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