PSYCH 1010 - Exam #2

memory

the ability to retain knowledge

memory process like…

attention, sensation, and perception

memories are used for…

thinking and problem-solving

information processing

continuum from attention through problem solving that includes memory

atkinson-shriffin model of memory

steps of memory

encoding, storage, and retrieval

encoding

the process of taking information and putting it into memory

storage

taking information from memory and storing it

retrieval

recovering stored information

true or false: cognitive psychologists think memory occurs in stages, with forgetting possible at any point

true

sensory memory

all sensory information is held for a very brief time in sensory memory

true or false: visual information lasts slightly longer in memory than auditory information

false

short-term memory

a small fraction of sensory memory moves to short-term memory (STM) and lasts for about 30 seconds

chunking

putting information into meaningful chunks to improve short term memory

working memory

similar to short-term memory except multiple types of information (only a single type for short-term) can be actively manipulated (passive for short-term)

working memory includes…

visuospatial sketchpad, phonological loop, episodic buffer, and central executive

visuospatial sketchpad

remembering and manipulating things we see

phonological loop

rehearsal of auditory information

episodic buffer

links different information together, and combines it with information from long-term memory

central executive

directs appropriate amount of attention to each component

true or false: central executive controls all components of working memory

true

the brain areas involved in working memory

anterior cingulate cortex (acc)

better working memory equals…

more activation in the ACC

prefrontal cortex damage

leads to people that can’t change courses in a card-sorting task (similar to small children)

long-term memory

location of permanent memories (long duration and capacity)

levels of processing theory

deeper levels of processing lead to a greater likelihood that something will be retained in long-term memory

people tend to remember things that are _____ to themselves

relevant

serial position effect

when people are asked to recall a list of words, where a word is at in the list influences whether it’s recalled or not

primacy effect

words learned first are more likely to be remembered (rehearsal moved to long-term memory)

recency effect

words learned last are more likely to be remembered (still in memory)

the recency effects doesn’t work after ___ seconds

30

what does having your hippocampus removed on both sides do to memory?

unable to form new memories

anterograde amnesia

the inability to form new memories while maintaining personality and intelligence

what does damage to your parietal lobe do to memory?

causes poor working memory, but normal long-term memory and the ability to form new memories

declarative memory

explicit memories where we are able to verbalize and tell others

nondeclarative memories

implicit memories that are difficult to verbalize; typically having conditioned emotions and procedural memories

declarative memories are…

semantic, episodic, and autobiographical

semantic memories

memories of facts, ideas, concepts, and overall general knowledge

episodic memories

memories of personally-experienced events

autobiographical memories

either semantic or episodic memories about oneself

nondeclarative memories are…

classical conditioning, procedural memories, and priming

classical conditioning

we often have conditioned emotional responses to things we’re not aware of

procedural memories

how to do things, which is typically difficult to describe

priming

exposure to one stimulus changes a response to a later stimulus

people that heard “rude” words were more likely to interrupt an experimenter than people that heard “polite” words

example of priming

the hippocampus is important for ________ memory

spatial

memories that are similar appear to be _____.

linked

spreading activation model

people organize their memories based on how related things are in their own personal experience

schema

our set of expectations about situations or things

how many items are sorted through during STM retrieval

1 at a time

cue

stimulus that aids in retrieval of information

encoding specific

when memories are encoded, lots of specific information is included

tip of the tongue

incomplete memory retrieval where part of a memory is recalled

memory is _______ not ________.

reconstructed, recalled

true or false: memories, once stored, don’t change

false

asking eye-witnesses “how fast were cars going when they bumped/smashed/hit/collided/contacted each other?” influenced memory of how fast the cars were going

example of suggestive retrieval

flashbulb memory

vivid and detailed memory associated with highly emotional event

which parts of the brain work together to form emotional memories?

hippocampus and amygdala

forgetting

decrease in the ability to retrieve a previously-formed memory

interferene

newer and older information in memory might compete, potentially distorting memories

proactive interference

reduced memory for information because of prior memories

retroactive interference

reduced memory for information because of information learned afterward

motivated forgetting

failure to remember threatening or negative things

long-term potentiation

neurons that are regularly activated together because more efficient at communicating

neurons that ___ together ____ together

fire, wire

engram

memory traces or biological changes in the brain that are responsible for memory

influence of acetylcholine on memory

important and positive

memory is _________ dependent

context

distributed practice

practice or learning distributed more or less evenly over time

massed practice

practice or learning crammed into a short amount of time

task positive network

brain networks that are active when the mind is focused on a task

default mode network

brain networks that are active when the mind is wandering (daydreaming, ruminating, etc)

pomodoro technique

when sitting down to study, set a timer for 25 minutes to focus, then take a break

thinking about doing a task you do not want to do activates the same area in our brain as ________.

physical pain

interleaving

studies indicate that studying different topics during a study session helps with learning compared with focusing on just one topic

previewing

before starting a new unit, look at each section heading/notes, and think about what’s coming up, what you might already know about the topic, how it might relate to earlier topics in the class etc.

true or false: sleep is important for consolidation of memories

true

teaching

explaining a concept to someone else can help you realize whether you understand a concept or not

testing

taking tests can actually improve memory

mneumonics

devices that link new information to something simpler or already well-known

metacognition

thinking about thinking

learning

relatively permanent change in behavior (or capacity for behavior) due to individual experience

reflex

relatively simple, automatic response to a stimulus

instincts

stereotyped behaviors that occur in all members of a species without practice

fixed action patterns

sequence of instinctive behaviors that once started, continues to completion (ex. yawning)

reflexes and instincts have no ________.

flexibility

habituation

decreased response to the same stimulus presented repeatedly

sensitization

increased responding to a stimulus, that can also generalize to other stimuli

we habiltialize ________ stimuli

harmless

we sensitize ________ stimuli

dangerous

classical conditioning

learning process that occurs when a previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with biologically relevant stimulus

unconditioned stimulus

elicits an uncontrolled response without prior training that is automatic and reflexive responses

unconditioned response

elicited by unconditioned stimulus that does not require learning and is usually important to survival/reproduction

conditioned stimulus

a previously neutral stimulus that comes to evoke a response after it becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus

conditioned response

elicited by a conditioned stimulus after a number of pairings of conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus which requires learning

acquisition

the process of obtaining a conditioned response through repeated pairings of a conditioned stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus

contiguity

how close in time or space two events happen

extinction

if a conditioned stimulus no longer appears with the unconditioned stimulus the conditioned response will weaken and eventually disappear

true or false: extinction is the same as forgetting

false

spontaneous recovery

if there is a period of time between extinction trails, conditioned responding can return