psych unit 5 pt 1

memory

the persistence of learning overtime through the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information

superior autobiographical memory

retrieval of most if not all memories throughout your life

alzheimer's disease

progressive neurodegeneration and fatal brain disease

build-up of proteins in the brain that causes neurons to die

causes of plaque unknown and lack neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine

recall

retrieving information that us currently not in your conscious awareness but that was learned at an earlier time

recognition

identifying items that have been previously learned

overlearning

learning something more quickly when you learn it a second time or later time

encoding

put in or receive new information

storage

organize new information

multi-store memory model

most widely accepted theory concerning structure and process of memory/remembering

assumption that memory consists of a number of separate stores and that memory processes are sequential

sensory memory

does not process information, but rather captures all that we are "sensing: at the moment

iconic

visual memory

echoic

auditory memory

short-term memory

sensory memory given attention to will be passed through this

limited capacity and limited duration

george miller's capacity number

amount of information we can hold in short-term memory

7+/-2 pieces of information

chunking

information into meaningful chunks is easier to remember

working memory

newer understanding of short-term memory that adds conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual information, and of information retrieved from long-term memory

long-term memory

hypothetical central executive focuses our attention and pulls information from it

final stage and can store infinite information

explicit memory

retention of facts and experiences from long-term memory that one can consciously know and declare

effortful processing

encoding that requires attention and conscious effort

implicit memory

retention if learned skills or classically conditioned associations in long-term memory independent of conscious recollection

automatic processing

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

mnemonics

useful for remembering and learning

memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid\` imagery and organization devices, like acronyms or acrostics

method of loci technique (memory palace)

a memory enhancement technique that combines visualization with spatial memory of familiar environments to quickly recall information

spacing effect

tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through mass study or practice

testing effect

distribute practice by repeated self-testing

deep processing

encoding semantically, based in the meaning of the words, tends to yield the best retention

shallow processing

encoding on a basic level, based on the structure or appearance of words

semantic

facts and general knowledge

left frontal lobe

episodic

experienced events

right frontal lobe

hippocampus

temporal-lobe neural center located in the limbic system, can be likened to a "save" button for explicit memories

memory consolidation

processes memories, then sends them to other regions for stirage

cerebellum

forming and storing the implicit memories created by classical conditioning

basal ganglia

deep brain structure that acts as the "save point" for implicit memories

infantile amnesia

our conscious memory of our first 4 years is largely blank

amygdala

our emotions trigger stress hormones

flashbulb memories

stressful events are a clear, sustained memory of an emotionally significant moment or event

long-term potentiation

increased efficiency of potential neural firing provides a neural basis for learning and remembering

priming

activation, often unconsciously, of particular association in memory

ecoding specificity principle

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

context-dependent memory

putting yourself back in the context where you earlier experienced something can prime your memory retrieval

state-dependent

what we learn in one psychological state may be more easily recalled when we are again in that state

mood congruent

tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad emotional state

social position effect

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

henry molaison

one of the most famous case studies

memory loss due to procedure

could not form new memories

anterograde amnesia

inability to form new memories due to injury or illness

retrograde amnesia

inability to retrieve information from one's past due to injury or illness

encoding failure

what we sense we never notice and what we fail to encode, we never learn

storage decay

even after encoding, we sometimes later forget it

ebbinghaus forgetting curve

the cause of forgetting is initially rapid, but levels off with time

retrieval failure

we know something and we may even have studies it but we cannot access it

tip of the tongue phenomenon

feeling that a memory is available but not quite retrievable

proactive interference

the forward-acting disruptive effect of older learning in the new information

retroactive interference

the backward-acting disruptive effect of newer learning on the recall of older information

repression

basic,, often times unconscious, defense mechanism that banished from consciousness anxiety - arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

reconsolidation

memory is not always accurate

when memory is learned, it is stores, once it is retrieved again, it may be alter after being stored again

elizabeth loftus

demonstrated that when exposed to subtle misleading information, people may misremember

misinformation effect

when misleading information has distorted one's memory of an event

source amnesia

faulty memory for how, when, or where information was learned or imagined

tends to affect a persons explicit memory and 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

concepts

a mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people

prototypes

a mental image or best example of a category

matching new items provides a quick and easy method for sorting items into categories

creatvity

the ability to produce new and valuable ideas

divergent thinking

expanding the number of possible problem solutions; creative thinking that diverges in different directions

algoritms

methodological, logical rule of procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem

heuristics

shortcuts and trial and errors, we can arrive at the answer we much more quickly than the use of algorithm

insight

a sudden realization of a problem's solution

intuition

just know something instantaneously

confirmation bias

search for confirming evidence

fixation

the inability to see a problem from a new perspective

mental set

predisposes how we think

representative heuristic

when we judge how something represents, or matches, certain prototypes we have

availability bias

likelihood of an even based on their availability in memory

overconfidence bias

tendency to overestimate accuracy of your belief and judgement

belief perseverance

tendency to hold on to a set of beliefs in spite of being faced by evidence that proves otherwise

anchoring effect

favoring the first information that is offered

cognitive dissonance

when a person will rationalize, ignore, and even deny anything that does not fit in with the core belief about a topic

framing effect

drawing different conclusions from the same information, depending on how the information is presented

broca's area

left frontal lobe

helps control language expression and production

wernicke's area

left temporal lobe

helps control language comprehension

phonemes

the smallest distinctive sound units in a language

morphemes

the smallest language units that carry meaning

grammar

a languages set of rules that enable people to communicate

semantics

languages set of rules for deriving meaning from sound

syntax

set of rules for combing words into grammatically sensible sentences