Unit 7A Vocab

Question 1

Memory

Answer 1

The persistence of learning overtime through the storage and retrieval of information

Question 2

Encoding

Answer 2

The processing of information into the memory system

Question 3

Storage

Answer 3

The retention of encoded information over time

Question 4

Sensory memory

Answer 4

The immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system

Question 5

Short term memory

Answer 5

Activated memory that holds A few items briefly, such as the seven digits of a phone number while dialing, before the image is stored or forgotten

Question 6

Retrieval

Answer 6

The process of getting information out of the memory storage

Question 7

Long term memory

Answer 7

The relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.

Question 8

Working memory

Answer 8

A newer understanding of short – term memory that focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual – spatial information, and of information retrieved from long-term memory

Question 9

Parallel processing

Answer 9

The processing of many aspects of a problem Simultaneously; the brains natural mode of information processing for many functions. Contrasts with the step-by-step processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving

Question 10

Automatic processing

Answer 10

Unconscious encoding of incidental information, such a space, time, and frequency, and of well learned information such as word meanings

Question 11

Effortful pfocessing

Answer 11

Encoding that requires attention and conscious effort

Question 12

Rehearsal

Answer 12

The conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage

Question 13

Spacing Effect

Answer 13

The tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention then is achieved through massed study or practice

Question 14

Serial position effect

Answer 14

Our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list

Question 15

Visual encoding

Answer 15

The encoding of picture images

Question 16

Acoustic encoding

Answer 16

The encoding of sound, especially the sound of words

Question 17

Semantic encoding

Answer 17

The encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words

Question 18

Imagery

Answer 18

Mental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding.

Question 19

Mnemonics

Answer 19

Memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices

Question 20

Chunking

Answer 20

Organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically

Question 21

Iconic memory

Answer 21

A momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic, or picture image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second

Question 22

Echoic memory

Answer 22

A momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds in words can still be recalled within three or four seconds

Question 23

Long Term Potentiation

Answer 23

An increase in a synapse’s firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory.

Question 24

Flashbulb memory

Answer 24

A clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event

Question 25

Amnesia

Answer 25

The loss of memory

Question 26

Implicit memory

Answer 26

Retention independent of conscious recollection

Question 27

Explicit memory

Answer 27

Memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and declare

Question 28

Hippocampus

Answer 28

A neural center that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage

Question 29

Recall

Answer 29

A measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill in the blank test

Question 30

Recognition

Answer 30

A measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test

Question 31

Relearning

Answer 31

A measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time

Question 32

Priming

Answer 32

The activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory

Question 33

Déjà Vu

Answer 33

That eerie sense that “I’ve experienced this before.” Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience

Question 34

Mood-congruent memory

Answer 34

The tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one’s current good or bad mood

Question 35

Proactive Inferference

Answer 35

The disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information

Question 36

Retroactive interference

Answer 36

The disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information

Question 37

Repression

Answer 37

A psychoanalytic theory, The basic defense mechanism him that banishes from consciousness anxiety arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories.

Question 38

Misinformation Effect

Answer 38

Incorporating misleading information into one’s memory of an event

Question 39

Source Amnesia

Answer 39

Attributing to the wrong source and event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined. Source amnesia, along with the misinformation effect, is at the heart of many false memories.