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Lesson 2
Activity-silent working memory
Means your brain holds onto information without needing to keep thinking about it constantly. Instead of keeping brain cells active, it uses small temporary changes in connections between them.
Example: Imagine you see a phone number, look away for a moment, and can still remember it for a short time without repeating it in your head. Your brain stores it silently until you need it.
Articulatory rehearsal process
Means repeating information in your head to keep it in short-term memory for a little longer.
Example: When you keep saying a phone number to yourself until you dial it, you're using articulatory rehearsal to remember it.
Articulatory suppression
Happens when speaking or making sounds interferes with your ability to remember verbal information by preventing mental repetition.
Example: If you try to remember a phone number but keep saying “la la la” out loud, it becomes harder to recall the number because your brain can’t rehearse it properly.
Central executive
The part of working memory that manages attention, organizes information, and directs mental tasks.
Example: When solving a math problem while ignoring background noise, the central executive helps focus on the task and switch between steps.
Change detection
The ability to notice differences between two images or scenes.
Example: Spotting the difference between two similar pictures in a puzzle game.
Chunk
A group of related items stored together in memory to make them easier to remember.
Example: Remembering a phone number as 123-456-7890 instead of 1234567890 helps because it's broken into chunks.
Chunking
The process of grouping smaller pieces of information into larger, meaningful units to make them easier to remember.
Example: Remembering a grocery list by grouping items (e.g., fruits: apples, bananas; dairy: milk, cheese) instead of as separate items.
Control processes
Mental strategies that help manage and improve memory, like rehearsal or organizing information.
Example: Repeating a list of words to remember them or using mnemonics to recall information for a test.
Decay
The gradual fading of memories over time when they are not used or reinforced.
Example: Forgetting a friend’s old phone number because you haven’t used it in years.
Delayed partial report method
A way to study how short-term memory fades over time by delaying when you're asked to remember part of what you saw.
Example: You quickly see a set of letters, but instead of being asked to recall them right away, there's a short delay before you're told which row to remember. The longer the delay, the harder it is to recall.
Delayed-response task
A memory test where you have to wait for a short time before giving an answer.
Example: A monkey sees food hidden under a cup, then after a short delay, it has to remember and pick the right cup.
Digit span
The number of digits a person can remember and repeat in the correct order.
Example: If someone hears 7-2-9-4-6 and can repeat it correctly, their digit span is 5.
Echoic memory
The short-term memory for sounds that lasts a few seconds after hearing them.
Example: When someone asks, "What did I just say?" and you can recall it even though you weren’t paying full attention.
Episodic buffer
A part of working memory that combines information from different sources into a meaningful story or event.
Example: When recalling a past birthday, your brain brings together sights, sounds, and emotions to form a complete memory of the event.
Event-related potential (ERP)
The brain's electrical response to a specific event or stimulus, measured using EEG.
Example: Seeing a familiar face triggers a brain wave pattern that researchers can track to study recognition and memory.
Iconic memory
The short-term memory for visual information that lasts for a fraction of a second.
Example: When you see a flash of lightning and can still "see" it for a brief moment after it disappears.
Memory
The ability to store, retain, and retrieve information.
Example: Remembering your best friend’s birthday or recalling answers during a test.
Mental rotation
The ability to turn an image of an object in your mind to understand or compare it.
Example: Looking at a flipped letter R and imagining how it would look if rotated back to its normal position.
Modal model of memory
A theory that explains memory in three stages: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.
Example: When you hear a phone number (sensory memory), repeat it to keep it in mind (short-term memory), and later remember it without effort (long-term memory).
Partial report method
Is a way to study sensory memory by showing information briefly and asking participants to recall only a specific part of it.
Example: You see a grid of letters for a moment, then hear a tone that tells you which row to remember and repeat.
Perseveration
When someone keeps repeating the same action, word, or thought, even when it no longer helps.
Example: Trying to solve a math problem the same wrong way over and over, even after seeing it doesn’t work.
Persistence of vision
Is when an image stays in your vision for a short time after it disappears.
Example: Seeing a glowing trail when waving a sparkler in the dark.
Phonological loop
The part of working memory that helps store and repeat spoken and written information.
Example: When you listen to a lecture and take notes while remembering key points, your phonological loop helps you hold and process the spoken information temporarily.
Phonological similarity effect
The tendency to mix up words or letters that sound alike when remembering them.
Example: Confusing "B" and "P" or "cat" and "bat" when trying to recall a list of words.
Phonological store
The part of working memory that briefly holds sounds and spoken words/ a component of working memory that temporarily holds speech-based information
Example: Hearing a name and remembering it for a few seconds before it fades away.
Reading span
The number of sentences a person can read while remembering a key word from each one.
Example: Reading five sentences and recalling the last word of each one correctly.
Reading span test
Is a test that measures working memory by having people read sentences while remembering a key word from each.
Example: Reading several sentences and then recalling the last word of each one in order.
Recall
Is the ability to retrieve information from memory without any hints or cues.
Example: Remembering a friend’s birthday without looking it up.
Rehearsal
The process of repeating information to keep it in memory for longer.
Example: Saying a phone number over and over to remember it before dialing.
Sensory memory
A very short-lasting memory that briefly holds information from the senses before it fades or is processed.
Example: Noticing the image of a sparkler lingering for a moment after it moves.
Short-term memory (STM)
The part of memory that holds a small amount of information for a short time.
Example: Remembering a phone number just long enough to dial it.
Structural features
The core parts of a memory system, including sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.
Example: The way memory is organized, like a computer having input (sensory memory), temporary storage (short-term memory), and long-term storage (long-term memory).
Visual icon
Is another name for Iconic Memory, which briefly holds visual information before it fades.
Example: Seeing a flash of lightning and still "seeing" it for a moment after it disappears.
Visual imagery
The ability to create mental pictures of objects, scenes, or experiences in your mind.
Example: Imagining a beach with waves and palm trees while reading about it.
Visuospatial sketch pad
Is the part of working memory that helps store and manipulate visual and spatial information.
Example: Mentally picturing the layout of your bedroom when deciding where to place new furniture.
Whole report method
Is a way to study sensory memory by showing information briefly and asking participants to recall everything they saw.
Example: Seeing a grid of letters for a moment and trying to remember as many as possible.
Word length effect
Is the tendency to remember short words more easily than long words in a memory task.
Example: It's easier to recall a list of short words like "cat, dog, sun" than longer words like "elephant, butterfly, dictionary."
Working memory
Is a system that temporarily holds and processes information while you think, solve problems, or make decisions.
Example: Doing mental math, like adding 27 + 15 in your head, while remembering the numbers.
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