AP Psychology - Memory

Encoding

Putting new stuff into your mind, happens in class while learning.

Retrieval

Getting stuff out of your mind, happens during a test.

Explicit memory

Obvious facts, but is very fragile. It involves conscious recall and can be easily forgotten.

Episodic memory

Personal experiences. Similar to a TV episode that is remembered vividly. Who, what, where, and when. Also very fragile, and very innacurate.

Semantic memory

Storage of concept, meaning, gist, or main idea. Such as the meaning of words and facts.

Implicit procedural memory

An automatic, unconcious skill that you learned from practice

(Riding a bike or walking)

Phonological loop

Repeating the sounds of something you want to remember

Working memory model

A model of memory that includes many parts. It describes how information is held and released in the mind, and the importance of learning techniques such as the phonological loop.

Central executive

Directs focus and makes you lock in on something.

Prodecural memory

Well practiced skill, stored in the cerebellum, can be done without conscious attention.

Prospective memory

Remembering you have to do something, like a checklist.

Automatic processing

Unconscious encoding. It allows us to process things like language effortlessly, where we dont have to consciously think about encoding it.

Effortful processing

Encoding that requires attention and conscious effort. (Studying, or paying attention in class)

Levels of processing model

A theory that memory retention depends on the depth of processing.

Letters in a word → Word rhyms → definition → example → analogy

Mnemonic devices

Memory trick to help you remember something

(PEMDAS)

Chunking

Organizing a big list into a small list with chunks of information

Echoic memory

Ability to “rehear” information that has been recently heard, lasting a few seconds.

Iconic memory

Ability to “resee” information that has been recently seen, lasting a fraction of a second.

Visuospatial sketchpad

Your mind’s eye. A component of working memory that holds visual and spatial information temporarily.

Retroactive interference

New information mixes with old information

Proactive interference

Old information prevents new information

Retrograde Amnesia

Erases previous information, but can encode new information.

Anterograde Amnesia

Cant encode new information, but can remember old information.

Source Amnesia

Can’t recall where/when you were when you learned/encoded something.

Infantile Amnesia

Not being to remember anything before the age of 5.

Repression

Memories are buried deep to protect ourselves. This unconscious process keeps traumatic memories from awareness, preventing emotional distress. (Bad Science, no evidence)

Schema

A framework for remembering.

Hierarchies

A system for organizing information

Animal → Mammal → Cat → Siamese

Spacing Effect

Practicing over time, distributed practice

Massed practice

A study technique involving cramming all learning into a single session. (Bad!)

Serial position effect

It is easier to recall the first and last items on a list

Phonemes

The smallest units of sound in a language

Morphemes

The smallest units of meaning in a language

Semantics

The meaning that comes through during communication.

Grammar

The system punctuation and language rules.

Syntax

Word order rules that govern sentence structure and organization.

(Yoda butchers the syntax, but we still understand the semantics)

Cooing

Infants make repetitive vowel sounds

Babbling

Infants combine consonant and vowel sounds

One-word stage

The stage where babies use one word to represent a though

“Cookie!” instead of “I want a cookie!”

Telegraphic speech

A child speaking using around 2 words to represent a thought

“Want cookie”

Overgeneralization

Mis-applyinng grammar rules due to thinking they apply to everything.

“Mommy I runned fast”

Prototypes

Best example of something

(A cat is a good example of a mammal)

Assimilation

Adding new, small information to existing schemas.

Accomodation

Changing your schema because of big information.

(going to college or learning to drive changes your schema.)

Algorithm

A step by step solution

Heuristic

A thinking shortcut, fast but may be inaccurate

(known as bias or intuition)

Representative heuristic

Stereotyping new information

Hindsight bias

Knowing it all along

Availability bias

Using a solution that pops into your mind.