intro to Psychology chapter 6, 7, 9

memory

the ability to store and retrieve info over time

encoding

transforming perceptions into memory/info

storage

maintaining memory/info over time

retrieval

accessing info previously encoded and stored

visual imagery encoding

converting new info into pictures

elaborative encoding

relating new info with previous knowledge (most effective)

organization encoding

categorizing info based on relationships

sensory storage

holds info for only a few seconds

iconic memory

fast decaying visual info

echoic memory

fast decaying auditory info

short term memory

holds info for less than a minute

rehearsal

mentally repeating

chunking

combining small bits of info into chunks of info. STM can hold about 7 chunks of info

working memory

active maintenance of short-term info

long term memory

holds info for more than a minute. no known limit

consolidation

process wherein memories become stable in the brain

reconsolidation

process wherein recalled memories are destabilized

Henry Molaison

doctors removed his hippocampus to stop seizures

anterograde amnesia

inability to transfer new info from STM to LTM

retrograde amnesia

inability to retreive info from LTM before an accident

memories occur in...

synapse between neurons

NMDA Receptor

receptor site in hippocampus that influences flow of info between neurons by controlling the initiation of LTP

Long term Potential (LTP)

communication between neurons is strengthened thereby making future communication easier

Retrieval Cue

external info that helps bring stored info to mind

Encoding Specificity Principle

retrieval cues can be effective reminders when the retrieval cue re-creates the specific way in which info was initially encoded

transfer-appropriate processing

memories are easier to generalize between situations when the situations are similiar

state-dependent retrieval

info is better recalled when the individual is in the same state during encoding and retrieval

explicit memory

consciously retrieving info

episodic memory

memory of past experiences/episodes

semantic memory

memory of facts/concepts

implicit memory

unconsciously retrieving info

procedural memory

memory of skills "knowing how"

priming

enhanced recall from recent exposure to a stimuli

transience

forgetting info over time

retroactive interference

new info impairs old info

proactive interference

old info impairs new info

absentmindedness

lapse in attention. often occurs when attention is divided

prospective memory

remembering to do things in the future

blocking

failure to retrieve info that "on the tip of the tongue feeling"

memory misattribution

assigning info to wrong source

source memory

recall of when/where/how info was encoded

fasle recognition

feeling of familiarity about something that hasnt been encoded

suggestibility

using misleading info during recollection causes source memory errors

bias

distorting memory due to present beliefs

persistence

intrusive memories we want to forget

flashbulb memories

detailed recollections of when/where we heard about a shocking event

learning

experience that causes a relatively permanent change in the organism

classical conditioning

associating a stimuli with a response

operant conditioning

consequences of a behavior determine its future occurrence

answer 63 on test

D. Biological preparedness

acquisition

when CS and Us are presented together (timing is everything)

extinction

gradual elimination of CR b/c no US

spontaneous recovery

CR returns after a break from extinction

discrimination

distinguishing between different stimuli (CS+ versus CS-)

generalization

CR occurs with slightly different CS's

biological preparedness

natural propensity for learning particular kinds of associations

Thorndike's Law of Effect

behaviors followed by pleasantness tend to be repeated behaviors followed by unpleasantness tend not to repeat

reinforcer

outcome that increases the likelihood of the behavior that led to it

punisher

outcome that decreases the likelihood of the behavior that led to it

intermittent reinforcement

only some responses are followed by reinforcement

fixed ratio

consistent number of required responses

variable ratio

fluctuating number of required responses

fixed interval

consistant duration until reinforcement availability

variable interval

fluctuating durations until reinforcement availability

shaping

learning that results from reinforcement of successive steps to a final desired behavior

superstitious behavior

incorrectly associating a behavior and an outcome

observational learning

learning from watching others

diffusion chain

learning a behavior from a model, and then serving as a model for another individual

albert bandura: bobo doll experiment

children picked up on behaviors of adults and repeated them

implicit learning

learning that takes place without awareness of the process of info acquisition

habituation

exposure to a stimuli reduced a response

latent learning

info is learned but not behaviorally manifested until a future event

cognitive map

mental representation of the physical features of the environment

language

system of communication combining stimuli following grammatical rules; a form of enhanced communication

grammer

rules specifying how units of language can be combined to further enhance communication

spoken language emerged...

3 million years ago

written language emerged...

about 6000 years ago

phoneme

smallest unit of sound

phonological rules

rules indicating how phonemes can be combined to produce speech sounds

morpheme

smallest meaningful unit of language

morphological rules

a set of rules that indicate how morphemes can be combined to form words

syntactical rules

rules indicating how words can be combined to form phrases and sentences

surface structure

how a sentence is worded

deep structure

what a sentence means

between 4-6 months..

children start to babble consonants

between 10-12 months...

begin to use single words

fast mapping

children can pair a word to its concept after a single exposure

telegraphic speech

speech that is devoid of function morphemes and only consists of content words

nativist theory

language is an innate behavior

language acquisition device (LAD)

collection of processes that facilitate learning language

genetic dysphasia

inability to learn grammar despite being otherwise intelligent

Broca's area

left frontal cortex, language production

wernicke's area

left temporal cortex, language comprehension

aphasia

difficulty in producing/comprehending language

broca's aphasia

can understand, but cant produce

wernicke's aphasia

can't understand others can produce grammatically correct language however language is meaningless (door burnt house)

linguistic relativity hypothesis aka whorft's hypothesis

language determines aspects of our thinking

concepts

mental representation of groups sharing similar properties of stimuli

category-specific deficit

cant recognize objects that belong to a category, but can recognize objects that do not fit into the category

prototype

most typical member of a category