Psychology of Memory and Intelligence

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, theories, and historical figures in memory distortion, forgetting, and intelligence assessment.

Reconsolidation

A process where the reactivation of a memory temporarily weakens the original memory, leading to a new consolidation that results in a slightly modified memory.

Selective Attention

The process of choosing specific sensory information or events to focus on while ignoring other available environmental stimuli.

Divided Attention

The state that exists when attempting to focus on more than one activity at once, leading to distraction during encoding and worsening memory performance for both activities.

Elizabeth Loftus

A prominent memory researcher whose work focused on the malleability of memory, eyewitness testimony, suggestibility, and memory distortions.

Suggestibility

A form of memory distortion that occurs when memories are implanted or altered in response to leading questions, comments, or suggestions.

False Memories

Elaborate and detailed memories for events that never actually occurred, created through suggestions or false information.

Recovered Memories

Memories of real traumatic events that were encoded and stored, repressed or blocked for a long period, and later retrieved.

Misinformation Effect

A memory distortion where incorrect or misleading information learned after an event becomes incorporated into the original memory as truth.

Retroactive Interference

A type of memory interference occurring when new experiences or information increase the forgetting of previously stored information.

Proactive Interference

A type of memory interference occurring when older experiences or information increase the forgetting of newly acquired information.

Herman Ebbinghaus

A psychology researcher who studied memory in the 1880s and demonstrated that recall shows a steady decline over time, represented by the forgetting curve.

Absent-mindedness

A form of forgetfulness involving attention and memory that increases with age due to slowed processing speed and a reduced capacity to filter out irrelevant information.

Blocking

A retrieval error in memory where stored information cannot be actively retrieved or brought out of memory for immediate use.

Repression

The active inhibition of encoded and stored memories, often functioning as a defense mechanism to protect against traumatic experiences.

Anterograde Amnesia

The inability to form new memories after a brain injury or the onset of a disease, while past memories remain intact.

Retrograde Amnesia

The inability to recall events or experiences that occurred prior to a brain injury or the onset of a disease.

Intelligence

A set of cognitive skills that includes abstract thinking, reasoning, problem solving, and the ability to acquire new knowledge.

Charles Spearman

The researcher who proposed the $g$ factor theory, asserting that human intelligence is best understood as a single, general fixed capacity.

Verbal Intelligence

The ability to solve problems and analyze information using language skills.

Spatial Intelligence

The mental capacity to visualize and solve spatial problems and navigate surroundings.

Quantitative Intelligence

The capacity to solve problems using mathematical operations.

Fluid Intelligence

A dimension of intelligence proposed by Raymond Cattell that involves raw reasoning, pattern recognition, and abstract problem solving in novel situations.

Crystallized Intelligence

A dimension of intelligence proposed by Raymond Cattell that consists of accumulated knowledge derived from experience, learning, education, and culture.

CHC Theory

The Cattell-Horn-Carroll hierarchical model of intelligence, which organizes cognitive abilities into overall general intelligence ($g$), broad abilities, and narrow abilities.

Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

Robert Sternberg's theory stating that successful intelligence consists of three integrated skills: analytic, creative, and practical intelligence.

Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Howard Gardner's theory proposing that intelligence consists of eight distinct capacities, including linguistic, mathematical-logical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and naturalistic abilities.

Mental Age

A concept created by Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon representing the equivalent chronological age level associated with a child's cognitive performance.

Intelligence Quotient

A measure of intelligence historically calculated using the ratio $\text{IQ} = \frac{\text{Mental Age}}{\text{Chronological Age}} \times 100$, and currently computed using age-based normative standards.

Army Alpha Test

A largely verbal assessment developed during World War I to measure the aptitude of fluent, literate English-speaking military recruits.

Army Beta Test

A non-verbal intelligence test developed during World War I using pantomimes and visual tasks for recruits who were illiterate or had limited English proficiency.

Cultural Test Bias

The question of whether group differences in IQ scores stem from distinct cultural or educational backgrounds and whether test items predict outcomes equally across groups.

Test Fairness

A societal concern regarding how IQ test scores are applied in real-world environments to avoid unfairly denying opportunities in employment or education.

Test-Retest Reliability

The consistency of scores produced when the same test is administered to an individual at different points in time.

Internal Reliability

The degree to which individual questions or items on a given subtest correlate with one another to assess the same underlying construct.

Construct Validity

The extent to which an assessment tool accurately measures the theoretical concept or trait (such as intelligence) it claims to evaluate.

Predictive Validity

The degree to which test results accurately forecast real-world outcomes or future performance.

Intellectual Disability

A condition characterized by significant limitations in intellectual functioning (typically a standard score of $70$ or below) and adaptive behavior, with onset before age $18$.