Memory Terms and Concepts

A collection of vocabulary flashcards defining key concepts and terms related to memory from the lecture notes.

Automatic Processing

Unconsciously remembering information without trying.

Effortful Processing

Remembering information by intentionally paying attention and trying to learn it.

Elaborative Rehearsal

Connecting new information to something you already know to remember it better.

Episodic Memory

Memory of specific personal experiences or events.

Explicit Memory

Memories you consciously remember and can intentionally recall.

Echoic Memory

Very brief memory of sounds you have just heard.

Implicit Memory

Memory that affects your behavior without conscious awareness.

Iconic Memory

Very brief visual sensory memory.

Long-Term Memory

Relatively permanent storage of information, lasting from days to years.

Maintenance Rehearsal

Repeating information over and over to keep it in memory.

Primacy Effect

Tendency to remember the first items in a list better.

Procedural Memory

Memory for how to perform skills and actions.

Prospective Memory

Remembering to do something in the future.

Recency Effect

Tendency to remember the last items in a list better.

Semantic Memory

Memory for facts, meanings, and general knowledge.

Serial Position Effect

Tendency to remember the beginning and end of a list better than the middle.

Short-Term Memory

Temporary storage of a small amount of information for a short period of time.

Spacing Effect

Learning is better when studying is spread out over time rather than crammed together.

Encoding

The process of getting information into memory.

Storage

The process of maintaining information in memory over time.

Retrieval

The process of getting stored information back out of memory.

Mnemonic Devices

Memory techniques that help you remember information.

Chunking

Grouping information into smaller, meaningful units to make it easier to remember.

Recall

Retrieving information from memory without being given the answer or choices.

Recognition

Identifying information that you have previously encountered.

Anterograde Amnesia

Inability to form new memories after the onset of a conditon

Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve

A graphical representation showing that people tend to forget information over time, unless they consciously try to retain it.iM

Misinformation Effect

where exposure to misleading info after an event can alter a persons memory of the event

Proactive interference

older memories interfere with the retrieval of newer memories

Retroactive interference

When newer memories interfere with the retrieval of older memories

Retrograde Amensia

The loss of memories that occurred before the onset of the condition

Source Amnesia

Inability to recall the source of a memory, even if the memory itself is retainted

Mood Congruent

tendency to recall memories that are consistent with ones mood

State Congruent

Tendancy to recall memories that were formed in same physiological state

Context Dependent

Phenomenon where recall is enhanced when the context at retrieval matches