Memory and Cognitive Processes

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts related to memory and cognitive processes.

Sensory Memory

Function: to sustain sensations for identification; Capacity: very large; Duration: very short (½-3 seconds).

Iconic Memory

Visual sensory memory that lasts approximately ½ second.

Echoic Memory

Auditory sensory memory that lasts approximately 3-4 seconds.

Short-Term Memory

Function: to do conscious work; Capacity: 7±2 items or 'chunks'; Duration: 10-15 seconds.

Chunking

Grouping items into meaningful units to expand the capacity of short-term memory.

Magic Number

The capacity of short-term memory, often referred to as 7±2.

Long-Term Memory

Function: to tie together the past with the present; Capacity: enormous (essentially unlimited); Duration: very long (essentially permanent).

Clive Wearing

A case study of a man who, following brain injury, retained some long-term memories but lost the ability to form new ones.

Serial Position Effect

The tendency to recall items from a list depending on their position in the sequence.

Recency Effect

Better recall of the last items in a series due to their presence in short-term memory.

Primacy Effect

Better recall of the first items in a series due to their presence in short-term memory.

Explicit Memory

Memory that involves conscious recollection, such as episodic and semantic memory.

Implicit Memory

Memory that occurs without conscious awareness.

Mnemonic

A memory strategy or device used to improve encoding, storage, and retrieval.

Method of Loci

A mnemonic technique that involves visualizing items to be remembered in specific locations.

Anterograde Amnesia

The inability to form new long-term memories after brain damage.

Retrograde Amnesia

The inability to access memories formed before the date of brain damage.

Flashbulb Memory

Extremely vivid memories for emotionally significant events.

Recall vs. Recognition

Recall: retrieving information without cues; Recognition: retrieving information with cues.

Context-Dependent Learning

Improved recall when the learning environment matches the recall environment.

State-Dependent Learning

Improved recall when one's emotional and physical state is the same as during encoding.

Decay

The gradual loss of memory over time due to diminished retrieval.

Interference

The phenomenon where new information disrupts access to older memories.

Heuristics

Rules of thumb that simplify problem-solving but may lead to errors.

Algorithms

Systematic procedures that guarantee a correct solution to a problem.

Inductive Reasoning

A bottom-up approach that forms generalizations based on specific observations.

Deductive Reasoning

A top-down approach moving from general premises to a specific conclusion.

Functional Fixedness

The tendency to see objects only in their traditional uses.

Linguistic Relativity

The concept that language influences thought processes and perceptions.

Belief Perseverance

The tendency to hold onto beliefs regardless of contradictory evidence.

Hindsight Bias

The inclination to see events as having been predictable after they have already occurred.