ap pyschology unit two- memory

AP Psychology – Memory (Modules 31–35)

Memory – The persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information.

Encoding – The process of getting information into the memory system.

Storage – The retention of encoded information over time.

Retrieval – The process of getting information out of memory storage.

Sensory Memory – The immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system.

Short-Term Memory (STM) – Activated memory that holds a few items briefly before they are stored or forgotten; limited to about 7 ± 2 items.

Long-Term Memory (LTM) – The relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of memory.

Working Memory – A newer understanding of STM that focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming information and retrieval from LTM.

Explicit Memory – Memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and declare; also called declarative memory.

Implicit Memory – Retention independent of conscious recollection; also called nondeclarative memory.

Effortful Processing – Encoding that requires attention and conscious effort.

Automatic Processing – Unconscious encoding of incidental information.

Chunking – Organizing information into familiar, manageable units to aid memory.

Mnemonics – Memory aids, especially those using vivid imagery and organizational devices.

Hierarchies – Dividing information into a few broad concepts and subdividing them into narrower concepts and facts.

Spacing Effect – The tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed practice.

Testing Effect – Enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information.

Shallow Processing – Encoding on a basic level based on the structure or appearance of words.

Deep Processing – Encoding semantically, based on the meaning of the words; tends to yield the best retention.

Semantic Encoding – The encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words.

Acoustic Encoding – The encoding of sound, especially the sound of words.

Visual Encoding – The encoding of picture images.

Flashbulb Memory – A clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.

Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) – An increase in a synapse’s firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation; believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory.

Explicit Memory Systems – The hippocampus (temporal lobe) helps process explicit memories for storage.

Implicit Memory Systems – The cerebellum forms and stores implicit memories created by classical conditioning.

Basal Ganglia – Deep brain structures involved in motor movement and procedural memory.

Infantile Amnesia – The inability to remember events from early childhood.

Recall – A measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier.

Recognition – A measure of memory in which the person identifies items previously learned.

Relearning – A measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material again.

Priming – The activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory.

Encoding Failure – Failure to process information into memory.

Storage Decay – The gradual fading of physical memory traces over time.

Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve – A graph showing that forgetting is rapid initially, then levels off over time.

Interference – The blocking of memory by previous or subsequent information.

Proactive Interference – The disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information.

Retroactive Interference – The disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information.

Motivated Forgetting – Forgetting that occurs because we are motivated to forget; can be conscious or unconscious.

Repression – In psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness.

Misinformation Effect – Incorporating misleading information into one’s memory of an event.

Source Amnesia – Attributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined.

Constructive Memory – The process of organizing and shaping information during encoding, storage, and retrieval.

Reconsolidation – Previously stored memories, when retrieved, are potentially altered before being stored again.

Hippocampus – Brain structure in the limbic system critical for forming new explicit memories.

Amygdala – Brain structure involved in emotional memory formation and flashbulb memories.

Cerebellum – Brain structure involved in storing implicit memories and conditioning.