Eduardo is watching people walk down the street, when all of a sudden, he thinks, "Was that man wearing a bright purple suit?" As a result of this thought, he looks back at the man to see if it is true. Which type of memory is responsible for Eduardo's behavior?

• A. Long-term
• B. Working
• C. Short-term
• D. Iconic sensory

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of sensory memory, which is the shortest-term element of memory. It acts as a buffer for stimuli received through the five senses, retaining impressions of sensory information after the original stimuli have ended.
2. Recognize that iconic memory is a type of sensory memory that specifically deals with visual information. It allows individuals to retain an image of a visual stimulus for a brief period after the stimulus has been removed.
3. Consider the scenario: Eduardo sees a man in a bright purple suit and immediately questions whether he saw it correctly. This indicates that the visual information was briefly stored in his iconic memory.
4. Identify that Eduardo's behavior of looking back to confirm what he saw is triggered by the brief retention of the visual image in his iconic memory, which typically lasts for a fraction of a second.
5. Conclude that the type of memory responsible for Eduardo's behavior is iconic sensory memory, as it involves the short-term retention of visual information that prompted him to verify his perception.