Memory

Question 0

3-stage memory model

Answer 0

• 3 boxes
• each box = Separate memory system
• info not transferred to ltm from sensory memory or stm, it’s assumed to be lost
• info in ltm can be sent back to STM for use

Question 1

Memory

Answer 1

An internal record or representation of some prior event or experience

Question 2

Sensory memory

Answer 2

• first memory stage that holds info

- relatively large capacity, but duration is only a few seconds

Question 3

Short term memory

Answer 3

• Second memory stage that temporarily stores sensory information and decides whether to send it on to ltm
• limited capacity (5-9 items)
• duration: approx 30 secs

Question 4

Maintenance rehearsal

Answer 4

Repeating info over and over to maintain it in STM

Question 5

Chunking

Answer 5

Grouping separate pieces of information into a single unit (or chunk)

Question 6

Long-term memory

Answer 6

• Third stage of memory that stores info for long periods of time
• capacity is virtually limitless
• duration is relatively permanent

Question 7

Encoding

Answer 7

Translating info into neural codes (language)

Question 8

Storage

Answer 8

Retaining neutrally coded information over time

Question 9

Retrieval

Answer 9

Recovering information from memory storage

Question 10

Parallel distributed processing (pdp)

Answer 10

Memory results from connections among interacting processing units, distributed in a vast network and all operating parallel

Question 11

Elaborative rehearsal

Answer 11

Linking new information to previously stored material (aka: deeper levels of processing)

Question 12

Explicit/declarative memory

Answer 12

Sub-system within long-term memory that consciously stores facts, info, & personal life experiences

Question 13

Semantic memory

Answer 13

A part of explicit/declarative memory that stores general knowledge; a mental encyclopedia or dictionary

Question 14

Episodic memory

Answer 14

A part of explicit/declarative memory that stores memories of personally experienced events, a mental diary of a person’s life

Question 15

Implicit/non declarative memory

Answer 15

Subsystem within long term memory that consists of unconscious procedural skills, simple classically conditioned responses, and priming

Question 16

Priming

Answer 16

Prior exposure to a stimulus (or prime) facilitates or inhibits the processing of new information, even when one has no conscious memory of the initial learning and storage

Question 17

Retrieval cue

Answer 17

A clue or prompt that helps stimulate recall and retrieval of a stores piece of information from ltm

Question 18

Recognition

Answer 18

Retrieving a memory using a specific cue

Ex. Taking multiple choice tests

Question 19

Recall

Answer 19

Retrieving a memory using a general cue

Ex. Essay tests

Question 20

Encoding specificity principle

Answer 20

Retrieval of information is improved when conditions of recovery are similar to the conditions when info was encoded

Question 21

Long-term potentiation (ltp)

Answer 21

Long lasting increase in neural excitability believed to be a biological mechanism for learning & memory

Question 22

Flashbulb memory (hormonal changes & memory)

Answer 22

Vivid images of circumstances associated by surprising it strongly emotional events

Question 23

Relearning

Answer 23

Learning material a second time, which usually takes less time than original learning (aka: savings method)

Question 24

Serial position effect

Answer 24

Remembering info at the beginning and the end of a list better than material in the middle

Question 25

Distributed practice

Answer 25

Practice/study sessions are interspersed with rest sessions

Question 26

Massed practice

Answer 26

Time spent learning is grouped/massed into long, unbroken intervals (aka cramming)

Question 27

Retroactive inference

Answer 27

New info interferes with remembering old info

Question 28

Proactive inference

Answer 28

Old info interferes with new info

Question 29

Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

Answer 29

A retrieval failure that involves a sensation of knowing that specific info is stored in ltm but being temporarily unable to retrieve it

Question 30

Retrograde amnesia

Answer 30

Loss of memory for events before an injury

Question 31

Anterograde amnesia

Answer 31

Inability to form new memories after an injury

Question 32

Alzheimer’s disease

Answer 32

Progressive mental deterioration characterized by severe memory loss

Question 33

Constructive process

Answer 33

Organizing and shaping of info during encoding & retrieval that may cause memory errors & distortion a

Question 34

Source amnesia

Answer 34

Attributing to a wrong source an event that we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined (aka: source confusion, source misattribution)

Question 35

Sleeper effect

Answer 35

Tendency to initially discount info from an unreliable source, but later consider it more trustworthy because the source is forgotten

Question 36

Mnemonic device

Answer 36

Memory-improvement technique based on encoding items in a special way

Question 37

Decay theory

Answer 37

Memory degrades over time

Question 38

Interference theory

Answer 38

One memory competes with and then replaces another

Question 39

Motivated forgetting theory

Answer 39

An unconscious wish to forget something unpleasant

Question 40

Encoding failure

Answer 40

We decide there is no need to remember this info so it is not encoded or passed on for storage

Question 41

Retrieval failure

Answer 41

Memories stored in ltm are momentarily inaccessible

Question 42

Reflexive thinking

Answer 42

To think about your thinking