General Psychology - Chapter 8: Memory

Flashcards covering key concepts from General Psychology Chapter 8 on Memory, including encoding, storage, retrieval, the Atkinson-Shiffrin model, brain structures, reconstruction, forgetting, and rehearsal methods.

How is memory defined in the context of information processing?

Memory is an information processing system (like a computer) and a set of processes used to encode, store, and retrieve information.

What three actions occur during the encoding stage of memory?

Encoding is the input of information into memory, where the system labels/codes it, organizes it with other similar information, and connects new concepts to existing concepts.

What is memory storage?

The retention of information over time.

What is memory retrieval?

Moving information out of memory storage and back into conscious awareness.

What are the three stages of memory in the Atkinson-Shiffrin ("3-Box") Model?

1. Sensory register (Sensory Memory)
2. Short-term memory (STM / Working Memory)
3. Long-term memory (LTM)

What are the capacity, content, and retention characteristics of the sensory register?

It has a large capacity, contains sensory information, and features very brief retention of images (up to $\frac{1}{2}\,\text{second}$ for visual; $2\,\text{seconds}$ for auditory).

What are the key characteristics of short-term memory (STM)?

It has a limited capacity, provides brief storage of items (up to $30\,\text{seconds}$ if no rehearsal), and is involved in the conscious processing of information.

What are the main characteristics of long-term memory (LTM)?

It has an unlimited capacity, contains some permanent memories, and has information organized and indexed.

What is explicit (declarative) memory and what are its two subtypes?

Explicit/declarative memory involves information you consciously remember, recall, or "declare." Its two subtypes are episodic memory (events and experiences) and semantic memory (concepts and facts).

What is implicit memory and what are its three forms?

Implicit memory involves non-conscious memory processes. Its three forms are procedural memory (how to do things), priming (stimulus exposure affects responses to a later stimulus), and emotional conditioning (classically conditioned emotional responses).

What is the role of the amygdala in memory?

The amygdala processes emotional information and is involved in fear and fear memories.

What functions does the hippocampus perform in memory processing?

The hippocampus projects information to cortical regions that give memories meaning and connect them with other memories, is involved in memory consolidation, and is associated with explicit memory, recognition memory, and spatial memory.

What type of memory is processed by the cerebellum?

Processing procedural memories.

What role does the prefrontal cortex play in memory?

It is involved in semantic memory (concepts, facts, and word meaning).

What is the difference between recall and recognition?

Recall is the ability to retrieve and reproduce information from previously learned material, whereas recognition is the ability to identify information previously learned after encountering it again.

What occurs during memory reconstruction according to Wade & Tavris (2017)?

Memories are altered or modified as they are retrieved. Rather than replaying an exact recording, remembering is like watching a few unconnected clips and figuring out what the rest was like, causing complex information to be distorted by previous knowledge and beliefs.

What is the misinformation effect (suggestibility)?

The tendency to misremember an event after exposure to incorrect information.

What did the Loftus and Palmer (1974) study demonstrate about question wording?

It demonstrated that perceived speed estimates of an event varied significantly based on the questioner's verb (such as "smashed," "collided," "bumped," "hit," or "contacted").

What is source misattribution?

The inability to distinguish an actual memory of an event from information learned elsewhere, confusion of an event that happened to someone else with one that happened to you, or the belief that you remember something when it never actually happened.

What are flashbulb memories and do they contain errors?

They are memories of unusual, shocking, or tragic events holding a special place in memory due to surprise, illumination, and photographic detail; however, even flashbulb memories have errors.

What is transience (memory decay)?

A mechanism of forgetting where information in memory eventually disappears over elapsed time if it is not accessed.

What is the difference between retroactive and proactive interference?

Retroactive interference occurs when recently learned material interferes with the ability to remember previously stored material. Proactive interference occurs when previously stored material interferes with the ability to remember similar, more recently learned material.

What four strategies promote effective encoding?

1. Paying attention
2. Selecting main points
3. Labeling concepts
4. Associating concepts with personal experience or existing knowledge

What is deep processing?

The processing of meaning rather than simply focusing on the physical or sensory features of a stimulus.

What is the difference between maintenance rehearsal and elaborative rehearsal?

Maintenance rehearsal is rote repetition of material to maintain its availability in memory, while elaborative rehearsal is the association of new information with already stored knowledge and analysis of the new information to make it memorable.