psy 101 ch 8

memory

learning that persists overtime, information that has been acquired and stored & can be retrieved

recall

retrieving information that is not currently in your conscious awareness, but was learned previously

recognition

identifying items previously learned

relearning

learning something more quickly when you learn it a second time

encode

get information into your brain

store

retain information

retrieve

later get the information back out

parallel processing

processing multiple aspects of a stimulus simultaneously

sensory memory

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

short term memory

briefly activated memory of a few items that is later stored or forgotten

long term memory

relatively permanent & limitless archive of the memory system

working memory

stage where short term memories combine with long term memories, linking, has a capacity

explicit memory

facts & experiences that we can consciously know and declare

effortful processing

encoding that requires attention and conscious effort

automatic processing

produces somethings we know without actively thinking about them

implicit memories

retention of learned skills or classically conditioned associations independent of conscious recollection, automatic, non declarative

iconic memory

a fleeting sensory memory of visual stimuli

chunking

organizing items into familiar, manageable units, often automatic, meaningful groups

mnemonics

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

spacing effect

tendency for distributed study to yield better long term retention

testing effect

enhanced memory retention after retrieving information rather than rereading, forced recall

shallow processing

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

deep processing

encoding semantically, based on meaning of words, best retention

semantic memory

explicit memory of facts and general knowledge

episodic memory

explicit memory of personally experienced events

hippocampus

temporal lobe neural structure, save button for explicit memories

prefrontal cortex

where memories are stored

memory consolidation

memories migrate from hippocampus to cortex for storage, supported by sleep

cerebellum

forming and storing implicit memories created by classical conditioning

implicit memories

automatic, procedural skills

basal ganglia

involved in motor movement, facilitates formation of our implicit memories

amygdala

emotion control, next to hippocampus

memory trace

lasting physical change as memory forms, boosts activity in memory forming areas

flashbulb memory

clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event

long term potentiation

increase in nerve cells firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation, neural basis for leaning & remembering associations

retrieval cues

when encode memory into a target piece of information, you associate it with bits of information about your surroundings which can then open memories

reminiscence therapy

uses retrieval cues to help people recall older memories

retrospective memory

past memories

prospective memory

intended future actions

priming

activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, predisposing ones perception, memory, or response

encoding specificity principle

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

state dependent memory

what we learn in one state may be more easily recalled when we are in that state again

mood congruent

emotions that accompany good or bad events, may be retrieval cues

serial position effect

our tendency to recall best the last (recency effect) and first (primacy effect) items in a list

anterograde amnesia

inability to form new memories, typically result of injury, failure to encode

retrograde amnesia

cannot remember ones past, common in dementias, failure to recall, often decays

storage decay

gradual fading of the physical memory trace

retrieval failure

occasionally stem from interference or motivated thinking

interference

unable to retrieve

proactive interference

forward acing disruptive effect of older learning on the recall of new information

retroactive interference

new learning disrupts recall of old information

repress

basic defense that banished from consciousness , anxiety arousing thoughts, feelings, memories

reconsolidation

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

misinformation effect

occurs when a memory has been corrupted by misleading information

source amnesia

frailest part of memory is the source, faulty memory for how, when, ie where information was learned or imagined

deja vu

feeling that you’ve experienced something before, cues may trigger retrieval of earlier experience