Ch 7: Memory Flashcards
memory
the retention of information over time
paradox memory
our memories are surprisingly good in some situations and surprisingly bad in others
memory illusion
a false but subjectively compelling memory
- brain creates false but useful picture of the world, sometimes sacrificing detail
reconstructive memory
memory is reconstructed
- affected by old knowledge, new info, expectations, etc
sensory memory
momentary storage of perceptual information
- each sense has its own sensory memory
iconic memory
- visual
- lasts 1 secondd
echoic memory
- auditory
- lasts 5-10 seconds
short term memory (STM)
takes perceptual info and gives it meaning
- brief: 5-20 seconds
- only some info passes to long term memory
- hippocampus
miller’s law
the number of objects the average person can hold in working memory is about seven
decay
info fades over time
interference
loss of info due to competition with other info
retroactive interference
learning new information hampers recall of earlier info
proactive interference
old knowledge hampers ability to learn new info
primary effect
memory is better for words at the beginning of a list rather than words in the middle
recency effect
memory is better for words at the of a list rather than words in the middle
rehearsal
repeating info mentally or aloud
maintenance
repeat stimuli in their original form
elaborative
linking stimuli together in a meaningful way to improve retention of info in STM
chunking
organize info into meaningful groups
long term memory (LTM)
relatively enduring information storage
- prefrontal cortex
- amygdala
explicit LTM
- semantic
- episodic
semantic
facts about the world
episodic
recall of personal experiences
implicit
- procedural
- conditioning
- priming
- habituation
procedural
how to do things
conditioning
classical, operant
priming
increases accessibility
habituation
decrease in response to a repeated stimulus, but it is deemed safe enough to ignore
encoding
getting information from memory
- attention is crucial to retaining information
- better memory when learning conditions match recall
storage
keeping info in memory
schemas
organized knowledge
- mental maps for how to go about the world
- scripts: set order of events
problems with storage
- oversimplification/overgeneralization
- overlooking differences between situations
- may make us “remember” events that didn’t happen
retrieval/recall
reactivating or reconstructing experiences from memory
long term potentiation
strengthening of connections between neurons with repetitive use (learning)
retrograde amnesia
loss of past memories
anterograde amnesia
loss of ability to form new memories
infantile amnesia
don’t remember first 3-5 years, except sometimes traumatic events
senility
loss of memory as a person ages
dementia
severe memory loss
alzheimer’s disease
associated with a loss of memory and intellect
flashbulb memories
emotional, highly detailed memories
- often inaccurate
implanting memories
suggestive techniques can cause people to recall false memories that never actually occurred
misinformation effect
receiving misleading info after an event causes false memories about the event
source monitoring
lack of clarity about the source of a memory
cryptonesia
when we forget that one of our ideas actually originated with someone else
eyewitness testimony
- weak correlation between confidence and accuracy
repressed memory
occurs when trauma is too severe to be kept in conscious memory, and is removed by repression or dissociation or both
