Unit Cognition Flashcards
automatic processing
unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings. (p. 320)
automatic processing
unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings. (p. 320)
Deep processing
encoding semantically, based on the meaning of the words; tends to yield the best retention. (p. 325)
Echoic memory
a momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds. (p. 322)
Effortful memory
encoding that requires attention and conscious effort. (p. 320)
Encoding
the processing of information into the memory system–for example, by extracting meaning. (p. 319)
Explicit memory
memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and “declare.” (Also called declarative memory.) (p. 320)
Ionic memory
a momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second. (p. 322)
Implicit memory
retention independent of conscious recollection. (Also called nondeclarative memory.) (p. 320)
Long term memory
the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences. (p. 319)
Memory
the persistence of learning over time through the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information. (p. 318)
Mnemonics
memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices. (p. 323)
Parallel processing
the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving. (p. 319)
Retrieval
the process of getting information out of memory storage. (p. 319)
sensory memory
the immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system. (p. 319)
shallow processing
encoding on a basic level based on the structure or appearance of words. (p. 324)
short-term memory
activated memory that holds a few items briefly, such as the seven digits of a phone number while dialing, before the information is stored or forgotten. (p. 319)
spacing effect
the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice. (p. 324)
storage
the process of retaining encoded information over time. (p. 319)
testing effect
enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information. Also sometimes referred to as a retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning. (p. 324)
working memory
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. (p. 320)
flashbulb memory
a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event. (p. 332)
hippocampus
a neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage. (p. 330)
long-term potentiation (LTP)
an increase in a cell’s firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory. (p. 333)
mood-congruent memory
the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one’s current good or bad mood. (p. 337)
priming
the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response. (p. 336)
recall
a measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test. (p. 334)
recognition
a measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test. (p. 334)
relearning
a measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material again. (p. 334)
serial position effect
our tendency to recall best the last (a recency effect) and first items (a primacy effect) in a list. (p. 337)
anterograde amnesia
an inability to form new memories. (p. 342)
Dejavú
that eerie sense that “I’ve experienced this before.” Cues from the current situation may unconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience. (p. 349)
misinformation effect
incorporating misleading information into one’s memory of an event. (p. 347)
proactive interference
the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information. (p. 345)
repression
in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories. (p. 346)
retroactive interference
the disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information. (p. 345)
retrograde amnesia
an inability to retrieve information from one’s past. (p. 342)
source amnesia
attributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined. (Also called source misattribution.) Source amnesia, along with the misinformation effect, is at the heart of many false memories. (p. 349)