Module 3

Memory

retention of information over time

Sensory Memory

brief storage of perceptual information before it is passed to short-term memory

Short term memory

memory system that retains information for limited durations; Working Memory

Long term memory

Relatively enduring store of information, facts, experiences and skills we've developed over a lifetime

Decay

information fades overtime

Interference

loss of information due to competition with new, incoming information

Proactive intereference

happens when earlier learning gets in the way of new learning

Retroactive interference

happens when learning new information hampers memory for earlier learning

Rehearsal

repeating information in its original form as it was encoded to extend its duration; occurs in short term memory

Levels of processing

depth of information, which influences how easily we remember it

Recency Effect

Tendency to remember most recent stimuli (still in STM)

Primacy Effect

tendency to remember earliest stimuli (now in LTM)

Semantic memory

Knowledge of facts about the world; LTM

Episodic memory

Recollection of events in our lives; LTM

Explicit memory

is the process of recalling information intentionally

Implicit memory

is recalling information that we don't remember deliberately

Procedural memory

memory for how do to things, including motor skills and habits

Priming

our ability to identify stimulus more easily or more quickly after we've encountered similar stimuli

Encoding

process of getting information into our memory banks

Storage

where information in memory is kept

Retrieval

reactivation or reconstruction of information stored in memory

Schema

organized knowledge structure or mental model that we've stored in memory

Mnemonic devices

Learning technique that helps us easily remember information

Recall

generating previously remembered information

Recognition

selecting previously remembered information from an array of options

Relearning

How quickly a previously learned information is reacquired

Amnesia

Partial or total loss of memory

Hippocampus

part of the brain that plays a role in spatial memory

Amygdala

part of limbic system that plays key roles in fear, excitement and arousal

Neurotransmitters

chemical messenger specialized for communication from neuron to neuron

False memory

memory that never happened

Information Processing Model

Sensory memory -->short term memory--> long term

Learning

A systematic, relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs through experience

Behaviorism

a theory of learning that focuses solely on observable behaviors, discounting the importance of such mental activities as thinking, wishing, and hoping

Pavlov's Classical conditioning

Learning process in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an innately meaningful stimulus and acquires the capacity to elicit a similar response (automatic, without prior learning)

unconditioned response

An unlearned reaction that is automatically elicited by unconditioned stimulus

conditioned response

A previously neutral stimulus that eventually elicits a conditioned response after being paired with the unconditioned stimulus

unconditioned stimulus

A stimulus that produces a response without prior learning

conditioned response

the learned response to the conditioned stimulus that occurs after conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus pairing

acquisition

the initial learning of the connection between the unconditioned stimulus and the conditioned stimulus when these two stimuli are paired

contiguity

The CS and US are presented very close together in time

Contingency

CS must precede the US closely in time, it must also serve as a reliable indicator that the US is on it's way

discrimination

the process of learning to respond to certain stimuli and not others

generalization

the tendency of new stimulus that is similar to the original conditioned stimulus to elicit a response that is similar to the conditioned response

extinction

The weakening of the conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus is absent

skinner's operant conditioning

a form of associative learning in which consequences of a behavior change the probability of the behavior's occurrence

reinforcement

Consequences of a behavior in which strengthens the probability that the behavior will happen again

positive reinforcement

the presentation of a pleasant stimulus following a given behavior in order to increase the frequency of that behavior

negative reinforcement

the removal of an unpleasant stimulus following a given behavior in order to increase the response probability of behavior

punishment

a consequence that decreases the likelihood that a behavior will occur

positive punishment

the presentation of a stimulus following a given behavior to decrease the frequency of that behavior

negative punishment

the removal of a stimulus following a given behavior in order to decrease the frequency of that behavior

bandura's observational learning

learning that occurs when a person observes and imitates behavior (also known as imitation or modeling)

Ivan Pavlov

Researcher who originally described classical conditioning

placebo effects

observable changes that cannot be explained by the effects of an actual treatment

purposiveness

cognitive factor of learning that states that much of behavior is goal oriented

Albert Bandura

Theorist who viewed learning as the process of observing and imitating behavior

conditioning

process of learning the associations or connections

intelligence

combines verbal ability problem solving skills and the ability to adapt and learn from lifes everyday experiences

Skinner's Operant Conditioning

Defined as the consequences of behavior produce change in the probability of the behavior’s occurrence.

False

Encoding is a stage in memory where information is taken out of storage.
T/F

True

Sensory memory is defined as a brief storage of perceptual information before it is passed to short-term memory. Each sense has its own form of sensory memory.
T/F

Serial Position Effect

The fact that it is easier to recall items at the beginning and end of a list of unrelated items

Flashbulb Memory

Memories that concern events that are highly significant and are vividly remembered

Hermann Ebbinghaus

For which famous memory researcher is memory a problem-solving activity in which the problem is to give a coherent account of some past event, and the memory is the solution to that problem?

Emotional

intelligence has been suggested by Daniel Goleman to be a more powerful influence on life than more traditional views

Primary Mental Abilities

Intelligent behavior does not arise from a general factor, but rather emerges from seven independent factors that Louis Thurnstone called

True

Crystallized intelligence is responsible for accumulated knowledge gained over time. Fluid intelligence is capacity to learn new ways of solving problems.
T/F

Multiple Intelligences

There are mixed scientific reactions to this theory/model, as it is virtually impossible to falsify. It was also not clear why only certain abilities classify as intelligences, like interpersonal, interpersonal intelligences to name a few. No good evidence that these intelligences are truly independent from one another.

Sensory Capacity

People with better senses acquire more knowledge

WAIS

IQ Test for Adults which also computes overall IQ

Wisdom

Application of intelligence toward common good

Flynn Effect

Each generation has a significantly higher IQ than the last

Intellectual Functioning

Ability to learn, solve, decide; also known as IQ

Emotional Intelligence

Ability to understand emotions and apply information

Intelligence Quotient

Compares scores to what is normal in an age group. Has the formula

Mental Age/Chronological Age * 100

True

Memory is Malleable T/F

True

Forgetting is a natural and necessary part of life T/F

Charles Spearman

Proposed the idea that intelligence is measured using Two-Factors, g and s abilities

Fluid Intelligence

Capacity to learn new ways of solving problems

Crystallized Intelligence

Accumulated knowledge of the world gained over time

Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence

Intelligence is a mix of two capacities

Abstract Thinking

Higher Mental Processes

Analytical Intelligence

Use of logic reasoning; Book Smart

Practical Intelligence

Ability to adapt to the environment by problem solving; Street Smart

Creative Intelligence

Novel and Efficient; Innovative approach to learning

Bottom Down Processing

Processing in which perceptions are built from Sensory inputs

Top Down Processing

Interpreting sensations

Cognitive Psychology

Major domain of Psychology that studies the mind and mental processes

Metacognition

Awareness and understanding thought process

Chunking

Grouping info for better retention

Deliberate Practice

Actively practicing a skill in order to improve performance

Natural Forgetting

Type of forgetting in which it is unknown why it occurs; Painful memories are pushed towards the unconscious to forget them

Artificial Forgetting

Network's tendency to completely and abruptly forget information upon learning new artificial information

Piaget's Cognitive Development

Kids take an active role in learning; Knowledge is built as they interact with their environment

Tolman's Latent Learning

Learning remains hidden until its application becomes useful

Seligman's Learned Helplessness

Tendency to fail to act to escape a situation due to history of failure