Chapter 7 Flashcards
Memory
the ability to store and retrieve information
Our memories are influenced by the situation or context and the way we process, interpret, and use information
Amnesia
an inability to retrieve vast quantities of information from memory as a result of brain injury or psychological trauma
Retrograde amnesia
people loose past memories for events, facts, people, or even personal information
Anterograde amnesia
people lose the ability to form new memories
Priming
the facilitation of a response to a stimulus based on past experience with that stimulus or a related stimulus
REMEMBER
the hippocampus has the ability to store new memories
Implicit memory
unconscious or unintentional memory
Memory that is expressed through responses, actions, or reaction
Explicit memory
the processes we use to remember information we can say we know
Memory that is consciously retrieved
Implicit memory system
Memory system includes the basal ganglia, amygdala, and cerebellum (motor skills)
Habituation and sensitization
involve changes in the response to a stimulus based on repeated experience with that stimulus
Procedural memory
a type of implicit memory that involves skills and habits
Include motor skills, cognitive skills, and habitual behaviors
Reflected in knowing how to for something
Memory of how to coordinates muscle movements to
Ride a bike, ski, roller skate, drive
Very resistant to decay
Priming continued
Can be perceptual in which a response to the same stimulus is facilitated
Can be conceptual where a response to a conceptually related stimulus is facilitated
Episodic memory
consists of a person’s memory of past experiences that can be identified as occurring at a time and place
Medial temporal lobes
are responsible for the formation of new episodic memories
Hippocampus
is critical for episodic memories
Semantic memory
is knowledge of concepts, categories, and facts independent of personal experience
Vast store of knowledge about the world acquired throughout your life
Acquisition or encoding
when you experience an event that results in a memory
Storage
when the memory of this experience is formed and maintained
Retrieval
when the memory of the past experience is expressed
Encoding
the process by which the perception of a stimulus or event gets transformed into a memory
Can be automatic or effortful
Encoding starts with
attention
The more attention paid to a stimulus the more likely it is to be encoded into memory
One factor that influences the success of memory encoding is
the extent to which the to-be-remembered information taps into existing knowledge structures in the brain
Dual-coding hypothesis
information that can be coded verbally and visually will be remembered more easily than information that can be coded only verbally
Maintenance rehearsal
is simply repeating the item over and over
Elaborative rehearsal
encodes the information in more meaningful ways, such as thinking about the item conceptually or deciding whether it refers to oneself
Schemas
are cognitive structures in semantic memory that help us perceive, organize, understand, and use information
Guide our attention to relevant features
Construct new memories by filling in holes within existing memories, overlooking inconsistent information, and interpreting meaning based on past experiences
Chunking
the process of breaking down information into meaningful units
Mnemonics
learning aids or strategies to improve memory
Works by focusing attention on organizing incoming information and linking it to existing knowledge structures
Method of loci
associating items you want to remember with physical locations
Sensory memory
unattended information is lost
Temporary memory system closely tied to the sensory systems
Iconic memory
visual sensory memory
Echoic memory
auditory sensory memory
Short-term memory
unrehearsed information is lost
Working memory
actively retains and manipulates multiple pieces of temporary information from different sources
Long-term memory
some information may be lost over time
It has longer duration than working memory and has a far greater capacity
Serial position effect
the ability to recall items on a list depends on the order of presentation
Primacy effect
refers to the better memory that people have for items presented at the beginning of the list
Recency effect
refers to the better memory that people have for the most recent items, the ones at the end of the list
Consolidation
the gradual process of memory storage in the brain
Memory results from
physical changes in connections between neurons
Long-term potentiation (LTP)
the strengthening of a synaptic connection, making the postsynaptic neurons more easily activated by presynaptic neurons
Sleep is known to be important for
memory
Replay of memories during sleep enhances memory consolidation
When an event elicits autonomic arousal the amygdala influences memory consolidation
Flashbulb memories
vivid memories of the circumstances in which people first learn of a surprising and consequential or emotionally arousing event
These shocking events elicit arousal which enhances their consolidation
Reconsolidation
the second consolidation process (restorage of memory after retrieval)
Two functions
memory updating, and memory strengthening
Updating occurs when
memory for a past event is retrieved and information in the current circumstances is relevant for that memory
Reconsolidation is triggered when
aspects of the retrieval context cue that there may be new, relevant information to learn at the time of memory retrieval
Retrieval practice
is a strategy of bringing information to mind by deliberately trying to recall it
Memory retrieval
the expression of a memory after encoding and storage
Retrieval cue
anything that helps a person (or nonhuman animal) recall a memory
One factor that has been proposed to influence memory retrieval is
whether the retrieval context is similar in some way to the encoding context
Encoding specificity principle
any stimulus that is encoded along with an experience can later trigger a memory of that experience
Context-dependent memory
when the recall situation is similar to the encoding situation
State-dependent memory
memory can be enhanced when a person’s internal states match during encoding and recall
Prospective memory
involves remembering to do something at some future time
Retrieval cues help prospective memory
Retrieval-induced forgetting
occurs when retrieving an item from long-term memory impairs the ability to recall a related item in the future
Methods that help you remember information more easily
Prepare and attend class
Distribute your learning
Elaborate the material
Practice retrieval
Overlearn
Use verbal mnemonics for rote memory
Use visual imagery
Proactive interference
old information inhibits the ability to remember new information
Retroactive interference
new information inhibits the ability to remember old information
Blocking
occurs when a person is temporarily unable to remember something
Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
people experience great frustration as they try to recall specific, somewhat obscure words
Absentmindedness
results from the shallow encoding of events
Major cause is failing to pay attention
Persistence
occurs when unwanted memories are remembered despite the desire not to have them
Memory bias
the changing of memories over time so that they become consistent with current beliefs, knowledge, and attitudes
Source misattribution
occurs when people misremember the time, place, person, or circumstance involved with a memory
Source amnesia
a form of misattribution that occurs when people have a memory for an event but cannot remember where they encountered the information
Cryptomnesia
people think they have come up with a new idea
Suggestibility
develop biased memories when provided with misleading information
