Ch 8 Powerpoint Flashcards
What is Long-Term Memory (LTM)?
Continuous storage of information with no limit
LTM is likened to a computer’s hard drive.
What are the two components of Long-Term Memory?
- Explicit memory
- Implicit memory
Define explicit (declarative) memory.
Memories of facts and events we can consciously remember and recall
What are the two types of explicit memory?
- Semantic
- Episodic
What is semantic memory?
Knowledge about words, concepts, and language
What is episodic memory?
Information about events we have personally experienced
What is hyperthymesia?
A highly superior autobiographical memory
Define implicit memory.
Memories that are not part of our consciousness, formed through behaviors
What is procedural memory?
Stores information about how to do things, such as skills and actions
What is retrieval in the context of memory?
The act of getting information out of memory storage and back into conscious awareness
List the three ways to retrieve information.
- Recall
- Recognition
- Relearning
What is the equipotentiality hypothesis?
If part of one area of the brain involved in memory is damaged, another part can take over that memory function
Who studied the synapse’s role in memory?
Eric Kandel
What is short-term memory (STM)?
A temporary storage system that processes incoming sensory memory lasting about 20 seconds
What is the capacity of short-term memory according to George Miller?
About 7 items +/- 2
Define memory consolidation.
Transfer of short-term memory to long-term memory
What is rehearsal in the context of memory?
The conscious repetition of information to be remembered
What is sensory memory?
Storage of brief sensory events, such as sights, sounds, and tastes
What are the three stages of memory processing?
- Encoding
- Storage
- Retrieval
What is automatic processing?
Encoding of details done without conscious awareness
What is effortful processing?
Encoding of details that takes time and effort
What is semantic encoding?
Encoding of words and their meanings, the most effective form of encoding
What is the visuospatial sketchpad?
One of the three short-term systems proposed by Baddeley and Hitch for storing visual and spatial information
What is the Atkinson-Shiffrin Model of Memory?
A model where information passes through three distinct stages to be stored in long-term memory
What is stereotypical bias?
Involves racial and gender biases affecting memory recall
What role does the amygdala play in memory?
Processes emotional information important in encoding memories
What is anterograde amnesia?
Inability to remember new information after a point of trauma
What is retrograde amnesia?
Loss of memory for events that occurred prior to the trauma
What is the forgetting curve?
Shows how quickly memory for new information decays over time
What are mnemonic devices?
Memory aids that help organize information for encoding
Define the misinformation effect.
After exposure to incorrect information, a person may misremember the original event
What is flashbulb memory?
A record of an atypical and unusual event with strong emotional associations
What is suggestibility?
The effects of misinformation from external sources leading to false memories
What are Schacter’s 7 sins of memory?
- Transience
- Absentmindedness
- Blocking
- Misattribution
- Suggestibility
- Bias
- Persistence
What is the self-reference effect?
The tendency for memory to be better for information that relates to oneself
What is suggestibility?
The effects of misinformation from external sources that leads to the creation of false memories.
Suggestibility can cause individuals to claim to remember something that was only suggested to them.
How do memories relate to suggestibility?
Memories are fragile, making them vulnerable to the power of suggestion.
This fragility means that external influences can significantly alter what a person recalls.
What is the role of suggestibility in eyewitness testimonies?
An important area of study has been the role of suggestibility in eyewitness testimonies.
Eyewitness testimonies can be heavily influenced by suggestive questioning.
Who is Elizabeth Loftus?
A researcher who studied false memories and the misinformation effect.
Loftus’s work has been pivotal in understanding how memories can be distorted.
What is the misinformation effect paradigm?
After exposure to incorrect information, a person may misremember the original event.
This phenomenon is crucial in understanding how memories can be shaped by external information.
What did Loftus’s 1974 study involve?
Participants were shown films of car accidents and asked to estimate the speed of cars using different forms of questions.
The study highlighted how wording influenced participants’ perceptions of the event.
What was the impact of the word ‘smashed’ in Loftus’s study?
Participants that heard the word ‘smashed’ estimated that the cars were traveling faster than those that heard ‘contacted’.
This illustrates how language can alter memory recall.
What effect did the word ‘glass’ have on participants’ memories?
Participants were more than twice as likely to say they remembered seeing glass after hearing the word.
This indicates how suggestive wording can create false memories.
What happens when people are asked leading questions about an event?
Their memory of the event may be altered.
Leading questions can significantly distort a person’s recollection of facts.
What did the Innocence Project discover about eyewitness misidentification?
Eyewitness misidentification is the leading cause of wrongful convictions.
This finding underscores the importance of reliable eyewitness testimony.
How is eyewitness identification often used in criminal cases?
Eyewitness identification and testimony is often used in the prosecution of criminals.
This reliance can lead to serious legal consequences if the identification is inaccurate.
What do suggestive police identification procedures lead to?
Alterations in an eyewitness’s memory leading to misidentification.
Such procedures can compromise the integrity of eyewitness accounts.
