PSYCH CHAP 8

Question 1

acquisition

Answer 1

The processes of gaining new information and placing it in memory.

Question 2

anterograde amnesia

Answer 2

A memory deficit suffered after some kinds of brain damage, in which the patient seems unable to form new explicit memories; however, memories acquired before the injury are spared. See also retrograde amnesia.

Question 3

chunking

Answer 3

A process of reorganizing (or recoding) materials in working memory by combining a number of items into a single, larger unit.

Question 4

context reinstatement

Answer 4

A way of improving retrieval by re-creating the state of mind that accompanied the initial learning.

Question 5

declarative knowledge

Answer 5

Knowledge of information that can be expressed in words.

Question 6

deep processing

Answer 6

An approach to memorization that involves focusing on the meaning of the stimulus.

Question 7

DRM paradigm

Answer 7

A common procedure for studying memory, in which participants read and then immediately recall a list of related words, but the word providing the “theme” for the list is not included.

Question 8

encoding specificity

Answer 8

The hypothesis that when information is stored in memory, it is not recorded in its original form but translated (“encoded”) into a form that includes the thoughts and understanding of the learner.

Question 9

episodic memory

Answer 9

Memory for specific events and experiences.

Question 10

explicit memory

Answer 10

Conscious memories that can be described at will and can be triggered by a direct question. See also implicit memory.

Question 11

familiarity

Answer 11

A general sense that a certain stimulus has been encountered before.

Question 12

flashbulb memories

Answer 12

Vivid, detailed memories said to be produced by unexpected and emotionally important events.

Question 13

forgetting curve

Answer 13

The graphic pattern representing the relationship between measures of learning and the length of the retention interval: As the retention interval gets longer, memory decreases.

Question 14

implicit memory

Answer 14

Memories that we may not recall consciously, but that are still demonstrable through an indirect test. See also explicit memory.

Question 15

incidental learning

Answer 15

Learning without trying to learn, and often without awareness that learning is occurring.

Question 16

intentional learning

Answer 16

Placing new information into memory in anticipation of being tested on it later.

Question 17

intrusion errors

Answer 17

Memory mistakes in which elements that were not part of the original information get mixed into (“intrude” into) someone’s recall.

Question 18

long-term memory

Answer 18

The vast memory depository containing all of an individual’s knowledge and beliefs?including all those not in use at any given time.

Question 19

maintenance rehearsal

Answer 19

Mechanical repetition of material without thinking about its meaning or patterns.

Question 20

memory consolidation

Answer 20

The biological process through which memories are transformed from a transient and fragile status to a more permanent and robust state; according to most researchers, consolidation occurs over the course of several hours.

Question 21

memory trace

Answer 21

The physical record in the nervous system that preserves a memory.

Question 22

misinformation effect

Answer 22

The result of a procedure in which, after an experience, people are exposed to questions or suggestions that misrepresent what happened. The term refers to people’s tendency to include the misinformation as part of their recall of the original experience.

Question 23

mnemonics

Answer 23

Deliberate techniques people use to memorize new materials.

Question 24

primacy effect

Answer 24

In free recall, the tendency to recall the first items on the list more readily than those in the middle. See also recency effect.

Question 25

procedural knowledge

Answer 25

Knowledge of how to do something, such as riding a bike; expressed in behaviors rather than in words.

Question 26

recall

Answer 26

A type of retrieval that requires you to produce an item from memory in response to a cue or question. See also recognition, recollection.

Question 27

recency effect

Answer 27

In free recall, the tendency to recall items at the end of the list more readily than those in the middle. See also primacy effect.

Question 28

recognition

Answer 28

A type of retrieval that requires you to judge whether you have encountered a stimulus previously. See also recall, recollection.

Question 29

recollection

Answer 29

Recall of the context in which a certain stimulus was encountered. See also recall.

Question 30

retention interval

Answer 30

The time that elapses between learning and retrieval.

Question 31

retrieval

Answer 31

The process of searching for a memory and finding it.

Question 32

retrieval cue

Answer 32

A hint or signal that helps one to recall a memory.

Question 33

retrieval paths

Answer 33

The mental connections linking one idea to the next that people use to locate a bit of information in memory.

Question 34

retrograde amnesia

Answer 34

A memory deficit, often suffered after a head injury, in which the patient loses memory for events that occurred before the injury. See also anterograde amnesia.

Question 35

schema

Answer 35

An individual’s mental representation that summarizes her knowledge about a certain type of event or situation.

Question 36

semantic memory

Answer 36

Memory for facts (including word meanings); these memories are not tied to any specific time or place.

Question 37

shallow processing

Answer 37

An approach to memorization that involves focusing on the superficial characteristics of the stimulus, such as the sound of a word or the typeface in which it’s printed.

Question 38

tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) effect

Answer 38

The condition in which one remains on the verge of retrieving a word or name but continues to be unsuccessful.

Question 39

working memory

Answer 39

A term describing the status of thoughts in memory that are currently activated.