APP Memory Vocab

Modules 31-33

selective attention

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

Karl Lashley

psychologist; found that memories do not reside in single, specific spots; forgetting occurs when experiences interfere with our retrieval and physical memory trace decays

chunking

organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically

Elizabeth Loftus

psychologist; her research on memory construction and the misinformation effect created doubts about the accuracy of eye-witness testimony

hippocampus

a neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage

George Miller

psychologist; found that short term memory has the capacity of about 7 (plus or minus 2) items

semantic memory

a type of explicit memory that contains general knowledge

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

serial position effect

our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list

recall

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

proactive interference

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

mood-congruent memory

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

inattentional blindness

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

source amnesia

attributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined

haptic memory

sensory memory for touch that lasts for the least amount of time--about a quarter of a second

relearning

a memory measure that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time

schema

concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

sensory memory

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

organic amnesia

loss of memory caused by brain injury resulting from disease, drugs, accident (blows to head), or surgery

flashbulb memory

a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event

retrieval

the process of getting information out of memory storage

self reference effect

tendency to better remember things related to ourselves

working memory

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

next-in-line effect

when we are next in line, we focus on our own performance and often fail to process the last person's words

long-term potentiation

an increase in a synapse's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation

Eric Kandel

psychologist; showed that forming a new memory produces functional and stuctural changes in neuron (LTP)

deja vu

that eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.

recency effect

the tendency to recall the last item in a series

semantic encoding

the encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words

repression

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

acoustic encoding

the encoding of sound, especially the sound of words

Herman Ebbinghaus

studied memory using nonsense syllables, created the learning curve or forgetting curve

implicit memory

retention independent of conscious recollection

explicit memory

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

storage

the retention of encoded information over time

retrograde amnesia

memory loss for a segment of the past, usually around the time of an accident

memory

the persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information

episodic memory

explicit memory for personal experiences

cerebellum

brain center where implicit memories are stored

automatic processing

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

visual encoding

the encoding of picture images

state dependent memory

phenomenon that we best retrieve memories by returning to the state that we learned it in

misinformation effect

incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event

anterograde amnesia

inability to encode new memories from our experiences (can still process new implicit memories, just not new explicit memories)

encoding

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

effortful processing

encoding that requires attention and conscious effort

retroactive interference

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

recognition

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

spacing effect

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

primacy effect

tendency to remember words at the beginning of a list especially well

priming

the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory

dissociative amnesia

mental illness involving disruptions or breakdowns of memory, consciousness, awareness, identity, and/or perceprion

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

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

testing effect

long term memory is increased when some of the learning period is devoted to retrieving information through testing

parallel processing

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions.

hierarchies

method of organizing information to more easily encode it; involves a few broad concepts divided and subdivided into narrower concepts and facts.

shallow processing

encoding on a basic level based on the structure or appearance of words

deep processing

encoding semantically, based on the meaning of the words; tends to yield the best retention

memory consolidation

the neural storage of a long-term memory

basal ganglia

deep brain structures involved in motor movement, facilitate formation of our procedural memories for skills

infantile amnesia

the inability to retrieve memories from much before age 3

Amygdala

A brain structure involved in memory and emotion, particularly fear and aggression.

encoding specificity principle

the idea that cues and contexts specific to a particular memory will be most effective in helping us recall it

reconsolidation

a process in which previously stored memories, when retrieved, are potentially altered before being stored again

long-term memory

the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system; including knowledge, skills, and experiences

mnemonics

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