Lesson 4 - Concepts

Question 1

Short-term memory

Answer 1

refers to the memory system that is responsible for holding onto a small amount of information that has been recently taken in from the environment.

Question 2

Long Term Memory

Answer 2

Long-term memory has a large capacity and contains your memory for experiences and information that have accumulated throughout your lifetime.

Question 3

chunk

Answer 3

is a memory unit that consists of several components that are strongly associated with one another.

Question 4

Brown/Peter&Peterson technique

Answer 4

Involves presenting participants with some items that they are instructed to remember. Participants then perform a distracting task. After spending some time on the distracting task, participants are subsequently asked to recall the original items.

Question 5

Rehearsal

Answer 5

means repeating the items silently

Question 6

serial-position effect

Answer 6

refers to the U-shaped relationship between a word’s position in a list and its probability of accurate recall.

Question 7

recency effect

Answer 7

better recall for items at the end of a list

Question 8

primacy effect

Answer 8

enhanced recall accuracy for items at the beginning of the list.

Question 9

semantics

Answer 9

the meaning of words and sentences

Question 10

Proactive Interference ( PI)

Answer 10

People have trouble learning new material because previously learned material keeps interfering with their new learning

Question 11

release from proactive interference

Answer 11

A memory phenomenon in which proactive interference is reduced when a person switches from one category of stimuli, to a new category ( e.g. a person may initially see the names of fruits, but then he or she sees the names of occupations ). This release from proactive interference leads to increased recall for the new category

Question 12

Information-processing approach

Answer 12

is one approach to cognition, arguing that a) our mental processes are similar to the operations of a computer b) information progresses through our cognitive system in a series of stages, one step at a time.

Question 13

Atkinson-Shrifrin model

Answer 13

proposed that memory involves a sequence of separate steps . In each step, information is transferred from one storage area to another.

Question 14

Sensory memory

Answer 14

is a storage system that records information from each of the senses with reasonable accuracy.

Question 15

control processes

Answer 15

control processes

intentional strategies - such as rehearsal - that people may use to improve their memory

Question 16

Working memory

Answer 16

is the brief, immediate memory for the limited amount of material that you are currently processing ; part of working memory also actively coordinates your ongoing mental activities.

Question 17

Working-memory approach

Answer 17

proposed by Baddeley, our immediate memory is a multipart system that temporarily holds and manipulates information while we perform cognitive tasks.

Question 18

Phonological loop

Answer 18

can process a limited number of sounds for a short period of time. The phonological loop processes language and other sounds that you hear, as well as the sounds that you make. It is also active during subvocalization

Question 19

subvocalization

Answer 19

when you silently pronounce the words that you are reading

Question 20

acoustic confusions

Answer 20

people are likely to confuse similar-sounding stimuli

Question 21

self-instruction

Answer 21

when you silently remind yourself about something you need to do in the future or how to use some complicated equipment. In fact, talking to yourself- in moderation - is a useful cognitive strategy.

Question 22

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ( TMS)

Answer 22

is a neuroscience technique that uses a magnetic field to briefly stimulate a specific location on the cortex.

Question 23

Visuospatial sketchpad

Answer 23

processes both visual and spatial information. This kind of working memory allows you to look at a complex scene and gather visual information about objects and landmarks. It also allows you to navigate from one location to another.

Question 24

Central executive

Answer 24

integrates information from the phonological loop, the visuosketchpad, the episodic buffer and long-term memory. The central executive also plays a major role in focusing attention, selecting strategies, transforming information, and coordinating behaviour.

Question 25

episodic buffer

Answer 25

serves as a temporary storehouse that can hold and combine information from your phonological loop, you visuosketchpad and long-term memory.

Question 26

major depression

Answer 26

a mental disorder in which individuals feel sad, discouraged and hopeless. He or she typically reports feeling fatigued, with little interest in leisure activities.

Question 27

ruminative style

Answer 27

individuals may worry about all the things that are wrong in their life

Question 28

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD)

Answer 28

is a psychological disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity.

Question 29

Generalized Anxiety Disorder ( GAD)

Answer 29

is a debilitating disorder characterized by chronic, persistent, and excessive worry.

Question 30

Difference between the central executive and the episodic buffer

Answer 30

Executive = top boss. Think of the sketchpad and phonological loop as “workers” of the central executive, which pretty much coordinates the activity of both components.

The episodic buffer is essentially an integrating center for short and long term memory. It’s particularly important with working memory and retrieving information.