Exam 2 Vocab - Study Guide Terms Flashcards
Memory
The mental operations that store, recover, and retrieve information
The Forgetting Function
A rapid decline (hours) in the ability to recall information followed by a more gradual decline (days and months)
Central Executive
A component of working memory that controls the activity of the helper systems (phonological loop and visuospatial sketch pad) and communicates with long-term memory
Chunk
A meaningful unit of information held in short-term memory
Rehearsal
Repeating information in your mind keeps it activated in short-term memory
Decay
Information reaches such a low activation level that normal retrieval cues are not sufficient for recall (some information must just disappear/be gone forever)
Encoding
The storage of new information in long-term memory
Retrieval
The recall of previously encoded information
Episodic Buffer
A helper system in working memory for storing integrated chunks of information
Phonological Loop
A helper system in working memory responsible for storing information encoded as sound (verbal and auditory information)
Phonological Similarity Effect
A reduction in working memory span for similar-sounding words
Word-Length Effect
A reduction in working memory span for longer words (more syllables) compared to shorter words
Articulatory Suppression
A reduction in working memory span when people simultaneously perform irrelevant articulations
Visuospatial Sketchpad
A helper system in working memory responsible for storing information encoded spatially or visually
Sensory Memory
A large capacity, but highly transient, storage space for information that has recently entered your sensory system
Short-Term Memory
Small amounts of information actively held in the mind for a short period of time
Long-Term Memory
Large capacity storage for enduring memories
Digit-Span Task
A test of working memory in which participants are presented with a sequence of digits (not necessarily numbers) and must recall them; magic number of 7 +/- 2 items
Henry Molaison
Suffered from severe epileptic seizures, leading to the complete removal of his hippocampus. This resulted in profound amnesia where HM could function normally moment-to-moment, but he could no longer form any new long-term memories.
Working Memory
A cognitive system responsible for temporarily holding and manipulating information for processing; not just storage!
Working Memory Capacity
The limited amount of information that can be held and processed in our mind at any given time; individual differences in capacity may help explain differences in cognitive abilities
Encoding Specificity
Retrieval is most effective when the information available at encoding is also available at retrieval (location matters - think scuba divers)
State-Dependent Retrieval
Retrieval is most effective when your mental state at encoding matches your mental state at retrieval
Deese-Roediger McDermott (DRM) Paradigm
A false memory paradigm in which participants presented with a list of semantically related words (e.g., nurse, hospital, etc.) at encoding are likely to falsely remember a non-presented, but semantically related, word (e.g., doctor) at recall
Confirmation Bias
The tendency to verify and confirm our existing memories rather than challenge and disconfirm them
Flashbulb Memory
An exceptionally vivid recollection of an important event that we incorrectly believe to be more accurate/less subject to change than other memories
Forgetting
The loss of information from long-term memory
Misinformation Effect
A memory error caused by exposure to inaccurate information after the event’s occurrence
Proactive Interference
Old information hinders the recall of newly learned information
Retroactive Interference
More recently learned information hinders the recall of older information
Depth of Processing
How we interact with information at encoding influences the probability of correct retrieval (structural, phonemic, categorical, sentence based)
Learning Curve
The probability of correct retrieval increases as a function of repetition (Ebbinghaus)
Spacing
Spacing out learning over time yields better retention in the long-term than cramming
Testing Effect
Retrieval from memory, rather than simple restudy, is a more effective way to cement information into memory
Schema
A memory template created through repeated exposure to a particular class of objects or events
Source Monitoring
The ability to accurately identify the source of a memory
Sleeper Effect
An attitude change that occurs over time as we forget the source of information
Basic-Level Category
The neutral, preferred category for a given object, at an intermediate level of specificity
Category
Classes of people and things regarded as having shared characteristics
Concept
The mental representation of a category
Cognitive Economy
A principle of semantic organization that states that properties shared by many members of a category be stored at higher level nodes in the semantic network
Exemplar Theory
Concepts are represented by knowledge of specific category members, not a prototype
Prototype Theory
Concepts are represented by a single prototype or summary representation, which marks the center of its category
Semantic Network
A functional storage system for concepts of the mind based on the meanings of words
Spreading Activation
When a concept is activated in memory, related concepts increase in activation as well
Metacognition
Thinking about thinking
Metamemory
Our knowledge about, awareness of, and control over our own memory
