Psych Unit 5 Set 2 Vocab

recall

retrieving a memory with an external cue

recognition

the process of matching a current event or fact with one already in memory

relearning

a measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time

Priming

providing cues that stimulate memories without awareness of the connection between the cue and the retrieved memory- predisposes use to interpret info a certain way

mood-congruent memory

the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood

serial position effect

our tendency to recall best the last (a recency effect) and first items (a primacy effect) in a list

anterograde amnesia

an inability to form new memories

retrograde amnesia

loss of memory from the point of some injury or trauma backwards

Retroactive interference

learning new information interferes with the recall of older information Ex: studying for psych at 3:00 and bio at 6:00

proactive interference

Older information learned previously interferes with the recall of information learned more recently.

Repression

Defense mechanism by which anxiety-provoking thoughts and feelings are forced to the unconscious.

Misinformation

incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event

source amnesia

attributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced

deja vu

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

cognition

all the mental activities associated with thinking

concept

cognitive rules we apply to stimuli from our environment that allow us to categorize and think about objects

prototype

a mental image or best example of a category

creativity

The ability to make or bring a new concept or idea into existence; marked by the ability or power to create.

convergent thinking

narrows the available problem solutions to determine the single best solution

divergent thinking

expands the number of possible problem solutions (creative thinking that diverges in different directions)

Heuristic

a rule-of-thumb problem-solving strategy used to make a judgement in a situation