unit 7 (second 18)

chunking

organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically.

mnemonics

memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices.

spacing effect

the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice.

shallow processing

encoding on a basic level, based on the structure or appearance of words.

deep processing

encoding semantically, based on the meaning of the words; tends to yield the best retention.

testing effect

enhanced memory after retrieving information rather than rereading it.

semantic memory

explicit memory of facts and general knowledge; one of our two conscious memory systems (the other is episodic memory).

episodic memory

explicit memory of personally experienced events; one of our two conscious memory systems (the other is semantic memory).

hippocampus

a neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit (conscious) memories-of facts and events— for storage.

memory consolidation

the neural storage of a long-term memory.

flashbulb memory

a clear, sustained memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.

long-term potentiation

an increase in a cell's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation: a neural basis for learning and memory.

priming

the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory.

encoding specificity principle

the idea that cues and contexts specific to a particular memory will be most effective in

helping us recall it.

mood-congruent memory

the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood.

serial position effect

our tendency to recall best the last (recency effect) and first (primacy effect) items in a list.