122. Reading Skills Comprehension: Information

INFORMATION

Read the following passage and answer the following questions:-

Most people can remember a phone number for up to thirty seconds. When this short amount of time elapses, however, the number is erased from the memory. How did the information get there in the first place? Information that makes its way to the short-term memory (STM) does so via the sensory storage area. The brain has a filter which only allows stimuli that is of immediate interest to pass on to the STM, also known as the working memory. There is much debate about the capacity and duration of short-term memory. The most accepted theory comes from George A. Miller, a cognitive psychologist who suggested that humans can remember approximately seven chunks of information. A chunk is defined as a meaningful units of information, such as a word or name rather than just a letter or number; Modern theorists suggest that one can increase the capacity of the short-term memory by chunking, or classifying similar information together. By organizing information, one can optimize the STM, and improve the chances of a memory being passed on to long-term storage. When making a conscious effort to memorize something, such as information for an exam, many people engage in “rote rehearsal”. By repeating something over and over again, one is able to keep a memory alive. Unfortunately, this type of memory maintenance only succeeds if there are no interruptions. As soon as a person stops rehearsing the information, it has the tendency to disappear. When a pen and paper are not handy, people often attempt to remember a phone number by repeating it aloud. If the doorbell rings or the dog barks before a person has the opportunity to make a phone call, he is likely to forget the number instantly. Therefore, rote rehearsal is not an efficient way to pass information from the short term to long-term memory.            

(a) After thirty seconds a phone number gets __________

 (b) The memories get transferred to the STM when they are __________

(c) The psychologists are not sure about the __________ and __________of the short term memory.

(d) A chunk is a __________

 (e) Chunking and classifying can increase __________

 (f) A person can remember more information in a short time by __________

 (g) The author believes that rote rehearsal is __________

 (h) The dog’s bark and the ringing of the doorbell are examples of __________

 Answers :

(a) erased from a person’s memory

(b) of immediate interest

(c) capacity and duration

(d) meaningful unit of information such as a word or name

(e) the capacity of the short-term memory

(f) chunking, or classifying similar information together.

 (g) an inefficient way to remember something

 (h) interruptions that prevent the passing of information from short term to long-term memory.

More Comprehension Passages:-

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Passage- 2 Travelling By Air (247 words Objective & Sentence Completion)

Passage 3- President (300 Words Objective)

Passage 4 -THE SACRED FRUIT OF ACTION (250 Words Objective)

Passage 5- BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN (220 Words Objective)

Passage 6- PRAFULLA  CHANDRA  RAY (250 Words Objective)

Passage 7- FLAG (250 Words Objective)

Passage 8- CACTUS (250 Words Objective)

Passage 9- BESSIE SMITH (250 Words Objective)

Passage 10- MONEY  (250 Words Objective)

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