Chapter 7 Flashcards
hyperthymestic syndrome
perfect memory, limited to autobiographical memory
sensory memory
first in the line-up, brief storage of perceptual info before it passes raw info to STM, “buffer” area, buys brain extra time to process incoming sensations, each sense uses its own form of sensory memory
iconic memory
sensory memory that applies to vision, memories only last a second
echoic memory
sensory memory that applies to hearing, lasts 5-10 sec
eidetic imagery
photographic memory
Sperlings findings
our iconic memories fade so quickly that we can’t access the info before it disappears
short term memory
system of memory that retains info for a brief period of time, 5-10 sec
working memory
our ability to hold onto info we are currently thinking about, attending to, or processing actively
decay
fading of memories, old ones are replaced by new ones
interference
memories get in the way of each other
retroactive interference
when learning something new hampers earlier learning (new interferes with old)
proactive interference
when earlier learning gets into he way of new learning (old interferes with new)
magic number
George Miller; span of short term memory, 7 plus or minus 2 items
chunking
a mnemonic, organizing material into meaningful groups
rehersal
reapting info mentally or out loud
maintenance rehearsal
repeating stimuli in their original form
elaborative rehearsal
linking stimuli to each other in meaningful ways to improve retention of info in STM
levels of processing
the more deeply we process info, the better we remember it, 3 levels of processing verbal info; visual(most shallow level), phonological(sound-related), and semantic (meaning related)(deepest level)
Long term memory
our relatively enduring store of info (facts, experiences, skills)
permastore
permanent long term memory
LT vs ST memory errors
LT-semantic errors, ST- acoustic errors
primacy effect
tendency to remember stimuli early in a list, reflects operation of long term memory
recency effect
tendency to remember stimuli later in a list, reflects working short term memory
serial position curve
depicts primary/recency effects
semantic memory
“know what memory”, our knowledge of facts about the world, activate left frontal cortex
episodic memory
recollection of events in our lives, activates right frontal cortex
explicit/declarative memory
process of recalling info intentionally (includes semantic/episodic memory), requires effort
implicit memory
process of recalling info we don’t remember deliberately, doesn’t require effort. (ex. unlocking a door) includes habituation, classical conditioning, other forms of learning, includes procedural and priming memory
procedural memory
memory for motor skills and habits, “know how” memory
priming
our ability to identify a stimulus more easily when we’ve previously encountered similar stimuli
encoding
process of getting info into our memory banks
pegword method
mnemonic, involves rhyming
method of loci
imagery of locations
keyword method
used when learning new languages, associate an English word that sounds like the foreign word with the meaning of the word
storage
process of keeping info in memory
schema
organized knowledge structure/mental mode that we’ve store in our memories ex. eating at a restaurant
retrieval
process of retrieving info from long term memory
retrieval cue
hints that make it easier for us to recall info
recall
generating previously remembered info on our own
recognition
selecting previously remembered info from an array of options
relearning
how much faster we relearn vs. learning something for the first time
distributed versus massed practice
Ebbinghaus; we tend to remember things better in the long run when we spread our learning over long intervals than when we pack it into short intervals
tip of the tongue phenomenon
when we are sure we know something but can’t come up with it, positively biased
encoding specificity
we are more likely to remember something when the conditions present at encoding are also present at retrieval
context dependent learning
when external context present at encoding are present at retrieval, we recall better
state dependent learning
when internal context present at encoding is present at retrieval we remember better (physiological/psychological state)mood dependent learning
retrospective bias
current psychological state can distort memories of our past
engram
physical trace of each memory in the brain
long term potentiation
gradual strengthening of neural connections by repetitive stimulation, underlying process of creating memories, when a strong stimulus is applied multiple times, hippocampal neurons respond at an enhanced level to ordinary stimuli
biology of LTP
when a neuron receives 2 signals in rapid succession, the 2nd one triggers LTP, triggering biochemical reactions that make the neuron more sensitive
Where does LTP occur?
at synapses where the sending neuron is releases glutamate, enhances glutamate release, glutamate bins with receptors of NMDA and AMPA, resulting in enhanced learning
retrograde amnesia
loose memories from the past
anterograde amnesia
loose capacity to form new memories
Amygdala role in memories
emotional component of memories
hippocampus
factual component of memories, damage impaired explicit memories but leaves implicit memory intact
adrenaline/norepinephrine roles in memory
released in the face of stress and stimulate protein receptors on nerve cells which solidifies emotional memories
causes of senility
Alzheimer’s disease, accumulations of many small strokes in brain, deterioration in frontal/temporal lobes
Alzheimer brain structure changes
enlargement of ventricles, severe loss of cortex in areas involved in language/memory, senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles
chemical changes in Alzheimer’s brain
loss of synapses, dell of hippocampal cells and cells in the cerebral cortex, death of actelycholine neurons in forebrain
meta-memory skills
knowledge about ones’ memory abilities and limitations
memory
retention of information over time
guided imagery
imaging past events
flashbulb memory
emotional memory that is very vivid and detailed, don’t decay over time
phantom flashbulb memory
most flashbulb memories are false
suggestive memory techniques
procedures that strongly encourage people to recall memories, often creates false memories
misinformation effect
providing people with misleading info after an event can create false memories
source monitoring confusion
lack of clarity about the origin of a memory
imagination inflation
confusing an event we imagined with one that happened in real life (source monitoring error)
cryptomnesia
when we mistakenly forget that one of “our” ideas originated with someone else
amnesia memory discrepancy
ppl with amnesia for explicit memory still form new procedural memories
