AP PSYCH VOCABULARY: Module 26

anterograde amnesia

an inability to form new memories

retrograde amnesia

an inability to remember information from one’s past

proactive interference

the forward-acting disruptive effect of older learning on the recall of new information

retroactive interference

the backward-acting disruptive effect of newer learning on the recall of old information

repression

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thought, feelings, and memories

reconsolidation

a process in which previously stored memories, when retrieved, are potentially altered before being stored again

misinformation effect

occurs when a memory has been corrupted by misleading information

source amnesia

faulty memory for how when, or where information was learned or imagined. (also called source misattributtion) It is, along with the misinformation effect, is at the heart of many false memories

deja vu

the eerie sense that “I’ve experienced this before” Cues from the current situation may unconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience