AP Psychology: Unit 7 Topic 1

Memory and Encoding

memory

the persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information

encoding

getting information into your memory

storage

the retention of information over time

retrieval

getting information out of memory storage

sensory memory

the immediate, very brief recording of sensory information

short-term memory

memory that holds a few items for a short amount of time

long-term memory

the permanent and limitless storage of memory over time

working memory

memory that allows us to perform tasks by combining sensory information with long-term memories

automatic processing

unconscious encoding of incidental information and of well-learned information

effortful processing

encoding that requires attention and conscious effort

rehearsal

conscious repetition or practice

elaborative rehearsal

a deep learning strategy that transfers information to long-term memory by actively connecting new concepts to existing knowledge, creating meaningful associations, and adding personal context

spacing effect

the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice

self reference effect

people remember information better and more accurately when they relate it to themselves

serial position effect

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

maintenance rehearsal

the technique of repeating information over and over to keep it active in short-term/working memory for immediate use

visual encoding

remembering from seeing

acoustic encoding

remembering from hearing

semantic encoding

remembering from meaning

imagery

mental pictures

mnemonics

memory aids

method of loci

a mnemonic technique in which the items to be remembered are converted into mental images and associated with specific positions or locations

chunking

breaking information up into smaller pieces

schema

a cognitive framework or concept that helps organize and interpret information

categorization

the fundamental cognitive process of grouping objects, ideas, or people with shared features into mental categories to simplify the world

parallel processing

processing two or more things at the same time

testing effect

memory is improved when it is frequently tested

recency effest

remembering the last item in a list

primacy effect

remembering the first item in a list

rosy retrospection

the tendency to remember things as better than they actually were

hierarchies

outlining information

Ebbinghaus relearning curve

as rehearsal time increases, relearning time decreases