Cognitive Psych Long Term Memory Unit 2

Permastore

Long-lasting knowledge that persists for decades after an initial decline.

Decay

The process where memory traces fade with time.

Proactive interference

When old learning interferes with new learning.

Retroactive interference

When new learning interferes with old learning.

Cue overload / Fan effect

A situation where more facts are linked to a concept, causing competition and slower retrieval.

Retrieval paths

Connections formed during learning that link new material to existing memory to aid later recall.

Context-dependent learning

The finding that learning is dependent on the state (mental, emotional, physical, or biological) the learner is in during acquisition.

State-dependent memory

The phenomenon where material learned sober is better remembered sober, and material learned under the influence is better remembered in that same state.

Mood-dependent memory

The concept that learning something when sad makes you more likely to remember it when sad.

Encoding specificity

The principle of remembering both the materials to be learned and the context in which they appeared.

Spacing effect

The finding that spreading studying across multiple shorter sessions is much more effective than cramming in one day.

Testing effect

The phenomenon where taking tests on material improves learning.

Spreading activation

The process where activation travels within a memory network from node to node via associative links.

Summation

The process where subthreshold activation accumulates in a memory network.

Semantic priming

The activation of an idea in memory causing activation to spread to other ideas related in meaning.

Declarative memory

Explicit memory that involves knowing something with conscious recollection.

Non-declarative memory

Implicit memory that influences behavior without involving conscious recollection.

Anterograde amnesia

A condition characterized by episodic memory impairments while semantic and short-term memories remain largely intact.

Retrograde amnesia

A condition where episodic memories are generally more impaired than semantic memories.

Temporal gradient

The pattern where older episodic memories are more resistant to retrograde amnesia than newer ones due to long-term consolidation.

Semantic dementia

Widespread forgetting of the meanings of words and concepts caused by damage to the anterior temporal lobes.

Korsakoff's syndrome

Amnesia caused by chronic alcoholism.

Perirhinal cortex

A brain region that receives information about specific items needed for familiarity judgements.

Parahippocampal cortex

A brain region that receives information about context needed for recollection judgements.

Perceptual priming

Repeated stimulus representations that enhance perceptual processing.

Conceptual priming

Repeated stimulus presentations that enhance the processing of stimulus meaning.

Procedural memory

Knowing how to perform various actions through skill learning that occurs slowly and generalizes to new stimuli.