Psych Chapter 8Terms Quiz

Memory

set of processes used to encode, store, and retrieve information over different periods of time

encoding

the processing of information into the memory system.

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

semantic encoding

the encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words

visual encoding

the encoding of picture images

acoustic encoding

the encoding of sound, especially the sound of words

self-reference effect

tendency to better remember information relevant to ourselves

storage

creation of a permanent record of information

sensory memory

the immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system

echoic memory

a momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; can be recalled within 2 or 4 seconds

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

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, as long as you attend to it

rehearsal

the conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage

maintenance rehearsal

A system for remembering involving repeating information to oneself without attempting to find meaning in it

elaborative rehearsal

a method of transferring information from STM into LTM by making that information meaningful in some way

Chunking

organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically

long-term memory

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

declarative memory (hippocampus and amygdala)

It refers to memories which can be consciously recalled such as facts and events.

semantic memory

a network of associated facts and concepts that make up our general knowledge of the world

episodic memory

the collection of past personal experiences that occurred at a particular time and place

nondeclarative memory (cerebellum)

The subsystem within long-term memory that stores motor skills, habits, and simple classically conditioned responses; also called implicit memory.

procedural memory

the gradual acquisition of skills as a result of practice.

emotional conditioning

classical conditioning in which the conditioned response is an emotional reaction

Eidetic Memory

photographic memory

selective attention

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

Retrieval

The act of getting information out of memory stage and back into conscious awareness

recall

A measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier without cues, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.

recognition

the ability to match a piece of information or a stimulus to a stored image or fact

relearning

Learning previously learned information, a lot faster

Engram

physical trace of memory

equipotentiality hypothesis

some parts of the brain can take over for damaged parts in forming and storing memories

spacing effect/distributed practice

our tendency to retain information more easily if we practice it over time in multiple sessions

Memory Consolidation Theory

sleep helps us remember because it provides our brains with time to restore and rebuild fading memories

arousal theory

strong emotions trigger the formation of strong memories and weaker emotional experiences form weaker memories

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.

flashbulb memory

a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event

amnesia

loss of long-term memory that occurs as the result of disease, physical trauma, or psychological trauma

anterograde amnesia

the inability to transfer new information from the short-term store into the long-term store

retrograde amnesia

an inability to retrieve information from one's past

construction

formulation of new memories

Reconstruction

Bringing up old memories, tending to alter and modify them

misinformation effect paradigm

after exposure to incorrect information, a person may misremember the original event

false memory syndrome

recall of false autobiographical memories

Forgetting

loss of information from long-term memory

encoding failure

failure to process information into memory

transcience (Forgetting)

forgetting what occurs with the passage of time

absentmindedness (Forgetting)

Forgetting caused by lapses in attention

Blocking (Forgetting)

Accessibility of information is temporarily blocked

Misattribution (Distortion)

confusing the source of information

suggestibility (Distortion)

the lingering effects of misinformation

Bias (Distortion)

memories distorted by current belief system

persistence (intrusion)

inability to forget undesirable memories

egocentric bias

the tendency to exaggerate the change between present and past in order to make ourselves look good in retrospect

hindsight bias

"I knew it all along"

Stereotypical bias

involves racial and gender biases

proactive interference

Old information hinders the recall of newly learned information

retroactive interference

the disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information

mneumonic devices

memory aids used to enhance memory

Therapeutic Forgetting

Seeking to alter or possibly erase the impact of painful memories

Encoding Specificity Principle

the idea that cues and contexts specific to a particular memory will be most effective in helping us recall it

state-dependent memory

Memory depends on the relationship of people's physiological state at the time of encoding and their physiological state at the time of retrieval.

mood-dependent memory effects

Demonstrate that memory is better when a person's mood is the same during encoding and retrieval

mood congruence effect

Memory is better for experiences that are the same with a person's current mood

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

A debilitating mental disorder that follows after experiencing of witnessing an extremely traumatic, tragic, or terrifying event

Priming

Exposure to one stimuli influences the response to another stimuli

Repression

Freudian defense mechanism that banishes anxiety arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness.

positive transfer

when old information facilitates the learning of new information

rosy retrospection

The tendency to rate past events more positively than they had actually rated them when the event occurred.

serial positioning effect

our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list and forget those in the middle

primary effect

tendency to recall the first terms of list

recency effect

tendency to remember words at the end of a list especially well

Tip-of-theTongue Phenomenon

The temporary inability to recall a word while knowing it is in memory.

semantic network theory

Our brains might form new memories by connecting their meaning and creating context with the memories already in our memory

Critical Incident stress debriefing (CISD)

People who survive a painful even should express their feelings about it soon after so it doesn't get repressed leading to PTSD

next-in-line effect

when we are next, we focus on our own performance and often fail to process the last person's words

peg-words

associate numbers with an item it rhymes with or resembles

prospective memory

remembering to do things in the future

Forgetting Curve (Ebbinghaus)

Describes how the ability of the brain to retain information decreases in time.

source amnesia

attributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined

organic amnesia

the loss of memory due to biological factors such as brain disorders, tumors, strokes, degenerative diseases, or any other of a multitude of other disruptions of neurological function

motivated forgetting (repression)

Purposely forgetting unpleasant memories; theory by Sigmund Freud

Suppression

intentionally pushing unpleasant feelings out of one's mind

Confabulation

memory disturbance, incorrectly describing history, honest lying

Attribution

The perceived cause of behaviors or events

Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE)

a failure to consider situational variables while making an attribution, leading to an overestimation of dispositional contributions when observing the behavior of others

misinformation effect

incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event

Structural processing (shallow)

physical qualities of something

phonemic processing

when we encode its sound

Personality

the characteristic thoughts, emotional responses, and behaviors that are relatively stable in an individual over time and across circumstances

biological rhythms

periodic physiological fluctuations

circadian rhythm

the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24-hour cycle

ultraradian rhythms

Biological rhythms that occur more than once a day

infraradian rhythms

biological rhythms that occur once a month or once a season

Immediate recall connected to Recency Effect

Can recite 4-5 words or numbers right after you say them

later recall connected to Primary Effect

ability to recall first items best

visual-spatial sketchpad

a short-term storage system for visual and spatial information in working memory

phonological loop

the part of working memory that holds and processes verbal and auditory information

central executive system (CES)

controls the deployment of attention, switching the focus of attention and dividing attention as needed

PKM-zeta

Enzyme maintains permanent connection between neurons
Allows us to retrieve memories from long ago
If removed chemically, long-term memories can be deleted