What memory test was used three weeks after exposure?

What memory test was used three weeks after exposure?

• A. Immediate free recall
• B. Recognition with hints
• C. Unexpected recognition test with old and new scenes
• D. Cued recall

Answer: (C)

This item is about how long-term memory is assessed after a substantial delay and how making the test unexpected helps reveal genuine retention. An unexpected recognition test with old and new scenes measures whether people can discriminate what they've actually seen from new, unseen scenes after a delay of weeks. Because the test is surprise, participants aren’t primed to memorize for a test, so the results reflect how well the memory trace persisted over time rather than strategies used for testing. Having old versus new scenes allows calculation of recognition accuracy and false alarms, giving a clear picture of true memory performance after a long interval. Immediate free recall would be testing memory right away, not after weeks, so it reflects short-term or recent recall rather than long-term retention. Recognition with hints introduces prompts that aid retrieval, which can inflate performance and doesn’t isolate pure long-term recognition. Cued recall also uses prompts to improve recall, again changing the nature of what’s being measured compared with an unexpected test weeks later.

This item is about how long-term memory is assessed after a substantial delay and how making the test unexpected helps reveal genuine retention. An unexpected recognition test with old and new scenes measures whether people can discriminate what they've actually seen from new, unseen scenes after a delay of weeks. Because the test is surprise, participants aren’t primed to memorize for a test, so the results reflect how well the memory trace persisted over time rather than strategies used for testing. Having old versus new scenes allows calculation of recognition accuracy and false alarms, giving a clear picture of true memory performance after a long interval.

Immediate free recall would be testing memory right away, not after weeks, so it reflects short-term or recent recall rather than long-term retention. Recognition with hints introduces prompts that aid retrieval, which can inflate performance and doesn’t isolate pure long-term recognition. Cued recall also uses prompts to improve recall, again changing the nature of what’s being measured compared with an unexpected test weeks later.