Chapter 6: Memory Flashcards
Memory
The ability to store and retrieve information over time.
Encoding
The process of transforming what we perceive, think, or feel into an enduring memory.
Storage
The process of maintaining information in memory over time.
Retrieval
The process of brining to mind information that has been previously encoded and stored.
Memory Illusion
False but subjectively compelling memory
Forgetting
Deterioration in learned behaviour following a retention interval.
Retention Interval
A period during which the learning or practice of a behaviour does not occur.
Semantic Encoding
The process of relating new information in a meaningful way to knowledge that is already stored in memory.
Three Component Model of Memory
Sensory Memory, Short-term memory, Long term memory.
Sensory Memory
Brief storage of perceptual information before it is passed to short term memory.
Iconic Store/Memory
Visual sensory memory that only lasts about a second.
Echoic Store/Memory
Auditory sensory memory that only lasts 5-10 seconds.
Short-Term / Working Memory
Memory system that retains information for limited durations. What is currently being attended to, thought about, etc.
Decay
Fading of information from memory over time.
Interference
Loss of information from memory because of competition from additional incoming information.
Retroactive Interference
Interference with retention of old information due to acquisition of new information.
Proactive Interference
Interference with acquisition of new information due to previous learning of information.
What the limit in Short-Term Memory?
Seven plus or minus two pieces of information.
Chunking
Organizing information into meaningful groupings, allowing us to extend the span of short of short-term memory.
Rehearsal
Repeating information to extend the duration of retention in short-term memory.
Maintenance Rehearsal
Repeating stimuli in their original form to retain them in short-term memory.
Elaborative Rehearsal
Linking stimuli to each other in a meaningful way to improve short-term memory.
Levels of Processing / Depth of Processing
A model of memory that posits the more deeply we process information, the better we are at remembering it.
Long-Term Memory (LTM)
Relatively enduring retention of information stored regarding our facts, experiences and skills. Larger capacity than STM.
Permastore
Type of long-term memory that appears to be permanent.
Primacy Effect
Tendency to remember words at the beginning of a list especially well.
Recency Effect
Tendency to remember words at the end of a list especially well.
Repeated Retrieval
Repeatedly trying to recall/use the material over time.
Semantic Memory
Our knowledge of facts about the world
Episodic Memory
Recollection of events in our lives
Explicit Memory
Memories we recall intentionally and which we have conscious awareness.
Implicit Memory
Memories we don’t deliberately remember or reflect on consciously.
Procedural Memory
Memory for how to do things, including motor skills and habits.
Priming
The activation of one concept by another.
Semantic Priming
Semantically related words will result in faster reaction times.
Memory as a Network of Associations
Theory that memory can be represented as a network of associated concepts.
Engram
A hypothesized, physical trace of a memory within the brain.
Long-Term Potentiation of Synapses (LTP)
A long-lasting enhancement in signal transmission between two neurons that results from stimulating them synchronously.
Retrograde Amnesia
Loss of memory from our past.
Anterograde Amnesia
Inability to form new memories from our experiences.
Consolidation
A hypothetical process involving the gradual conversion of information into durable memory codes stored in long-term memory.
Alzheimer’s Disease
A degenerative brain disease that results in dementia.
Infantile Amnesia
Inability of adults to remember personal experiences that took place before an early age.
Cryotomnesia
Failure to recognize that our ideas originated with someone else.
Source Monitoring Confusion
A lack of clarity about the origin of a memory.
Misinformation Effect
Creation of fictitious memories by providing misleading information about an event after it takes place.
