Chapter 9-Learning and Memory Flashcards
the ability to retain and retrieve recollections of past events or experiences or acquired information
memory
unconscious memory; past learning that can’t be remembered consciously but can still affect behavior. comes out in automatic responses
implicit memory
either an inability to retrieve, or an actual change/loss of the effects of the experience
forgetting
a useless but remarkable memory
idiot savant
earlier learning disrupts new learning
proactive learning
subsequent learning disrupts earlier learning
retroactive interference
high recall for the beginning of a list
primacy effect
high recall for the end of a list; remember the most recently heard
recency effect
immediate, unconscious effects of stimuli, initial recording of sensory information; forgotten almost immediately
sensory memory
activated memory that holds a few items briefly; not absolute, holds about 7 meaningful items; forgotten within moments
short term memory
working memory
permanent and limitless storehouse; highly stable and generative; remembered indefinitely
long-term memory
apparently oblivious to other sensory stimuli in social situations, but if topic of interest is brought up, attention switches to it. shows must be subconsciously paying attention to sensory stimuli around us
cocktail party effect
short term memory slots may be filled with many items, not unitary; rearranging incoming information into meaningful or familiar patterns
chunking
consciously aware of memory
voluntary memory
helpful most of the time
involuntary memory
a component of working memory; a flexible system responsible for the control and regulation of cognitive processes; allocates info and energy to the correct component
central executive system
functions of the central executive system
1) coordination of the slave systems
2) shifting between tasks and retrieval strategies
3) selective attention and inhibition
4) binding information from a number of sources into coherent episodes
the theory that memory traces vanish quickly with the passage of time in the absence of continued rehearsal
decay theory
the theory that there are a limited number of slots to be filled in short term memory and that incoming information displaces old information; something new comes along
displacement theory
the theory that STM and LTM are the same, they are just different levels of processing.
Levels of processing
suggests that there at least 2 different and independent types of processing available in working memory.
Baddeley Model of Working Memory
memories recovered under hypnosis or drugs are unreliable
true
memories of things happening before age 3 are reliable
false
memories we can put into words (addresses, names, phone numbers)
explicit memories or declarative memory
a type of declarative long term memory that is stable knowledge about the world, knowledge about language, principles, laws, and facts.
semantic memory
a type of declarative long term memory that consists of personal memories of events that have happened to the individual. specific memories tied to a time and place
episodic memory
vivid recollections of striking, important, or emotional events that are often remembered for longer periods. can be inaccurate; tend to incorporate later experiences into memory
flashbulb memories
memories that cannot readily be recalled and put into words; remembering that occurs in the absence of conscious awareness
implicit memory
types of implicit memory
skills-motor and cognitive, and dispositions (classical and operant conditioning effects)
types of explicit (declarative) memory
facts (semantic) and personally experienced (episodic)
a component of working memory that governs the processing of visual information
the visual-spatial sketchpad
a component of working memory that governs the processing of auditory information
the phonological loop
the 3 components of working memory
the slave systems (the phonological loop, the visual-spatial sketchpad), and the central executive
a component of working memory that serves as a buffer between short and long term memory and between the 2 slave systems.
episodic buffer
theory that previous learning might somehow interfere with short term memory.
interference theory
a procedure that requires an individual to perform 2 tasks simultaneously; when scored lower than when done separately, it’s assumed that they both compete for the same class of information in the brain; the brain picks what’s important
dual-task paradigm
