Topic 2- Memory Vocab Flashcards
Sensory register
Our immediate memory of sensory information
Short-term memory
Our initial memory store that is temporary and limited.
Long-term memory
A memory store that holds potentially limitless amounts of information for up to a lifetime.
Long-term memory
A memory store that holds potentially limitless amounts of information for up to a lifetime.
Duration
The length of time information can be stored in short-term and long-term memory.
Capacity
The amount of information that can be stored in short-term and long-term memory.
Encoding
Turning sensory information into a form that can be used and stored by the brain.
Rehearse
When we repeat information over and over again to make it stick.
Displacement
When the short-term memory becomes ‘full’ and new information pushes out older information.
Interference
When new information overwrites older information, for example when a new phone number takes the place of an old phone number in your memory.
Processing
The operations we perform on sensory information in the brain.
Input
For human memory, this refers to the sensory information we receive from our environment.
Storage
The retention of information in our memory system.
Encoding
Turning sensory information into a form that can be used and stored by the brain.
Acoustic encoding
The process of storing sound in our memory system.
Visual encoding
The process of storing something that is seen in our memory system.
Semantic encoding
The process of storing the meaning of information in our memory system, rather than the sound of a word, we store the definition / meaning of that word.
output
refers to our behavioral response from memory
retrieval
the recall of stored memories
amnesia
memory loss due to an accident, disease or injury
anterograde amnesia
no new long-term memories can be formed
retrograde amnesia
affects the recall of memories prior to an injury to the brain (affects long term memory)
active reconstruction
memory is not an exact copy of what we experienced, but a reconstruction of events that are influenced by our schema
schema
a packet of knowledge that influences how we perceive and remember
omission
leaving out unfamiliar or irrelevant details when remembering something
transformation
when details are changed to make them more familiar and rational
familiarization
when unfamiliar details are changed to align with our personal schemas
rationalization
adding details into our recall to give a reason for something that may have not originally fitted with our schema
cognitive interview
a police interview designed to ensure that a witness to a crime does not actively reconstruct their memory
ecological validity
extent to which the findings explain the behavior in different situations
subjective
based on a personal opinion or feeling
sensory register
our immediate memory of sensory information
attention
focus on certain sensory information
trigram
meaningless string of 3 letters
iconic memory
sensory register for visual information
echoic memory
sensory register for auditory information
modality free
not linked to a specific type of sensory information
primacy
tendency to recall words at the beginning of a list
recency
tendency to recall words at the end of a list when asked to remember it
serial reproduction
Technique where participants retell something to another participant to form a chain
Repeated reproduction
Technique where participants are asked to recall something again and again
Reliable
When the outcomes of a study are consistent
Statistical analysis
Mathematical calculations performed on data go see wether findings could be due to chance
Standardized procedure
Where the procedure of the study is the same across all conditions
Extraneous variables
Variables that could affect the results of the study
Mundane realism
A realistic, everyday task
Reductionism
Theory of explaining something according to it’s basic constituent parts
Reductionist
Practice of reductionism
Holistic
Practice of holism
Holism
Theory of explaining something as a whole
