Questions: Senior level psychology students are conducting a laboratory experiment. They must follow complicated instructions to gather accurate data. According to the concept of context-dependent memory, these instructions should be given in the actual lab, because the same cues will be present during retrieval as were present during encoding.

The answer is the fourth one: in the actual lab, because the same cues will be present during retrieval as were present during encoding.

Explanation for each option:

1. The day before the experiment, because students will recall instructions more accurately after a night's sleep:

   • This option suggests that sleep will enhance memory recall. While sleep can aid memory consolidation, it does not specifically address the context-dependent memory effect, which is about the environment in which the information is encoded and retrieved.

2. In the classroom, so that students won't be distracted by the laboratory setting:

   • This option implies that a classroom setting is less distracting. However, it does not leverage the context-dependent memory effect, which would be more effective if the instructions are given in the same environment where they will be used.

3. By an audiotape, to ensure uniformity of instruction delivery:

   • This option focuses on the consistency of instruction delivery but does not address the context-dependent memory effect, which is about the physical or environmental context rather than the mode of delivery.

4. In the actual lab, because the same cues will be present during retrieval as were present during encoding:

   • This option correctly applies the concept of context-dependent memory. According to this principle, memory recall is more effective when the context during encoding (learning the instructions) matches the context during retrieval (conducting the experiment). Therefore, giving instructions in the actual lab will help students recall them more accurately during the experiment.

Summary: The most appropriate option, based on the concept of context-dependent memory, is to give the instructions in the actual lab, as this ensures that the same environmental cues are present during both encoding and retrieval.