Psychology: Memory Mod. 23-25

Memory

process by which we recall experiences, information, and skills

Episodic memory

Recall of a vivid, specific event

Semantic Encoding

Encoding of meaning.

encoding

the first process of memory; the translation of information into a form for future use

storage

second process of memory; makes memories available for future use

retrieval

third memory process; locates stored information and returns it to conscious thought

rehearsal

repeated repetition of information to help the learning process

elaborative rehearsal

the process of relating new information to what you already know well.

context dependent memory

The enhanced ability to retrieve information when you are in an environment similar to the one in which you encoded the information.

mood-congruent memory

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

sensory memory

first stage of information storage -- the immediate, initial recording of data

short-term memory

sometime called working memory -- when information is stored for 10-12 seconds

long-term memory

memory stored more than briefly and encoded through rehearsal

echoic memory

mental sensory register of mental traces of sound

iconic memory

sensory register of accurate, photographic images

chunking

organization of items into familiar or manageable units

mnemonic devices

a sentence or acronym that helps us to memorize a string of words.

Explicit Memory

The memory of facts and experiences

automatic processing

the unconscious and effortless process of encoding information such as space, time, and frequency.

Effortful processing

Encoding that requires attention and conscious effort.

serial position effect

The tendency to recall the first and last items in a list more easily.

Flashbulb memory

A vivid, clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.

Recall

Retrieval in which you must search for information that you previously stored.

Recognition

Retrieval in which you must identify items you learned earlier

Herman Ebbinghaus

German philosopher who conducted pioneering memory studies.

Proactive interference

When an older memory disrupts the recall of a new memory.

Retroactive interference

When a more recent memory disrupts the recall of an older memory.

Repression

The process of moving anxiety-producing memories to the unconscious mind. Freud psychoanalytic theory.

Elizabeth Loftus

Research who established the construction of memory

misinformation effect

when misleading information has corrupted one's memory of an event

amnesia

loss of memory

retrogradeamnesia

loss of memory prior to brain injury

anterograde amnesia

an inability to form new memories

procedural memory

A type of long-term memory of how to perform different actions and skills. Essentially, it is the memory of how to do certain things.

recency effect

tendency to remember words at the end of a list especially well

primacy effect

tendency to remember words at the beginning of a list especially well

long-term potentiation (LTP)

an increase in a synapse's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory.