Intro to Psych - Chapter 2 Vocabulary

For Dr. Stevenson's Intro to Psych class

Working Memory (WM)

Active form of sensory memory that holds different information in memory long enough to bring information together in a meaningful way

Short-Term Memory (STM)

Holds information usually for 12-20 seconds unless a decision is made to hold information longer

Information Processing Model

Memory is made up of a series of stores that include sensory memory, short-term and long-term memory

Forgetting

Occurs when there is a failure to retrieve stored information

Spacing Effect

Rehearsing information in such a way that it is spread out over time

Storage

Retention of information over time

Iconic Memory

Visual-mental picture that’s available for recall for only fractions of a second after visual stimuli are presented

Explicit Memories (Declarative)

Factual knowledge that requires conscious effort to recall

Hippocampus

Brain structure found in the limbic system responsible for storing our explicit memories

Sensory Memory

Massive amounts of information from our environment is stored and remains momentarily

Rehearsal

Conscious repetition of information in order to keep it in our awareness or to encode it in memory

Parallel Distributive Processes (PDP)/ Connectionist Model

New information is joined together with older, related information that combines to create a similar network of information

Distributed Process

Includes breaks interspersed between rehearsal periods

Implicit Memories (Non-Declarative)

Memories that require little to no conscious effort to recall

Long-Term Memory

Relatively limitless in terms of the amount and length of time information can be stored

Retrograde Amnesia

Memory loss regarding events that happened prior to the amnesia

Retrieval

The process involved in accessing information stored in memory

Massed Practice (Cramming)

Involves rehearsal of large quantities of information in one session with no breaks

Encoding

The process of organizing, transforming, and recording information into the brain

Memory

The persistent and enduring process involved in and demonstrated by learning, involving encoding, storage and retrieval

Effortful Processing

Information that requires conscious awareness and focused attention

Anterograde Amnesia

Memory loss regarding the events that happen after the onset of amnesia

Amnesia

Profound memory loss typically associated with injury to the brain

Echoic Memory

The momentary sensory memory component for auditory stimuli that only lasts a few seconds when our attention is divided

Cerebellum

A structure in the brain near the brain stem that’s responsible for the formation and storage of implicit memories

Automatic Processing

Involves the encoding or attending to information without conscious awareness

Recognition

Identifying and confirming the familiarity of a previously encountered stimulus

Recall

Retrieving and reproducing previously stored information from memory