Chapter 8: Memory

Mnemonic devices

________: memory aids that help us organize information for encoding.

Recognition

________: to identify information that you have previously learned after encountering it again.

Absentmindedness

________: lapses in memory caused by breaks in attention or our focus being somewhere else.

Misattribution

________: when you confuse the source of your information.

Elaborative rehearsal

________: to think about the meaning of the new information and its relation to knowledge already stored in your memory.

Anterograde amnesia

________ is commonly caused by brain trauma.

Self reference

________ effect: the tendency for an individual to have better memory for information that relates to oneself in comparison to material that has less personal relevance.

Material

________ is far better encoded when you make it meaningful.

Psychologist

________ Daniel Schacter offers seven ways our memories fail us called the seven sins of memory and categorizes them into three groups: forgetting, distortion, and intrusion.

Atkinson Shiffrin

In the ________ model, stimuli from the environment are processed first in sensory memory.

Transience

________: memories can fade over time.

Reconstruction

________: the process of bringing up old memories.

Retrieval

________: the act of getting information out of memory storage and back into conscious awareness.

Semantic coding

________: the encoding of words and their meaning.

Persistence

________: inability to forget undesirable memories.

Construction

________: the formulation of new memories.

Semantic

________ encoding involves a deeper level of processing than the shallower visual or acoustic encoding.

Communication

________ among neurons via neurotransmitters is critical for developing new memories.

Arousal theory

________: strong emotions trigger the formation of strong memories, and weaker emotional experiences form weaker memories.

Suggestibility

________: the effects of misinformation from external sources that leads to the creation of false memories.

Storage decay

________: unused information tends to fade with the passage of time.

Automatic processing

________: the encoding of details like time, space, frequency, and the meaning of words.

Retrograde amnesia

________: loss of memory for events that occurred prior to the trauma.

Storage

________: the creation of a permanent record of information.

Retroactive interference

________: when information learned more recently hinders the recall of older information.

Sensory memory

________: storage of brief sensory events, such as sights, sounds, and tastes.

Fergus Craik

Psychologists ________ and Endel Tulving conducted a series of experiments to find out which of the three types of encoding would give the best memory of verbal information.

Effortful processing

________: the encoding of content, material, and information.

Misinformation effect paradigm

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

loss of information

Forgetting: ________ from long- term memory.

emotional information

Because of its role in processing ________, the amygdala is also involved in memory consolidation.

Long term memory

________ (LTM): the continuous storage of information.

prefrontal cortex

The ________ is involved in processing and retaining information.

Episodic memory

________: information about events we have personally experienced.

Proactive interference

________: when old information hinders the recall of newly learned information.

left inferior prefrontal cortex

The ________ involves semantics and the right inferior prefrontal cortex is involves in retrieval.

Automatic processing

________ is usually done without any conscious awareness.

Long term memory

________ is divided into two types: explicit and implicit.

Encoding

the input of information into the memory system

Automatic processing

the encoding of details like time, space, frequency, and the meaning of words

Effortful processing

the encoding of content, material, and information

Semantic coding

the encoding of words and their meaning

Visual encoding

the encoding of images

Acoustic encoding

the encoding of sounds, words in particular

Self-reference effect

the tendency for an individual to have better memory for information that relates to oneself in comparison to material that has less personal relevance

Storage

the creation of a permanent record of information

Sensory Memory, Short-Term Memory, and Long-Term Memory

In order for a memory to go into storage, it has to pass through three distinct stages  

Theyre stored in three short-term systems

a visuospatial sketchpad, an episodic buffer, and a phonological loop

Sensory memory

storage of brief sensory events, such as sights, sounds, and tastes

Short-term memory (STM)

a temporary storage system that processes incoming sensory memory

Rehearsal

the conscious repetition of information to be remembered

Memory consolidation

to move STM into long-term memory

Long-term memory (LTM)

the continuous storage of information

explicit and implicit

Long-term memory is divided into two types

Explicit memories

those we consciously try to remember and recall

Implicit memories

memories that are not part of our consciousness

Procedural memory

a type of implicit memory that stores information about how to do things

Declarative memory

the storage of facts and events we personally experienced

It has two parts

semantic memory and episodic memory

Semantic memory

knowledge about words, concepts, and language-based knowledge and facts

Episodic memory

information about events we have personally experienced

Retrieval

the act of getting information out of memory storage and back into conscious awareness

recall, recognition, and relearning

There are three ways you can retrieve information out of your long-term memory storage system

Recall

to access information without cues

Recognition

to identify information that you have previously learned after encountering it again

Relearning

learning information that you previously learned

Arousal theory

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

Flashbulb memory

an exceptionally clear recollection of an important event

Amnesia

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

anterograde amnesia and retrograde amnesia

There are two common types of amnesia

Anterograde amnesia

you cant remember new information, although you can remember information and events that happened prior to your injury

Retrograde amnesia

loss of memory for events that occurred prior to the trauma

Construction

the formulation of new memories

Reconstruction

the process of bringing up old memories

Suggestibility

the effects of misinformation from external sources that leads to the creation of false memories

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

when memory loss happens before the actual memory process begins

forgetting, distortion, and intrusion

Psychologist Daniel Schacter offers seven ways our memories fail us called the seven sins of memory and categorizes them into three groups

Transience

memories can fade over time

Storage decay

unused information tends to fade with the passage of time

Absentmindedness

lapses in memory caused by breaks in attention or our focus being somewhere else

Blocking

inability to access stored information

Misattribution

when you confuse the source of your information

Suggestibility

false memories

Bias

memories distorted by current belief system

Persistence

inability to forget undesirable memories

Interference

information stored in our memory, but is inaccessible

There are two types

proactive interference and retroactive interference

Proactive interference

when old information hinders the recall of newly learned information

Retroactive interference

when information learned more recently hinders the recall of older information

Memory-enhancing strategies

helps make sure information goes from short-term memory to long-term memory

Rehearsal

the conscious repetition of information to be remembered

Chunking

to organize information into manageable bits or chunks

Elaborative rehearsal

to think about the meaning of the new information and its relation to knowledge already stored in your memory

Mnemonic devices

memory aids that help us organize information for encoding