Long-Term Memory and Encoding Information

Long-Term Memory

The capacity to store information for extended periods, allowing for recall and recognition of past experiences.

Rehearsal

The cognitive process of repeatedly practicing information to encode it into long-term memory.

Pollyanna Principle

The tendency to remember pleasant items more readily than unpleasant ones.

State Dependent Memory

A retrieval process suggesting that one’s ability to recall information is enhanced when in the same state or context as when the information was encoded.

Mood Congruent Memory

The phenomenon where an individual’s current mood influences the recall of memories congruent with that mood.

Elaboration

Enhancing encoding by forming additional associations or connections with the information being learned.

Semantic Network Models

Theoretical frameworks that depict how information is organized in memory, where concepts are interconnected like a network.

Familiarity vs. Recollection

Familiarity involves recognizing something without recalling specific details, while recollection involves retrieving specific contextual details.

Encoding Specificity

The principle that information is better retrieved when retrieval conditions match encoding conditions.

Level of Processing

The idea that deeper levels of processing information lead to better long-term retention and retrieval.

Cognitive Load

The amount of mental effort being used in the working memory; when overloaded, less information gets encoded.

Spreading Activation

The process by which one memory cue triggers the recall of related memories, influencing recall of interconnected concepts.

Recognition Task

A memory assessment where individuals identify previously learned information from a list of options.

Misleading Information

Facts or suggestions that lead an individual to misremember an event or detail.

Cognitive Structured Interview

A method employed in witness interviews designed to minimize the effects of suggestibility and biases.

Memory Errors

Mistakes in recalling past events or information often due to factors like interference or suggestive questioning.

Visualization

A cognitive technique that involves creating mental images to enhance understanding and memory retention.