Short-term and Working Memory

These flashcards cover key concepts about short-term and working memory from the lecture notes.

Short-term memory

Lasts around 20 seconds without rehearsal.

Working memory

The CPUC process that holds and manipulates information temporarily.

Primacy effect

The tendency to better remember the first items on a list due to an advantage in recall.

Recency effect

The tendency to better remember the last items on a list due to an advantage in recall.

Interference

A reason for memory loss where new information displaces old information.

Decay

Forgetting that occurs after the passage of a certain amount of time.

Rehearsal buffer

A mental recycling system for temporarily holding information.

Miller's 'magic number'

The capacity limit of short-term memory, typically 7±2 items.

Brown-Peterson distractor task

An experiment that showed rehearsal prevents forgetting.

Selective attention

The process required to maintain information in the rehearsal buffer.

Flashbulb memory

A vivid and detailed memory of an emotionally significant event.

Episodic memory

A type of declarative memory involving personal experiences.