Chapter 25, Problem 1MM

Summary Introduction

Introduction: Forgetting refers to failure to remember. It may attributed to two possibilities- one is the memory is no longer available and the other can be that the memory cannot be retrieved. These may be applied to forgetting in short-term and long-term memory, respectively.

Answer to Problem 1MM

Correct answer: When forgetting is due to encoding failure, information has not been transferred from short-term memory into long-term memory. Therefore, option d. is correct.

Explanation of Solution

Reasons for the correct statement:

Encoding is the ability of brain to store and recall events and related information. It may be either short-term or long-term. The encoding failure leads to the inability of brain to form memory links and connections resulting in forgetting. The short-term memory is not stored and is not transferred to long-term memory. It may be due to some trauma to brain or some substance.

Hence, option d. is correct.

Reasons for incorrect statements:

Option a. is given as “the environment into sensory memory”. In this case, the information from environment is yet to be processed and encoded to sensory memory. Hence, option a. is incorrect.

Option b. is given as “sensory memory into long-term memory”. Sensory memory is brief and can be transferred to short-term memory. Hence, option b. is incorrect.

Option c. is given as “long-term memory into short-term memory”. Short-term memory is transferred to long-term memory for retrieval at later stages. Hence, option c. is incorrect.

Hence, options a., b., and c. are incorrect.

Conclusion

Forgetting due to encoding failure is caused when information is not transferred from short-term memory to long-term memory.