In the context of AP Psychology, which of the following best defines source amnesia?

• A. The tendency to recall information better when in the same context in which it was learned
• B. The inability to remember where, when, or how previously learned information was acquired, while retaining the factual knowledge itself
• C. The process of intentionally forgetting unwanted memories
• D. The loss of all memories formed before a traumatic event

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the term 'source amnesia' by breaking it down into its components: 'source' refers to the origin of information, and 'amnesia' refers to memory loss.
2. Step 2: Recognize that source amnesia involves a disconnect between the memory content and the context or source from which it was learned.
3. Step 3: Identify that in source amnesia, a person retains the factual knowledge or information but cannot recall where, when, or how they acquired that information.
4. Step 4: Differentiate source amnesia from other memory phenomena such as context-dependent memory (better recall in the same context), intentional forgetting, or retrograde amnesia (loss of memories before an event).
5. Step 5: Conclude that the best definition of source amnesia is the inability to remember the origin of previously learned information while still remembering the information itself.