Intro to Psych Chapter 6

memory

The retention of information or experience over time as the result of three key processes: encoding, storage, and retrieval.

encoding

The first step in memory; the process by which information gets into memory storage

divided attention

concentrating on more than one activity as the same time

sustained attention

the ability to maintain attention to a selected stimulus for a prolonged period of time

executive attention

the ability to plan action, allocation attention to goals, detect errors and compensate for them, monitor progress on tasks, and deal with novel or difficult circumstances

levels of processing

A continuum of memory processing from shallow to intermediate to deep, with deeper processing producing better memory

elaboration

the formation of a number of different connections around a stimulus at a given level of memory encoding

storage

The retention of information over time and how this information is represented in memory.

Atkinson-Shiffrin theory

Theory stating that memory storage involves three separate systems: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.

sensory memory

Memory system that involves holding information from the world in its original sensory form for only an instant, not much longer than the brief time it is exposed to the visual, auditory, and other senses.

echoic memory

refers to auditory sensory memory, which is retained for up to several seconds

iconic memory

refers to visual sensory memory which is retained only for about 0.25 seconds

short-term memory

Limited-capacity memory system in which information is usually retained for only as long as 30 seconds unless strategies are used to retain it longer.

chunking

involves grouping or “packing” information that exceeds the 7 ± 2 memory span

working memory

A combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow individuals to hold information temporarily as they perform cognitive tasks; a kind of mental workbench on which the brain manipulates and assembles information to guide understanding, decision making, and problem solving.

phonological loop

specialized to briefly store speech-based information about the sounds of language

visuo-spatial sketchpad

stores visual and spatial information, including visual imagery

central executive

integrates information not only from the phonological loop and visuo-spatial sketchpad, but also from long-term memory

long-term memory

A relatively permanent type of memory that stores huge amounts of information for a long time.

explicit memory

The conscious recollection of information, such as specific facts or events and, at least in humans, information that can be verbally communicated.

semantic memory

A person’s knowledge about the world.

implicit memory

Memory in which behavior is affected by prior experience without a conscious recollection of that experience.

procedural memory

Memory for skills.

priming

The activation of information that people already have in storage to help them remember new information better and faster.

script

A schema for an event, often containing information about physical features, people, and typical occurrences.

connectionism

The theory that memory is stored throughout the brain in connections among neurons, several of which may work together to process a single memory.

retrieval

The memory process that occurs when information that was retained in memory comes out of storage.

serial position effect

The tendency to recall the items at the beginning and end of a list more readily than those in the middle.

primacy effect

refers to better recall for items at the beginning of a list

recency effect

refers to better recall for items at the end of a list

recall

a memory task in which the person must retrieve previously learned information

recognition

a memory task in which the person only has to recognize learned items

encoding specificity principle

states that information present at the time of encoding or learning tends to be effective as a retrieval cue

context-dependent memory

when people remember better when they attempt to recall information in the same context in which they learned it

autobiographical memory

A special form of episodic memory, consisting of a person’s recollections of their life experiences.

flashbulb memory

The memory of emotionally significant events that people often recall with more accuracy and vivid imagery than everyday events.

motivated forgetting

Forgetting that occurs when something is so painful or anxiety-laden that remembering it is intolerable.

interference theory

The theory that people forget not because memories are lost from storage but because other information gets in the way of what they want to remember.

encoding failure

this occurs when the information wwas never entered into long-term memory

retroactive interference

Situation in which material that was learned later disrupts the retrieval of information that was learned earlier

decay theory

Theory stating that when an individual learns something new, a neurochemical memory trace forms, but over time this trace disintegrates; suggests that the passage of time always increases forgetting.

tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) phenomenon

A type of effortful retrieval associated with a person’s feeling that they know something, but cannot quite pull it out of memory.

retrospective memory

Remembering information from the past.

prospective memory

Remembering information about doing something in the future; includes memory for intentions.

absentmindedness

Some failures in prospective memory are referred to as this

amnesia

The loss of memory.

anterograde amnesia

A memory disorder that affects the retention of new information and events.

retrograde amnesia

Memory loss for a segment of the past but not for new events.