Language, Memory Systems, and Forgetting

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key vocabulary and important concepts related to language, memory systems, and forgetting.

What is language?

A system of symbols and rules used to communicate meaning

Mental lexicon

Brain’s dictionary of words

Creativity in language

Ability to produce new sentences

Phoneme

Smallest unit of sound

Morpheme

Smallest unit of meaning

Pragmatics

Use of language in context

Mondegreens

Misheard phrases

Overgeneralization

Applying rules too broadly

Audience design

Adjusting speech to suit the audience

Common ground

Shared knowledge between speakers

Broca’s aphasia

Condition characterized by slow speech and good understanding

Wernicke’s aphasia

Condition characterized by fluent but meaningless speech

Segmentation problem

Difficulty in separating words in speech

Bottom-up processing

Processing that starts with sounds and leads to meaning

Top-down processing

Processing that starts with context and leads to meaning

Lack of invariance

The phenomenon where words sound different

Memory

The processes of encoding, storing, and retrieving information

Sensory memory

Brief storage of information from the senses

Echoic memory

Brief retention of auditory information

Iconic memory

Brief retention of visual information

Short-term memory

Memory storage that lasts approximately 20–30 seconds

Chunking

Grouping information to enhance memory

Magic number 7

Average capacity of short-term memory believed to be 7 items

Working memory

An active system that processes and manipulates information

Phonological loop

Part of working memory responsible for verbal information

Visuospatial sketchpad

Part of working memory responsible for visual and spatial information

Central executive

Component of working memory that controls attention

Episodic buffer

Part of working memory that integrates information

Long-term memory

Memory storage that is considered permanent

Semantic memory

Memory for facts and information

Episodic memory

Memory for personal experiences and events

Procedural memory

Memory for skills and tasks

Hippocampus

Brain region critical for forming new memories

Amygdala

Brain region involved in emotional processing

Retrieval cues

Triggers that help in recalling memories

Benefit of forgetting

Allows focus on important information by discarding irrelevant details

Mood-state dependent

Improved recall when mood during retrieval matches mood during encoding

Fading affect bias

Phenomenon where negative memories fade faster than positive ones

Hindsight bias

The tendency to believe one knew an outcome all along

Self-reference

The principle that we remember information better when it relates to ourselves

Reconstructive memory

The process of rebuilding memories rather than simply accessing them

Interference

When different memories compete with each other

Proactive interference

When old memories block the formation of new memories

Retroactive interference

When new memories block the retrieval of old memories

Retrieval failure

Inability to access stored memories

Childhood amnesia

The inability to recall memories from early childhood

Reminiscence bump

The phenomenon where people remember more events from their teenage years

Trauma

Experiences that can lead to vivid or repressed memories

False memories

Memories that a person believes to be true but are actually incorrect