Forgetting and Memory Construction

These flashcards cover key concepts related to forgetting, memory construction, and techniques for improving memory retention.

Anterograde Amnesia

An inability to form new memories.

Retrograde Amnesia

An inability to retrieve information from one's past.

Encoding Failure

What we fail to encode, we will never remember.

Memory Decay

The gradual loss of memory over time.

Retrieval Failure

Some memories are never encoded, some are discarded, and others are out of reach.

Proactive Interference

The disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information.

Retroactive Interference

The disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information.

Positive Transfer

Previously learned information often facilitates the learning of new information.

Repression

The defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness.

Reconsolidation

The process of replaying a memory and possibly modifying it.

Misinformation Effect

Incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event.

Source Amnesia

Attributing an event to the wrong source, including one's own experiences, others' experiences, or imagination.

Deja Vu

The sense that one has experienced the current situation before.

Mnemonic Devices

Techniques that aid in memory retention.

Infant Amnesia

The inability to remember memories formed before the age of three.

Framing Effect

The way information is presented that can influence perception and memory.