingcorrect
- storage
- retrieval
- forgetting
Encoding is the first step, where your brain takes in and records new information.
Match the pairsLevel 2
17. Match each memory process to what it does.
Answer: Encoding = Getting information in; Storage = Keeping information over time; Retrieval = Getting information back out
Encoding takes information in, storage holds it, and retrieval brings it back when you need it.
Put in orderLevel 2
18. Put the three memory stores in the order information passes through them.
Answer: Sensory memory -> Short-term memory -> Long-term memory
Information flows from brief sensory memory, into short-term memory, and then into long-term memory.

Improving Memory

Fill the blankLevel 2
19. Studying in small sessions spread out over days is called ____ repetition.
- spacedcorrect
- rushed
- loud
- single
Spaced repetition means reviewing material over spread-out times, which strengthens memory.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
20. A memory trick like a rhyme or a catchy phrase that helps you remember is called a?
- Mnemoniccorrect
- Reflex
- Neuron
- Syllable
A mnemonic is any trick, like a rhyme or acronym, that makes information easier to remember.
Odd one outLevel 2
21. Which of these does NOT help your memory?
- Skipping sleepcorrect
- Using mnemonics
- Spacing out practice
- Chunking information
Mnemonics, spacing, and chunking all help memory, but skipping sleep hurts it.
Sort into groupsLevel 2
22. Sort each study habit by whether it helps or hurts memory.
Answer: Spacing out your review = Helps memory; Getting enough sleep = Helps memory; Cramming all night = Hurts memory; Studying with lots of distractions = Hurts memory
Spacing and sleep strengthen memory, while cramming and distraction weaken it.
True or falseLevel 2
23. Reviewing something a little each day helps you remember it better than cramming it all at once.
Answer: True
Spacing your practice over several days builds stronger, longer lasting memories than cramming.
Choose all that applyLevel 3
24. Which of these are proven ways to strengthen memory? (Pick three)
- Spacing practice over dayscorrect
- Testing yourselfcorrect
- Getting good sleepcorrect
- Cramming everything the night before
- Studying while exhausted
Spacing, self-testing, and sleep all boost memory, while cramming and studying while tired do not.

Short and Long Term Memory

Multiple choiceLevel 1
25. Which memory holds only a little information for a short time?
- Short-term memorycorrect
- Long-term memory
- A memory that lasts for years
- Permanent memory
Short-term memory keeps a small amount of information for only a short while.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
26. Which of these are types of long-term memory? (Pick three)
- Episodiccorrect
- Semanticcorrect
- Proceduralcorrect
- Iconic
- Echoic
Episodic, semantic, and procedural are long-term memory types, while iconic and echoic are sensory.
Fill the blankLevel 2
27. A phone number you repeat for a few seconds is being held in your ____ memory.
- short-termcorrect
- long-term
- sensory
- procedural
Short-term memory briefly holds small bits of information like a phone number you just heard.
Guess the numberLevel 2
28. About how many separate items can short-term memory usually hold at once?
Answer: 7 items
Short-term memory holds about seven items, give or take a couple, known as the magic number seven.
Match the pairsLevel 2
29. Match each memory store to how long it usually lasts.
Answer: Sensory memory = Less than a second; Short-term memory = About half a minute; Long-term memory = Days to years
Sensory memory is briefest, short-term lasts seconds, and long-term can last for years.
Put in orderLevel 3
30. Put these memory tasks in order from the shortest storage time to the longest.
Answer: Recalling a phone number you just heard -> Remembering what you ate for lunch today -> Remembering your first day of school
A just-heard number lives in short-term memory for seconds, while lunch and school memories last far longer.

Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.

How you practise

This unit mixes 10 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.

Choose all that apply
Fill the blank
Guess the number
Match the pairs
Multiple choice
Odd one out
Put in order
Sort into groups
True or false
Type the answer

Practise Memory

120 questions across 23 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.

Play this unit

Read about Memory

Explainers from our blog on what this unit covers. Each one ends with real questions from the bank.

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