Psych Vocabulary Chapter 7

memory

the persistence of learning over time through the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information.

encoding

the process of getting information into the memory system.

storage

the process of retaining encoded information over time.

retrieval

the process of getting information out of memory storage.

sensory memory

the immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system.

short-term memory

activated memory that holds a few items briefly (such as the seven digits of a phone number while calling) before the information is stored or forgotten.

long-term memory

the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.

working memory

a newer understanding of short-term memory that adds conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial information, and of information retrieved from long-term memory.

implicit memory

retention of learned skills, or classically conditioned associations, without conscious awareness.

automatic processing

unconscious encoding of everyday information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.

explicit memory

retention of facts and personal events you can consciously retrieve.

effortful processing

encoding that requires attention and conscious effort.

parallel processing

the processing of many aspects of a problem at the same time; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions.

chunking

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

mnemonics

memory aids, especially 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.

testing effect

enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information. Also sometimes referred to as the retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning.

semantic memory

explicit memory of facts and general knowledge; one of our two conscious memory systems

episodic memory

explicit memory of personally experienced events; one of our two conscious memory systems

hippocampus

a neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage.

memory consolidation

the neural storage of a long-term memory.

flashbulb memory

a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.

long-term potentiation (LTP)

an increase in a cell's firing potential. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory.

recall

memory demonstrated by retrieving information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.

recognition

memory demonstrated by identifying items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test.

relearning

memory demonstrated by time saved when learning material a second time.

retrieval cue

any stimulus (event, feeling, place, and so on) linked to a specific memory.

priming

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

mood-congruent memory

the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with your current good or bad mood.

serial position effect

our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list.

amnesia

literally "without memory"—a loss of memory, often due to brain trauma, injury, or disease.

memory trace

lasting physical change in the brain as a memory forms.

proactive interference

the forward-acting disruptive effect of older learning on the recall of new information.

retroactive interference

the backward-acting disruptive effect of newer learning on the recall of old information.

repression

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness the thoughts, feelings, and memories that arouse anxiety.

reconsolidation

a process in which previously stored memories, when retrieved, are potentially altered before being stored again.

misinformation effect

when a memory has been corrupted by misleading information.

source amnesia

faulty memory for how, when, or where information was learned or imagined.

déjà vu

that eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may unconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.