Attention and Memory Lecture Notes

A collection of vocabulary flashcards based on concepts related to attention and memory processes from the PSYC 4342 lecture.

Sensory memory

A brief and almost identical representation of stimuli that exist in the observable environment.

Attentional control

The ability to focus attention and filter out unnecessary information.

Reaction time

How quickly and efficiently the early steps in information processing are completed.

Demeylination

The process that can affect the speed of neural processing and may impair cognitive functions.

Attentional resources

The amount of attention available to apply to a particular situation; can be divided among tasks.

Automatic processing

A type of information processing that places minimal demands on attentional capacity.

Effortful processing

A type of information processing that requires all of the available attentional capacity.

Working Memory (WM)

Active processes and structures involved in holding information in mind and using that information.

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

The ability to remember extensive amounts of information from a few seconds to decades.

Implicit memory

A type of memory where age differences depend on the type of task, often involving over-activity in the frontal cortex.

Explicit memory

A type of memory that shows performance declines with age.

Episodic memory

The conscious recollection of information from a specific event or point in time.

Semantic memory

Memory for the meaning of words and concepts, not tied to specific occurrences.

Tip-of-the-Tongue (TOT) phenomenon

A temporary inability to retrieve a word or concept that one knows.

Prospective memory

The ability to remember to carry out intended actions in the future.

Autobiographical memory

Memory for information and events from one's own life, including the reminiscence bump.

Source memory

The ability to remember the source of a familiar event.

False memory

Remembering items or events that did not actually occur.

Temporary global amnesia (TGA)

A sudden, temporary episode of memory loss.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

A progressive neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated head trauma.