ap psych cognition unit part 1

Memory

the persistence of learning over time through the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information.

Encoding

the processing of information into the memory system—for example, by extracting meaning.

Storage

the process of retaining encoded information over time.

Retrieval

the process of getting information out of memory storage.

Working Memory

a newer understanding of short-term memory that focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial information, and of information retrieved from long-term memory.

Sensory Memory

the immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system.

Short-Term Memory

activated memory that holds a few items briefly, such as the seven digits of a phone number while dialing, before the information is stored or forgotten.

Long-Term Memory

the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.

Explicit Memory

memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare."

Effortful Processing

encoding that requires attention and conscious effort.

Automatic Processing

unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.

Implicit Memory

retention of learned skills or classically conditioned associations independent of conscious recollection.

Iconic Memory

a momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second.

Echoic Memory

a momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds.

Chunking

organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically.

Mnemonics

memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices.

Spacing Effect

the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice.

Testing Effect

enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information. Also sometimes referred to as a retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning.

Structural Processing

encoding only the physical qualities of something. E.g. the typeface of a word or how the letters look.

Phonemic Processing

encoding by the sound of a word.

Semantic Processing

encoding the meaning of a word and relating it to similar words with similar meaning.

Metacognition

cognition about our cognition; keeping track of and evaluating our mental processes.

Long-Term Potentiation

an increase in a cell's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory.

Recall

a measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.

Recognition

a measure of memory in which the person needs only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test.

Rehearsal

the repetition of information in an attempt to maintain it longer in memory.

Mood-Congruent Memory

the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood.

Serial Position Effect

our tendency to recall best the last (a recency effect) and first items (a primacy effect) in a list.

Anterograde Amnesia

an inability to form new memories.

Retrograde Amnesia

an inability to retrieve information from one's past.

Proactive Interference

the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information.

Retroactive Interference

the disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information.

Repression

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories.

Misinformation Effect

incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event.

Source Amnesia

attributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined. (Also called source misattribution.)

Phonological Loop

a memory component that briefly holds auditory information.

Visuospatial Sketchpad

a memory component that briefly holds information about objects' appearance and location in space.

Central Executive

a memory component that coordinates the activities of the phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad.