memory Flashcards
encoding
the process of putting information into a form that the memory system can accept and use
auditory memnory
mental representations of stimuli as sound
visual memory
mental representations of stimuli as pictures
semantic memory
memory for generalized knowledge about the world
storage
the process of maintaining information in the memory system over time
retrieval
the process of finding information stored in memory
recall
retrieving information stored in memory without much help from retrieval clues
recognition
retrieving information stored in memory with the help of retrieval clues
episodic memory
memory for events in one’s own past
procedural memory
a type of memory containing information about how to do things
explicit memory
information retrieved through a conscious effort to remember something
implicit memory
the unintentional recollection and influence of prior experiences
levels-of-processing model of memory
a model that suggests that memory depends on the degree or depth to which we mentally process information
maintenance rehearsal
a memorization method that involves repeating information over and over to keep it in memory
elaborative rehearsal
a memorization method that relates new information to information already stored in memory
transfer-appropiate processing model of memory
a model that suggests that memory depends on how the encoding process matches up with what is later retrieved
neural network models of memory
memory models in which new experiences are seen as changing one’s overall knowledge base
multiple memory systems model
a model that suggests the existence of specialized and separeted memory systems in the brain
information-processing model of memory
a model that suggests that infromation must pass through sensory memory, short term memory, and long term memory in order to become firmly embedded in memory
sensory memory
a type of memory that is very brief but lasts long enough to connect one impression to the next
sensory registers
memory systems that briefly hold incoming information
iconic memory
the sensory register for visual information
selective attention
the process of focusing mental resources on only part of the stimulus field
short-term memory
a stage of memory in which information normally lasts less than twenty seconds; a component of working memory
working memory
memory that allows us to mentally work with, or manipulate, information being held in short-term memory
immediate memory span
the maximum number of items a person can recall perfectly after one presentattion of the items
chunking
organizing individual stimuli so that they will be perceived as larger units of meaninful information
Brown-Peterson distractor technique
a method for determining how long unrehearsed information reman in short-term memory
long-term memory
the stage of memory that reseacheres believe has an unlimited capacity to store new information
primary effect
a characteristic of memory in which recall is particularly good the first two of three items in a list
recency effect
a characteristic of memory in which recall is particularly good for the last few items in a list
retrieval cues
stimuli that allow or help people to recall information
encoding specificity principle
a principle stating that the ability of a cue to aid retrieval depends on how well it taps into information that was orginally encoded
context-specific memory
memories that are helped or hindered by similarities or differences between the contexts in which they are learned and recalled
state-dependent memory
memory that is helped or hindered by similarities or differences in a person’s internal state during learning versus recall
spreading activation
in semantic network theories of memory, a principle that explains how information is retrieved
schemas
mental representations of categories of objects, places, events and people
relearning method
a method for measuring forgetting
decay theory
a description of forgetting as the gradual disappearance of information from memory
interference
the process through which storage or retrieval of information is impaired by the presence of other information
retroactive inhibition
a cause of forgetting whereby new information places in memory interferes with the ability to recall information already in memory
proactive inhibition
a cause of forgetting whereby previously learned information interferes with the ability to remember new information
repressed memory
a painful memory that is said to be kept out of consciousness by psychological processes
anterograde amnesia
a loss of memory for events that occur after a brain injury
retrograde amnesia
a loss of memory for events that occurred prior to a brain injury
mnemonic strategies
methods for organizing information in order to remember it
distributed practice
learning new information in many study sessions that are spaced across time
massed practice
trying to learn complex new information in a single long study period
