AP Psych Unit 1 : Memory

Memory

The mental process of encoding, storing, and retrieving information.

Recall

Retrieving information that is not currently in your conscious awareness, but that was learned at a previous time.

Recognition

Identifying items previously learned.

Relearning

Learning something more quickly when you know it a second or later time; increases retention, especially when done over time.

Encoding

The process that gets information into our brain.

Storage

The process of retaining learned information.

Retrieval

The process of getting old information back out.

Parallel Processing

The way how our brain processes multiple things at once, conscious or unconscious.

Connectionism

The model that views memories as products of connected neural networks.

Long-term Memory

Memory that can be accessed for later retrieval.

Short Term Memory

Memory that has not been encoded by rehearsal.

Sensory Memory

The first way that memory is processed(through the 5 senses)

Working Memory

The active processing of memory that helps you link it to previous information.

Explicit Memory

Retention of facts and experiences that can consciously be known, encoded through effortful processing.

Effortful Processing

Encoding that requires attention and conscious effort.

Implicit Memory

Retention of learned skills or conditioned associations independent of conscious recollections.

Automatic Processing

Unconscious encoding of incidental information such as space, time, frequency, and well-learned information.

Procedural Memory

Skills learned, often referred to as muscle memory.

Chunking

Grouping items into manageable chunks to make it easy to encode.

Mnemonics

Memory aids that usually use imagery or organization to help with encoding.

Spacing Effect

Distributed study or practice increases retention better than cramming.

Testing Effect

Enhanced memory after retrieving rather than rereading.

Shallow Processing

Encoding on a basic level, like the structure or appearance of words.

Deep Processing

Encoding semantically based on the meaning of words; usually leads to better retention.

Self-Reference Effect

We remember things better when they involve us.

Semantic Memory

An explicit memory of facts and general knowledge; one of our two conscious memory systems.

Episodic Memory

Explicit memory of personal experiences and events; one of our two conscious memory systems.

Hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage.

Memory Consolidation

The neural storage of a long-term memory.

Flashbulb Memory

A clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.

Long-term Potentiation

An increase in a cell's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation, a neural basis for learning and memory.

Priming

The activation of certain associations that predispose one’s perception or memory.

Encoding Specificity Principle

Cues and contexts specific to a particular event will be more effective in helping us recall it.

State-Dependent Memory

When you learn in a particular state, you recall best in that state.

Serial Position Effect

Our tendency to recall the last (recency) and first (primacy) items in a list.

Mood Congruent

The tendency to recall experiences that match our current mood.

Anterograde Amnesia

Inability to form NEW memories.

Retrograde Amnesia

Inability to remember past memories.

Proactive Interference

Old activity disrupts new learning.

Retroactive Interference

New activity disrupts the recall of old information.

Positive Transfer

New information doesn’t always interfere with old learning if it helps with prior knowledge.

Repress

A defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-inducing memories, thoughts, or fears.

Reconsolidation

Previously stored memories that are altered upon retrieval.

Misinformation Effect

Occurs when misinformation corrupts a memory.

Imagination Inflation

The more you imagine an event, the more confident you become about its occurrence.

Source Amnesia

Faulty memory regarding how, when, or where information was learned, often leading to false memories.

Deja Vu

Cues from a current situation may unconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.