Question

According to the passage, which of the following is a reason that researchers have found it difficult to interpret the effects of adrenaline on memory retrieval?

• A. Adrenaline affects how information is encoded in memory but not how it is retrieved.
• B. Adrenaline facilitates retrieval in some situations but hinders it in others.
• C. Retrieval protocols typically involve the learning of new information.
• D. The effects of adrenaline on retrieval are temporary.
• E. The effects of adrenaline on retrieval cannot be easily separated from the effects of other hormones.
• A. It describes a phenomenon that adrenaline was expected to affect.
• B. It describes a phenomenon that researchers had previously misinterpreted.
• C. It explains why McGaugh and colleagues decided to study the effects of adrenaline on intentional forgetting.
  (D) It explains why participants in the experiment were asked to memorize two different lists of words.
• D. It explains a finding that appears to contradict the main conclusion of the passage.
• A. Retrieval inhibition does not occur unless participants are explicitly told to forget information.
• B. Adrenaline enhances retrieval by counteracting the effects of retrieval inhibition.
• C. Retrieval inhibition is the only mechanism involved in intentional forgetting.
• D. Adrenaline affects retrieval more than it affects the encoding of new information.
• N. Adrenaline's effects on retrieval cannot be tested in humans.
• A. reconcile two opposing theories about the effects of adrenaline on memory
• B. describe an experiment that tested the effects of adrenaline on memory retrieval
• C. evaluate the methodology used in a series of experiments on memory retrieval
• D. argue that adrenaline affects memory retrieval more than it affects memory storage
• S. explain the role of retrieval inhibition in intentional forgetting

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This is a detail-retrieval question asking for specific information stated in the passage. We need to identify the reason given for the difficulty in studying adrenaline's effect on retrieval.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The passage directly addresses this in the second sentence: "Adrenaline's modulation of retrieval is difficult to interpret because retrieval protocols usually involve new learning, which is known to be affected by adrenaline." The problem is that the act of testing retrieval (e.g., asking questions) introduces new information that the participant learns, and since adrenaline affects learning, it confounds the results.
Let's analyze the options:
(A) The passage is about the difficulty of studying retrieval, not a statement that adrenaline doesn't affect it.
(B) The passage does not mention that adrenaline's effects are contradictory in different situations.
(C) This option is a direct paraphrase of the reason given in the passage. The involvement of "new learning" in retrieval protocols is the central problem.
(D) The passage does not discuss the duration of adrenaline's effects.
(E) The passage focuses on the confounding effect of new learning, not other hormones.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The passage explicitly states that the difficulty arises because retrieval tests often involve new learning. Therefore, option (C) is the correct answer.

Answer 2

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question asks for the rhetorical function of a specific sentence. We need to understand how this sentence fits into the overall argument of the passage.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The highlighted sentence, "This phenomenon is attributed to retrieval inhibition, a mechanism that makes the unwanted information less likely to be retrieved, whether intentionally or unintentionally," provides the scientific explanation for "intentional forgetting." The entire experiment by McGaugh and colleagues is designed around this concept. They reasoned that if adrenaline enhances retrieval, it should counteract retrieval inhibition and thus reduce intentional forgetting. Therefore, the sentence is describing the very mechanism (and the phenomenon it causes) that the experiment is designed to test the effects of adrenaline on.
Option (A) accurately captures this. The "phenomenon" (intentional forgetting, caused by retrieval inhibition) is what adrenaline was hypothesized to affect.
Option (B) is incorrect; there is no mention of a previous misinterpretation.
Option (C) is close but less precise. The sentence explains *what* intentional forgetting is, which is part of *why* they studied it, but its primary function is to define the target of the experiment.
Option (D) is incorrect; the sentence explains the mechanism of forgetting, not the reason for the experimental design of using two lists.
Option (E) is incorrect; the phenomenon does not contradict the main conclusion, it is central to it.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The sentence defines the phenomenon that is the target of the experiment's intervention, making option (A) the best description of its function.

Answer 3

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This is an inference question. We must deduce the researchers' position based on the logic of their experiment and its conclusion as presented in the passage.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The passage lays out the researchers' logic:
1. Intentional forgetting is caused by "retrieval inhibition."
2. They reasoned that "if adrenaline enhances retrieval, it should reduce intentional forgetting."
3. Their experiment showed that adrenaline-treated participants recalled *more* forgotten words.
4. The conclusion is that "adrenaline enhances the retrieval of intentionally forgotten memories."
Putting these steps together, the logical inference is that adrenaline works by overcoming or counteracting the retrieval inhibition that causes the forgetting in the first place.
Option (B) states this inferred mechanism directly.
Option (A) is too absolute; the passage says retrieval inhibition makes information less likely to be retrieved "whether intentionally or unintentionally," suggesting it might not require an explicit instruction.
Option (C) is too strong; the passage doesn't claim it's the "only" mechanism.
Option (D) is not supported; the experiment was designed to isolate retrieval from new learning (encoding), not to compare the magnitude of the effects.
Option (E) is false; the experiment described was conducted on human participants.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The logic of the experiment strongly supports the inference that the researchers believe adrenaline enhances retrieval by working against retrieval inhibition. Option (B) is the correct choice.

Answer 4

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This is a primary purpose question that asks for the main idea of the entire passage.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The passage is structured as follows: It introduces a problem in a field of study (the difficulty of testing adrenaline's effect on retrieval), then it details a specific experiment (McGaugh and colleagues' study) designed to solve this problem, and finally, it presents the results and conclusion of that experiment. The central focus is the experiment itself.
Option (B) perfectly summarizes this structure. The passage is, at its core, a description of this specific experiment.
Option (A) is incorrect; the passage focuses on a single experiment, not on reconciling two broad theories.
Option (C) is incorrect; it describes the methodology but does not critically "evaluate" it.
Option (D) is incorrect; the passage is about demonstrating an effect on retrieval, not comparing it to storage.
Option (E) is incorrect; explaining retrieval inhibition is a key part of the background for the experiment, but it is not the main purpose of the passage. The main purpose is to show how that concept was used in the experiment.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The entire passage is built around the description of McGaugh's experiment, making option (B) the correct answer.