19 Retrieval Failures & Forgetting in Psychology (PSYC 332)

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the mechanisms of forgetting and memory retrieval in psychology.

Forgetting

The inability to retrieve or recall information that was previously stored in memory.

Encoding Failure

The failure to process information into memory, often due to lack of attention.

Retrieval Failure

When information is available in memory but cannot be accessed.

Motivated Forgetting

The intentional or unintentional banishing of memories that provoke anxiety.

Alzheimer’s Disease

A degenerative brain disease that impairs memory and cognitive function.

Anterograde Amnesia

The inability to form new memories after a specific event.

Retrograde Amnesia

The loss of memory for events that occurred before a specific event.

Weapon Focus Effect

A phenomenon where heightened arousal affects memory encoding during stressful situations.

Hippocampus

A brain structure critical for the formation and retrieval of memories.

Clive Wearing

A person who suffered from viral encephalitis, resulting in profound amnesia.

Richard Thompson

A psychologist known for his research on memory formation and the removal of conditioned responses.

Tip-of-the-Tongue (TOT) state

A state where a person cannot retrieve a word or memory but feels that retrieval is imminent.