AP PSYCH Memory Vocab

explicit memory

Memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and declare.

implicit memory

Retention of learned skills or classically conditioned associations independent of conscious recollection.

prospective memory

remembering to do something in the future, such as taking one’s medicine later

long-term potentiation

an increase in a cell’s firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation; believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory

ionic memory

a momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second

echoic memory

a momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3-4 seconds

episodic memory

explicit memory of personally experienced events; one of our two conscious memory systems

semantic memory

explicit memory of facts and general knowledge; one of our two conscious memory systems

sensory memory

the immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system

short-term memory

briefly activated memory of a few items (such as digits of a phone number while calling) that is later stored or forgotten

long-term memory

the relatively permanent and limitless archive of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences

automatic processing

unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of familiar or well-learned information, such as sounds, smells, and word meanings

effortful processing

encoding that requires attention and conscious effort

shallow processing

encoding on a basic level, based on the structure or appearance of words

deep processing

encoding semantically, based on the meaning of the words; tends to yield the best retention

mnemonics

memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices

method of loci

a mnemonic technique in which the items to be remembered are converted into mental images and associated with specific positions or locations

chunking

the process by which the mind divides large pieces of information into smaller information that is easier to retain in short-term memory. As a result, one item in memory can stand for multiple other items

Spacing Effect

Distributed practice is more beneficial than massed practice (cramming).

serial position effect

our tendency to recall best the last items in a list initially (a recency effect) and the first items in a list after a delay (a primacy effect)

anterograde amnesia

an inability to form new memories

retrograde amnesia

an inability to remember information from one’s past

autobiographical memory

A person’s memory for episodes or experiences that occurred in their own life, including episodic and semantic memory or both.

infantile amnesia

the commonly experienced inability to recall events from early childhood

context-dependent memory

putting oneself back in the context where one experienced something earlier that primes one’s memory retrieval

mood-congruent memory

the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one’s current good or bad mood

state-dependent memory

A condition in which memory for a past event is improved when the person is in the same biological or psychological state as when the memory was initially formed.

testing effect

Taking a test on previously studied material leads to better retention than does restudying.

metacognition

Awareness of one’s own cognitive processes, often involving a conscious attempt to control them.

forgetting curve

A sudden drop in retention shortly after learning, then levels off later. A graphic depiction of the amount of forgetting over time after learning has taken place.

tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

The experience of attempting to retrieve from memory a specific name or word but not being able to do so.

source amnesia

faulty memory for how, when, or where information was learned or imagined (as when misattributing information to a wrong source)

imagination inflation

Reporting richer details of one’s false memories after imagining the fake scenario.