memory

Question 1

what is memory?

Answer 1

process by which we retain information about events that have happened in the past. it involves 3 processes: encoding, storage and retrieval

Question 2

what is encoding/coding?

Answer 2

information taken into the brain is changed into a form that can be stored and later recalled. (there are 5 types)

Question 3

what is visual encoding?

Answer 3

remembering something by what it looks like

Question 4

what is acoustic encoding?

Answer 4

remembering something by what is sounds like

Question 5

what is semantic encoding?

Answer 5

remembering something by its meaning

Question 6

what is tactile encoding?

Answer 6

remembering something by what it feels like/touching

Question 7

what is olfactory encoding?

Answer 7

remembering something by what it smells like

Question 8

what is storage?

Answer 8

where information is held in the memory system for use at some point in the future

Question 9

what is retrieval?

Answer 9

when we need information- it is located and brought back

Question 10

what are the 3 types of retrieval?

Answer 10

recognition, cued recall and free recall

Question 11

what is episodic memory?

Answer 11

recollections of personal experiences or events- are time stamped. you need to continuously recall these memories. (associated with the right prefrontal cortex)

Question 12

what is semantic memory?

Answer 12

recollection of general knowledge- not time stamped.
IS DECLARATIVE

Question 13

what is procedural memory?

Answer 13

stored knowledge and information that we use for carrying out complex motor skills. uses ‘muscle memory’ so is hard to explain, don’t need to consciously think about how to do these skills. (associated with the motor cortex and cerebellum)
IS NON-DECLARATIVE

Question 14

what is short-term memory?

Answer 14

has a limited capacity and can hold 7 (+ or -2)- referred to as ‘the magic 7’. has a limited duration between 15-30 seconds without rehearsal. tends to use acoustic coding

Question 15

what is long-term memory?

Answer 15

has a potentially unlimited capacity and has potential to last for up to a lifetime. tends to use semantic coding

Question 16

what is declarative memory?

Answer 16

memories that require conscious recall

Question 17

what is non-declarative memory?

Answer 17

memories that don’t require conscious recall

Question 18

what is recognition?

Answer 18

noticing information that you have seen before (e.g. you see someone and can identify who they are because you have met before)

Question 19

what is cued recall?

Answer 19

remembering something because something ‘jogged’ your memory

Question 20

what is the serial position effect?

Answer 20

recall of a list of words in which the words at both the beginning and end of the list are well recalled but those in the middle aren’t recalled well. this effect demonstrates that the likelihood of recall of a word depends on its position in a list of words

Question 21

what is culture?

Answer 21

a community of people who share the same customs, beliefs and behaviours

Question 22

what is reconstructive memory?

Answer 22

changing or filling in gaps in our recollection of experiences or information so that it makes more sense to us

Question 23

what is the primacy effect?

Answer 23

when more of the first information received is recalled than information in the middle

Question 24

what is the recency effect?

Answer 24

when more of the last information received is recalled that information in the middle

Question 25

what is effort after meaning?

Answer 25

people recalled the general point not the specific details then try to interpret the event afterwards

Question 26

what is interference?

Answer 26

forgetting information because other memories get in the way, this is especially likely to occur if two memories are very alike

Question 27

what is context?

Answer 27

the surroundings for an event, thought or memory which enable these things to be more fully understood and may act as a cue to recall. context can be body state (e.g moods), smells, environment (e.g rooms) etc

Question 28

what is proactive interference?

Answer 28

past learned information prevent recall of new learned information

Question 29

what is retroactive interference?

Answer 29

newly learned information prevent recall of previously learned information