AP Psychology UP 5: Memory

Explicit memory

Memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and declare.

Episodic memory

A type of explicit memory involving the recollection of specific events, situations, and experiences.

Semantic memory

A type of explicit memory that involves the recall of facts, concepts, and general knowledge.

Implicit memory

A type of memory that is not consciously recalled, but influences behaviors and thoughts.

Procedural memory

A type of implicit memory for the automatic performance of tasks such as riding a bike or typing.

Prospective memory

Memory for intentions and planned actions in the future.

Long-term potentiation

A long-lasting strengthening of synapses based on recent patterns of activity.

Working memory model

Model that describes the structure and function of short-term memory.

Working memory

A system that temporarily holds and manipulates information.

Central executive

The part of working memory responsible for directing attention and processing information.

Phonological loop

The component of working memory that deals with verbal and auditory information.

Visuospatial sketchpad

The component of working memory that handles visual and spatial information.

Multi-store model

A model of memory that proposes three stores: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.

Sensory memory

The brief storage of sensory information immediately following its reception.

Iconic memory

A type of sensory memory that temporarily holds visual information.

Echoic memory

A type of sensory memory that temporarily holds auditory information.

Short-Term Memory

A limited capacity store that can maintain information for a short period.

Long-Term Memory

The system of memory that can store vast amounts of information for extended periods.

Automatic processing

The unconscious encoding of information such as space, time, and frequency.

Effortful processing

The encoding of information that requires attention and conscious effort.

Encoding

The process of converting information into a form that can be stored in memory.

Storage

The process of maintaining information in memory over time.

Retrieval

The process of accessing and bringing into consciousness information stored in memory.

Levels of processing model

Theory that suggests memory retention is impacted by the depth of processing.

Shallow encoding

Surface level processing that focuses on structural and phonemic aspects of information.

Deep encoding

A processing strategy that involves semantic meaning and relationships.

Structural encoding

Encoding that emphasizes the physical structure of the stimulus.

Phonemic encoding

Encoding of words based on their sound.

Semantic encoding

Encoding that emphasizes the meaning of the information.

Mnemonic devices

Techniques that aid in information retention and retrieval.

Method of loci

A mnemonic device that involves visualizing items in specific locations.

Chunking-Grouping

A technique that involves breaking information into smaller, manageable units.

Categories-Grouping

Organizing information into categories to enhance memory.

Hierarchies-Grouping

Information organized into levels or ranks to aid memory.

Spacing effect

The phenomenon where distributed study leads to better retention than massed study.

Memory consolidation

The process by which newly acquired information is stabilized in memory.

Massed practice

A study method where material is studied in a single session.

Distributed practice

A study method where material is learned over multiple sessions.

Serial position effect

The tendency to remember the first and last items in a list better than the middle.

Primacy effect

The enhanced recall of the first items in a list.

Recency effect

The enhanced recall of the last items in a list.

Maintenance rehearsal

The rote repetition of information to keep it in short-term memory.

Elaborative rehearsal

A memory technique that involves associating new information with existing memories.

Memory retention

The ability to keep information in memory over time.

Autobiographical memory

Memory of personal experiences and events in one's life.

Retrograde amnesia

Loss of memory for events prior to brain injury or trauma.

Anterograde amnesia

Inability to form new memories after a brain injury.

Alzheimer’s disease

A progressive neurological disease that causes memory loss and cognitive decline.

Infantile amnesia

The inability to recall memories from early childhood.

Recall

The retrieval of information without explicit cues.

Recognition

The identification of previously learned information when presented with it.

Retrieval cues

Stimuli that help in the recall of information from memory.

Context-dependent memory

Improved recall of specific information when in the same context as when it was learned.

Mood-congruent memory

The tendency to recall memories that are consistent with one's current mood.

State-dependent memory

The improved recall of information when in the same state as when it was learned.

Testing effect

The phenomenon where retrieval practice improves long-term retention.

Metacognition

Awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes.

The forgetting curve

A graphical representation of the decline of memory retention over time.

Encoding failure

The inability to remember information due to improper encoding.

Proactive interference

When old information inhibits the ability to learn new information.

Retroactive interference

When new information interferes with the recall of old information.

Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

The temporary inability to retrieve information that one knows.

Repression

The unconscious exclusion of painful memories from awareness.

Misinformation effect

The distortion of memory due to misleading information.

Source amnesia

The inability to remember the source of a memory.

Constructive memory

The use of existing knowledge to fill in gaps during recall.

Imagination inflation

The phenomenon where imagined events become confused with real memories.