Psych Quiz - Cognition & Memory

cognition

all mental activities associated with the mind

metacognition

the awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processing; thinking about thinking

concept

a mental grouping of similar objects, events, or people (ex: a desk)

prototype

the best example of a concept

schema

the framework that organizes information (ex: what’s in a classroom)

assimilation

incorporates new experiences into existing mental structures and behaviors (ex: thinking a red panda is a raccoon)

accommodation

occurs when a child’s theories are modified based on an experience

algorithm

the step-by-step method of solving a problem

heuristic

mental shortcuts

representativeness heuristic

judging the likelihood based on how similar it is to a prototype

availability heuristic

judging the likelihood based on how quickly examples come to mind (ex: who does more chores)

mental set

tendency to perceive and approach problems in certain ways

priming

exposure to something influences your response to something else, often unconsciously (ex: something red → apple)

framing

how information is presented affects decisions and perceptions (ex: 90% success rate > 10% failure rate)

gambler’s fallacy

the belief that past random events can influence the likelihood of future random events, even though they are independent

sunk-cost fallacy

the tendency to continue investing in something because of prior investments, even when it’s no longer rational to do so (ex: staying at a bad movie because you paid for the ticket)

executive function

a set of cognitive processes for self-control, planning, and flexible thinking

creativity

the ability to come up with new ways of thinking or ideas

divergent thinking

coming up with multiple possible solutions/answers

convergent thinking

narrowing down and coming up with one right answer

functional fixedness

tendency to see only a limited number of uses for an object

memory

everything that we recall from the past

encoding

paying attention and putting things into our brain storage

storage

having a memory somewhere embedded in the brain

retrieval

being able to take memories and actually remember them

automatic processing

putting things into memory without trying

effortful processing

purposefully studying and encoding information

iconic

visual memory

echoic

auditory memory

working memory

the new updated short-term memory; 7+- 2; take in info and learn

central executive

directs all other memory systems and attention

visuospatial sketchpad

an inner eye; visualizes mental pictures

phonological loop

the verbal component; the inner ear and voice

shallow processing

focuses on surface level & leads to weaker memory

structural

appearance of words

phonemic

sound of words

semantic

meaning of words; leads to a strong long lasting memory

deep processing

semantic

long-term potentiation

strengthening of synapses after repeated stimulation; our brain changing when learning occurs & easier for neurons to connect

explicit memory

you can consciously recall; can explain memories

semantic memory

basic facts and knowledge

episodic memory

personal life events

implicit memory

hard to explain or consciously recall

procedural memory

how tos (ex: how to drive)

prospective memory

remembering to perform an action in the future

mnemonic device

memory aids that increase memory recall (ex: acronyms and rhymes)

method of loci

you associate different items on a list with certain parts of a room; helps recall

chunking

grouping similar items together under single units (ex: HOMES - Great Lakes)

spacing effect

learning is better when study sessions are stretched out

memory consolidation

happens during sleep; neural process of stabilizing memories after learning

massed practice

cramming all at one time

distributed practice

studying in multiple different sessions

serial position effect

better recalling of items at the beginning and end of a list

maintenance rehearsal

repeating info over and over to store in short-term memory (ex: repeating codes until you enter them)

elaborative rehearsal

linking new info into old schemas and putting meaning behind it to store in long-term memories (ex: writing examples of notes)

highly superior autobiographical memory

helps explain biological components and why we remember things more when related to our own lives

autobiographical memory

remembering your own personal memories about your life

anterograde amnesia

inability to form new memories

retrograde amnesia

inability to retrieve memories of the past

Alzheimer’s disease

a degenerative disorder that impacts memory and learning due to breakdown of acetylcholine

infantile amnesia

babies can’t remember anything; tied to language development