chapter 8

Question 0

storage

Answer 0

the retention of encoded information over time

Question 1

encoding

Answer 1

the processing of information into the memory system- for example, by extracting meaning

Question 2

retrieval

Answer 2

the process of getting information out of memory storage

Question 3

sensory memory

Answer 3

the immediate, very brief recoding of sensory information in the memory system

Question 4

short-term memory

Answer 4

activated memory that holds a few items briefly, such as the seven digits to a phone number while dialing, before the information is stored or forgotten.

Question 5

long-term memory

Answer 5

the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. includes knowledge, skills, and experiences

Question 6

working memory

Answer 6

a newer understanding of short-term memory that focuses on the conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial information, and of information retrieved from long-term memory

Question 7

automatic processing

Answer 7

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

Question 8

effortful processing

Answer 8

encoding that requires attention and conscious effort

Question 9

rehearsal

Answer 9

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

Question 10

spacing effects

Answer 10

the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice

Question 11

serial position effect

Answer 11

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

Question 12

visual encoding

Answer 12

the encoding of picture images

Question 13

acoustic encoding

Answer 13

the encoding of sound, especially the sound of words

Question 14

semantic encoding

Answer 14

the encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words

Question 15

imagery

Answer 15

mental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding

Question 16

mnemonics

Answer 16

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

Question 17

chunking

Answer 17

organizing items into familiar manageable units; often occurs automatically

Question 18

iconic memory

Answer 18

a momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second

Question 19

echoic memory

Answer 19

the momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds

Question 20

long-term potentiation (LTP)

Answer 20

an increase in a synapse’s firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory

Question 21

flashbulb memory

Answer 21

a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment of event

Question 22

amnesia

Answer 22

the loss of memory

Question 23

implicit memory

Answer 23

retention independent of conscious recollection

Question 24

explicit memory

Answer 24

memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and “declare”

Question 25

hippocampus

Answer 25

a neural center that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage

Question 26

recall

Answer 26

a measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.

Question 27

recognition

Answer 27

a measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned

Question 28

relearning

Answer 28

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

Question 29

priming

Answer 29

the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory

Question 30

déjà by

Answer 30

that eerie sense that “I’ve experienced this before” cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an early experience

Question 31

mood-congruent memory

Answer 31

the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent the ones current good or bad mood

Question 32

proactive interference

Answer 32

the disruptive effort of prior learning on the recall of new information

Question 33

retroactive interference

Answer 33

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

Question 34

repression

Answer 34

the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

Question 35

misinformation effect

Answer 35

incorporating misleading information into one’s memory of an event

Question 36

source amnesia

Answer 36

attributing to wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined