second test on memory Flashcards
Memory?
persistence of learning over time via the storage and retrieval of info
flashbulb memory?
a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event; San Francisco residence recalling 1989 Earthquake
Encoding
Get info into our brain
Storage
retaining information
Retrieval
getting the information back later
Long Term Memory?
relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system
Short Term Memory?
activated memory that holds few items briefly; phone number just dial
Automatic Processing ?
unconscious encoding of incidental info; occurs with little or no effort, without our awareness, and without interfering with our thinking of other things; space, time, frequency, well-learned info
Effortful Processing?
encoding that requires attention and conscious effort; memorizing these notes for the AP Psychology exam
Rehearsal?
conscious repetition of info, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage
Next in Line Effect?
when people go around circle saying names/words, poorest memories are for name/word person before them said
Spacing effect?
Retain info better when rehearsal distributed over time
Serial position effect?
tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list
Semantic Encoding?
encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words
Acoustic Encoding?
encoding of sound, especially the sound of words
Visual Encoding?
encoding of picture images
Which type of encoding, Semantic Acoustic or Visual, yielded the best results?
semantic
Imagery?
mental pictures; powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding;can easily picture where we were yesterday, where we sat, and what we wore
Mnemonic?
any learning technique that aids information retention in the human memory. Mnemonics aim to translate information into a form that the brain can retain better than its original form.
Chunking?
organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically; Able remember info best when able to organize it into personal meaningful arrangements
Why do we forget information or not have it encoded into our brains?
never entered memory system
Sensory Memory?
immediate, initial recording of sensory info in memory system. For example the ability to look at something and remember it with just a second of observation is sensory memory
Iconic Memory?
momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; photographic/picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a sec
Echoic Memory?
momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 sec; auditory = ear, which starts with “e” like echoic
Short Term Memory?
without active processing, short-term memories have limited life, only process about 7 bits of info like a phone number
Long Term Memory?
capacity for storing long-term memories is practically limitless
Long Term Potential?
increase in a synapse’s firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation; believed to be neural basis for learning and memory; passing electric current through brain won’t disrupt old memories, but wipe up recent experiences; football player with blow to head won’t recall name of play before the blow; Drugs that block neurotransmitters also disrupt info storage; drunk people hardly remembers previous evening; Stimulating hormones affect memory as more glucose available to fuel brain activity, indicating important event – sears events onto brain; remembering first kiss, earthquake
Amnesia?
loss of memory
Implicit Memory?
retention without conscious recollection (of skills and dispositions); how to do something, riding a bike
Explicit Memory?
memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and “declare”; remember it was done before
Recall?
measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier; fill-in-the-blank test; Once learned and forgotten, relearning something becomes quicker than when originally first learned
Recognition?
measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned; multiple-choice test
Relearning?
memory measure that assesses the amount of time saved when relearning previously learned info
Priming?
activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory
Déjà vu?
eerie sense that “I’ve experienced this before.” Cues from current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience
State-dependent memory?
Things we learn in one state (joyful, sad, drunk, sober, etc) are more easily recalled when in same state
Mood-Congruent Memory?
tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one’s current good or bad mood
Proactive interference (forward-acting)?
disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new info; old combination lock numbers may interfere with recalling of new numbers; “pro”(after = new) interference = interference on new info
Retroactive interference (backward-acting)?
disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old info; teachers who just learn students’ names from present class have trouble recalling previous class’ students’ names; retro (before = old) interference = interference on old info
Repression?
in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defence mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness
