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AP Psychology Practice Quiz: Forgetting and Other Memory Challenges

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

Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 11 questions to check your progress.

Question 1 of 11

According to the forgetting curve, when is the rate of forgetting typically the most rapid?

All Questions (11)

According to the forgetting curve, when is the rate of forgetting typically the most rapid?

A) Several weeks after learning the information

B) Immediately after the initial learning

C) After the information has been stored for one year

D) The rate of forgetting is constant over time

Correct Answer: B

The provided content states that the forgetting curve shows that forgetting occurs rapidly after initial learning and then levels off. This means the most significant drop in memory retention happens shortly after the information is first learned.

A student is introduced to ten new classmates but is distracted by a text message and cannot recall their names a minute later. This memory failure is most likely due to:

A) Repression

B) Retroactive interference

C) Encoding failure

D) Source amnesia

Correct Answer: C

Encoding failure occurs when information is not properly processed and stored in memory in the first place. Because the student was distracted, the names were likely never encoded, making retrieval impossible.

You recently changed your phone's passcode. When you try to unlock your phone, you keep entering your old passcode by mistake. This is an example of:

A) Proactive interference

B) Retroactive interference

C) The misinformation effect

D) Repression

Correct Answer: A

Proactive interference is when previously learned information (the old passcode) disrupts the recall of newly learned information (the new passcode).

After studying Spanish for a semester, a student finds it difficult to remember the French vocabulary they learned in high school. This difficulty is best explained by:

A) Proactive interference

B) Retroactive interference

C) Encoding failure

D) Constructive memory

Correct Answer: B

Retroactive interference occurs when new learning (Spanish) disrupts the recall of older information (French). The new memories interfere with the retrieval of the old ones.

Which theoretical perspective suggests that people forget distressing information as a defense mechanism for the ego?

A) Behavioral

B) Cognitive

C) Humanistic

D) Psychodynamic

Correct Answer: D

The content explicitly states that psychodynamic theorists believe in repression, which is the process where information is forgotten to defend the ego from distress.

A witness to a car accident is later asked by a reporter, 'How fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?' The use of the word 'smashed' leads the witness to recall the accident as being more severe than it was. This is an example of:

A) Source amnesia

B) The misinformation effect

C) Proactive interference

D) Repression

Correct Answer: B

The misinformation effect occurs when post-event information (the reporter's leading question) alters an individual's memory of the event. The word 'smashed' influenced the witness's memory of the accident's severity.

Jamal vividly remembers learning that a major historical event occurred, but he cannot recall whether he read about it in a textbook, saw it in a documentary, or was told by a friend. This type of memory error is known as:

A) Constructive memory

B) The misinformation effect

C) Source amnesia

D) Retroactive interference

Correct Answer: C

Source amnesia is the inability to remember the origin or source of a memory. Jamal remembers the information itself but has forgotten where he acquired it.

Sometimes, a forgotten memory can be recalled if a person is provided with a hint or a related piece of information. This suggests the original memory failure was due to:

A) Encoding failure

B) Inadequate retrieval cues

C) Repression

D) The misinformation effect

Correct Answer: B

The content states that memories can be difficult to retrieve due to inadequate retrieval cues. Providing a hint serves as a retrieval cue, helping to access the stored memory.

When people are asked to recall a story, they often fill in gaps with details that are consistent with their personal expectations or cultural schemas, even if those details were not in the original story. This illustrates the concept of:

A) Constructive memory

B) Source amnesia

C) Proactive interference

D) The forgetting curve

Correct Answer: A

Constructive memory refers to the process where memories are built or reconstructed based on various factors, including expectations and schemas, which can lead to inaccuracies. Filling in gaps is a hallmark of this process.

Which of the following is NOT listed as a reason why memories may be difficult to retrieve?

A) Interference

B) Encoding failure

C) Long-term potentiation

D) Inadequate retrieval cues

Correct Answer: C

The provided content lists encoding failure, interference (proactive/retroactive), and inadequate retrieval cues as reasons for retrieval difficulty. Long-term potentiation is a mechanism of memory formation, not failure.

The general term for when the retrieval of a memory is blocked by other information is:

A) Repression

B) Interference

C) Source amnesia

D) Encoding failure

Correct Answer: B

The content defines interference as a reason for memory retrieval difficulty. Both proactive and retroactive interference involve one set of information getting in the way of another.