Sudden death

Memory

The brain’s way of saving and using information.

Flashbulb memory

A very vivid and detailed memory of an emotional event.

Encoding

The process of changing information into a form the brain can store.

Storing

Keeping information in the brain over time.

Retrieval

Getting information back out of the brain when needed.

Sensory memory

A brief memory that holds information from the senses for a moment.

Short-term memory

Memory that holds a small amount of information for a short time.

Long-term memory

Memory that stores information for a long period.

Working memory

A type of short-term memory used to hold and manipulate information.

Autonomic processing

Learning or remembering something without trying.

Effortful processing

Learning that requires focus and effort.

Rehearsal

Repeating information to remember it.

Spacing effect

Learning is better when study sessions are spread out over time.

Serial position effect

The tendency to remember the first and last items in a list best.

Visual encoding

Remembering things by seeing them.

Acoustic encoding

Remembering things by hearing them.

Semantic encoding

Remembering things by their meaning.

Imagery

Using pictures or visuals to help remember something.

Mnemonics

Memory aids like tricks or rhymes.

Chunking

Grouping information to make it easier to remember.

Iconic memory

A very brief memory of a visual image.

Echoic memory

A very brief memory of a sound.

Amnesia

A loss of memory.

Positive Transfer

When learning one thing helps learn another.

Negative Transfer

When learning one thing makes learning another harder.

Implicit memory

Memory you don’t have to think about, like riding a bike.

Explicit memory

Memory you can consciously recall, like facts.

Hippocampus

A brain area important for forming memories.

Recall

Remembering information without hints.

Recognition

Identifying something you’ve seen or learned before.

Relearning

Learning something again faster than the first time.

Priming

Exposure to one thing influences your response to another.

Repression

Pushing painful memories out of awareness.

Déjà vu

The feeling that you’ve experienced something before.

Proactive interference

Old information makes learning new information harder.

Retroactive interference

New information makes it hard to remember old information.

Mood-dependent memory

Remembering things better when in the same mood as when learned.

State-dependent memory

Remembering things better when in the same state as when learned.

von Restorff effect

Remembering unusual or different items more easily.

Concept

A mental group of similar objects or ideas.

Prototype

The best example of a category.

Algorithm

A step-by-step method to solve a problem.

Heuristic

A quick, simple rule to solve a problem.

Insight

A sudden realization of a solution to a problem.

Confirmation bias

Focusing on information that supports your belief.

Mental set

Sticking to familiar solutions even when they don’t work.

Functional fixedness

Seeing objects only for their usual use.

Representative heuristic

Judging how likely something is based on how typical it seems.

Framing

The way information is presented affects decisions.

Availability heuristic

Judging likelihood based on how easily examples come to mind.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

Expectations cause actions that make those expectations come true.

Intelligence

The ability to learn, think, and solve problems.

Flynn Effect

The rise in average IQ scores over time.

Factor analysis

A method to find patterns in data by grouping related items.

General intelligence

Overall mental ability influencing many skills.

Savant syndrome

A condition where someone has exceptional skill in one area but struggles in others.

Emotional intelligence

Understanding and managing emotions.

Creativity

Thinking of new and unique ideas.

Self-efficacy

Belief in your ability to succeed.

Mental age

The age that matches a person’s level of mental performance.

Stanford-Binet

A common intelligence test.

Intelligence quotient (IQ)

A score measuring intelligence.

Aptitude test

A test measuring potential ability.

Predictive validity

How well a test predicts future performance.

Achievement test

A test measuring what you’ve learned.

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

A popular IQ test for adults.

Standardization

Making tests the same for everyone taking them.

Normal distribution

A bell-shaped curve showing how traits are spread out.

Reliability

Consistency of test results over time.

Split-half reliability

Checking reliability by comparing two halves of a test.

Validity

How well a test measures what it’s supposed to measure.

Content validity

How well a test covers the subject it's supposed to.

Predictive validity

How well a test predicts what it should.

Intellectual disability

A condition with below-average intelligence and life skills.

Down syndrome

A genetic disorder causing developmental delays.

Fragile X syndrome

A genetic condition that affects learning and behavior.