Memory Flashcards Pt1

Flashcards on Memory based on lecture notes from Flinders University.

Cognitive Revolution

A focus on mental processes and research with humans to address limitations of the 'black box' approach to information acquisition, storage, manipulation, and retrieval.

Memory

Enduring record of experience that underpins learning. Involves Encoding, Storage, and Retrieval.

Encoding

The process of getting information into memory.

Structural Encoding

Involves physical structure of words. It's a shallow or superficial level which registers how words are presented, such as upper/lower case or length.

Phonemic Encoding

Involves what a word sounds like. Naming or saying words.

Semantic Encoding

Assigns meaning to verbal input. A deeper level of processing that leads to a longer-lasting code.

Elaboration

Links stimulus to other information at the time of encoding, enhancing semantic encoding.

Visual Imagery

Helps to enrich encoding by creating mental images. Easier for concrete objects than abstract concepts.

Dual-Coding Theory

Suggests that imagery provides a second kind of memory code and that having two codes is better than one, enhancing memory with semantic and visual codes.

Self-Referent Encoding

Deciding how or whether information is personally relevant, leading to improved recall.

Sensory Memory

Retains information for the briefest time (fraction of a second). Includes iconic (visual) and echoic (auditory) memory.

Sensory memory

Allows the sensation of stimuli to linger briefly after the sensory stimulation is over. Has a relatively large capacity, but stimuli are raw sensations in need of further analysis.

Short-Term Memory (STM)

Maintains unrehearsed information for 20-30 seconds. Capacity is limited to approx. 7 +- 2 items.

Chunk

A group of familiar stimuli stored as a single unit, which can increase STM capacity.

Working memory

Contains an articulatory loop, visuospatial sketchpad, and central executive. It handles more functions and involves more complicated processes than STM.

Articulatory (Phonological) Loop

Holds information in a phonological (speech-based) form. Helpful when reading difficult material.

Visuospatial Sketchpad

Holds and maintains visual and spatial information.

Central Executive

Handles the limited amount of information people can juggle during reasoning/decision-making. Controls attention and coordinates information/mental processes.

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

Unlimited capacity store that holds information over lengthy periods of time. Forgetting occurs when you cannot retrieve the required information.

Primacy Effect

Items near the beginning of a list are recalled better than other items because they enter LTM.

Recency Effect

Items near the end of a list are recalled better than other items which are still in STM.

Declarative Memory

Handles factual information (recollections of words, definitions, names, dates, faces, events, concepts, ideas). Subdivided into episodic and semantic forms of memory.

Procedural Memory

Memory for actions, perceptual-motor skills, conditioned reflexes and habits. Includes classically conditioned responses and priming effects.

Implicit Memory

Associated with procedural memory, no intentional or conscious recollection. Largely unaffected by amnesia, age, length of retention interval.

Explicit Memory

Associated with declarative memory, requires intentional/conscious recollection of previous experiences. Affected by amnesia, age, alcohol, retention interval.

Semantic Memory

General knowledge that is not tied to the time when the information was learned.