chapt 6 study guide

How do psychologists define memory?

The retention of information or experience over time as the result of three key processes: encoding, storage, and retrieval.

What are the three steps in memory

Encoding, Storage, Retrieval

What does it mean to encode information in memory?

Encoding means changing information into a form that your brain can store and remember later. It is the first step of memory.

Compare and contrast selective attention, divided attention, and sustained attention. Provide examples of each.

Compare: All three involve focusing attention.
Contrast: Selective attention focuses on one thing while ignoring others, divided attention focuses on multiple things at once, and sustained attention focuses on maintaining attention over time.

What are the different levels of processing and how do they affect memory?

The different levels of processing are shallow processing, intermediate processing, and deep processing. Shallow processing focuses on surface-level details and usually creates weaker memories, while intermediate processing involves making basic connections and creates stronger memories. Deep processing focuses on understanding the meaning of information and making connections to existing knowledge, which creates the strongest and longest-lasting memories.

What are examples of elaboration

connecting new information to something you already know, creating a story or image to help remember information, explaining a concept in your own words, and relating information to real-life experiences.

What is storage? What does it mean to store information in memory?

Storage is the process of keeping information in memory over time. Storing information in memory means maintaining information so it can be accessed and used later.

Describe the Atkinson-Shiffrin theory.

The Atkinson-Shiffrin theory explains that memory has three stages: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. Information moves through these stages and can be stored for later use.

What is sensory memory and what does it accomplish?

Sensory memory is the brief storage of information from our senses. It allows us to hold onto sights, sounds, and other sensory information for a short time.

What is the difference between echoic memory and iconic memory?

Echoic memory is the brief memory of sounds, while iconic memory is the brief memory of visual information, such as images.

What is short-term memory and what does it accomplish?

Short-term memory temporarily holds a small amount of information and allows us to use it for a short period of time.

How does chunking increase the capacity of short-term memory?

Chunking increases short-term memory capacity by grouping information into smaller, meaningful units, making it easier to remember more information at once.

What is working memory? Identify and describe the three components of
working memory.

Working memory is a system that temporarily holds and processes information while we use it. The three components are the phonological loop, which stores and repeats sounds and words; the visuospatial sketchpad, which stores and processes visual and spatial information; and the central executive, which controls attention and manages the other components.

What is long-term memory and what does it accomplish?

Long-term memory stores information for a long period of time and allows us to remember knowledge, experiences, and skills.

Define explicit memory.

Explicit memory is the conscious memory of facts and experiences that we can intentionally recall.

What is the difference between semantic memory and episodic memory? Provide examples of each.

Semantic memory is memory for facts and general knowledge. Example: Knowing that the Earth revolves around the sun.

Episodic memory is memory for personal experiences and events. Example: Remembering your first day of college.

Define implicit memory

Implicit memory is unconscious memory that influences behavior and skills without needing to be intentionally recalled.

Define and provide examples of procedural memory and priming.

Procedural memory is memory for skills and actions that we can perform automatically. Example: Riding a bike or typing on a keyboard.

Priming is when previous exposure to information influences how we respond to something later. Example: Seeing the word “yellow” and then recognizing the word “banana” faster.

What is retrieval? What does it mean to retrieve information from memory?

Retrieval is the process of accessing information stored in memory. Retrieving information means bringing stored memories back into your awareness.

What is the serial position effect?

The serial position effect is the tendency to remember the first and last items in a list better than the items in the middle.

What does the primacy effect and recency effect tell us about how the location of items affects memory?

The primacy effect means we remember the first items in a list best, and the recency effect means we remember the last items best. This shows that the location of items in a list affects how well we remember them.

Compare and contrast recall and recognition

Recall is remembering information without any clues, while recognition is identifying information when it is presented. Both involve retrieving memories, but recognition is usually easier than recall.

What is the encoding specificity principle?

The encoding specificity principle states that memory is better when the conditions during retrieval are similar to the conditions during encoding.

Provide an example of context dependent memory.

An example of context dependent memory is remembering information better when you take a test in the same classroom where you studied.

What is an autobiographical memory? Provide an example.

Autobiographical memory is memory for personal experiences and events from your own life. An example is remembering your first day of school or a family vacation.

What is a flashbulb memory? Provide an example.

A flashbulb memory is a vivid and detailed memory of a surprising or emotional event. An example is remembering where you were and what you were doing when you heard about a major event.

What is a motivated forgetting? Provide an example.

Motivated forgetting is when a person intentionally or unconsciously blocks out a memory. An example is avoiding memories of a painful experience.

What are causes of forgetting?

Causes of forgetting include decay, interference, lack of retrieval cues, and failure to encode information. These make it harder to store or retrieve memories.

Describe Hermann Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve. According to Ebbinghaus, when is
information most likely to be forgotten?

Hermann Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve shows that we forget information quickly after learning it, but the rate of forgetting slows over time. According to Ebbinghaus, information is most likely to be forgotten shortly after it is learned.

Define interference theory

Interference theory states that forgetting occurs when other information interferes with our ability to remember something.

What is the difference between proactive interference and retroactive interference? Provide examples of each.

Proactive interference occurs when old information interferes with learning or remembering new information. Example: Using your old password when trying to remember your new password.

Retroactive interference occurs when new information interferes with remembering old information. Example: Forgetting your old password after creating a new one.

What is decay theory?

Decay theory states that memories become weaker and fade over time if they are not used or recalled.

Provide an example of tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon (TOT).

An example of the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon is when you know a person’s name but cannot remember it, even though you feel like you are close to recalling it.

What does the TOT phenomenon tell us about how we remember information?

The TOT phenomenon shows that information can be stored in memory but may be temporarily difficult to retrieve.

Define amnesia

Amnesia is a loss of memory that can affect the ability to remember past experiences or form new memories.

Compare and contrast anterograde amnesia and retrograde amnesia

Anterograde amnesia is the inability to form new memories after an event. Retrograde amnesia is the loss of memories from before an event. Both involve memory loss, but they affect different time periods.

Who is Marigold Linton, Ph.D.?

Marigold Linton, Ph.D. was a psychologist who studied autobiographical memory and how people remember personal experiences over time.