ch07

encoding

learning by perceiving and relating it to past knowledge

storage

maintaining over a period of time

retrieval

accessing the encoded information when needed

semantic judgements

requiring participants to think about the meaning of a word

rhyme judgements

requiring participants to think about the sound of a word (ex. rhyming)

visual judgements

requiring participants to think about the appearance of a word (ex. UPPER or lowercase )

elaborative encoding

the process of actively relating new information to knowledge that is already encoded in ones memory

where does semantic encoding take place?

lower left frontal lobe

where does organizational encoding take place?

upper left frontal lobe

where does visual encoding take place?

occipital lobe

NMDA receptor

flow of information from one neuron to another

organizational encoding

process of categorizing information according to the relationships among a series of items

elaboration

linking a stimulus to other information at the time of encoding (thinking of examples)

visual imagery

creating of visual images to represent words to be remembered (easiest for concrete objects)

self-referent encoding

making information personally meaningful

iconic memory

fast-decaying store of visual information

echoic memory

fast-decaying store of auditory information

short term memory

can store approximately 7 chunks of information at a time

anterograde amnesia

cannot form new memories —> future memories

retrograde amnesia

cannot recall memories from ones past —> past

Sperling’s 1960 study of sensory memory

found that more information is available immediately after visual stimulation than is available for recall even a few seconds later ( participants could only recall approximately 4 letters )

recency

recalling information in which you start with items from the end of the list

primacy

recalling information in which you start with items from the beginning of the list

retrieval cues

stimuli that assist in memory retrieval; help access memories stored in long-term memory and bring them to your conscious awareness

state-dependent learning

the phenomenon where people remember more information if their physical or mental state is the same at the time of encoding and time of recall

implicit memory

information that we do not store purposely and is unintentionally memorized; also known as unconscious or automatic memory (ex. riding a bike, walking)

explicit memory

conscious, intentional recollection of factual information, previous experiences, and concepts

procedural memory

another word for implicit memory (ex. motor skills)

semantic memory

general knowledge facts of the world

episodic memory

remembering episodes of one’s life

priming

a phenomenon in which the exposure to one stimulus influences how a person responds to a subsequent, related stimulus. (ex. child sees candy on a bench, then later if they see a bench they could expect there to be candy)

transience

forgetting with the passage of time

absentmindedness

lapses of attention and forgetting to do things

blocking

a previously-learned thought process prevents or delays the learning and conditioning of new behavior

memory misattribution

attribution of memories to incorrect sources or believing that you have seen or heard something you havent

primary cause of eyewitness misidentifications

suggestibility

how susceptible we are to altering our behavior based on the suggestions of others

bias

a tendency to respond one way compared to another when making some kind of life choice

persistance

causes the unwanted recall of information that feels disturbing (trauma, embarrassment, etc)

retention

the proportion of material retained

retroactive interference

learning new information disrupts retrieval of old information ( learning new passwords and forgetting the old ones)

proactive interference

learning new information is distorted by old information that has been learned (trying to learn new passwords but only remembering old ones)

Elizabeth Loftus

best known for her relation to the misinformation effect, false memory, and criticism of recovered memory therapies

recovered memory debate

therapists mistakenly conclude or strongly suspect that a patient has a history of child abuse and then, through questions or other means, implant a false memory of an abuse history

interim

temporary and intended to be used or accepted until something permanent exists

flashbulb memories

a vivid, long-lasting memory about a surprising or shocking event that has happened in the past

amygdala

major processing center for emotions; part of the limbic system