Chapter 7 Flashcards
what is memory?
our ability to retain and retrieve skills and knowledge
what are the 3 phrases of memory?
encoding - processing (consolidation)
storage - retention
retrieval - remembering
what is reconsolidation?
every time we activate a memory, we store it again for retrieval
(stored memories may differ from original version)
how does long term storage work?
results from forming new connections and strengthening connections between neurons
what is long term potentiation?
strengthening of a synaptic connection, making the postsynaptic neurons more easily activated by presynaptic neurons
what different parts of the brain are used for LTM?
hippocampus - encoding
medial temporal lobes - forming new memories
visual and auditory cortex - reactivated when remembering a visual or auditory memory
what are the different types of memories?
sensory memory
short term memory (working memory)
long term memory
what do STMs do?
hold info until it is stored or forgotten
what is your working memory?
short amount of info can be stored and manipulated with working memory
what is chunking?
we put together meaningful units to easily remember strings of numbers or letters
ex - phone number (xxx-xxx-xxxx)
primacy vs recency
primacy - remember first part of list better
recency - remember last part of list better (working memory)
what is maintenance rehearsal?
repeating over and over
what is elaborative rehearsal?
encoding in meaningful ways and anaylizing it
what is explicit memory?
episodic memory (autobiographal)
semantic memory (facts)
what is implicit memory?
procedural memory (muscle memory)
what is prospective memory?
remembering to do something
what is amnesia?
can result from disease, brain injury, and psychological trauma
what are the two types of amnesia?
retrograde - can’t remember before trauma/injury
anterograde - can’t remember after the trauma/injury
what is source amnesia?
we know something but don’t know how we know
ex - childhood amnesia
what is dementia?
deterioration of thinking, memory, and behavior
Alzheimer’s disease
-plaques form in brain
-ACh is very low
-genetic predisposition
what is PTSD?
intense memories of traumatic events and easily triggered to remember them
(flashbacks)
what can happen with PTSD?
some might have trouble remembering the traumatic event
other experience STM loss
some experience dissociative amnesia
those with PTSD have diminished hippocampal volume
what is HSAM?
highly superior autobiographal memory
highly accurate and detailed memory for autobiographal events
what are false memories?
when someone imagines event, mental images of details form
misattribute source of dream
what is one issue with false memories?
eyewitness accounts might not be accurate
