Chapter 6 Vocab

Question 1

memory

Answer 1

The ability to store and retrieve information over time

Question 2

encoding

Answer 2

The process by which we transform what we perceive, think, or feel into an enduring memory.

Question 3

storage

Answer 3

The process of maintaining information in memory over time.

Question 4

retrieval

Answer 4

The process of bringing to mind information that has been previously encoded and stored.

Question 5

elaborative encoding

Answer 5

The process of actively relating new information to knowledge that is already in memory.

Question 6

visual imagery encoding

Answer 6

The process of storing new information by converting it into mental pictures.

Question 7

organizational encoding

Answer 7

The process of categorizing information according to the relationships among a series of items.

Question 8

sensory memory

Answer 8

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

Question 9

iconic memory

Answer 9

A fast-decaying store of visual information.

Question 10

echoic memory

Answer 10

A fast-decaying store of auditory information.

Question 11

short-term memory

Answer 11

A type of storage that holds nonsensory information for more than a few seconds but less than a minute.

Question 12

rehearsal

Answer 12

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

Question 13

chunking

Answer 13

Combining small pieces of information into larger clusters or chunks that are more easily held in short-term memory.

Question 14

working memory

Answer 14

Active maintenance of information in short-term storage.

Question 15

long-term memory

Answer 15

A type of storage that holds information for hours, days, weeks, or years.

Question 16

anterograde amnesia

Answer 16

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

Question 17

retrograde amnesia

Answer 17

The inability to retrieve information that was acquired before a particular date, usually the date of an injury or operation.

Question 18

consolidation

Answer 18

The process by which memories become stable in the brain.

Question 19

reconsolidation

Answer 19

The process by which memories can become vulnerable to disruption when they are recalled, requiring them to become consolidated again.

Question 20

long-term potentiation (LTP)

Answer 20

A process whereby communication across the synapse between neurons strengthens the connection, making further communication easier.

Question 21

NMDA receptor

Answer 21

A receptor site on the hippocampus that influences the flow of information between neurons by controlling the initiation of long-term potentiation.

Question 22

retrieval cue

Answer 22

External information that helps bring stored information to mind.

Question 23

encoding specificity principle

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

state-dependent retrieval

Answer 24

The tendency for information to be better recalled when the person is in the same state during encoding and retrieval.

Question 25

transfer-appropriate processing

Answer 25

The idea that memory is likely to transfer from one situation to another when the encoding contexts of the situations match.

Question 26

retrieval-induced forgetting

Answer 26

A process whereby retrieving an item from long-term memory impairs subsequent recall of related items.

Question 27

explicit memory

Answer 27

The act of consciously or intentionally retrieving past experiences.

Question 28

implicit memory

Answer 28

The influence of past experiences on later behavior, even without an effort to remember them or an awareness of the recollection.

Question 29

procedural memory

Answer 29

The gradual acquisition of skills as a result of practice, or “knowing how” to do things.

Question 30

priming

Answer 30

An enhanced ability to think of a stimulus, such as a word or object, as a result of a recent exposure to the stimulus.

Question 31

semantic memory

Answer 31

A network of associated facts and concepts that make up our general knowledge of the world.

Question 32

episodic memory

Answer 32

The collection of past personal experiences that occurred at a particular time and place.

Question 33

transience

Answer 33

Forgetting what occurs with the passage of time.

Question 34

retroactive interference

Answer 34

Situations in which information learned later impairs memory for information acquired earlier.

Question 35

proactive interference

Answer 35

Situations in which information learned earlier impairs memory for information acquired later.

Question 36

absentmindedness

Answer 36

A lapse in attention that results in memory failure.

Question 37

prospective memory

Answer 37

Remembering to do things in the future.

Question 38

blocking

Answer 38

A failure to retrieve information that is available in memory even though you are trying to produce it.

Question 39

memory misattribution

Answer 39

Assigning a recollection or an idea to the wrong source.

Question 40

source memory

Answer 40

Recall of when, where, and how information was acquired.

Question 41

false recognition

Answer 41

A feeling of familiarity about something that hasn’t been encountered before.

Question 42

suggestibility

Answer 42

The tendency to incorporate misleading information from external sources into personal recollections

Question 43

bias

Answer 43

The distorting influences of present knowledge, beliefs, and feelings on recollection of previous experiences.

Question 44

persistence

Answer 44

The intrusive recollection of events that we wish we could forget.

Question 45

flashbulb memories

Answer 45

Detailed recollections of when and where we heard about shocking events.