Chapter 6 Vocab Flashcards
Everday Memory
Processes involved in encoding, storing,
and retrieving information
Memory
- Limited capacity and short duration (seconds)
- Information fades if not actively attended to or moved to LTM (long-term memory)
Short-term memory
- Vast capacity and long duration (possibly decades)
- Unlike STM (short-term memory), which holds information “in mind”, information
can be retrieved from long-term storage.
- Unlike STM (short-term memory), which holds information “in mind”, information
Long-term memory
Multi-stage process that allows us to store memories in
long-term memory
Encoding
- After a stimulus is briefly
presented, a detailed representation of it appears to persist in your
mind for a fraction of a second - A highly detailed but short-lived impression of
sensory information
Sensory memory
Type of sensory memory that briefly stores visual information for a fraction of a second after seeing an image
Iconic memory
Our understanding of how our own memory works, allowing us to use these strategies more effectively
Metamemory
Encoding strategy that involves breaking up information into smaller, manageable bits
Chunking
Encoding strategy that involves linking new material to knowledge already stored in long-term memory.
Elaboration
Involves basic processing, such as recognizing the physical features of words
Shallow encoding
Involves a slightly deeper level of processing, such as rhyming words
Intermediate encoding
Involves a thorough understanding of the material, such as relating it to a meaningful context or sentence
Deep encoding
Encoding strategy where individuals are better at remembering information when they relate it to themselves
Self-reference effect
imagining something from a personal perspective
Self-imagining
Strategy that involves rearranging information into a meaningful network of associations
Heirarchical organization
Studying in shorter, spaced-out sessions leads to better memory performance compared to cramming all at once
Spacing effect
The act of accessing memories
Retrieval
Enhanced memory after retrieval practice (exams)
Testing effect
Enhanced memory for a selfgenerated list of items, relative to items that were
passively memorized
Generation effect
essential for memory recall. They are clues in the environment or in our stored representations of experiences that help us access memories
Retrieval cues
Phenomenon where memory recall is improved when the retrieval context matches the learning context.
- participants recalled more words when tested in the same environment where they learned them, such as on land versus underwater
Context-dependent memory
Memory recall is improved when the internal state at retrieval matches the internal state at encoding.
- if you study while feeling happy, you may recall that information better when you are happy again.
State-dependent memory
The memory of events in one’s life.
- It involves mental time travel and has strong links with imagination
- A related concept is infantile amnesia
Autobiographical memory
The inability to remember the earliest years of our lives, typically before the age of 3 or 4 years old.
Infantile amnesia
Vivid memories associated with particularly emotional events
Flashbulb memories
Occurs when increased emotional arousal just after learning information can improve retention
Retrograde memory enhancement
- Transcience
- Absent-mindedness
- Blocking
- Misattribution
- Suggestability
- Bias
- Persistence
The seven sins of memory
The forgetting of information over time
Transience
An estimate of the rate at which information fades from memory
Forgetting curve
The failure to encode due to inattention
Absent-mindedness
The inability to access memories that are intact and encoded
Blocking
People experience the feeling of not being able to bring to mind a word
despite being able to recall aspects such as the number of syllables,
which syllable is stressed, and several letters from the word.
- Retrieval failure where partial recall occurs
Tip of the tongue phenomenon
The failure to remember the source of a
memory
Misattribution
Your ability to keep track of where your memory came from (something you actually did versus something you imagined doing)
Source monitoring
Confusions about the sources of our memories
- Common form of memory failure
Source misattribution
Difficulty distinguishing memories of external events from memories of
internally generated information
Source confusion
The tendency to reshape one’s memory according to misleading external information
Suggestibility
The altering of memory through leading questions and cues
- Typically demonstrated using controlled, somewhat artificial lab tasks
Memory suggestibility
The tendency to reshape memory according to one’s knowledge, beliefs, or feelings
Bias
Knowledge or expectations about an event
Schemas
This tendency to remember the impact of events through the lens of their impact on us today
Consistency bias
The intrusion of memories that we wish we could forget
Persistence
Unwanted intrusion of
traumatic memories into daily life
- Reality for many people
who have experienced trauma, including those who suffer from
PTSD
Intrusive memories
Officers supervising the lineup are not aware of who the suspect is
Double-blind lineup
Lineup members are shown one at a time
Sequential lineup
Lineup members are shown simultaneously
Simultaneous lineup
Asking mostly open-ended
questions at a slow pace to allow witnesses to focus on
their memory
Cognitive interview
