AP Psychology Unit 7 Vocabulary

memory

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

flashbulb memory

a clear

encoding

the processing of getting information into the memory system—for example

storage

the process of retaining encoded information over time

Retrieval

the process of getting information out of memory storage

sensory memory

the immediate

parallel processing

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions

short-term memory

activated memory that holds a few items briefly

long-term memory

the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge

working memory

a newer understanding of short-term memory that focuses on conscious

magic \#7

short-term memory is limited to 7 items on average (+/- 2)

automatic processing

unconscious encoding of incidental information

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

testing effect

enhanced memory after retrieving

rehearsal

process of repeating

spacing effect

the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice

serial position effect

our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list

primary effect

tendency to recall the first terms of list

recency effect

tendency to remember recent information better than earlier information

visual encoding

stimuli seen in the outside world are converted into internal representations that can subsequentially be processed and stored in memory

acoustic encoding

the encoding and processing of sound

semantic encoding

something is encoded on the basis of meaning rather than the sound or vision of it

imagery

set of mental pictures that serves as an aid to effortful processing

Mneomics

memory aids

Chunking

organizing items into familiar

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

memory consolidation

the neural storage of a long-term memory

reconsolidation

a process in which previously stored memories

long-term potentiation

an increase in a cell's firing potential after brief

implicit memory

retention of learned skills or classically conditioned associations independent of conscious recollection

explicit memory

retention of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare"

hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage.

recall

A measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier

recognition

a measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned

relearning

a measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time

priming

the activation

deja vu

that eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.

mood-congruent memory

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

state-dependent memory

memory for a past event is improved when the person is in the same biological or psychological state as when memory is initially formed

semantic memory

general knowledge that encompasses memory for concepts

episodic memory

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

procedural memory

in charge for encoding

declarative memory

the cognitive information retrieved from explicit memory; knowledge that can be declared

prospective memory

remembering to perform delayed intentions at an appropriate time or event in the future

forgetting

failure to remember previously learned material

decay theory

proposes that memory fades due to the mere passage of time

encoding specificity principle

the idea that cues and contexts specific to a particular memory will be most effective in helping us recall it

amnesia

loss of memory

source amnesia

faulty memory for how

anterograde amnesia

an inability to form new memories

retrograde amnesia

an inability to retrieve information from one's past

proactive interference

the forward-acting disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information

retroactive interference

the backward-acting disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information

repression

basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts

misinformation effect

when misleading information has corrupted one's memory of an event

Alzheimer's disease

a neurocognitive disorder marked by neural plaques

repressed memories

occurs when trauma is too severe to be kept in concious memory

eyewitness testimony

an account given by people of an event they have witnessed

recovered memories

recollections of a past event

the innocence project

An organization staffed by lawyers and law students who reexamine cases and provide legal assistance to convicts when there is a probability that serious errors occurred in their prosecution.

CSA

behavioral and psychological assessmenr of child sexual abuse

concept

a mental grouping of similar objects

prototype

a mental image or best example of a category

creativity

the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas

divergent thinking

expanding the number of possible problem solutions; creative thinking that diverges in different directions

convergent thinking

narrowing the available problem solutions to determine the single best solution

Algorthim

a methodical

Heuristic

a simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve problems efficiently; usually speedier but also more error-prone than algorithms

insight

a sudden realization of a problem's solution

confirmation bias

a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence

fixation

the inability to see a problem from a new perspective

mental set

a tendency to approach a problem in one particular way

intuition

an effortless

representative heuristic

judging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they seem to represent

avaliability heuristic

estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps because of their vividness)

overconfidence

the tendency to be more confident than correct—to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments.

belief perseverance

clinging to one's initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited

Framing

the way an issue is posed; how an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgments.

language

our spoken

phoneme

in language

Morpheme

in a language

grammar

in a language

babbling stage

beginning at about 4 months

one-word stage

the stage in speech development

two-word stage (telegraphic speech)

beginning about age 2

telegraphic speech

early speech stage in which a child speaks like a telegram—"go car"—using mostly nouns and verbs.

aphasia

impairment of language

Broca's area

Controls language expression - an area of the frontal lobe

Wernicke's area

controls language reception - a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe

linguistic determinism

the strong form of Whorf's hypothesis—that language controls the way we think and interpret the world around us

linguistic influence

the idea that language affects thought (thus our thinking and world view is "relative to" our cultural language)

Herrmann Ebbinghaus

German experimental psychologist who undertook the first systematic and large-scale studies of memory and devised tests using nonsense syllables

Elizabeth Loftus

Her research on memory construction and the misinformation effect created doubts about the accuracy of eye-witness testimony

Gary Wells

Psychologist who studied eyewitness testimony and the idea of suggestibility.

George Miller

made famous the phrase: "the magical number 7

Noam Chomsky

theorist who believed that humans have an inborn or "native" propensity to develop language called universal grammar

Benjamin Lee Whorf

Concept of "liguistic determinism" or how language impacts thought