Exam 3: Memory and Attention

Question 1

Attention

Answer 1

Focusing mental resources on specific information to process it more thoroughly.

Question 2

Central Executive

Answer 2

The part of working memory that directs attention and coordinates information.

Question 3

Selective Attention

Answer 3

Focusing on one particular stimulus while ignoring others.

Question 4

Processing Capacity

Answer 4

The amount of information an individual can handle at once.

Question 5

Perceptual Load

Answer 5

The complexity of a task that affects how much attention is required.

Question 6

Lavie’s Load Theory Of Attention

Answer 6

Proposes that attentional resources are allocated based on task demands; higher load reduces distraction.

Question 7

Inattentional Blindness

Answer 7

Failing to notice a visible stimulus because attention is focused elsewhere.

Question 8

Repetition Blindness

Answer 8

Failure to detect a repeated stimulus in a rapid sequence.

Question 9

Change Blindness

Answer 9

Failure to notice changes in the environment when attention is directed elsewhere.

Question 10

Memory

Answer 10

The ability to encode, store, and retrieve information.

Question 11

Atkinson And Shiffrin’s Three-Stage Model of Memory

Answer 11

A model proposing three memory stages: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.

Question 12

Sensory Memory

Answer 12

Brief storage of sensory information (e.g., visual, auditory).

Question 13

Short-Term Memory (STM)

Answer 13

A limited-capacity system that holds information temporarily (about 15–30 seconds).

Question 14

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

Answer 14

A memory store that can hold a vast amount of information for a long time.

Question 15

Chunking

Answer 15

Grouping information into meaningful units to increase short-term memory capacity.

Question 16

Working Memory

Answer 16

A system for temporarily holding and manipulating information needed for complex tasks.

Question 17

Implicit Memory

Answer 17

Unconscious memory for skills and procedures.

Question 18

Procedural Memory

Answer 18

A type of implicit memory for how to perform tasks (e.g., riding a bike).

Question 19

Explicit Memory

Answer 19

Conscious memory of facts and experiences.

Question 20

Semantic Memory

Answer 20

Memory for general knowledge and facts.

Question 21

Episodic Memory

Answer 21

Memory for personal events and experiences.

Question 22

Serial Position Effect

Answer 22

Tendency to recall items at the beginning and end of a list better than the middle.

Question 23

Encoding

Answer 23

The process of transforming information into a form that can be stored in memory.

Question 24

Levels Of Processing Theory

Answer 24

Suggests that deeper levels of processing lead to better long-term memory.

Question 25

Consolidation

Answer 25

The process by which memories become stable in the brain.

Question 26

Storage

Answer 26

The retention of encoded information over time.

Question 27

Retrieval

Answer 27

The process of accessing stored information.

Question 28

Sins Of Omission

Answer 28

Memory errors where information is forgotten or missing.

Question 29

Sins Of Commission

Answer 29

Memory errors involving distorted or incorrect memories.

Question 30

Transience

Answer 30

Forgetting over time due to decay.

Question 31

Absent-Mindedness

Answer 31

Lapses in attention that result in forgetting.

Question 32

Blocking

Answer 32

Temporary inability to retrieve known information.

Question 33

Suggestibility

Answer 33

Incorporating misleading information into memory.

Question 34

Bias

Answer 34

Distorting influences of current knowledge or beliefs on memory.

Question 35

Persistence

Answer 35

Unwanted memories that continue to be recalled.

Question 36

Misattribution

Answer 36

Assigning a memory to the wrong source.

Question 37

Forgetting

Answer 37

The inability to retrieve information from memory.

Question 38

Retention Interval

Answer 38

The time between learning and retrieval.

Question 39

Free Recall

Answer 39

Remembering information without any cues.

Question 40

Cued Recall

Answer 40

Remembering information with the help of hints or cues.

Question 41

Amnesia

Answer 41

Loss of memory caused by brain injury or trauma.

Question 42

Retrograde Amnesia

Answer 42

Loss of memories from before the onset of amnesia.

Question 43

Anterograde Amnesia

Answer 43

Inability to form new memories after the onset of amnesia.

Question 44

Interference

Answer 44

Disruption of memory caused by competing information.

Question 45

Retroactive Interference

Answer 45

New information interferes with remembering old information.

Question 46

Proactive Interference

Answer 46

Old information interferes with learning new information.