cognitive psych exam 2

executive functioning, working memory, long term memory, memory types and errors

working memory

system important for temporarily maintaining and manipulating info to complete some goal

phonological loop

a component of working memory, in which sound is temporarily held; usually speech based

visuospatial sketchpad

storage and manipulation of visual info; spatial position

episodic buffer

a limited capacity temporary storage system that is capable of integrating info from a variety of sources

central executive

coordinates activities of sketchpad and phonological loop and communicates with LTM

serial position curve

demonstrates that there is a distinction between LTM and working memory

primacy effect

more likely to remember words at the beginning of a list

recency effect

more likely to remember words at the end of a list

encoding

process of becoming a LTM

organizational encoding

categorizing by noticing relationships among series of items

incidental encoding

learning info without trying

intentional learning

working to remember info

memory consolidation

the process through which memories become stored and resistant to interference

medial temporal lobe (MTL)

important for consolidation, changes in neural connection, make memories lasting; hippocampus

retrograde amnesia

cannot remember a period of old memories

anterograde amnesia

cannot form new memories

priming

enhanced ability to think of a stimulus as a result of a recent exposure to the stimulus

semantic memory

general knowledge, personal info; facts

episodic memory

memory of specific events

flashbulb memories

vivid and detailed memories of dramatic events; like a snapshot in time

autobiographical memory

memory for the events of one’s own life that defines identity, links personal history to public history, supports personal goals

7 sins of memory

suggestibility, misattribution, bias, transience, absentmindedness, blocking, persistence

suggestibility

the tendency to incorporate misleading info into existing memories

misattribution

incorrectly remembering the source of a memory; can create false memories

bias

the distorting influences of present knowledge, beliefs, and feelings on recollection of past events

consistency bias

reconstructing the past to fit the present

egocentric bias

we may remember the past the way we want it to be, not how it actually was, in order to make ourselves look better

change bias

tendency to exaggerate the difference between what we feel now and in the past; exaggerate the change over time

confirmation bias

remembering info that is consistent with beliefs

source amnesia

assigning an idea or a recollection to the wrong source

transience

forgetting due to decay

absentmindedness

memory failure due to inattentiveness, divided attention or shallow encoding

blocking

failure to retrieve info that is otherwise available; tip of the tongue

proactive interference

old info interferes with new info

retroactive interference

new info interferes with old info

persistence

intrusive recollection of events we wish we could forget; unwanted memories

global amnesia

a mix of retrograde amnesia and anterograde amnesia

implicit memory

memory that can occur outside of conscious awareness

procedural memory

memory of actions

context-dependent memory

info is better recalled when the environment is the same during encoding and retrieval

state-dependent retrieval

when the internal environment is the same during encoding and retrieval; emotional state

massed practice

all nighters, cramming

spaced practice

when the retrieval sessions are spread out over time; not crammed

executive control

umbrella term that describes essentially all high order cognitive processes

set shifting

paying attention to the rules of a task, and switching them when necessary

stroop task

measures inhibition

inhibition

ability to not do something