Set 1 - Memory Basics

Learning

Acquiring information through experience that can change future behavior.

Memory

Information retained from experience and available to guide later behavior.

Memory generalization

Applying learned information to new, similar situations; exact detail may be unnecessary.

Encoding

Processing incoming experience to create a memory trace.

Acquisition

Selecting information from incoming experience for further encoding.

Consolidation

Stabilizing a newly formed memory so it can persist.

Storage

Retention of information over time.

Retrieval

Accessing previously stored information.

Sensory memory

Very brief retention of modality-specific sensory information after a stimulus ends.

Iconic memory

Brief visual sensory trace, usually lasting only a fraction of a second.

Echoic memory

Auditory sensory trace that typically persists for several seconds, longer than iconic memory.

Mismatch negativity (MMN)

ERP response to an unexpected sound; evidence that an auditory trace of earlier sounds is retained.

Short-term memory

Temporary maintenance of a limited amount of information.

Working memory

Active maintenance and manipulation of information for a current goal.

Long-term memory

Information retained over extended periods, from days to years or longer.

Declarative memory

Memory for facts and events that can be consciously reported.

Episodic memory

Memory of an event bound to its context: what happened, where, and when.

Semantic memory

Knowledge of facts and meanings without needing to recall the learning episode.

Nondeclarative memory

Learning expressed through performance rather than conscious recollection.

Procedural memory

Learning motor or cognitive skills through practice.