Ap Psychology

Hippocampus

Brain area responsible for forming new explicit memories.

Infantile Amnesia

The normal inability to recall early childhood memories due to brain development.

Maintenance rehearsal

Keeps information in short-term memory through repetition.

Anterograde Amnesia

Inability to form new memories after an injury.

State-Dependent Memory

Improved recall when in the same emotional state as when the memory was formed.

Context-Dependent Memory

Improved recall in the same environment where the memory was formed.

Proactive interference

Old information interferes with the recall of new information.

Retroactive Interference

New information interferes with the recall of old information.

Forgetting Curve

Graph showing memory drops quickly then levels off over time.

Lack of Encoding

Failure to deeply process information, leading to forgetting.

Short-term Memory (STM)

Holds about 7 ± 2 items temporarily.

Long-term Memory (LTM)

Stores information indefinitely about facts and experiences.

Semantic Memory

Memory for facts and general knowledge.

Procedural Memory

Memory for skills and actions.

Clustering

Organizing related items into groups to aid memory.

Mnemonics

Memory tricks or strategies to enhance recall.

Elaborative Rehearsal

Adding meaning to information to enhance memory retention.

Distributed Learning

Studying information over spaced intervals rather than cramming.

Encoding

The process of converting information into a form that can be stored in memory.

Retrieval

The process of accessing stored information when needed.

Recognition

Identifying information after experiencing it before.

Recall

Retrieving information without cues.

Sensory Memory

The very brief retention of sensory information.

Working Memory

A system for temporarily holding and manipulating information.

Cerebellum

Region that controls balance and procedural memory.

Medulla

Controls involuntary functions like breathing and heart rate.

Hypothalamus

Regulates autonomic functions like hunger and thirst.

Dissociative Amnesia

Memory loss caused by psychological trauma.

Dissociative Fugue

A type of amnesia involving travel away from home and identity loss.

Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM)

Ability to recall personal life events with high accuracy.

Metacognition

Awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes.

Mode

The value that appears most frequently in a data set.

Explicit Memory

Memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and declare.

Implicit Memory

Unconscious memory of skills and how to perform tasks.

New Memory Formation

The process by which new information becomes part of long-term memory.

Memory Cues

Stimuli that can help retrieve information from memory.

Depth of Processing

The concept that deeper levels of analysis produce better memory retention.

Flashbulb Memory

A vivid, detailed memory of an emotionally important event.

Long-Term Potentiation

The long-lasting strengthening of synapses based on recent patterns of activity.

Spaced Recall

The method of recalling information spread over time to enhance retention.

Introspective Recall

Accessing memories by reflecting on personal thoughts or experiences.

Tactile Memory

Memory for sensations through touch.

Auditory Memory

Memory for sounds and melodies.

Visual Memory

Memory for visual images.

Interference Theory

The theory that forgetting occurs because other information interferes.

Conditioned Memory

Memory formed through learned associations.

Event-Related Potentials (ERPs)

Brain responses measured to study memory processes.

Neurogenesis

The process of forming new neurons in the brain, significant for memory.

Brain Plasticity

The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new connections.

Cognitive Load Theory

The theory that cognitive resources are limited, impacting learning and memory.

Dual-Coding Theory

The theory that memory is enhanced by using both verbal and visual codes.

Heuristic Processing

Mental shortcuts that ease cognitive load during decision-making.