QUIZ 1--AP Psychology: Cognition

Quiz Prep (Terms 1-53)

Cognition

all the mental processes involved with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

Memory

The persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information

Encoding

the processing of information into the memory system

Storage

the retention of encoded material over time

Retrieval

the process of getting the information out of memory storage

Three Stage Processing Model

the theory that a memory goes from sensory memory to short term (aka working) memory and then into long term memory

Sensory Memory

immediate storage for information, large capacity, limited to .5-2 seconds

Iconic Memory

visual images stored in sensory memory for .5 seconds

Echoic Memory

auditory information stored in sensory memory for 2 seconds

Short Term Memory (STM)

aka working memory, holds 5-9 items for 20-30 seconds

Working Memory

aka short term memory, holds 5-9 items for 20-30 seconds

George A. Miller's Number Seven

the amount of items that can be held in short term / working memory for 20-30 seconds

Maintenance Rehearsal

when you practice saying your 5-9 items over and over to keep them in short term / working memory

Long Term Memory (LTM)

where our semantic and episodic memories are stored, unlimited capacity and time

Explicit Memory (a.k.a. declarative)

facts and experiences that one can consciously know and declare (easy to explain)

declarative Memory (a.k.a. explicit)

facts and experiences that one can consciously know and declare (easy to explain)

Effortful Processing

when you try to get something into your long term memory

Automatic Processing

when you accidentally get something into your long term memory (especially spacing, timing, frequency)

procedural Memory (a.k.a. Implicit)

actions your body knows how to do without you being able to describe exactly every step involved (impossible to explain)

Implicit Memory (a.k.a. procedural)

actions your body knows how to do without you being able to describe exactly every step involved (impossible to explain)

Positive Transfer

when something you memorized previously helps you memorize something new

Negative Transfer

when something you memorized previously makes it harder to memorize something new

Chunking

grouping items into meaningful groups helps you remember more

Mnemonics

memory aids that help you remember by using a pattern of letters, numbers, or relatable associations like rhymes, poems, songs, outlines, images, etc

Spacing Effect

distributed practice leads to better retention than massed practice

Testing Effect

quizzing yourself on material leads to improved retention

Shallow processing

barely thinking about something leads to poor memory

Deep processing (semantic)

semantic encoding and the self reference effect leads to better memory

Self-Reference Effect

applying information to your own life helps you remember it best

Prospective memory

remembering to do something that you had planned to do in the future

Hippocampus

the brain part that processes explicit memories

Cerebellum

the brain part that processes implicit memories

Infantile amnesia

most people have no memories before age 3 because the hippocampus hadn't developed well enough to process explicit memories yet

Memory consolidation

when recent learned experiences are transformed into long-term memory, which happens especially when we sleep

Flashbulb Memory

a clear, strong, and persistent episodic memory

Long Term Potentiation

neurons that fire together get wired together

Recall

type of retrieval when we just have to pull it from long-term memory with no clues

Recognition

type of retrieval when we have options and can just choose the right one

Priming

activating a retrieval cue

Context-dependent memory

when your environment serves as a retrieval cue

State-dependent memory

when your state of consciousness serves as a retrieval cue

Mood congruent memory

a type of state-dependent memory - when your mood serves as a retrieval cue

Serial Position Effect (primacy/recency)

remembering the beginning and end of a list the best

Anterograde Amnesia

type of forgetting where you can't encode new memories

Retrograde Amnesia

type of forgetting where you can't remember old memories

Encoding failure

when you didn't get information into your memory system

Hermann Ebbinghaus

researcher who studied nonsense syllables and found that spaced studying leads to increased retention and that memory fades over time

Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve

memories going through an initial stage of rapid memory decline, followed by a slower rate of memory decay over the long term

Savings Score

(aka Relearning Method) Memories are easier to relearn than learn from scratch

"Tip of the tongue" Phenomenon

a type of retrieval failure

Retrieval failure

when you can't find the information in your memory system

Proactive Interference

when old information blocks you from retrieving newer information

Retroactive interference

when new information blocks you from retrieving older information

Source Amnesia

when you can't remember where you got information (you sometimes think it happened to you)

Next-in-Line Effect

you are unlikely to remember the information that the person presented right before you presented (because you didn't encode what they said)

Déjà vu

when you feel like a new situation is familiar because of a term-46poorly stored memory that sort of matches the current situation

Memory Construction

every time you retrieve a memory, you unconsciously fill in the blanks with stuff you know now (aka reconstructive memory)

Misinformation Effect

when the way someone words a question or statement changes your memory

Elizabeth Loftus

researcher who studied eyewitness testimony and focused on the misinformation effect

Visual Encoding

the encoding of picture images

Acoustic Encoding

the encoding of sound, especially the sounds of words

Semantic Encoding

the encoding of meaning