Memory Definitions

Question 1

Anxiety

Answer 1

State of emotional arousal where there is a feeling or experience of apprehension and uncertainty

Question 2

Central executive

Answer 2

Part of working memory that coordinates other components

Question 3

Cognitive interview

Answer 3

Interview technique devised to improve the accuracy of witness recall

Question 4

Context-dependent failure

Answer 4

Forgetting which occurs because the external cues at recall are different to those at the time of learning

Question 5

Duration

Answer 5

The length of time information remains in memory

Question 6

Episodic buffer

Answer 6

Part of working memory which is a temporary store integrating information from the other components

Question 7

Episodic memory

Answer 7

Type of long-term memory for information about specific experiences and events in our lives

Question 8

Eyewitness testimony

Answer 8

An account given by people of an event they have witnessed

Question 9

Forgetting

Answer 9

Failure to retrieve memories

Question 10

Inner scribe

Answer 10

Stores information about the physical relationship of items (part of the visuo-spatial sketchpad)

Question 11

Interference theory

Answer 11

Memory can be disrupted not only by previous learning but also by what is learned in the future

Question 12

Leading question

Answer 12

Question phrased in such a way that it prompts a particular kind of answer

Question 13

Long-term memory

Answer 13

Permanent store holding unlimited amounts of information for long periods

Question 14

Misleading information

Answer 14

Incorrect information given the an eyewitness after an event

Question 15

Mnemonics

Answer 15

Techniques used to improve memory

Question 16

Multi-store model

Answer 16

Explanation of memory that sees information flowing through a series of storage systems

Question 17

Phonological loop

Answer 17

Part of working memory that deals with auditory information

Question 18

Post-event discussion

Answer 18

A potential source of misleading information where witnesses discuss what they saw afterwards

Question 19

Primary acoustic store

Answer 19

Part of the phonological loop which stores words heard

Question 20

Proactive interference

Answer 20

A cause of forgetting by which previously stored information prevents learning and remembering new information

Question 21

Procedural memory

Answer 21

Long-term memory for “knowing how”

Question 22

Repression

Answer 22

Unpleasant material is pushed into the unconscious mind

Question 23

Retrieval

Answer 23

The recall of stored memories

Question 24

Retrieval failure

Answer 24

Difficulties in recall that are due to the absence of the correct retrieval cues

Question 25

Retroactive interference

Answer 25

Occurs when newly learned information interferes with and impedes the recall of previously learned information

Question 26

Schema

Answer 26

A cognitive framework or concept that helps organize and interpret information

Question 27

Semantic memory

Answer 27

Type of long-term memory for information about the world that is not linked to particular contexts or events

Question 28

Sensory register

Answer 28

Store of sensory information that lasts no more than a few seconds

Question 29

Short-term memory

Answer 29

Temporary memory store that holds limited amount of information for a short period of time

Question 30

State-dependent failure

Answer 30

Forgetting which occurs because the emotional or physical state at recall is different to that at the time of learning

Question 31

Visual cache

Answer 31

Part of the visuo-spatial sketchpad that stores information about form and colour

Question 32

Visuo-spatial sketchpad

Answer 32

Part of working memory that deals with visual information

Question 33

Working memory model

Answer 33

Model that suggests short-term memory is composed of three, limited capacity stores