Memory and States of Conciousness

Consciousness

Awareness of yourself and your surroundings

Cognitive neuroscience

The study of how brain activity is linked to thinking and awareness

Dual processing

The brain works on information both consciously and unconsciously

Blindsight

Responding to something seen without being aware of seeing it

Parallel processing

Handling several tasks or details at once

Sequential processing

Focusing on one task at a time

Hypnosis

A relaxed, focused state where you're more open to suggestions (explained by three main theories)

Drugs

Chemicals that change perception, mood, or behavior

Addiction

Needing and craving a drug

Tolerance

Needing more of the drug for the same effect

Sensation

Receiving information from the environment through senses

Sensory receptors

Nerves that respond to light, sound, touch, etc

Perception

How your brain organizes and interprets sensory input

Bottom-up processing

Starting with sensory input and working up to understanding

Top-down processing

Using prior experience to make sense of what you sense

Memory

Keeping and using learned information over time

Encoding

Getting information into memory

Storage

Keeping that information over time

Retrieval

Bringing stored information back to mind

Sensory memory

Briefly holds sensory information

Short-term memory

Holds small bits of information for a short time

Working memory

Actively processes information and connects it to long-term memory

Long-term memory

Stores information, skills, and experiences for a long time

Central executive

Controls attention and coordinates other memory systems

Phonological loop

Holds sound-based information

Visuospatial sketchpad

Holds visual and spatial information

Neurogenesis

The creation of new brain cells

long-term potentiation (LTP)

Strengthening of connections between neurons — important for learning

Hippocampus

Brain area that helps make and store memories

Memory consolidation

Strengthening memories for long-term storage

Flashbulb memory

A vivid memory of an emotional or shocking event

Explicit memory

Memories you can state (facts and experiences)

Semantic memory

Facts and general knowledge

Episodic memory

Personal life events

Implicit memory

Skills and habits remembered automatically

Effortful processing

Learning that needs focus

Automatic processing

Remembering without effort (like time or space)

Chunking

Grouping items to remember them more easily

Mnemonics

Tricks to help remember things

Spacing effect

Learning is better when spread out over time

Testing effect

You remember better by testing yourself instead of rereading

Shallow processing

Remembering surface details (like word appearance)

Deep processing

Remembering meaning — leads to stronger memory

Priming

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response

Encoding specificity principle

Easier to recall something when in the same setting as when learned

Mood-congruent memory

Remembering things that match your mood

State-dependent memory

Remembering best when in the same emotional or physical state

Serial position effect

Remembering the first and last items best

Interleaving

a retrieval practice strategy that involves mixing the study of different topics

Anterograde amnesia

Can't form new memories

Retrograde amnesia

Can't remember past events

Proactive interference

Old memories block new ones

Retroactive interference

New memories block old ones

Repression

Forgetting painful memories

Misinformation effect

False memories caused by misleading information

Source amnesia

Forgetting where or how you learned something

Déjà vu

The feeling of having experienced something before

Elizabeth Loftus

Studied false memories (like the "Lost in the Mall" experiment)

Schema

a concept of framework that organizes and interprets information. A mental framework for organizing knowledge

Pseudoevents

Fake or imagined events that feel real

Gary the snail

Example of learning and new memory formation in the brain