CH 8 PSY 120 Flashcards
Memory
The capacity and structures used for the retention and retrieval of information
Encoding
defined as the initial learning of information
Storage
maintaining information over time
Retrieval
the ability to access information when you need it
Automatic Processing
a type of thinking or cognition that does not involve any effort or deliberation.
Effortful processing
occurs when something necessitates our conscious effort and attention to commit something to memory.
Sensory memory
the perception of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch information entering through the sensory cortices of the brain and relaying through the thalamus
Short-term Memory
super quick: It stores information briefly
Working Memory
related to short-term memory, but it lasts slightly longer and is involved in the manipulation of information.
Long-Term Memory
unlimited storage information to be maintained for long periods, even for life.
Atkinson-Shiffrin Model of Memory
In order for a memory to go into storage (i.e., long-term memory), it has to pass through three distinct stages: Sensory Memory, Short-Term Memory, and finally Long-Term Memory.
serial-position effect
the psychological tendency to remember the first and last items in a list better than those in the middle.
maintenance rehearsal
the process of repeatedly verbalizing or thinking about a piece of information.
Elaborative rehearsal
a type of memory rehearsal that is useful in transferring information into long-term memory. This type of rehearsal is effective because it involves thinking about the meaning of the information and connecting it to other information already stored in memory.
Explicit memory
Memories we consciously try to recall
Implicit memory
Memories we act on without conscious awareness
Declarative memory
facts or memories of past events that can be ‘declared’ rather than performed. Examples might include an important life event, who came to dinner last night, or the date of your mother’s birthday, as well as information about the world. factual and conceptual knowledge we have about the world.
Episodic memory
conscious recollection of previous experiences together with their context in terms of time, place, associated emotions, etc.
sematic memory
general world knowledge that humans have accumulated throughout their lives. This general knowledge is intertwined in experience and dependent on culture.
Cue-dependent
Memory is cue-dependent and the more connections(cues) you have then the stronger memory you will have.
Flashbulb Memories
highly rich, highly detailed memories of a significant moment in your life
However, while we are often very certain of them, we are not often accurate
Neisser’s Challenger study
The day following the Challenger explosion, asked freshmen to describe in detail when/how they heard
Asked them again 2 ½ years later
Scored on similarity from 1-7 points
Of 44 participants, only 3 scored perfect 7
Mean score was 2.95
Over half scored less than 2
Yet all recalled vivid, certain memories
Eyewitness Testimony
Loftus’s car crash study shows how leading questions can distort memory
Other studies asked questions about a yield sign or broken headlight, where there was none. The more people repeat these memories, the more certain they become, even if more distorted
Validity Effect
increase in perceived validity when a statement is repeated.
Decay Theory
Memories decay over time
However, time by itself is not a factor
Replacement of memories
As in eyewitness testimony, new or distorted information replaces accurate information
Cue-dependent forgetting
Memories still exist, but you lack the cues to activate them in the conceptual network
Retroactive Interference
Recently learned material interferes with the ability to remember similar older material
Proactive Interference
Older material interferes with the ability to remember similar, more recently learned material
Anterograde amnesia
inability to learn new memories(More common form)
Retrograde
inability to recall old memories
(Less common form)
Clive Wearing
Most profound documented case of amnesia
