Memory Terminology

Processing

The operations we perform on sensory information in the brain.

Input

For human memory, this refers to the sensory information we receive from our environment.

Storage

the retention of information in our memory system.

Encoding

turning sensory information into a form that can be used and stored by the brain.

Acoustic encoding

the process of storing sound in our memory system.

Visual encoding

the process of storing something that is seen in our memory system.

Semantic encoding

the process of storing the meaning of information in our memory system, rather than the sound of a word, we store the definition/ meaning of that word.

Output

for memory, this refers to the information we recall; in a broader sense, output can refer to behavioural response.

Retrieval

the recall of stored memories.

Short-term memory

our initial memory store that is temporary and limited.

Long-term memory

a memory store that holds potentially limitless amounts of information for up to

a lifetime.

Duration

the length of time information can be stored in short-term and long-term memory.

Capacity

the amount of information that can be stored in short-term and long-term memory.

Rehearsing

when we repeat information over and over

again to make it stick.

Displacement

when the short-term memory becomes ‘full’ and new information pushes out older

information.

Interference

when new information overwrites older information

Amnesia

memory loss, often

through accident, disease or injury.

Anterograde amnesia

a memory condition that means new long-term memories cannot

be made; this is typically caused by injury to the brain.

Retrograde amnesia

a memory condition that affects recall of

memories prior to an injury to the brain.

Active reconstruction

memory

is not an exact copy of what we

experienced, but an interpretation

or reconstruction of events that

are influenced by our schema

(expectation) when we remember

them again.

Schema (memory)

a packet

of knowledge about an event,

person or place that influences

how we perceive and remember.

Ommision

when we leave out unfamiliar, irrelevant or unpleasant details when remembering something.

Transformation

when details are changed to make them more familiar and rational.

Familiarisation

when unfamiliar details are changed to align with our own schema.

Rationalisation

when we add details into our recall to give a reason for something that may

not have originally fitted with a schema.

Cognitivve interview

a police interview designed to ensure a witness to a crime does not actively reconstruct their memory.

Ecological validity

the extent to which the findings still explain the behaviour in different situations.

Subjective

based on personal opinion or feelings.

Sensory register

our immediate memory of sensory information.

Attention

focus on certain sensory information.

Iconic memory

the sensory register for visual information.

Echoic memory

the sensory register for auditory (sound) information.

Modality free

not linked to a specific type of sensory information.

Primacy

the tendency to recall words at the beginning of a list when asked to remember it.

Recency

the tendency to recall words at the end of a list when asked to remember it.

Serial reproduction

a technique where participants retell something to another participant to form a chain; this is how folk stories are passed down through cultures.

Repeated reproduction

a technique where participants are asked to recall something again and again.

Reliable

when the outcomes of a study are consistent.

Statistical analysis

mathematical calculations performed on data to see whether the findings could be

due to chance.

Standardised procedure

where

the procedure of a study is the

same across all conditions.

Extraneous variables

variables that could affect the results of a study.

Mundane realism

a realistic, everyday task.

Reductionism

the theory of explaining something according to its basic constituent parts.

Reductionist

the practice of reductionism.

Holism

the theory of explaining something as a whole.

Holistic

the practice of holism