AP Psychology - memory

memory recall

remembering something with no hints

ex: free response questions

memory recognition

being able to pick something out of a set

ex: multiple choice questions

3 steps of memory

encode, storage, retrieval

effortful processing

mental processing that requires paying attention

hippocampus & frontal lobe

automatic processing

information one didn’t purposefully retain yet still does

cerebellum

explicit/declarative memories

formed by effortful processing

long term memory

implicit/non declarative memories

formed by automatic processing

types of explicit/declarative memories

episodic, autobiographical, sematic

episodic memories

stories from ones life they remember

autobiographical memories

memories of facts/details of past events

semantic memories

impersonal memories from common knowledge

types of implicit/non-declarative memories

procedural memories

procedural memories

skills so well learned they’re automatic and hard to explain because they come naturally

prospective memories

memories for future events (ie: dates)

higher order thinking

not implicit nor explicit

3 stage model of memory

sensory, short-term/working, long-term

LTP: long term potentiation

synaptic enhancement after learning

sensory memories

iconic & echoic

when not paid attention to, they disappear in seconds

ST/working memory

~10-30s

7±2 things can be used at once

central executive

place that monitors incoming information and decides where it should be processed

visuospatial sketchpad

the “minds eye”

deals with visual information

long term memory

infinite capacity

relearning

it is easier to retain information once it has been forgotten than when it is brand new

things encoded into LT automatically

space, time, frequency

depth of encoding

shallow - quickly forgotten

deep - stays longer— involves a thorough understanding

3 step process of memory

encoding, storage, retrieval

(think computer model— keyboard, hard drive, screen)

recognition

being able to pick an answer out of a group (mcq’s)

recall

receiving something with effort (saq’s)

retrieval cues

things that pull memories out of LT

types of retrieval cues

state-dependent, cue-dependent, mood congruent

state-dependent recall

the physical/mental state one is in affects memory— being drunk when learning something will be remembered better when also drunk

mood congruent recall

memories learned in a certain mood recall better when in the same mood

serial position effect

when things are learned, the recall is better for those learned at the beginning and end of the session

metacognition

being aware of your own mind/thinking/learning style

mnemonics

associations of a concept with other things

chunking

grouping things together— like on a flowchart

method of loki

putting items in known locations and mentally going through them

link method

creating a mental image that has all things together

encoding failure

we do not remember what we don’t try to learn

storage decay

the forgetting curve

more things about something are forgotten over time

retrieval failure

stored memory that cannot me remembered

causes tip of tongue phenomenon

TOT

tip of tongue phenomenon

knowing the answer but having insufficient clues to move it to the working memory

repression

a theory

a defense mechanism of the brain to hide memories that cause harm

interference

learning information affects other information

proactive and retroactive

PORN

proactive, old

retroactive, new

proactive interference

old information damages new information

retroactive interference

new info affects old info

what can prevent retroactive interference?

sleep

Anterograde amnesia

cannot form new memories— has old memories

retrograde amnesia

cannot remember old memories— can make new ones

infantile amnesia

memories from before the age of about 4 do not exist

source amnesia

knowing information, but not knowing how one learned said info

memory construction

filling in incomplete memories with random information to make a cohesive narrative

misinformation effect

eyewitnesses change stories when asked questions, especially based on the way they are phrased

confabulation

thinking something seen/heard or not real happened to you

imagination inflation

vividly imagining something makes it likely later on we will believe it to be true