AP Psychology - Memory

Rehearsal

the conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage

Effortful encoding

a way to encode information into memory to keep it from decaying and make it easier to retrieve- requires attention

Automatic encoding

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

Implicit memory

Memories based on skill

Explicit memory

Memories based on education- factual information

Deja vu

A sense you have experienced something before

State-dependent memory

Type of memory in which one’s environment/state serves as a retrieval cue

Mood-congruent memory

Tendency to recall good/bad memories when one is in a similar mood

Priming

The activation (often unconciously) of a particular association in memory (ex. giving hints during Jeopardy to jog your memory)

Proactive interference

Old memories interfering with newly learned information (ex. old passwords making one forget their new password)

Retroactive interference

New learning disrupting old memories (ex. new password makes you forget your old one)

Semantic encoding

The encoding process that makes meaning of the material instead of just reviewing it (ex. using your own words when reviewing vocabulary)

Iconic Memory

a momentary sensory memory of a visual stimuli

Amnesia

In general, the loss of memory. Sometimes occurs after an accident.

Short-term Memory

Can remember 7 chunks (plus or minus two) of information and is forgotten very quickly.

Hippocampus

Part of the brain in the limbic system that is responsible for most memory functions, mainly explicit memories

Echoic memory

A momentary sensory memory of an auditory stimuli

Repression

A basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-inducing thoughts and feelings

Encoding Failure

A breakdown of the process of getting information into the memory. An example of this is not knowing what a penny looks like.

Storage Decay

Losing memories overtime is known as…

Retrieval failure

Information is in the long-term memory, but it cannot be accessed. Known as the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon.

Ebbinghaus

Created the forgetting curve. The drop off in the curve is drastic, but then the remembered information levels out.

Misinformation

Incorporating misleading info to change someone’s memories.

Retrograde Amnesia

Describes a type of amnesia where one can't recall memories that were formed before the event that caused the amnesia.

Anterograde Amnesia

Describes a type of amnesia where one can’t form new memories after the event that caused the amnesia

Infantile Amnesia

People cannot remember anything before \~3 years old. This is called