AP Pysch

Autobiographical Memory

• The memory system consisting of episodes recollected from an individual's life, based on personal experiences and specific events. It combines both episodic and semantic memory components, reflecting one's personal history and identity.

Anterograde Amnesia

• A condition characterized by an inability to form new memories following a brain injury or trauma. Individuals with anterograde amnesia may have difficulty remembering new information or events, although their past memories (prior to the injury) may remain intact.

Retrograde Amnesia

• A condition in which individuals lose memories of events that occurred before a specific incident, often due to brain injury or trauma. The severity of memory loss can vary, with some people losing only recent memories and others having gaps in long-term memory.

The Forgetting Curve (Ebbinghaus)

• A theory proposed by Hermann Ebbinghaus that describes the exponential decline of memory retention over time. The curve shows that information is forgotten rapidly shortly after learning and then levels off. This suggests that forgetting occurs most quickly shortly after acquisition, with retention stabilizing after some time.

Proactive Interference

• A type of memory interference where previously learned information interferes with the ability to recall new information. For example, learning a new phone number may be difficult because old numbers interfere with memory recall.

Retroactive Interference

• A type of memory interference in which new information interferes with the ability to recall previously learned information. An example is forgetting old passwords after learning new ones.

• A defense mechanism proposed by Freud, in which distressing or anxiety-provoking memories or thoughts are unconsciously blocked from conscious awareness. Repressed memories may resurface later in life, sometimes through therapy or triggering events.

Ego

• In Freud's psychoanalytic theory, the ego is the part of the personality that deals with reality. It operates on the reality principle, balancing the demands of the id (instinctual desires) and the super ego (moral standards) while ensuring that actions are socially appropriate and rational.

Constructive Memory

• The process by which memories are built from various sources, including existing knowledge, expectations, and inferences. This means that memories are not always accurate; they can be influenced by biases and external information.

Reconsolidation

• The process by which previously consolidated memories are recalled and then altered or updated before being stored again. Memories can be modified or distorted when they are reactivated, potentially leading to changes in the original memory.

Misinformation Effect

• A phenomenon in which a person's memory of an event becomes distorted by the introduction of misleading or incorrect information. This can occur through the phrasing of questions or exposure to inaccurate details about an event.

Source Amnesia

• The inability to remember the origin or source of a memory, while still retaining the memory itself. This can lead to confusion about whether an experience was real, imagined, or learned from another person or media source.

Déjà Vu

A feeling of familiarity or repetition, as though an event or situation has already been experienced, despite the fact that it is happening for the first time. It is often linked to temporary lapses in memory processing or the brain’s recognition systems, leading to the sensation of "having been here before."