Memory and Information Processing Flashcards

Flashcards to review key vocabulary and concepts related to memory and information processing, based on lecture notes.

Memory

An anchor to the past, allowing us to understand the present and project into the future.

Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)

Proposed the Multi-store Model of Memory with different memory stores.

Bartlett's (1932) Theory of Reconstructive Memory

Memory is an active process where recollection differs from actual experience.

Processing

The operations we perform on sensory information in the brain.

Input

Sensory information we receive from our environment.

Storage

The retention of information in our memory system.

Encoding

Turning sensory information into a form that can be used and stored by the brain.

Acoustic encoding

The process of storing sound in our memory system.

Visual encoding

The process of storing something that is seen in our memory system.

Semantic encoding

The process of storing the meaning of information in our memory system.

Output

Information we recall; in a broader sense, behavioral response.

Retrieval

The recall of stored memories.

Short-term memory

Our initial memory store that is temporary and limited.

Long-term memory

A memory store that holds potentially limitless amounts of information for up to a lifetime.

Duration

The length of time information can be stored in short-term and long-term memory.

Capacity

The amount of information that can be stored in short-term and long-term memory.

Rehearse

When we repeat information over and over again to make it stick.

Displacement

When the short-term memory becomes ‘full’ and new information pushes out older information.

Interference

When new information overwrites older information.

Amnesia

Memory loss, often through accident, disease, or injury.

Anterograde amnesia

A memory condition that means new long-term memories cannot be made, typically caused by brain injury.

Retrograde amnesia

A memory condition that affects recall of memories prior to an injury to the brain.

Active reconstruction

Memory is not an exact copy, but an interpretation influenced by our schema.

Schema (memory)

A packet of knowledge about an event, person, or place that influences how we perceive and remember.

Omission

When we leave out unfamiliar, irrelevant, or unpleasant details when remembering something.

Transformation

When details are changed to make them more familiar and rational.

Familiarisation

When unfamiliar details are changed to align with our own schema.

Rationalisation

When we add details into our recall to give a reason for something that may not have originally fitted with a schema.

Cognitive interview

A police interview designed to ensure a witness does not actively reconstruct their memory.

Ecological validity

The extent to which the findings still explain the behavior in different situations.

Subjective

Based on personal opinion or feelings.

Sensory register

Our immediate memory of sensory information.

Attention

Focus on certain sensory information.

Trigram

A set of three letters that makes a meaningless string of letters rather than a word.

Iconic memory

The sensory register for visual information.

Echoic memory

The sensory register for auditory (sound) information.

Modality free

Not linked to a specific type of sensory information.

Serial reproduction

A technique where participants retell something to another participant to form a chain.

Repeated reproduction

A technique where participants are asked to recall something again and again.

Primacy

The tendency to recall words at the beginning of a list when asked to remember it.

Recency

The tendency to recall words at the end of a list when asked to remember it.

Reliable

When the outcomes of a study are consistent.

Statistical analysis

Mathematical calculations performed on data to see whether the findings could be due to chance.

Standardized procedure

Where the procedure of a study is the same across all conditions.

Extraneous variables

Variables that could affect the results of a study.

Mundane realism

A realistic, everyday task.

Reductionism

The theory of explaining something according to its basic constituent parts.

Reductionist

The practice of reductionism.

Holism

The theory of explaining something as a whole.

Holistic

The practice of holism.

Strength of Holism

Holism considers the whole cognitive system, emphasizing interactions and context.

Strength of Reductionism

Reductionism simplifies complex processes, making them easier to study.

Weakness of Holism

Holism may oversimplify by ignoring individual differences and specific mechanisms.

Weakness of Reductionism

Reductionism may oversimplify complex behaviors by focusing on isolated components.

Milgram Experiment

Milgram's study on obedience to authority is an example of a social psychology experiment that investigated the extent to which individuals would obey orders from an authority figure, even if it meant harming another person.

Loftus and Palmer Experiment

Loftus and Palmer's study on eyewitness testimony is an example of a cognitive psychology experiment that investigated the effect of leading questions on the accuracy of eyewitness recall.

Milgram Experiment Results

Milgram's study showed that ordinary people are likely to follow orders given by an authority figure, even to the extent of causing harm to another person suggesting that obedience to authority is a powerful social influence.

Loftus and Palmer Experiment Results

Loftus and Palmer's research demonstrated that the way questions are worded can have a significant impact on eyewitness testimony, highlighting the malleability of memory and the potential for misinformation to distort recall.