Chapter 6: Memory

Question 1

Memory

Answer 1

Mental systems, implemented by neural circuits,
that give you the ability to store and retrieve information over time

Question 2

Encoding

Answer 2

Process of transforming what we perceive, think and feel into an enduring memory

Question 3

Storage

Answer 3

Process of maintaining information in memory over time

Question 4

Retrieval

Answer 4

Process of bringing to mind the information that has previously been encoded and stored

Question 5

Semantic encoding

Answer 5

Process of relating new information into meaningful way to knowledge that is already stored in memory; associating the word ‘‘pulchritude’’ with concept of beauty

Question 6

Visual imagery encoding

Answer 6

Process of storing new information by converting it into mental pictures; visualizing a couch in your head

Question 7

Organizational encoding

Answer 7

Process of categorizing information according to the relationships among a series of items; waitress categorizing food, drinks, desserts

Question 8

Mnemonics

Answer 8

encoding strategies that improve subsequent retrieval; “A-B-C-D…” song to help us learn the alphabet

Question 9

Sensory Memory

Answer 9

type of storage that holds sensory information for a few seconds or less

Question 10

Iconic Memory

Answer 10

fast-decaying store of visual information; seeing faces but not recognizing the features right after

Question 11

Echoic Memory

Answer 11

fast-decaying store of auditory information; hearing sounds but forgetting them

Question 12

Short-Term Memory

Answer 12

type of storage that holds non-sensory information for more than a few seconds but less than a minute

Question 13

Rehearsal

Answer 13

process of keeping information in short-term memory by mentally repeating it

Question 14

Serial Position Effect

Answer 14

the observation that the first few and last few items in a series are more likely to be recalled than the items in the middle

Question 15

Spacing Effect

Answer 15

better development of retention/recall of information if you spread out study time over short sessions instead of memorizing all together

Question 16

Self-Referencing Effect

Answer 16

relating material to ourselves, aids encoding and retention; finding information personally meaningful

Question 17

Chunking

Answer 17

combining small pieces of information into large clusters of chunks that are more easily held in short-term memory. eg, ROY G.BIV

Question 18

Hierarchy

Answer 18

grouping info into categories. eg, Animals = birds and horses

Question 19

Working Memory

Answer 19

active maintenance of information in short-term storage

Question 20

Long-Term Memory

Answer 20

type of storage that holds information for hours/months/years

Question 21

Anterograde Amnesia

Answer 21

inability to transfer new information from the short-term store into the long-term store

Question 22

Retrograde Amnesia

Answer 22

inability to retrieve information that was acquired before a particular date, injury/surgery

Question 23

Hippocampus

Answer 23

neural centre in the limbic system that plays an important role in the formation of LT explicit episodic memories

Question 24

Cerebellum

Answer 24

plays an important role in forming/storing conditioned responses

Question 25

Basal Ganglia

Answer 25

next to the thalamus, helps control movement and forms/stores procedural memory/motor skills

Question 26

Consolidation

Answer 26

process by which memories become stable in the brain, short-term to long-term

Question 27

Re-consolidation

Answer 27

process of reactivating and stabilizing a memory that has already been consolidated in long-term memory

Question 28

Long-Term Potentiation

Answer 28

process that occurs in the brain when synaptic connections between neurons strengthen due to repeated stimulation. LTP is a cellular basis for learning and memory

Question 29

Retrieval Cues

Answer 29

stimuli that help people recall memories from long-term memory; hints/prompts, external/internal, and can include sounds, smells, sights, physical states, or feelings

Question 30

Encoding Specificity Principle (ESP)

Answer 30

memory theory that states that memories are easier to recall when the context in which they were encoded is the same as the context in which they are retrieved; study - test

Question 31

State-Dependent Retrieval (SDR)

Answer 31

type of ESP where memories are easier to recall when they are encoded and recalled in similar condition; place

Question 32

Transfer-Appropriate Processing (TAP)

Answer 32

memory is best when the mental processes used to encode information match the processes used to retrieve it

Question 33

Retrieval Induced Forgetting (RIF)

Answer 33

Phenomenon where the act of recalling certain information from memory causes the forgetting of related information

Question 34

Explicit Memory (EM)

Answer 34

intentional ability to consciously recall facts, events, and concepts from one’s life

Question 35

Implicit Memory (IM)

Answer 35

type of long-term memory that involves the unconscious or automatic acquisition and use of information

Question 36

Procedural Memory

Answer 36

type of IM implicit ability to perform learned skills automatically, without conscious thought; riding a bike

Question 37

Priming

Answer 37

when an individual’s exposure to a certain stimulus influences their response to a subsequent prompt, without any awareness of the connection; salt = pepper

Question 38

Semantic Memory

Answer 38

LTM system that stores general knowledge about the world, including facts, concepts, and the meanings of words; capital city of Cuba

Question 39

Episodic Memory

Answer 39

the ability to store, learn, and recall information about personal experiences and events; details of time/place events

Question 40

Transience

Answer 40

7SoM: the gradual loss of memory over time, even when a memory was initially well-encoded

Question 41

Retroactive Interference

Answer 41

when new information makes it more difficult to recall previously learned information; learning new phone number making it hard to remember the old one

Question 42

Proactive Interference

Answer 42

when previously learned information makes it difficult to learn or remember new information; learning new home address

Question 43

Absentmindedness

Answer 43

7SoM: mental state of forgetfulness that occurs when someone’s attention is focused on something other than the task at hand; forgetting where you put your keys

Question 44

Prospective Theory

Answer 44

describes how people make decisions when presented with alternatives that involve risk, probability, and uncertainty; focus on losses vs gains

Question 45

Blocking

Answer 45

7SoM: temporary inability to access stored information in the brain; ‘‘tip of the tongue’’

Question 46

Memory Misattribution

Answer 46

7SoM: when someone incorrectly identifies the origin of a memory; recalling a story as your own

Question 47

Source Memory

Answer 47

ability to remember the context of information, such as when or where it was learned; when you where told a fact

Question 48

Suggestibility

Answer 48

7SoM: tendency to accept and act on suggestions from others, which can lead to changes in memory; ‘‘contagious yawning’’

Question 49

False Recognition

Answer 49

when someone recalls something that did not actually happen or recalls it differently from the way it actually happened; misremembering a cars color

Question 50

Bias

Answer 50

7SoM: basing influences on present knowledge/beliefs on recollection of previous experiences

Question 51

Consistency Bias

Answer 51

reconstructing past beliefs to fit into present beliefs

Question 52

Change Bias

Answer 52

exaggerating differences on how we feel/beliefs now compared to past

Question 53

Persistence

Answer 53

7SoM: occurs when memories return without the person wanting them to, emotional events; PTSD

Question 54

Flashbulb Memories

Answer 54

a vivid memory about an emotionally significant event, usually a historic or other notable event; 911