Unit 7- Memory

key words and phrases from chapter 7 of the textbook what is psychology? by Pastorino and doyle-portillo

encoding

the act of inputting information into memory

memory traces

the stored code that represents a piece of information that has been encoded into memory

storage

the place where information is retained in memory

retrieval

the process of accessing information in memory and pulling it into consciousness

consciousness

an organisms awareness of its own mental process and/or its environment

attention

an organisms ability to focus its consciousness on some aspect of its own mental process and/or its environment

explicit memory

the conscious use of memory

implicit memory

the unconscious use of memory

three stage model

a method of explaining memory that has three distinct stages of storage. first information goes to sensory memory, then short term memory, then long term memory. its a sequential model

sensory memory

a system of memory that very briefly stores sensory impressions so that we can extract relevant information from them for further processing

short term memory (stem)

a system of memory that is limited in both capacity and duration; in the three stages model of memory, short term memory Is seen as the intermediate stage between sensory memory and long term memory

long term memory (ltm)

a system of memory that works to store memories for a long time, perhaps even permanently

iconic memory

sight memory

echoic memory

hearing memory

haptic memory

taste, smell, and touch memory

how is information transferred from sensory memory to short term memory?

by paying attention to it

coding system

a system of encoding in which memories can be stored in memory using a visual, acoustic, verbal, or semantic (in terms of meaning) format

chunking

a means of using ones limited short term memory resources more efficiently by combining small bits of information to form larger bits of information, or chunks

maintenance rehearsal

repeating information over and over again to keep it in short term memory for an extended period of time

forgetting curve

a graph of the amount of learned information that is forgotten over time

elaborative rehearsal

forming associations or links between information one is trying to learn and information already stored in long term memory so as to facilitate the transfer of this new information into long term memory

levels of processing model

a model that predicts that information that is processed deeply and elaboratively will be best retained in and recalled from long term memory

primary effect

the tendency for people to recall words from the beginning of a list better than words that appeared in the middle of the list

recency effect

the tendency for people to recall words from the end of a list better than words that appeared in the middle of the list

working memory

a multifaceted component of long term memory that contains short term memory, a central executive, an episodic buffer, a phonological loop, and a visuospatial sketch pad,. the function of working memory is to access, move, and process information that we are currently using

central executive

the attention controlling component of working memory

three stages model vs working memory model

three stages model is sequential while working memory model is parallel

semantic encoding

encoding memory traces in terms of the meaning of the information being stored

schema

an organized, generalized knowledge structure in long term memory

declarative memory

a type of long term memory encompassing memories that are easily verbalized, including episodic and semantic memories

semantic memory

long term, declarative memory for conceptual information

episodic memory

memory for the recent events in our lives

autobiographical memory

memory for our past that us a sense of personal history

procedural memory

long term memory for skills and behaviors

retrograde amnesia

a type of amnesia in which one is unable to retrieve previously stored memories from long term memory

anterograde amnesia

a type of amnesia in which one is unable to store new memories in long term memory

recall

a type of retrieval process in which the probe or cue does not contain much information

recognition

a type of retrieval process in which the probe or cue contains a great deal of information, including the item being sought

decay theory

a theory of forgetting that proposes that memory traces that are not routinely activated in long term memory will degrade

tip of tongue phenomenon

knowing that you know a piece of information, even though you cannot recall it at the moment

proactive interference

a type of forgetting that occurs when older memory traces inhibit the retrieval of newer memory traces

cue dependent forgetting

memories are not as easily retrieved when the retrieval cues do not match the cues that were present during encoding

repression

threatening memories are pushed into the inaccessible unconscious part of the mind

motivated forgetting

unwanted memories are temporarily blocked from being retrieved into working memory

flashbulb memory

an unusually detailed and seemingly accurate memory for an emotionally charged event

reconstructive memory

memory that is based on the retrieval of memory traces that contain the actual details of events we have experienced

constructive memory

memory that utilizes knowledge and expectations to fill in the missing details in retrieved memory traces

misinformation effect

the distortion of memory that occurs when people are exposed to misinformation

memory consolidation

the stabilization and long term storage of memory traces in the brain