AP Psychology Topic 2.5 - Storing Memories

Alzheimer’s disease

A progressive neurological disorder that causes memory loss, cognitive decline, and personality changes; associated with deterioration of brain cells.

Amnesia

A condition in which a person loses memories, such as facts, information, or experiences, typically due to brain injury or trauma.

Anterograde amnesia

The inability to form new memories after the onset of amnesia, while past memories may remain intact.

Autobiographical memory

A type of long-term memory consisting of personal experiences and life events.

Capacity

The amount of information a memory system can hold at one time.

Content

The type of information stored in memory (e.g., visual, auditory, semantic).

Duration

The length of time information is held in a memory system.

Elaborative rehearsal

A memory technique that involves thinking about the meaning of the information and making connections to existing knowledge to enhance long-term retention

Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM)

A rare condition where individuals can remember an extraordinary amount of detail about their personal past.

Infantile Amnesia

The inability to recall memories from the early years of life (typically before age 3).

Long-term memory

A relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system, containing knowledge, skills, and experiences.

Maintenance rehearsal

Repeating information over and over to keep it in short-term memory; not effective for long-term retention.

Memory storage process

The process of keeping encoded information in the brain for future retrieval; includes sensory, short-term, and long-term memory stages.

Retrograde amnesia

The loss of memories from before the onset of amnesia, often due to injury or trauma.

Sensory Memory

The very brief storage of sensory information (like sights and sounds) before it's either forgotten or processed into short-term memory.

Short-term Memory

A temporary memory store that holds a limited amount of information for a brief period (about 15–30 seconds).

Working Memory

An active form of short-term memory that temporarily stores and manipulates information for cognitive tasks such as problem-solving and comprehension