Module 23: Storing and Retrieving Memories Flashcards
Semantic Memory
Explicit memory of facts and general knowledge; one of our two conscious memory systems (the other is
episodic memory).
Episodic Memory
Explicit memory of personally experienced events; one of our two conscious memory systems (the other is
semantic memory).
Hippocampus
A neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit (conscious) memories—of facts and
events—for storage.
Memory Consolidation
The neural storage of a long-term memory.
Flashbulb Memory
a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.
Long Term Potentiation (LTP)
an increase in a cell’s firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation; a neural basis for learning and memory.
Priming
the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory.
Encoding Specificity Principle
the idea that cues and contexts specific to a particular memory will be most effective in helping us recall it.
Mood-congruent memory
the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one’s current good or bad mood.
Serial Position Effect
our tendency to recall best the last (recency effect) and first (primacy effect) items in a list.
The Recency Effect
Person briefly recalls the last items especially quickly and well, usually because the last items are still in working memory.
The Primacy Effect
After a delay, when a person’s attention was elsewhere, their recall is best for the first items.
Context Dependent Memory
Putting yourself back in the context where you earlier experienced something can prime your memory retrieval.
