Chapter 8 Flashcards
An inability to form new memories.
Anterograde amnesia
An inability to retrieve information from one’s past.
Retrograde amnesia
The forward-acting disruptive effect of older learning on the recall of new information.
proactive interference
The backward-acting disruptive of new learning on the recall of old information.
retroactive interference
Occurs when misleading information has corrupted one’s memory of an event.
misinformation effect
Faulty memory for how, when, or where information was learned or imagined (also called source misattribution). This, along with the misinformation effect, are at the heart of many false memories.
source amnesia
That eerie sense that “I’ve experienced this before.” Cues from the current situation may unconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.
deja vu
Explicit memory of facts and general knowledge; one of our two conscious memory systems (the other is episodic memory).
Semantic memory
Explicit memory of personally experienced events; one of our two conscious memory systems (the other is semantic memory).
episodic memory
A neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit (conscious) memories - of facts and events - for storage.
hippocampus
The neural storage of a long-term memory.
memory consolidation
A clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.
flashbulb memory
An increase in a cell’s firing potential after a brief, rapid stimulation; a neural basis for learning and memory.
long-term potentiation
The activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory.
priming
The idea that cues and contexts specific to a particular memory will be most effective in helping us recall it.
encoding specificity principle
The tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one’s current good or bad mood.
mood-congruent memory
Our tendency to recall best the last (recency effect) and first (primacy effect) items in a list.
serial position effect
The persistence of learning over time through the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information.
memory
A measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.
recall
A measure of memory in which the person identifies items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test.
recognition
A measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material again.
relearning
The process of getting information into the memory system - for example, by extracting meaning.
encoding
The process of retaining encoded information over time.
storage
The process of getting information out of memory storage.
retreival
Processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions.
parallel processing
The immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system.
sensory memory
Activated memory that holds a few items briefly, such as digits of a phone number while calling, before the information is stored or forgotten.
short term memory
The relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.
long-term memory
A newer understanding of short-term memory that adds conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual information, and of information retrieved from long-term memory.
working memory
Retention of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and “declare” (also called declarative memory).
explicit memory
Encoding that requires attention and conscious effort.
effortful processing
Unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.
automatic processing
Retention of learned skills or classically conditioned associations independent of conscious recollection (also called nondeclarative memory).
implicit memory
A momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second.
iconic memory
A momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds.
echoic memory
Organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically.
chunking
Memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices.
mnemonics
The tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice.
spacing effect
Enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information. Also sometimes referred to as a retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning.
testing effect
Encoding on a basic level, based on the structure or appearance of words.
shallow processing
Encoding semantically, based on the meaning of the words; tends to yield the best retention.
deep processing
