Unit 6 - Cognition/Memory

memory

the persistence of learning over time (326)

recall

fill-in-the-blank test. (327)

recognition

multiple-choice test. (327)

encoding

getting info into the memory system(329)

storage

retaining encoded info over time. (329)

retrieval

getting info out of memory storage. (329)

parallel processing

processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously (329)

serotonin

neurotransmitter associated with learning and memory

sensory memory

the immediate, very brief recording of visual & auditory info (329)

short-term memory

activated memory that holds 5-9 items briefly (329)

long-term memory

permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. (329)

working memory

a newer understanding of short-term memory that adds conscious, active processing of info (329)

explicit memory

conscious, declarative, deep, effortful (330)

implicit memory

procedural, automatic, nondeclarative, shallow, unconscious (331)

iconic memory

a momentary visual stimuli; a picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second. (332)

echoic memory

a momentary auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds. (332)

chunking

organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically. (333)

mnemonics

memory aids. (333)

spacing effect

distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice. (334)

semantic memory

explicit memory of facts and general knowledge; (340)

episodic memory

explicit memory of personally experienced events (340)

hippocampus

transfers explicit memories to long term memory (106, 340)

cerebellum

associated with implicit, procedural memory, like walking (balance and coordination too)

flashbulb memory

a clear, sustained memory of an emotionally significant moment or event. (342)

long-term potentiation (LTP)

an increase in a cell's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation; a neural basis for learning and memory. (342)

priming

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response. (165, 345)

mood-congruent memory

recall experiences that are consistent with one's current emotions (346)

state-dependent memory

info learned in a particular mind set (e.g., caffeine, drunk, tired) is more easily recalled when in that same mind set

method of Loci

use of familiar locations as cues to recall items that have been associated with them

peg-word system

associates numbers with items that rhyme with or resemble the numbers

Forgetting Curve (Ebbinghaus)

the course of forgetting is initially rapid, then levels off with time

serial position effect

our tendency to recall best the last (recency effect) and first (primacy effect) items in a list. (347)

anterograde amnesia

an inability to form new memories. ( 351)

retrograde amnesia

an inability to retrieve information from one's past. (351)

proactive interference

the forward-acting disruptive effect of older learning on the recall of new information. (354)

retroactive interference

the backward-acting disruptive effect of newer learning on the recall of old information. (354)

repression

defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories. (355, 581)

misinformation effect

when misleading information has distorted one's memory of an event. 357)

source amnesia

faulty memory for how, when, or where information was learned or imagined. (Also called source misattribution.) (358)

déjà vu

that eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." (358)

cognition

mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating. (365, 498)

concept

a mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people. (365)

prototype

a mental image or best example of a category. (365)

creativity

ability to produce new and valuable ideas. (366)

Amygdala

A limbic system structure involved in memory and emotion, particularly fear and aggression.

5 components of creativity

venturesome personality, intrinsic motivation, creative environment, expertise, imagination

Sternberg's Triarchic Theory

intelligence is analytical, creative, & practical

convergent thinking

narrowing the available problem solutions to determine the single best solution. (366)

divergent thinking

multiple problem solutions (366)

algorithm

a methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem. (370)

heuristic

a shortcut or rule of thumb (370)

insight

a sudden realization of a problem's solution (304, 370)

confirmation bias

search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence. (371)

fixation

inability to see a problem from a new perspective; an obstacle to problem solving (371, 581)

mental set

approach a problem in one particular way, often a way that has been successful in the past. (371)

intuition

an effortless, immediate, automatic feeling or (372)

representativeness heuristic

estimating the likelihood of events in terms of how well they seem to match particular prototypes (372)

availability heuristic

estimating the likelihood of events based on how readily it comes to mind (373)

overconfidence

to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments. (375)

belief perseverance

clinging to one's initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited. (376)

framing

the way an issue is posed; how an issue is worded can significantly affect decisions and judgments. (376)

phoneme

the smallest distinctive sound unit. (381)

morpheme

the smallest unit that carries meaning (382)

grammar

system of rules that enables us to communicate with and understand others(382)

babbling stage

beginning around 4 months, the stage of speech development in which an infant spontaneously utters various sounds at first unrelated to the household language. (384)

one-word stage

holophrastic- age 1 to 2, during which a child speaks mostly in single words. (384)

two-word stage

telegraphic- age 2, the stage in speech development during which a child speaks mostly in two-word statements. (384)

aphasia

impairment of language, usually caused by damage (387)

Broca's area

helps control language expression—an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech. (388)

Wernicke's area

a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe. (388)

linguistic determinism

Whorf's hypothesis—that language controls the way we think and interpret the world around us. (389)

Noam Chomsky

kids learn language through a language acquisition device during a critical period

Skinner

kids learn language through rewards and copying others