memory Flashcards
automatic processing
type of processing that does not involve conscious effort or deliberation, happens without choice (what you had for lunch the other day)
effortful processing
information is processed only with effort by the person, when we try to remember something (studying)
rehearsal
conscious repetition of information, to keep in short term memory or to encode it (flashcards, going over reading guides)
spacing effect
rehearsals spread out over time results in more encoding
serial position effect
our tendency to remember information that is at the beginning or end of a series, but find it harder to recall information in the middle
tip of the tongue phenomenon
a state in which one cannot quite recall a familiar word but can recall words of similar form and meaning
recency effect
a cognitive bias in which those items, ideas, or arguments that came last are remembered more clearly than those that came first
primary effect
the tendency to recall information presented at the start of a list better than information at the middle or end
visual encoding
the process of converting images and visual sensory information to memory stored in the brain
acoustic encoding
the process of encoding sounds, actual words, and other auditory inout for storage and retrieval
semantic encoding
the process of converting sensory input into meaningful, long term memories by associating new information with existing knowledge and experiences
imagery
using mental pictures in order to remember
mnemonic
memory aids (imagery, song, acronym)
chunking
grouping items into meaningful, familiar, frees up space in short term memory
long term potentiation
when we think about memories, we strengthen those neural networks, memories not accessed/thought about will disappear
flashbulb memory
vivd, clear memories of an emotionally significant moments or events that are processed in the amygdala, which often ties emotion to information
retrograde amnesia
the inability to recall past memories due to extreme stress (usually temporary)
anterograde amnesia
the inability to form new memories due to damage to the hippocampus (permanent)
implicit memory
procedural information containing motor skills, procedures that don’t require active thinking, processed in the cerebellum (you just know how to walk, write, talk)
explicit memory
personal experiences, general knowledge, has to be consciously recalled, processed in the hippocampus (stating your address or phone number)
recall
retrieving without a cue (essay questions)
recognition
retrieving with use of a retrieval (multiple choice test, police line up)
relearning effect
it will take less time to learn material that has already been learned, as compared to original learning
priming
occurs when a person’s exposure to a certain stimulus influences their response to a subsequent prompt, without any awareness of the connection (when someone see’s the word salt, they think of pepper)
déjá vu
a sense that one has experienced a situation before
state dependent memory
using your state of consciousness as a retrieval cue (ease of recall based on one’s physical or mental state during the learning period)
mood congruent memory
using your mood as a retrieval cue (if you were in a positive mood studying, but took the exam in a negative mood and failed)
iconic memory
a brief picture of a scene lasting less than a second
echoing memory
a brief memory of sounds just heard, lasting 3-4 seconds
selective attention
helps us filter out irrelevant information around us and helps us focus on the things that demand our attention
working memory
allows a person to temporarily hold a limited amount of information at the ready for immediate mental use
episodic memory
the ability to learn, store, and retrieve information about unique personal experiences that occur in daily life
semantic memory
conscious long term memory for meaning, understanding, and conceptual facts about the world
procedural memory
a type of long term memory involved in the performance of different actions and skills (the memory of how to do things)
eidetic memory
the ability to recall an image from memory with high precision after seeing it only once
practice interference
previous, old information affects, or interferes with trying to remember new information (you can’t remember your new locker combination because you keep dialing your old one)
retroactive interference
recently learned information affects, or interferes with remembering old information
constructed memory
the process by which we update our memories in light of new experiences, situations, and challenges / we use a variety of information to fill in gaps, and that the accuracy of our memory through various means can also alter recollection of events
