memory Flashcards
what is retrieval of memory?
the process of recalling info stored in memory and bring it back into consciousness
what is recall in memory?
you have to retrieve info from memory without much help
when is recall memory required?
during essay style questions
when is recognition memory required?
multiple choice questions
is recognition or recall memory harder?
recall
what is recognition in memory?
retrieval is aided by clues, tends to be easier
what is storage for memory?
the process of maintaining info in memory over time
what is episodic memory?
memory of an event that happened while one was present
what was procedural memory?
contains memory of how to do things
what is semantic memory?
a type of memory containing generalised knowledge of the world, doesn’t involve memory of a specific event
what is visual memory?
the mental representation of info as images, such as image of your friend’s face
what is auditory/acoustic memory?
mental representation of info as a sequence of sound
what is encoding?
the process of acquiring info and entering it into memory
what are the types of memory codes?
- acoustic
- visual
- semantic
what are the types of long-term memory?
- episodic
- procedural
- semantic
what are types of retrieval tests?
- recall
- recognition
what is explicit memory?
the process of intentional and conscious trying to remember something such as the correct answers to exam
what is implicit memory?
the unintentional recollection and influence of prior experiences
what is maintenance rehearsal?
repeating info over and over to keep it active in short-term memory, is an effective way to remember temporarily
what is elaborative rehearsal?
a memorisation method that involves thinking about how info relates to already stored info in long-term memory
what does the levels-of-processing model of memory suggest?
that what you remember depends the extent to which you encode and process info when first encountered. Depends on the degree info is mentally processed
what is transfer-appropriate processing in memory?
a model that suggests that a critical determinant of memory is how well that retrieval process matches the original encoding process
what is the parallel distributed processing in memory?
theoretical model of object recognition in which various elements are thought to be simultaneously analysed by widely distributed neural units in brain
what does the parallel distributed processing model suggest?
new experiences do more than provide facts that are stored and retrieved. facts are also combined with what you already know
what is the multiple memory systems model of memory?
the notion that there are seperate but interacting memory systems each with a different function
what is the information-processing model of memory?
info is seen as passing through three stages of mental processing
what are the three stages of mental processing of the information-processing model?
- sensory memory
- short-term memory
- long-term memory
what is sensory memory?
a type of memory that holds large amounts of incoming info very briefly, but long enough to connect one impression to another
what is iconic memory?
the sensory register for visual info
what does selective attention in sensory memory control?
what info is processed further, perceptual systems capture the fleeting impressions of sensory memory and transfer that to short-term memory
what is short-term memory?
the maintenance of a component of working memory, which holds unrehearsed info for a limited time
how long is short-term memory able to hold info?
up to 18secs
what is working memory?
the part of the memory system that allows us to mentally work with, or manipulate info being held in short-term
what is maintenance in the working memory?
holding info in short-term memory
what is manipulation in the working memory?
working on info held in short-term
what is encoding in the short-term memory?
encoding info in the short-term memories much more elaborate and varied than the sensory registers
what is acoustic encoding in short-term memory?
(by sound) seems to dominate, mistakes tend to arise involving substitution of similar sounds
does visual encoding fade quicker than acoustic?
yes
what is the immediate memory span of the short-term memory?
the max number of items a person can recall perfectly after one presentation
what is chunking in short-term memory?
organising individual stimuli so that they will be perceived as larger units of meaningful info
what is the brown-peterson distractor technique?
a method for determining how long unrehearsed info remains in short-term memory
what is long-term memory?
the part that encodes and stores memories that can last a lifetime
what is putting info into long-term memory often the result of?
the more conscious process called semantic encoding
what is the primary effect of recall in memory?
characteristic of memory in which recall of the first two or three items in a list is particularly good
what is the regency effect of recall in memory?
characteristic of memory in which recall of the last few items in a list is particularly good
what are retrieval cues?
a stimulus that aids the recall or recognition of info stored in memory
what is the encoding specificity principle?
a principle stating that the ability of a cue to aid retrieval depends on the degree to which it taps into info that was encoded at the time of original learning
what is context-specific memory?
memory that can be helped or hindered by similarities or differences between context which is learned and which is recalled
what is state-dependent memory?
memory that is aided or impeded by a person’s internal state
what is spreading activation in memory?
a principle that explains how info is retrieved in a semantic network theory of memory
what are some retrievals of incomplete knowledge?
- tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
- feeling-of-knowing experience
what is the decay theory?
a description of forgetting as a gradual disappearance of info from memory
what seems to play the main role in forgetting in the short-term?
decay theory
what is interference in memory?
the process through which either the storage or the retrieval of info is impaired by the presence of other info
what is more tied to forgetting in the long-term?
interference
what is retroactive inhibition in memory?
a cause of forgetting in which new info placed in memory interferes with the ability to recall info already in memory
what is proactive inhibition?
a cause of forgetting in which info already in the long-term memory interferes with the ability to remember new info
what can damage to the hippocampus result in?
- anterograde amnesia
- retrograde amnesia
