Unit 2. Cognition - Pt 3.2: Encoding & Restoring Memory

Encoding

The process of getting information into memory through various strategies.

Mnemonic device

A memory aid (like the method of loci) that makes it easier to store and recall information.

Method of loci

A mnemonic where you imagine placing items along a path in a familiar place to help remember them.

Chunking

Grouping information into meaningful units or categories to improve memory.

Spacing effect

Studying over time (distributed practice) helps memory better than cramming (massed practice).

Distributed practice

Studying information over multiple sessions.

Massed practice

Studying all information in one session; less effective.

Serial position effect

Tendency to remember the first and last items in a list better than the middle items.

Primacy effect

Better recall of the first items in a list.

Recency effect

Better recall of the last items in a list (short-lived).

Sensory memory

Very brief memory storage from the senses (e.g., visual, auditory).

Short-term memory

Temporary memory with limited capacity (~7 items).

Working memory

Active use of short-term memory for processing tasks.

Long-term memory

Memory storage with large capacity and long duration.

Maintenance rehearsal

Repeating information to keep it in short-term memory.

Elaborative rehearsal

Connecting information with meaning to store it in long-term memory.

Autobiographical memory

Personal memories about events in your life; tied to self.

Self-reference effect

Better memory for information connected to yourself.

Anterograde amnesia

Inability to form new memories after brain injury.

Retrograde amnesia

Inability to recall memories from before a brain injury.

Alzheimer’s disease

A type of dementia causing memory loss and cognitive decline.

Infantile amnesia

Inability to recall events from early childhood.