PS5: memory

Question 1

encoding

Answer 1

process of committing new information to memory

Question 2

controlled processing

Answer 2

aka effortful processing; active encoding, in which we consciously label pieces of info to be memorized

Question 3

automatic processing

Answer 3

encoding without explicitly labeling info to be encoded

Question 4

semantic encoding

Answer 4

process of putting things into a meaningful context to help store it in one’s memory

Question 5

self-reference effect

Answer 5

info that is most pertinent to one’s past experience is most easily encoded and retrieved

Question 6

visual encoding

Answer 6

info is stored in diagrams and figures

Question 7

auditory encoding

Answer 7

storage of info in sound

Question 8

maintenance rehearsal

Answer 8

process of repeating info to store it in memory

Question 9

mnemonics

Answer 9

developing acronyms and rhymes that consolidate lists of info

Question 10

method of loci

Answer 10

organizing info in a list and associating each item with a spatial location in an imagined physical space

Question 11

peg-words

Answer 11

organizing info by associating words with images

Question 12

chunking

Answer 12

organizing lists of info into smaller groups

Question 13

confabulation

Answer 13

the creation of made-up stories to fill in gaps in our memory

Question 14

source-monitoring error

Answer 14

when details of an event are correctly remembered, but the origin of context of the info is incorrectly attributed

Question 15

misinformation effect

Answer 15

when information or context drastically changes the perception of an event

Question 16

sensory memory

Answer 16

info that is received from the environment by the senses

Question 17

iconic memory

Answer 17

visual sensory memory

Question 18

echoic memory

Answer 18

auditory sensory memory (lasts slightly longer than iconic)

Question 19

short-term memory

Answer 19

lasts about 30 seconds, can hold about seven items at a time

Question 20

long-term memory

Answer 20

no limit on amount of info stored

Question 21

implicit memory

Answer 21

aka procedural memory; includes skills-based knowledge and conditioned responses

Question 22

explicit memory

Answer 22

memories that require active recall

Question 23

semantic memory

Answer 23

stores explicit facts and knowledge

Question 24

episodic memory

Answer 24

stores events and occurrences that have been lived through

Question 25

flashbulb memory

Answer 25

captures elements of both semantic memory and episodic memory, typically results from important or traumatic events

Question 26

elaborative rehearsal

Answer 26

info in short-term memory is moved to long-term memory

Question 27

long-term potentation

Answer 27

process of strengthening and increasing the physiological activity of receptors in a path in order to encode info into long-term memory

Question 28

Alzheimer’s disease

Answer 28

memory loss proceeds in a retrograde fashion (most recent memories are lost first)

Question 29

Korsakoff’s syndrome

Answer 29

caused by a nutritional deficiency of thiamine, most often found in alcoholics. causes both retrograde and anterograde amnesia

Question 30

anterograde amnesia

Answer 30

inability to create new memories

Question 31

interference

Answer 31

presence of certain info causes loss of similar but older info or prevents encoding of new info

Question 32

retroactive interference

Answer 32

occurs when new info displaces old info

Question 33

proactive interference

Answer 33

old info prevents encoding and storage of new info

Question 34

decay

Answer 34

memories lost over time due to failure of encoding in long-term memory

Question 35

spacing effect

Answer 35

the longer the period between relearning sessions, the greater the retention is in the long run

Question 36

retrieval

Answer 36

ability to recreate info that has been stored in memory without use of context clues

Question 37

serial position effect

Answer 37

position of an item in a list will affect the ability of the list to be accurately recalled

Question 38

recognition

Answer 38

ability to use context clues to retrieve info that is related

Question 39

spreading activation

Answer 39

activation of highly related concepts that are interconnected within a semantic network

Question 40

priming

Answer 40

when a cue related to a semantic memory is presented in an attempt to prompt that memory

Question 41

context effects

Answer 41

when the physical location that an individual is in aids with info retrieval

Question 42

state-dependent memory

Answer 42

info learned in a particular emotional state will be better recalled when the person is in the same state as when they learned the info