memory key term glossary

Question 1

anxiety

Answer 1

state of emotional arousal where there is a feeling of apprehension and uncertainty

Question 2

articulatory process

Answer 2

part of the phonological loop that repeats sounds and words to keep them in working memory until they are needed

Question 3

capacity

Answer 3

amount of information that can be held in memory

Question 4

central executive

Answer 4

attentional processor that coordinates and directs other slave systems

Question 5

chunking

Answer 5

method of increasing short term memory by grouping information into larger units

Question 6

coding

Answer 6

changing format of information for use in memory

Question 7

cognitive interview

Answer 7

interview technique devised to improve accuracy of witness recall

Question 8

context dependent failure

Answer 8

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

Question 9

cue dependent forgetting

Answer 9

failure to recall information due to an absent of retrieval cues

Question 10

duration

Answer 10

length of time information stays in memory

Question 11

episodic buffer

Answer 11

part of wmm which is a temporary store integrating information from the other components

Question 12

episodic memory

Answer 12

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

Question 13

eyewitness testimony

Answer 13

an account given by people of an event they have witnessed

Question 14

forgetting

Answer 14

failure to retrieve memories

Question 15

inner scribe

Answer 15

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

Question 16

interference memory

Answer 16

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

Question 17

leading question

Answer 17

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

Question 18

long term memory

Answer 18

permanent store holding unlimited amounts of information for long periods

Question 19

misleading information

Answer 19

incorrect information given by an eyewitness after an event

Question 20

multi store model

Answer 20

Atkinson and Shiffrin
A cognitive approach that explains of memory as information flowing through a series of storage systems

Question 21

phonological loop

Answer 21

part of wmm that deals with auditory information

Question 22

post event discussion

Answer 22

potentially misleading and contaminated information as witnesses discuss what they saw afterwards so adopt new information to their own memories

Question 23

proactive interference

Answer 23

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

Question 24

procedural memory

Answer 24

long term memory for ‘knowing how’

Question 25

retrieval

Answer 25

recall of stored memories

Question 26

retrieval failure

Answer 26

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

Question 27

retroactive interference

Answer 27

occurs when newly learned information interferes and impedes on recall of previously learned information

Question 28

schema

Answer 28

cognitive framework or concept that helps organize and interpret information

Question 29

semantic memory

Answer 29

type of long term memory for information about the world and facts. It is declarative

Question 30

sensory register

Answer 30

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

Question 31

short term memory

Answer 31

a temporary memory store (18-30 seconds) that holds limited amount of information (5-9 items) for

Question 32

state dependent failure

Answer 32

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

Question 33

visuo cache

Answer 33

part of visuo spatial sketchpad that stores information about form and colour

Question 34

visuo spatial sketchpad

Answer 34

part of working memory that links with visual information

Question 35

working memory model

Answer 35

Baddley and Hitch model that suggests stm is composed of three limited capacity stores. It is concerned with the mind that is active when we are permanently storing information

Question 36

maintenance rehearsal

Answer 36

occurs when we repeat material to ourselves over and over again

Question 37

phonological store

Answer 37

stores the words heard

Question 38

encoding specificity principle

Answer 38

Tulving forgetting is more likely to occur when the context in which the memory is recalled is different from the context in which it was encoded

Question 39

yerkes dodson law

Answer 39

Illustrared as a bell-shaped curve, the law dictates that performance increases with physiological or mental arousal, but only up to a point. When levels of arousal become too high, performance decreases.

Question 40

enhanced cognitive interview

Answer 40

Fisher et al developed additional elements to the CI to focus on the social dynamics of the interaction (eye contact, minimising distractions, asking open ended questions)