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AP Psychology Practice Quiz: Encoding Memories

Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026

Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 12 questions to check your progress.

Question 1 of 12

Which of the following best describes the initial process of getting information into the memory system?

All Questions (12)

Which of the following best describes the initial process of getting information into the memory system?

A) Retrieval

B) Storage

C) Encoding

D) Rehearsal

Correct Answer: C

Encoding is the process of getting information into memory. The provided text states, 'Encoding involves strategies to get information into memory.' Retrieval is getting information out, and storage is holding it over time.

A student is trying to memorize the order of the U.S. presidents. She mentally places each president in a different room of her childhood home and then 'walks' through the home to recall the order. This technique is an example of:

A) The spacing effect

B) The serial position effect

C) Chunking

D) A mnemonic device

Correct Answer: D

This is a classic example of the method of loci, which is a type of mnemonic device. The content explicitly mentions 'Mnemonic devices, like the method of loci, aid in encoding information.'

When you try to remember a new 10-digit phone number, you likely group the digits into a 3-digit area code, a 3-digit prefix, and a 4-digit number. This encoding strategy is known as:

A) The method of loci

B) Chunking

C) The primacy effect

D) Massed practice

Correct Answer: B

Chunking is the process of grouping information into meaningful units to make it easier to encode and remember. The text states that encoding can be improved by 'grouping information into meaningful chunks.'

Anika studies for her psychology final by reviewing her notes for one hour every day for the five days leading up to the exam. Her classmate, Ben, crams by studying for five hours straight the night before. According to the spacing effect, who is likely to remember the material better?

A) Ben, because his practice was massed and uninterrupted.

B) Anika, because her practice was distributed over time.

C) Both will remember the material equally well because they studied for the same total amount of time.

D) It is impossible to predict without knowing their retrieval strategies.

Correct Answer: B

The spacing effect demonstrates that distributed practice (studying over time) is more effective for long-term retention than massed practice (cramming). Anika used distributed practice, which is a more effective encoding strategy.

After hearing a long list of grocery items, you are most likely to remember the items from the beginning and the end of the list. This phenomenon is known as:

A) The spacing effect

B) The serial position effect

C) The method of loci

D) The chunking effect

Correct Answer: B

The serial position effect predicts that when presented with a list of items, we are most likely to recall the first items (primacy effect) and the last items (recency effect).

A job interviewer is meeting with 10 candidates in one day. The tendency for the interviewer to have a better memory of the first candidate they saw compared to the candidates in the middle is best explained by:

A) The recency effect

B) The primacy effect

C) The spacing effect

D) Chunking

Correct Answer: B

The primacy effect is the component of the serial position effect that describes our enhanced recall for information presented at the beginning of a list or sequence.

The fundamental principle underlying the effectiveness of mnemonic devices, chunking, and the spacing effect is that:

A) All memories decay at the same rate regardless of how they are formed.

B) Retrieval is a completely separate process unaffected by how information is learned.

C) The way information is encoded directly impacts how well it can be stored and later retrieved.

D) Massed practice is the only way to ensure long-term memory formation.

Correct Answer: C

The provided text states, 'how it's encoded affects storage and retrieval.' All the strategies mentioned are ways to improve encoding, which in turn improves the likelihood of successful storage and retrieval.

To better understand the concepts in his biology textbook, a student creates an outline that starts with broad kingdoms (e.g., Animalia, Plantae) and then breaks them down into phylum, class, order, and so on. This is an effective encoding strategy because it uses:

A) Hierarchies

B) The recency effect

C) Massed practice

D) The method of loci

Correct Answer: A

Organizing information from broad concepts to more specific details is an example of creating a hierarchy. The text notes that encoding can be improved by grouping information into 'hierarchies.'

Distributed practice is to massed practice as:

A) Primacy effect is to recency effect

B) Studying over several days is to cramming

C) Chunking is to hierarchies

D) Encoding is to retrieval

Correct Answer: B

This is an analogy question. The spacing effect shows that distributed practice (studying over time) is more effective than massed practice (cramming). Therefore, 'studying over several days' is the best analogy for distributed practice, and 'cramming' is the best analogy for massed practice.

You are introduced to a group of people at a party. As you are leaving, you can only remember the name of the very last person you met. This is a clear example of:

A) The primacy effect

B) The spacing effect

C) The recency effect

D) A mnemonic device

Correct Answer: C

The recency effect is the component of the serial position effect that describes our enhanced recall for information presented at the end of a list or sequence, as it is still in our short-term memory.

Which of the following is an example of a mnemonic device?

A) Studying for an hour each night for a week

B) Remembering the first and last items on a list

C) Using the phrase 'My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Noodles' to remember the planets

D) Grouping a long list of words into categories like 'animals' and 'fruits'

Correct Answer: C

A mnemonic device is a memory aid. Using an acronym or a sentence (acrostic) to remember a list is a classic mnemonic strategy. The other options describe the spacing effect, serial position effect, and categorization, respectively.

Which encoding strategy involves organizing information into a few broad concepts that are then divided and subdivided into narrower concepts and facts?

A) Chunking

B) Hierarchical organization

C) The method of loci

D) The serial position effect

Correct Answer: B

The text states that 'Encoding can be improved by grouping information into meaningful chunks, categories, or hierarchies.' Hierarchical organization specifically refers to structuring information from general to specific, as described in the question.