Memory Concepts and Terminology

Flashcards covering key concepts related to memory and its various phenomena.

Anterograde Amnesia

A condition where an individual cannot form new memories after the event that caused amnesia.

Retrograde Amnesia

A condition where an individual cannot recall memories that were created before the onset of amnesia.

Recall

The ability to retrieve information from memory without any cues.

Recognition

The ability to identify previously learned information when presented with it again.

State-dependent Memory

The phenomenon where memory retrieval is enhanced when an individual is in the same state as when the memory was formed.

Context-dependent memory

Memory retrieval that is improved when the context at retrieval matches the context at encoding.

Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve

A graphical representation of the rate at which information is forgotten over time.

Encoding Failure

The failure to store information in long-term memory, often due to insufficient processing of the information.

Proactive Interference

When older memories interfere with the retrieval of newer memories.

Retroactive Interference

When new information interferes with the retrieval of older memories.

Repression

A defense mechanism that involves unconsciously blocking out painful or unpleasant memories.

Memory consolidation

The process through which newly acquired information is transformed into a lasting memory.

Source Amnesia

The inability to remember the origin of the information or where it was learned.

Imagination Inflation

The phenomenon in which imagining an event increases confidence that it actually occurred.

Autobiographical Memory

A type of explicit memory that involves recollections of personal experiences and events.

Infantile Amnesia

The phenomenon where adults are unable to retrieve memories from early childhood.

Mood-congruent Memory

The tendency to recall memories that are consistent with one’s current mood.

Metacognition

Awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes.

TOT Phenomenon (Tip of the Tongue)

The feeling of knowing that a piece of information is stored in memory but being unable to retrieve it.

Psychodynamic Theorists

psychologists who focus on the influence of the unconscious mind on behavior and memory.

Constructive Memory

The process of creating false memories based on existing knowledge or beliefs.

Misinformation Effect

The tendency for post-event information to interfere with the memory of the original event.