UNIT 5 LESSON 2 Flashcards
Memory & Forgetting
activated memory that holds a few items briefly
Short-term memory
immediate, very brief recording of sensory information into
the memory system; usually referring to touch, taste, and smell.
Sensory memory
the momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli, a picture-image memory lasting no more than a few seconds
Iconic memory
the momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli which occurs even if attention is elsewhere
Echoic memory
the relatively-permanent and
limitless storehouse of the memory system within the cerebral cortex
Long-term memory
memory involved in automatic motor movement
Procedural memory
vivid memories of an often emotionally-significant moment or event
Flashbulb moments
an increase in neuron-firing potential after a brief,
rapid stimulation
Long-term potentiation
other bits of spatial information that help recall memories from a web of neurons
Retrieval cues
the tendency to recall memories that are consistent with one’s current
mood which can help recall memories
mood congruency
the tendency to remember the names or info at the beginning or end of a list, can impact which terms we remember more accurately
serial-position effect
a situational predicament in which people are or feel themselves to be at risk of
conforming to stereotypes about their social group
Stereotype threat
the organizing of information into familiar, manageable units
Chunking
memory aids, like acronyms, and other tricks we use to remember information
Mnemonics
the spacing of learning and relearning (reviewing) information across several days or weeks rather than cramming the information
Spacing effect
self-testing recall has been shown to be more effective than re-reading or
cramming
Testing effect
pioneered research regarding relearning, and analyzed memory data for patients
finding that most information tended to drop off quickly, leaving one with less than 25% of their originally-learned knowledge after a month.
Hermann Ebbinghaus
the condition in which patients fail to develop new memories
Anterograde amnesia
the failure to retrieve old information from one’s past
Retrograde amnesia
the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new
information
Proactive interference
occurs when new learning disrupts the recall of old
information
retroactive interference
the incorporating of misleading information into one’s memory of an account, can cause one to distort or misremember certain
details
misinformation effect
pioneered research on the misinformation effect by working with eyewitness accounts in the legal system and successfully showed that simply re-wording questions altered the recollection of witnesses.
Elizabeth Loftus
attributing an event or memory to the wrong source – occurs when our brains fail to retrieve a memory
Source amnesia
