Memory and Amnesia

These flashcards cover key terms and definitions related to memory, types of amnesia, and the factors affecting memory reliability.

Amnesia

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

Anterograde Amnesia

A condition where an individual cannot remember new information but can recall information and events that happened prior to their injury.

Retrograde Amnesia

A condition characterized by the loss of memory for events that occurred prior to a trauma.

Episodic Memory

A type of long-term memory that involves recollection of specific events, situations, and experiences.

Semantic Memory

A type of long-term memory that involves the storage of general knowledge and facts.

Procedural Memory

A type of long-term memory related to knowing how to perform certain tasks or skills.

Misleading information

Information that can alter an eyewitness's memory of an event, contributing to the creation of false memories.

Misinformation Effect

A phenomenon in which a person's recall of an event is altered by exposure to misleading information.

Suggestibility

The tendency to incorporate misleading information from external sources into personal recollections.

False Memory Syndrome

A condition where a person recalls false autobiographical memories, often related to traumatic events.

Encoding Failure

A type of memory error that occurs when information is not properly stored in memory, preventing later recall.

Interference

A memory retrieval issue caused by the presence of other information, leading to difficulties in recalling specific memories.

Proactive Interference

When older information inhibits the recall of newer information.

Retroactive Interference

When newer information interferes with the ability to recall older information.

The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve

A graph that illustrates the rate at which information is forgotten over time, showing that memory loss occurs rapidly shortly after learning.

Memory Construction and Reconstruction

The process of creating new memories, which can lead to alterations and inaccuracies in recalled memories.

Eyewitness Misidentification

A leading cause of wrongful convictions due to inaccurate eyewitness testimony.

Cognitive Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus

A researcher known for her work on memory, specifically the misinformation effect and the fallibility of eyewitness testimony.

Persistence

The intrusive recollection of unwanted memories, particularly traumatic experiences.