Memory (AP PSYCH)

memory

the persistence of learning over time through the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information

encoding

the process of getting information into the memory system

storage

the process of retaining encoded information over time

retrieval

the process of getting information out of memory storage

sensory memory

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

short-term memory

activated memory that holds a few items briefly, such as digits of a phone number while calling, before the information is stored or forgotten

long-term memory

the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system

working memory

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

explicit memory

retention of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare" (also called declarative memory)

implicit memory

retention of learned skills or classically conditioned associations independent of conscious recollection

iconic memory

a momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli lasting no more than a few tenths of a second

echoic memory

a momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli lasting 3 or 4 seconds

chunking

organizing items into familiar, manageable units

mnemonics

memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices

spacing effect

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

testing effect

enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information

semantic memory

explicit memory of facts and general knowledge

episodic memory

explicit memory of personally experienced events

hippocampus

a neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage

memory consolidation

the neural storage of a long-term memory

cerebellum

a large structure at the rear of the brainstem that plays a key role in forming and storing the implicit memories created by classical conditioning

basal ganglia

deep brain structures involved in motor movement that facilitate formation of our procedural memories for skills

flashbulb memory

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

long-term potentiation (LTP)

an increase in a cell's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. This is believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory.

priming

the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory

encoding specificity principle

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

mood-congruent memory

the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood

serial position effect

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

primacy effect

our tendency to remember words at the beginning of a list especially well after a delay

recency effect

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

anterograde amnesia

an inability to form new memories

retrograde amnesia

an inability to retrieve information from one's past

proactive interference

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

retroactive interference

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

repression

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts and memories from consciousness

misinformation effect

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

deja vu

that eerie sense that "I've experience this before"