Chapter 7 Flashcards
Memory
The ability to store and retrieve information in order to facilitate learning.
Encoding
The process of taking information from the world, including our internal thoughts and feelings, and converting it to memories
Storage
The maintenance of information in the brain for later access
Retrieval
The process of bringing to mind previously encoded and stored information
Multistore model of memory
A model proposing that information flows from our senses through three storage levels of memory: sensory, short-term, and long-term
Sensory memory
A storage level of memory that holds sensory information on the order of milliseconds to seconds
Short-term memory
A storage level of memory where information can be held briefly, from seconds to less than a minute
Long-term memory
A storage level of memory where information can be held for hours to many years and potentially a lifetime
Iconic memory
A rapidly decaying store of visual sensory information
Echoic memory
A rapidly decaying store of auditory sensory information
Neural persistence
Continued activity in neurons after a stimulus ceases, which rapidly fades
Chunking
The process of grouping stimuli together in chunks in working memory to increase the amount of information stored in short-term memory
Post-categorical
Information is processed to the degree we understand what category of object we are sensing
Working memory
A component of memory that allows for both the short-term storage and manipulation of information in real life time
Rehearsal
The holding of information in the brain through mental repitition
Central executive
The control center that works with sensory stores
Levels of processing
The multiple levels at which encoding can occur, ranging from shallow to deep
Shallow encoding
Encoding based on sensory characteristics, such as how something looks or sounds
Deep encoding
Encoding based on an event’s meaning as well as connections between the new event and past experience
Elaboration
Associations between new information and old information already represented in your brain
Semantic encoding
A form of deep encoding which operated on the meaning of events and yields better memory than merely processing what a stimulus sounds or looks like
Self-referential encoding
Encoding based on an event’s relation to our self-concept, which leads to enhanced memory for the event
Explicit (declarative) memory
A form of memory that involves intentional and conscious remembering
Implicit (nondeclarative) memory
A form of memory that occurs without intentional recollection or awareness and can be measured indirectly through the influence of prior learning on behavior
Hippocampus
Specializes in the formation of explicit memories
Procedural memory
A type of implicit memory related to the acquisition of skills
Priming
The increased ability to process a stimulus because of previous exposure
Affective conditioning
A form of conditioning in which a previously neutral stimulus acquires positive or negative value
Episodic memory
The explicit recollection of personal experience that requires piecing together the elements of that time and place
Semantic memory
Explicit memory supporting knowledge about the world, including concepts and facts
Semantic dementia
The loss of memory for meaning in both verbal and nonverbal domains following progressive degenerative disorders
Retrospective memory
Memory for things we have done in the past
Prospective memory
Memory for things we need to do in the future
Consolidation
The process whereby memory storage is integrated and becomes stable in the brain
Reconsolidation
Re activation of consolidation by retrieving a memory, making the memory susceptible to change
Brain connectome project
The ultimate goal of this project is to study each neuron in the human brain and its connections, but neuroscientists are still working toward achieving this lofty goal
Long-term potentiation (LTP)
A mechanism that creates enduring synaptic connections, which results in increased transmission between neurons
Urbach-Wiethe Syndrome
A rare genetic condition in which the brain never develops an amygdala
Flashbulb memories
A vivid memory for an emotionally significant event, thought to be permanent and detailed, as if frozen in time like a photograph
Free recall
Accessing information from memory without any cues to aid your retrieval
Retrieval cues
Information related to stored memories that helps bring the memories back to mind
Cued recall
A form of recall that is facilitated by providing information related to the stored memory
Recognition
A form of retrieval that relies on identifying previously seen or experienced behavior
Encoding specificity principle
The idea that retrieval is best when the present context recreates the context in which information was initially encoded
State-dependent retrieval
The increased likelihood of remembering when a person is in the same state during both encoding and retrieval
Mood-dependent retrieval
The increased likelihood of remembering when a person is in the same mood during both encoding and retrieval
Forgetting curve
The retention of information over various delay times
Retroactive interference
The disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information
Proactive interference
The disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information
Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
A failure to retrieve information despite confidence that it is stored in memory
Motivated forgetting
Willful forgetting of information so that it is less likely to be retrieved later
Misinformation effect
The decreased accuracy of episodic memories because of information provided after the event
Infantile amnesia
The inability of adults to retrieve episodic memories from the first few years of life
Reminiscence bump
A time of prominent memory making between adolescence and early adulthood
Spacing effect
The enhanced ability to remember information when encoding is distributed over time
