Chapter 6 Vocab Flashcards
memory
The ability to store and retrieve information over time
encoding
The process by which we transform what we perceive, think, or feel into an enduring memory.
storage
The process of maintaining information in memory over time.
retrieval
The process of bringing to mind information that has been previously encoded and stored.
elaborative encoding
The process of actively relating new information to knowledge that is already in memory.
visual imagery encoding
The process of storing new information by converting it into mental pictures.
organizational encoding
The process of categorizing information according to the relationships among a series of items.
sensory memory
A type of storage that holds sensory information for a few seconds or less.
iconic memory
A fast-decaying store of visual information.
echoic memory
A fast-decaying store of auditory information.
short-term memory
A type of storage that holds nonsensory information for more than a few seconds but less than a minute.
rehearsal
The process of keeping information in short-term memory by mentally repeating it.
chunking
Combining small pieces of information into larger clusters or chunks that are more easily held in short-term memory.
working memory
Active maintenance of information in short-term storage.
long-term memory
A type of storage that holds information for hours, days, weeks, or years.
anterograde amnesia
The inability to transfer new information from the short-term store into the long-term store.
retrograde amnesia
The inability to retrieve information that was acquired before a particular date, usually the date of an injury or operation.
consolidation
The process by which memories become stable in the brain.
reconsolidation
The process by which memories can become vulnerable to disruption when they are recalled, requiring them to become consolidated again.
long-term potentiation (LTP)
A process whereby communication across the synapse between neurons strengthens the connection, making further communication easier.
NMDA receptor
A receptor site on the hippocampus that influences the flow of information between neurons by controlling the initiation of long-term potentiation.
retrieval cue
External information that helps bring stored information to mind.
encoding specificity principle
The idea that a retrieval cue can serve as an effective reminder when it helps re-create the specific way in which information was initially encoded.
state-dependent retrieval
The tendency for information to be better recalled when the person is in the same state during encoding and retrieval.
transfer-appropriate processing
The idea that memory is likely to transfer from one situation to another when the encoding contexts of the situations match.
retrieval-induced forgetting
A process whereby retrieving an item from long-term memory impairs subsequent recall of related items.
explicit memory
The act of consciously or intentionally retrieving past experiences.
implicit memory
The influence of past experiences on later behavior, even without an effort to remember them or an awareness of the recollection.
procedural memory
The gradual acquisition of skills as a result of practice, or “knowing how” to do things.
priming
An enhanced ability to think of a stimulus, such as a word or object, as a result of a recent exposure to the stimulus.
semantic memory
A network of associated facts and concepts that make up our general knowledge of the world.
episodic memory
The collection of past personal experiences that occurred at a particular time and place.
transience
Forgetting what occurs with the passage of time.
retroactive interference
Situations in which information learned later impairs memory for information acquired earlier.
proactive interference
Situations in which information learned earlier impairs memory for information acquired later.
absentmindedness
A lapse in attention that results in memory failure.
prospective memory
Remembering to do things in the future.
blocking
A failure to retrieve information that is available in memory even though you are trying to produce it.
memory misattribution
Assigning a recollection or an idea to the wrong source.
source memory
Recall of when, where, and how information was acquired.
false recognition
A feeling of familiarity about something that hasn’t been encountered before.
suggestibility
The tendency to incorporate misleading information from external sources into personal recollections
bias
The distorting influences of present knowledge, beliefs, and feelings on recollection of previous experiences.
persistence
The intrusive recollection of events that we wish we could forget.
flashbulb memories
Detailed recollections of when and where we heard about shocking events.
