Unit 5.1-5.4 Psych

Automatic Processing

Unconscious processing of well-learned material without much thought or effort.

Effortful Processing

Active processing of information that requires sustained effort and attention.

Selective Attention

Process of focusing on one stimulus while ignoring others.

Divided Attention

Process of processing and giving attention to multiple stimuli simultaneously.

Deep Processing

Effortful processing that involves relating new information to past experiences and understanding its meaning.

Shallow Processing

Processing information based on appearance or sound without attaching meaning to it.

Parallel/Dual Processing

The brain's ability to process information at different levels simultaneously.

Information Processing Model

The steps of encoding, storing, and retrieving information.

Encoding

The process of putting new information into the sensory registers and short-term memory.

Storage

The process of organizing and storing new information from short-term memory into long-term memory.

Retrieval

The process of accessing and retrieving information from long-term memory for use.

Sensory Memory

The first stop for all sensory information, holding large amounts of information for a short time.

Iconic Memory

The visual register that holds visual images or icons for about ¼ second.

Echoic Memory

The auditory register that holds echoes of sound for several seconds.

Short-term Memory

Holds information that we are aware of or thinking about at any given moment.

Working Memory

The part of short-term memory that is concerned with immediate conscious processing.

Rote Rehearsal

The process of repeatedly saying or thinking about a piece of information.

Long-term Memory

The storage of all learned information for an extended period with no known limits to capacity.

Explicit Memories (Declarative)

Memory for information that can be readily expressed and intentionally recalled.

Episodic Memories

Memories for personal events in a specific time and place.

Semantic Memories

Memory for general facts and concepts not linked to a specific time.

Implicit Memories (Nondeclarative)

Memory for information that cannot be readily expressed or intentionally retrieved.

Prospective Memory

Memory for planned actions or intentions to be performed in the future.

Procedural Memories

Memories for motor skills and habits.

Emotional Memories

Learned emotional responses to various stimuli.

Priming

The activation of particular associations in long-term implicit memory.

Chunking

The process of grouping individual pieces of information into larger units.

Maintenance Rehearsal

The repetitive cycling of information in short-term memory.

Elaborative Rehearsal

Rehearsing information by relating it to information already stored in long-term memory.

Recognition

Retrieval aided by cues, such as in a multiple-choice test.

Recall

Retrieval without any cues, such as in an essay test.

State-Dependent Memories

Memories that are more easily recalled when in the same physiological state as when the information was learned.

Mood-Dependent Memories

Recall of experiences that are consistent with one's current emotional state.

Tip-of-the-Tongue

Phenomenon of failing to retrieve a word or term from memory, combined with partial recall and the feeling that retrieval is almost there.

Hermann Ebbinghaus

Psychologist associated with studying the function of memory.

Automatic Processing

Requires little mental effort.