Which encoding level refers to the amount of attention applied during encoding?

• A. Serial Position Effect
• B. Depth of Processing
• C. Visuospatial Sketchpad
• D. Spreading Activation

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how deeply you process information during encoding, which hinges on how much attention you give to it. Depth of processing captures that the more meaning you find in the material and the more connections you make, the stronger the memory trace becomes. When you focus on semantic connections, relate the material to what you already know, or think about how it fits into a larger context, you’re encoding more deeply, which boosts recall later.

This contrasts with shallower processing, where you might only notice surface features (like appearance or sound) and still remember less. The other options don’t describe encoding depth: the serial position effect is about recall based on a item’s position in a list; the visuospatial sketchpad is a part of working memory handling visual and spatial information; spreading activation is about how retrieval cues cue related concepts in a network.