Memory, Memory Models, and Forgetting - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering memory processes, models, and key studies from the notes.

Memory

The means by which we retain and use past experiences; involves encoding, storage, and retrieval.

Encoding

Processes used to convert experiences into a memory trace for storage.

Storage

Maintenance of encoded information over time in memory.

Retrieval

Accessing stored information from memory.

Recall

A memory task requiring generation of the answer from memory.

Recognition

A memory task requiring identification of familiarity without generating the item.

Free Recall

Recall of as many items as possible from a list without cues.

Serial Recall

Recall of items in the order in which they occurred.

Cued Recall

Recall aided by a cue or prompt.

Paired Associates

Learning pairs of items and later recalling one item when prompted by its pair.

Explicit Memory

Conscious recollection of information (recall or recognition).

Implicit Memory

Memory that influences performance without conscious recollection (e.g., priming, skills).

Procedural Memory

Knowing how to do things; memory for skills and procedures.

Declarative Memory

Memory for facts (semantic) and events (episodic).

Semantic Memory

Knowledge of facts, meanings, and general world knowledge.

Episodic Memory

Memory of personal experiences and events (autobiographical).

Atkinson & Shiffrin 3-Stage Model

Classic model with sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.

Sensory Memory

Brief initial store of sensory input; large capacity, very short duration.

Iconic Memory

Visual sensory memory within sensory memory.

Echoic Memory

Auditory sensory memory within sensory memory.

Sperling Whole Report

Experiment showing iconic memory capacity by asking for all letters; typically ~4 recalled.

Sperling Partial Report

Cue a row after a brief display; higher performance than whole report.

Short-Term Memory

Limited-capacity store (~7±2 items) that holds info briefly.

Chunking

Grouping items into meaningful units to expand memory capacity.

Peterson & Peterson (1959)

Showed STM duration by preventing rehearsal with a distractor task.

Long-Term Memory

Vast memory store with near-unlimited capacity and duration.

Bahrick

Research showing very long-term memory for names/faces from yearbooks.

Levels of Processing

Deeper semantic processing yields stronger memory than shallow processing.

Maintenance Rehearsal

Repetition to keep information in STM; poor transfer to LTM.

Elaborative Rehearsal

Processing with meaning/relations to yield durable LTM.

Transfer-Appropriate Processing

Memory improves when encoding and testing processes match.

Encoding Specificity

Recall is best when the encoding context matches retrieval context.

Working Memory Model

Baddeley–Hitch model with a central executive and subsystems.

Central Executive

Attentional control system that coordinates working memory.

Phonological Loop

Verbal store for speech-based information; uses rehearsal.

Articulatory Suppression

Suppressing speech disrupts the phonological loop and memory.

Brooks Task

Demonstrated dual-task interference, supporting multiple WM systems.

Visuo-spatial Sketchpad

Component that holds and manipulates visual/spatial information.

HM / Anterograde Amnesia

Case of Hippocampal damage; cannot form new explicit memories; working memory intact.

Hippocampus

Brain structure critical for encoding new explicit memories; part of medial temporal lobe.

Medial Temporal Lobe

Region including the hippocampus; essential for new long-term memory formation.

Anterograde Amnesia

Inability to form new memories after trauma.

Retrograde Amnesia

Loss of memories formed before trauma; can be temporally graded.

Proactive Interference

Old memories interfere with learning new information.

Retroactive Interference

New memories interfere with recall of old information.

Decay Theory

Memories fade with disuse and time.

Interference Theory

Forgetting due to competing memories; includes proactive/retroactive.

Context-Dependent Memory

Better recall when test context matches learning context.

State-Dependent Memory

Better recall when internal state during testing matches encoding.

Spacing Effect

Distributed study sessions improve long-term retention.

Synesthesia

Cross-activation between senses; e.g., color-grapheme synesthesia.

Solomon Shereshevskii (Mnemonist)

Noted for extraordinary memory but poor concentration due to mental imagery.

Mirror Reading Study

Amnesic and control groups show intact implicit memory but impaired explicit memory.

Eyewitness memory

Can be distorted by forgetting things that happened, remember things that didn’t happen, and your memory may be influenced by: interim misinformation or how you were questioned later on.

Misinformation Effect

information that comes AFTER the event → Loftus car and verbs, using ‘smashed’ makes people think the crash was more severe

False Memories

It’s easier to implant plausible events than implausible ones. Repetition of the false info helps. Some individuals appear to be more susceptible.

“Imagination inflation”

Don’t just hear the event, asked to imagine it happening. Results in making false memories easier