[MAIN] What is memory/information processing model

For AP Psych BHS Quiz 2

Memory

an active system that receives information from the senses, puts that information into a usable form, organizes it as it stores it away, and then retrieves the information from storage

Encoding

mental operations that people perform on sensory information to convert that information into a form that is usable in the brain’s storage system

Storage

holding on to information for some period of time

Retrieval

getting information out

Information-processing model

Focuses on the way information is handled/processed through three different systems of memory: encoding, storage, and retrieval.

Parallel distributed processing (PDP) model

The idea that the creation and storage of memories is a simultaneous process.

Connectionism

the use of artificial neural networks to explain the mental abilities of humans.

Levels-of-processing model

The idea that a memory’s duration depends on the depth to which the information is processed or encoded

Sensory memory

the first stage of memory, selectively decides what to encode

Iconic (visual) memory

visual memory, only lasts for a fraction of a second

Partial report method

the participant is asked to recall only some of the items but they cannot know which items beforehand.

Masking

old iconic memory information being replaced immediately by new iconic memory information

Eidetic memory

the ability to access visual sensory memory over a long period of time, also sometimes called photographic memory

Microsacchades

tiny eye movements that prevent vision from adapting to constant visual stimulus

Echoic (auditory) memory

auditory memory

Short-term memory (STM)

the next stage of memory when incoming sensory information is deemed important enough to enter consciousness

Selective attention

the ability to focus on only one stimulus from among all sensory input

Original filter theory

“bottleneck” between sensory memory and short-term memory, and only sensory memory important enough is allowed through.

conscious

If actively thinking about information, that information is said to be _____. It is also in STM

Two-stage filtering process

Filtering process that allows for information to be turned down but not eliminated

attenuation

information is filtered, but not eliminated, only “turned down”

Working Memory

an active system that processes information present in short-term memory

Chunking

Recoding or reorganizing bits of information into “chunks” to make it easier to remember

Maintenance rehearsal

continually paying attention to information by repeating it over and over in your head in order to keep it in STM