AP Psych Unit 5 Cognitive Psychology Part 2

These flashcards includes how and why we forget, Freud's defense mechanisms , false memories, and thinking

as we process information we

sift change and lose most of it

anterograde amnesia

an inability to for new memories but can recall the past

retrograde amnesia

inability to retrieve information from the past

people with anterograde amnesia have

automatic process ability and can form new implicit memories but has no conscious awareness/memory of them

encoding failure

results from inability to encode everything

age effects encoding

younger adults have high encoding efficiency than older adults

storing decay

after encoding we still can forget (physical trace decayed)

ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve

we forget fast at first but then it levels off

retrieval failure

we can’t retrieve what we have encoded and stored

occurs from interference or motivated forgetting

tip-of-the-tongue

forgetting information beyond reach

interference theory

suggests that memories can interfere with each other causing information to be forgotten, 2 types

proactive interference

forward acting disruptive effect if older learning getting in the way of new information

proactive interference example

You drive to the old pizza location instead of the new

(the new is getting interfered by the old)

retroactive interference

backward acting disruptive effect of newer learning getting in the way of recalling old information

retroactive interference example

forgetting your old email password because you use a new one

(the old is getting interfered by the new)

positive transfer

previous learning information help learning of new information such as learning a new language

repression

basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

part of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory

reconsolidation

a process in which previously stored memories when retrieved are potentially altered before being stored again

our memories are capable

of many changes

Elizabeth Loftus

a memory researcher who showed reconsolidation through having people pick a face that matched a previously seen one and found out words can change people’s memories

misinformation effect

occurs when misleading information has disturbed one’s memory of an event and can effects our attitudes/behaviors

repeating an vivid imagination of a false memory

more likely it is thought to be real and become a memory

source amnesia (source misattribution)

faulty memory for how when or where information was learned/imagined

source amnesia is a factor that could influence our

memory construction

source amnesia + misinformation effect =

heart of false memories

source amnesia explains deja vu because

it forces us to make sense of the deja vu/eerie feeling

deja vu

the eerie sense that “I have experienced this before” cues from current situation may unconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience

in the brain deja vu is

temporal lobe processing, experiencing familiarity, before hippocampus/frontal lobe processing, remembering it

debate between memory researchers and therapists

are childhood memories of sexual abuse repressed and can they be recovered in therapy

children are most susceptible to

misinformation effect and struggle to determine real vs fake

children are accurate eye witnesses only when

questions are worded with neutral and understandable words, no adults talked with them prior, and no suggestive techniques are used

to improve memory

rehearse repeatedly, maker material meaningful, activate retrieval cues, use mnemonic devices, minimize proactive/retroactive interference, sleep more, test knowledge to find weak spots

cognition

all mental activities associated thinking, knowing, remembering, and communication

concept

mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, and peoples

concepts gives us information

with little cognitive effort

prototype

a mental image or best example of a category

this differs from people and is experienced based

when something closely matches the prototype of something

we recognize it as an example of the concept

Discrimination prototypes

if behavior is not typical we fail to see prejudice black vs white or male vs female

formal concepts

a set of rules that is defined by a set of rules

natural concepts

a concept formed through everyday experiences

concepts speed/guide our thinking but

does not always make us wise

schema

a mental framework that help organize information based on experiences

script

a personal view on how an event will be played out based on experience

mental model

a mental representation of a situation, event, or object based on experience

cognitive maps

a mental representation of an environment

creativity

the ability to produce new and valuable ideas

convergent thinking

narrowing the available problem solutions to determine single best solution

like multiple choice questions

divergent thinking

expanding the number of possible problem solutions creative thinking that diverges into different directions

Robert SternBerg 5 component of creativity

Expertise - well developed knowledge allows more combinations to be creative

Imaginative Thinking Skills - to see things in new ways and recognize patterns

Venturous Personality - seeks new experiences, risks, ambiguity, perseverance, determination

Intrinsic Motivation - driven by interest and satisfaction

Creative Environment - a place that supports creative ideas, no distractions, allows time to think