Unit 7 Mod 31 AP Psych Notes

Memory

The persistence of learning over time through the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information.

Alzheimer’s disease

A progressive neurodegeneration and fatal condition.

Memory degeneration

Difficulty remembering new information that progresses into an inability to perform everyday tasks.

Recall

Receiving information not currently in conscious awareness that was learned at an earlier time.

Recognition

Identifying items previously learned.

Relearn

Learning something more quickly when it is learned a second or later time.

Information-processing model

A model that likens human memory to computer operations.

Parallel processing

Considering many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions.

Sensory memory

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

Short term memory

Memory that holds a few items briefly before the information is stored or forgotten.

Long term memory

The relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system.

Prospective memory

The ability to remember to do something in the future.

Automatic processing

When memories slip into long-term memory without conscious effort.

Working memory

An updated version of short-term memory that includes conscious active processing of incoming information.

Explicit memory

Retention of facts and experiences from long-term memory that one can consciously declare.

Implicit memory

Retention of learned skills or associations that occur independently of conscious recollection.

Procedural memory

Memory for the performance of specific types of actions.

Frequency

The ability to recall how many times an event has occurred.

Echoic memory

A fleeting sensory memory for auditory stimuli.

Iconic memory

A fleeting sensory memory of visual stimuli.

Maintenance rehearsal

The process of repeating information to keep it in short-term memory.

Elaborate rehearsal

Actively reviewing new information and relating it to information already stored in long-term memory.

Chunking

Organizing items into familiar manageable units.

Mnemonics

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

Hierarchies

Organizing words or concepts into structured levels, improving recall.

Spacing effect

The tendency for distributed study to yield better long-term retention than massed study.

Testing effect

The idea that testing improves learning and memory retention.

Shallow processing

Encoding on a basic level based on the structure or appearance of words.

Deep processing

Encoding semantically based on the meaning of the words; tends to yield the best retention.

Self-reference effect

The tendency to remember personally relevant information better than information that is not personally relevant.