Chapter 8 - Memory

Question 1

memory

Answer 1

the set of processes used to encode, store, and retrieve information over different periods of time

Question 2

encoding

Answer 2

• the input of information into the memory system
• organize the information with other similar information and connect new concepts to existing concepts

Question 3

automatic processing

Answer 3

encoding of details without any conscious awareness

Question 4

effortful processing

Answer 4

requiring a lot of work and attention in order to encode information

Question 5

semantic encoding

Answer 5

The encoding of words and their meaning

Question 6

visual encoding

Answer 6

the encoding of images

Question 7

acoustic encoding

Answer 7

the encoding of sounds, words in particular

Question 8

self-reference effect

Answer 8

the tendency for an individual to have better memory for information that relates to oneself in comparison to material that’s less personal

Question 9

storage

Answer 9

• the creation of a permanent record of information
• i.e. long term memory

Question 10

sensory memory

Answer 10

• storage of brief sensory events, such as sights, sounds, and tastes
• very brief storage (a few secs)

Question 11

short-term memory (STM)

Answer 11

• a temporary storage system that processes incoming sensory memory
• lasts 15-30 sec

Question 12

rehearsal

Answer 12

• moves information from short-term memory to long-term memory
• Active rehearsal is a way of transferring info, will go to long term if repeated enough

Question 13

long-term memory (LTM)

Answer 13

• the continuous storage of information
• believed to have unlimited capacity

Question 14

explicit memories

Answer 14

• those we consciously try to remember, recall, and report
• ex. material on test you’re studying for

Question 15

episodic memory

Answer 15

• information about events we have personally experienced
• recollection of visual imagery, often a story

Question 16

semantic memory

Answer 16

• knowledge about words, concepts, and language-based knowledge and facts
• typically facts

Question 17

implicit memories

Answer 17

• long-term memories that are not part of our consciousness
• demonstrated in the performance of some task, usually not consciously recalled

Question 18

procedural memory

Answer 18

• stores information about the way to do something, and is the memory for skilled actions
• type of implicit memory, studied w/observable behavior

Question 19

engram

Answer 19

the group of neurons that serve as the “physical representation of memory”

Question 20

equipotentiality hypothesis

Answer 20

guess that if part of one area of the brain involved in memory is damaged, another part of the same area can take over that memory function

Question 21

amygdala in memory formation

Answer 21

• plays a part in how memories are stored because storage is influenced by stress hormones
• main job of the amygdala is to regulate emotions

Question 22

hippocampus and memory

Answer 22

• is involved in memory, specifically normal recognition memory and spatial memory (when the memory tasks are like recall tests)
• project information that give memories meaning and connect them w/memories
• transfers new learning to long term memory

Question 23

cerebellum and prefrontal cortex

Answer 23

cereb: part of creating implicit memory
pref cort: part of how people process and retain information

Question 24

neurotransmitter

Answer 24

• communication among neurons via neurotransmitters is critical for developing new memories
• helps strengthen memory

Question 25

arousal theory

Answer 25

• believed that strong emotions trigger the formation of strong memories, and weaker emotional experiences form weaker memories
• releases neurotransmitters and hormones, strengthen memory

Question 26

flashbulb memory

Answer 26

• an exceptionally clear recollection of an important event
• can be less accurate overtime
• ex. where you were during 9/11

Question 27

amnesia

Answer 27

• the loss of long-term memory that occurs as the result of disease, physical trauma, or psychological trauma

Question 28

anterograde amnesia

Answer 28

cannot remember new information, although you can remember information and events that happened prior to your injury

Question 29

retrograde amnesia

Answer 29

loss of memory for events that occurred prior to the trauma (some or all of their past)

Question 30

construction

Answer 30

The formulation of new memories

Question 31

reconstruction

Answer 31

• the process of bringing up old memories
• tend to be altered and modified

Question 32

suggestibility

Answer 32

the effects of misinformation from external sources that leads to the creation of false memories

Question 33

eyewitness misidentification

Answer 33

eyewitnesses are often relied on heavily in court testimony even though it’s easy for them to have false memories

Question 34

misinformation effect paradigm

Answer 34

after exposure to additional and possibly inaccurate information, a person may misremember the original event

Question 35

false memory syndrome

Answer 35

Recall of false autobiographical memories

Question 36

forgetting

Answer 36

loss of information from long-term memory

Question 37

encoding failure

Answer 37

• when memory loss happens before the actual memory process begins
• ex. not accurately knowing the face of the penny

Question 38

transience

Answer 38

concept that memories can fade over time

Question 39

absentmindedness

Answer 39

• lapses in memory caused by breaks in attention or our focus being somewhere else
• ex. forgetting where your phone is

Question 40

misattribution

Answer 40

when you confuse the source of your information

Question 41

bias

Answer 41

your feelings and view of the world can actually distort your memory of past events

Question 42

persistance

Answer 42

• when you keep remembering something and it interferes with your ability to concentrate on other things
• ex. song stuck in head

Question 43

proactive interference

Answer 43

• when old information hinders the recall of newly learned information
• ex. telling people wrong age after just having a birthday

Question 44

retroactive interference

Answer 44

• when information learned more recently hinders the recall of older information
• ex. can’t remember personal email because just got school one

Question 45

memory-enhancing strategies

Answer 45

• helps make sure information goes from short-term memory to long-term memory
• ex. chunking, rehearsing something over and over

Question 46

chunking

Answer 46

• organize information into manageable bits or chunks
• ex. phone numbers

Question 47

elaborative rehearsal

Answer 47

technique in which you think about the meaning of new information and its relation to knowledge already stored in your memory

Question 48

Mnemonic device

Answer 48

• memory aids that help us organize information for encoding
• good for large pieces of info
• ex. PEMDAS

Question 49

priming

Answer 49

• type of implicit memory
• exposure to a stimulus affects the response (view) of a later stimulus

Question 50

retrieval

Answer 50

The act of getting information out of memory storage and back into conscious awareness

Question 51

recall

Answer 51

means you can access/retrieve information without cues

Question 52

recognition

Answer 52

• when you identify information that you have previously learned after encountering it again
• part of retrieval

Question 53

relearning

Answer 53

• learning information that you previously learned
• part of retrieval

Question 54

blocking

Answer 54

• when you can’t access stored information
• “tip of the tongue” effect

Question 55

suggestibility

Answer 55

when the false memory of something comes from someone else (intentionally or unintentionally)