Learning and Memory Test Flashcards
Metacognition
the awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes
How do you get info from working memory to long term memory?
Make it into a story, Imagery, Rehearsal
Recency Effect
Recalling the last thing you perceived
Semantic Memory
stores general knowledge about the world, including facts, concepts, and the meaning of words, essentially representing our “mental encyclopedia” of information not tied to specific personal experiences
General Factor Theory
If you are really good at something, you can apply it to multiple different things.
Structural encoding
Shallow level of processing, where information is encoded based on its physical appearance or visual characteristics, like focusing on how a word looks on a page rather than its meaning
Encoding
processing of info into the memory system
Imagination Inflation
The phenomenon where repeatedly imagining an event, even if it never happened, can increase a person’s confidence that it actually occurred, thereby creating a false memory by mistaking imagined experiences for real ones
Split-half reliability
A method of assessing a test’s consistency by dividing it into two halves and comparing the scores obtained from each half, indicating whether the test is measuring the same construct throughout its entirety; essentially, if someone performs similarly on one half of the test, they should also perform similarly on the other
Intrinsic Motivation
a desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake or reaching some higher potential
Elaborative Rehearsal
new information is actively linked to existing knowledge in long-term memory, creating deeper processing and better retention
Context-dependent memory
putting yourself back in the context where you experienced something can prime memory retrieval
Extrinsic Motivation
a desire to perform a behavior to receive a reward or avoid threatened punishment; could also be for the approval or expectations of others
Reconsolidation
When a long-term memory is retrieved (into working memory) it is briefly susceptible to manipulation with incoming sensory information before being reconsolidated back into long-term memory – Every memory retrieval slightly alters that memory
Primacy Effect
Recalling the first thing you perceived
Drive Reduction Theory
The intensifying or fueling of responses to a situation. Amount of drive is directly proportional to the intensity of the behavior that will result from it.
How has the Flynn effect impacted scores on the Stanford-Binet IQ test over the decades?
The scores have increased over time
Modeling
The process of observing and imitating a specific behavior from a trusted model
Constructive Memory
When we recall a memory (from long-term), we actively reconstruct it by using our existing knowledge and beliefs to fill in gaps in the memory and potentially alter details.
Retrograde Amnesia
Inability to retrieve info from one’s past
Episodic Memory
stores personal experiences and events tied to specific times and places, essentially remembering specific details about past situations
How does metacognition improve learning and memory?
It helps us recognize our strengths and weaknesses so that we can adjust areas that need improvement
Autobiographical Memory
a person’s recollection of personal experiences and events from their own life, essentially their personal history
Primary Reinforcer
Things that are needed to survive in life
- Getting food when hungry
Automatic processing
Unconscious encoding of incidental information such as space, time, and frequency.
Produces implicit memories
Operant Conditioning
Learning through consequences. Punishment or reward is applied after a response.
Percentile Rank
The percentage of individuals in a given population who scored at or below a specific test score, essentially indicating how well someone performed compared to others in the group
Encoding Failure
The inability to recall information because it was never properly processed and stored in long-term memory during the initial encoding stage
Flashbulb Memory
a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event
Secondary Reinforcer
Not needed to survive
- Getting money
Retrieval Practice
Refers to a learning strategy where you actively recall information from memory, by using techniques like flashcards, practice quizzes, or self-testing
Shaping
Using reinforcements to guide an animals actions toward a desired and more complex behavior using a step-by-step fashion
Ex: Teaching it to roll over using multiple steps and a treat with each step they accomplish on their own
Gambler’s Fallacy
A failure to recognize the independence of chance events, leading to the mistaken belief that one can predict the outcome of a chance event on the basis of the outcomes of past chance events
Effortful processing
Encoding that requires attention and conscious effort. Produces explicit memories
Mood-congruent memory
tendency to recall experiences consistent with one’s mood or emotion
Maintenance Rehearsal
process of repeatedly saying or thinking about a piece of information to keep it active in your short-term or working memory
Semantic encoding
Encoding meaningful material, might have an emotional quality attached or it is related to previous experiences
Implicit memories
Memory of things that are automatic, includes procedural things like how to ride a bike, after you’ve already done it
Variable reinforcement
Rewards are given at an unpredictable intervals
Explicit/Declarative memories
Memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and declare, produced from effortful processing (study rehearsal, applying meaning to content)
Retrieval Cues
stimuli or prompts that help trigger the recall of information stored in memory, acting as a clue to access specific memories, essentially reminding you of something you previously learned by providing a related piece of information or context
Classical Conditioning
Associating two or more stimuli to anticipate events. Punishment or reward is applied before a response
Serial Position Effect
tendency to recall best the last and the first items in a list
Testing Effect
actively retrieving information from memory through testing or quizzing yourself leads to better long-term retention
Sunk Cost Fallacy
where someone continues to invest time, money, or effort into something even when it is no longer beneficial, simply because they have already invested resources into it, essentially feeling obligated to see it through despite negative outcomes; essentially, not considering past investments when making future decisions based on current benefits
Anterograde Amnesia
Inability to form new memories
Norming
The standard(s) against which all others who take the test will be compared. Formed from the group used to standardize the test. Example – avg IQ is how we compare our own score
Alzeheimer’s/Dementia
- Symptoms
- Biological changes
Persistent disorder of mental processes caused by brain disease or injury
- Frequent disorientation, Confusion of time/place, Mood and behavior changes
- There are plaques and tangles in their brains that build up in their cells and inhibit neural networks
Divergent cognition style
Using imagination, creative, abstract
Convergent Cognition Style
Logic, Strategic
Acquisition
Associating or pairing a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus
- Pairing white rats with fear due to the loud noise
Extinction
The fear might fade over time
Spontaneous Recovery
reappearance of a weakened response that can occur during extinction training
Latent Learning
When you learn something and don’t use that info until you are put in a situation where you need it
