In cognitive psychology, which concept best explains why a person might fail to remember items that are out of place in a familiar environment?

• A. Operant conditioning
• B. Sensory adaptation
• C. Classical conditioning
• D. Schema

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of a schema in cognitive psychology: a schema is a mental framework or organized pattern of thought that helps individuals interpret and predict information based on prior knowledge and experience.
2. Recognize that schemas influence memory by guiding attention and encoding processes, making it easier to remember information that fits the expected pattern and harder to recall information that deviates from it.
3. Analyze why items that are out of place in a familiar environment might be forgotten: because they do not fit the existing schema, they are less likely to be noticed, encoded, or retrieved effectively.
4. Compare the other options (operant conditioning, sensory adaptation, classical conditioning) and understand that these concepts relate to learning and perception but do not directly explain memory failures related to schema incongruence.
5. Conclude that the concept of schema best explains why a person might fail to remember items that are out of place in a familiar environment, as it highlights how prior knowledge structures influence memory encoding and retrieval.