chapter 7 vocab

Question 1

Acoustic encoding

Answer 1

the encoding of sound, especially the sound of words

Question 2

Amnesia

Answer 2

the loss of memory

Question 3

Automatic processing

Answer 3

unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, frequency, well-learned information

Question 3

Anterograde amnesia

Answer 3

a person loses memories for events that occur after the injury

Question 4

Declarative (explicit) memory

Answer 4

handles factual information

Question 4

Chunking

Answer 4

organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically

Question 5

Decay theory

Answer 5

proposes that forgetting occurs because memory traces fade with time

Question 6

Deja vu

Answer 6

cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience, “I’ve experienced this before”

Question 7

Echoic memory

Answer 7

a momentary sensory memory at auditory stimuli

Question 7

Effortful processing

Answer 7

encoding that requires attention and conscious effort

Question 8

Encoding

Answer 8

the processing of information into the memory system, extracting meaning

Question 9

Flashbulb memories

Answer 9

a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event

Question 9

Forgetting curve

Answer 9

graphs retention and forgetting over time

Question 10

Hindsight bias

Answer 10

tendency to mold one’s interpretation of the past to fit how events actually turned out “We knew all along”

Question 11

Hippocampus

Answer 11

part of the limbic system involved in learning and memory

Question 11

Interference theory

Answer 11

proposes that people forget information because of competition from other material

Question 12

Levels of processing theory

Answer 12

proposes that deeper levels of processing result in longer-lasting memory codes

Question 13

Memory

Answer 13

the persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information

Question 13

Long-term memory

Answer 13

an unlimited capacity store that can hold information over lengthy periods of time

Question 14

Long-term potentiation

Answer 14

an increase in a synapse’s firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation, involving persistent strengthening of synapses that leads to a long-lasting increase in signal transmission between neurons.

Question 15

Misinformation effect

Answer 15

incorporating misleading information into one’s memory of an event

Question 15

Mnemonic devices

Answer 15

memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices

Question 15

Mood congruent/convergent memory

Answer 15

tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one’s current good or bad mood

Question 16

Nondeclarative (implicit) memory

Answer 16

houses memory for actions, skills, conditioned responses, and emotional responses

Question 17

Parallel processing

Answer 17

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously

Question 18

Photographic (eidetic) memory

Answer 18

a rare ability in some people to recall images and sounds after short exposure

Question 19

Priming

Answer 19

the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory

Question 20

Proactive interference

Answer 20

the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information, when old memories disrupt the retrieval of new memories

Question 21

Procedural memory

Answer 21

remembering how to do things

Question 22

Prospective memory

Answer 22

remembering to perform actions in the future

Question 23

Recall

Answer 23

a measure of memory in which a person must retrieve information learned earlier

Question 24

Recognition

Answer 24

a measure of memory in which the person needs only identity items previously learned

Question 25

Rehearsal

Answer 25

the conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it storage

Question 26

Relearning measure (effect)

Answer 26

a measure of memory that assesses the amount of times saved when learning material a second time

Question 27

Repression

Answer 27

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety, arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

Question 28

Retention

Answer 28

refers to the proportion of material retained (remembered)

Question 29

Retrieval

Answer 29

the process of getting information out of memory storage

Question 30

Retrospective memory

Answer 30

remembering events from the past or previously learned information

Question 30

Retroactive interference

Answer 30

the disrupt effect of new learning on the recall of old information

Question 31

Retrograde amnesia

Answer 31

a person loses memories for events that occurred prior to the injury

Question 32

Schema

Answer 32

an organized cluster of knowledge about a particular object/event abstracted from previous experience with the object or event

Question 33

Serial position effect (curve)

Answer 33

our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list

Question 34

Short-term memory

Answer 34

a limited-capacity store that can maintain unrehearsed information for up to about 20 seconds

Question 35

Spacing effect

Answer 35

the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention

Question 36

State-dependent memory

Answer 36

phenomenon when what we learn in 1 state may be easily recalled when we are in that state again

Question 37

Storage

Answer 37

the retention of encoded information over time

Question 38

Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

Answer 38

temporary inability to remember something you know, accompanied by a feeling that it’s just out of reach

Question 39

Visual encoding

Answer 39

the encoding of picture images

Question 40

Working memory

Answer 40

a new understanding of short-term memory that focuses on conscious active processing of memory