Memory Flashcards
Storage
Holding information in the memory system
Encoding
Changing information so that it can be stored
Retrieval
Recovering information from storage
Sensory store
Holds information received from the senses for less than a second. It’s capacity is very limited
Short term store
Holds approximately seven chunks of information for less than a minute
Long term store
Holds an unlimited amount of information for up to a lifetime
Recency effect
Information received later is recalled better than earlier information
Primacy effect
The first information received is recalled better than subsequent information
Reconstructive memory
Altering our recollection of things so that they make more sense to us
Structural processing
Thinking about the physical appearance of words to be learnt
Phonetic processing
Thinking about the sound of words to be learnt
Semantic processing
Thinking about the meaning of words to be learnt
Levels of processing
The depth at which information is thought about when trying to learn it
Interference
Things that we have learnt that make it difficult to recall other information that we have learnt
Retroactive interference
When information we have recently learnt hinders our ability to recall information we have learnt previously
Proactive interference
When information we have already learnt hinders our ability to recall new information
Context
The general setting or environment in which activities happen
Anterograde amnesia
Being unable to learn new information after suffering brain damage
Hippocampus
A brain structure that is crucial for memory
Retrograde amnesia
Loss of memory for events that happened beiges brain damage occurred
Reliability
In the context of eyewitness testimony, the extent to which it can be regarded as accurate
Leading question
A question that hints that a particular type of answer is required
Cognitive interview
A method of questioning witnesses that involves recreating the context of an event
Stereotype
An oversimplified, generalised set of ideas that we have about others, for example, secondary school head teachers are strict, intimidating, scary and male
