Memory and Cognition

system 1 thinking

automatic thinking

system 2 thinking

thinking that needs processing

intuition/insight

sudden realization of a solution

algorithmic thinking

step-by-step process for solving a problem (system 2)

heuristics

ppl using mental shortcuts that simplify decision-making.

representativeness heuristic

mental shortcut where we estimate the likelihood of an event by comparing it to an existing prototype

availability heuristic

gravitating towards things that come to our mind

metacognition

thinking about our thinking

prototypes

mental representations of a cognitive reference point

ex. thinking of a dog when someone mentions pet

mental set

a tendency to approach problems in a specific way, often based on past experiences.

spotlight effect

the belief that others are paying more attention to us than they actually are.

framing

the way information is presented, which can influence decision-making and judgment.

ex. A news report on a protest may frame it as a riot or a peaceful demonstration, impacting public perception.

sunk cost fallacy

more likely to continue to sink money or time into things that we already spent it on even though it may waste time

confirmation bias

when we see things that confirm what we were thinking

belief perseverance

we cling onto beliefs though it may be discredited by research

procedural memory

procedures, habits

encoding

getting the information into the brain (like processing the story)

storage

retaining the info (ways to remember the story)

retrieval

recalling the information

sensory memory

fleeting memory

echoic memory

immediately regurgitating information after HEARING

iconic memory

immediately regurgitating information after SEEING it

short term memory

a bit longer than sensory

long term memory

more permanent, typically needs effortful processing/rehearsal

working memory

temporarily holding a memory and manipulating it while doing another complex task

leveling

some details being lost, story shortened, like leveling cake

sharpening

specific details being retained

shallow processing

remembering material through superficial learning, like memorization, repetition

deep processing

complex mental effort that converts information into long-term knowledge (semantic encoding, converting sensory input into long-term memories)

semantic memory

actual facts

serial position effect

remembering the first and last parts of a story

parallel processing

absorbing many things at once

chunking

grouping words/letters/numbers can help memorize

retrograde amnesia

losing the memory before the amnesia happened

anterograde amnesia

being unable to form new memories after the amnesia

explicit memory

things we intentionally try to recall or remember

implicit memory

information we don’t story purposefully(unconscious)

working memory

a small amount of information that is temporarily held or manipulated while simultaneously doing something else

tip of the tongue phenomenon

information that you can almost remember

proactive interference

remembering previous things and not new ones

retroactive interference

the new memory is easy to remember but not the old ones

primacy effect

tendency to remember things at the start of a list than middle or end

von restorff (isolation) effect

people are more likely to remember things that stand out
ex. the list of teacher names, seeing lehr and remembering that one

recency effect

remembering the information that came last more easily

mood congruence

mood relating to memories that come to mind

state-dependent memory

associating memory to a state that your body was in, so going back to that state makes memory come back

ex. remembering a drunk memory

context-dependent memory

memories from a physical location

rosy retrospection

gaslighting self; forgetting the negative memories going to positive

flashbulb memories

a specific memory being clear, but the context of that memory isn’tis clear, but the content

retrieval cues

stimuli that help people retrieve memories

ex. going back to the fridge to remember