AP Psychology Cognition and Intelligence Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions from the AP Psychology Cognition and Intelligence study guide.

Memory

The persistence of learning over time through the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information.

Encoding

The processing of information into the memory system - for example, by extracting meaning.

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

Activated memory that holds a few items briefly, such as the seven digits of a phone number while dialing, before the information is stored or forgotten.

long term memory

The relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.

working memory

A newer understanding of short-term memory that focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial information, and of information retrieved from long-term memory.

parallel processing

The processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving.

automatic processing

Unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.

effortful processing

Encoding that requires attention and conscious effort.

explicit memories

Memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare." (also called declarative memory)

implicit memories

Retention independent of conscious recollection. (also called nondeclarative memory)

iconic memory

A momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second.

echoic memory

A momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds.

spacing effect

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

testing effect

Enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information. Also sometimes referred to as a retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning.

mnemonic device

Memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices.

chunking

Organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically.

deep processing

encoding semantically, based on the meaning of the words; tends to yield the best retention.

long-term potentiation

An increase in a cell's firing potential after breif, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory.

flashbulb memory

A clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.

recognition

A measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test.

recall

A measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.

relearning

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

serial position effect

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

priming

The activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response.

mood-congruent memory

The tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood.

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.

retrograde amnesia

An inability to retrieve information from one's past.

repression

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

Déjà vu

That eerie sense that "I've experience this before." Cues from the current situation may unconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.

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. (also called source misattribution) Source amnesia, along with the misinformation effect, is at the heart of many false memories.

cognition

All the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.