Ap Psych Unit 7 Flashcards
Memory
persistence of learning over time through the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information
Encoding
processing of information into the memory system – for example, by extracting meaning
Storage
the process of retaining encoded information over time
Retrieval
the process of getting information out of memory storage
parallel processing
the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions. contrasts with step-by-step processing of most computers and conscious problem solving.
what happens to the neurons in your brain every time you learn something new?
new connections and neurons are created, making existing neural pathways stronger or weaker
3 steps of forming memories
- sensory memory
- short-term memory
- long-term memory
Sensory memory
the memory of something while the sense is stimulated. the step right before short-term memory
short-term memory
activated memory that holds a few items briefly, before the information is stored or forgotten
long-term memory
the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. includes knowledge, skills, and experience.
working memory (short-term memory)
focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial information retrieved from long-term memory
explicit memory (declarative memory)
memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and “declare”
how explicit memories are processed
effortful processing
effortful processing
encoding that requires attention and conscious effort
implicit memory (non-declarative memory)
retention independent of conscious recollection
how implicit memories are processed
automatic processing
automatic processing
unconscious processing of incidental information
what things are automatically processed
space, time, and frequency, and well-learned information like word meanings
iconic memory
momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second
echoic memory
registers and temporarily holds auditory information until processed/comprehended
chunking
organizing information into familiar, manageable units
mnemonics
memory aids that use vivid imagery and organizational devices
hierarchies
a few broad concepts divided and subdivided into narrower concepts and facts
spacing effect
tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice
testing effect
enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information
shallow processing
encoding on a basic level based on the structure or appearance of words (ie. the words’ letters and sound)
deep processing
encoding information semantically, based on the meaning of the words; tends to yield the best retention
what part of the brain lays down new explicit memory
hippocampus
what happens to memories while you are sleeping
they are processed for later retrieval
what kind of memory stores implicit memories (from classical conditioning)
cerebellum
flashbulb memories
a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event
what part of the brain is involved in emotional memories like flashbulb memories
amygdala
long-term potentiation (LTP)
an increase in a cell’s firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory
retrieval
getting information out
recall
retrieving information that is not currently in your conscious awareness but that was learned at an earlier time. fill-in-the-blank questions test your recall
recognition
identifying items previously learned. a multiple choice question tests your recall
relearning
learning something more quickly when you learn it a second or later time. when you study for a final exam or engage a language used in early childhood, you will relearn the material more easily than you did initially
Ebbinghaus
discovered that we remember more than we recall
priming
the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory
state-dependent memory
we remember things easier when we are in the same state we learn them in
mood congruent
the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one’s current good or bad mood
serial position effect
our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list
anterograde
inability to form new memories
retrograde amnesia
an ability to retrieve information from one’s past
encoding failure examples
selective attention, age
proactive interference
the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information
retroactive interference
disruptive interference of new learning on the recall of old information
repression
in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from conscious anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories
psychologist with repression
Sigmond Freud
reconsolidation
misinformation effect
incorporating misleading information into one’s memory of an event
Elizabeth Loftus
discovered that people’s memories were altered based on the wording of the question asked
source amnesia
attributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined at the heart of many false memories
prototypes
mental image or best example of a category
