Memory Flashcards
Define memory
The process that allows us to record, store and later retrieve experiences and information
Define encoding
Getting information into the system by translating it into a neural code that your brain processes
Define storage
Retaining information over time
Define retrieval
Processes that access and use stored information
Who devised the three stage memory model
James, Atkinson and Shiffrin
What are the three stages of the three stage memory model
Sensory memory
Short term memory
Long term memory
What does sensory memory do
Briefly holds incoming sensory information
What are sensory registers
Initial information processors
What is stored in the iconic store
Visual information
What is stored in the echoic store
Auditory information
What is short term memory
A memory store that temporarily holds a limited amount of information
What are memory codes
Mental representations of some type of informatIon or stimulus
What are visual memory codes
Mental images
What are phonological memory codes
Sounds
What are semantic memory codes
Meanings
What are motor memory codes
Patterns of movement
What is chunking
Combining individual items into larger units of meaning
What is working memory
A limited capacity system that temporarily stores and processes information
What does the phonological loop do
Stores mental representations of sound
What does the visuospatial sketchpad do
Stores visual and spatial information
What does the episodic buffer do
Integrates and manipulates information from the phonological and visuospatial sketchpad
What does the central executive do
Directs overall action, controls the focus of attention and integrates information in the episodic buffer
What is long term memory
Our vast library of more durable stored memory
What is the serial position effect
The ability to recall an item is influenced by the items position in a series
What is effortful processing
Encoding that is initiated intentionally and requires conscious attention
What is automatic processing
Encoding that occurs without intention and requires minimal attention
What does structural encoding require
Remembering how the stimulus looks
What is phonological encoding
Remembering how the stimulus sounds
What is semantic encoding
Remembering what the stimulus means
What is maintenance rehearsal
Simple, rote repetition
What is elaborate rehearsal
Focus in on the meaning of information or expanding it in some way
What is dual coding theory
Encoding information using both verbal and visual codes enhances memory because the odds improve that at least one of the codes will be available later to support recall
What is the method of loci
A memory aid that associates information with mental images of physical locations
What does the peg word technique involve
The association of items to be remembered with a set of mental pegs
What is a mnemonist
A person who displays extraordinary memory skills
What is the associative network
A massive network of associated ideas and concepts
What is priming
The activation of one concept by another
What are neural networks
Computer models whose programming incorporates principles taken from the operation of the nervous system
What is a node
A small information processing unit
What are parallel distributed processing nodes
Nodes that are distributed throughout the network fire in parallel and spread their activation to other nodes
What does declarative memory involve
Factual knowledge
What does episodic memory contain
Knowledge concerning personal experiences
What does semantic memory contain
General factual knowledge about the world and languages
What is explicit memory
Conscious or internal memory retrieval, as when you consciously recognise or recall something
What is recognition
Deciding whether a stimulus is familiar
What is recall
Spontaneous memory retrieval
What is implicit memory
Memory that influences our behaviour without conscious awareness
What is a retrieval clue
A stimulus, whether internal or external, that activates information stored in long term memory
What are autobiographical memories
Recollections of personally experienced events that make up the stories of our lives
What are flashbulb memories
Recollections that seem so vivid and clear that we can picture them as if they were snapshots of moments in time
What is the encoding specificity principle
Memory is enhanced when conditions present during retrieval match those that were present during
What does context dependent memory mean
It is typically easier to remember something in the same environment in which it was originally encoded
What does state dependent memory mean
It is typically easier to remember something when our internal state at the time of retrieval matches our original state during learning
What does mode congruent recall mean
We tend to recall information or events that are congruent with our current mood
What is encoding failure
Much of what we sense simply is not processed deeply enough to be committed to memory
What is decay theory
Proposed that with time and disuse the long term physical memory trace in the nervous system fades away
What is interference theory
We forget information because other items in long term memory impair our ability to retrieve it
What is proactive interference
Material learned in the past interferes with recall of newer material
What is retroactive interference
Recently learned material interferes with the recall of material learned in the past
What is the tip of the tongue state
We cannot recall something but feel that we are on the verge of remembering it
What does motivated forgetting mean
People are consciously or unconsciously motivated to forget
What is repression
A motivational process that protects us by blocking the conscious recall of anxiety arousing memories
What is retrospective memory
Memory of past events
What is prospective memory
Remembering to perform an activity in the future
What is amnesia
Memory loss due to special conditions, such as brain injury, illness or psychological trauma
What is retrograde amnesia
Memory loss for events that took place sometime in life before the onset of amnesia
What is anterograde amnesia
Memory loss for events that occur after the initial onset of amnesia
What is dementia
Impaired memory and other cognitive deficits that accompany brain degeneration and interfere with normal functioning
What is Alzheimer’s disease
A progressive brain disorder that is the most common cause of dementia among adults over the age of 65
What are symptoms of dementia
Forgetfulness
Poor judgement
Confusion
Disorientation
What are plaques
Clumps of protein fragments that build up on the outside of neurons
What are tangles
Fibres tag get twisted and wound together within neurons
What is infantile amnesia
The inability to remember personal experiences form the first few years of our lives
What is the misinformation effect
The distortion of a memory by misleading post event information
What is source confusion
Our tendency to recall something or recognise it as familiar but to forget where we encountered it
Where are sensory memories processed
The cerebral cortex
Where are working memories processed
Different lobes of the brain
Where are long term memories stored
The hippocampus and surrounding areas
What is memory consolidation
A hypothetical and gradual binding process
What is the Amygdala responsible for
The encoding of emotional aspects of memory
What does the cerebellum do
Plays an important role in procedural memory
