Memory Overview and Amnesia in Biopsychology

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts of memory and amnesia in biopsychology.

Memory

The process during which information is encoded, consolidated, stored, and retrieved.

Encoding

The process of information entering the cognitive system.

Consolidation

Stabilization of information in memory.

Storage

The process of keeping information within the memory.

Retrieval

The process of recalling and remembering information.

Neuroplasticity

The brain's ability to modify synaptic connections as a result of experience.

Engram

A physical trace or representation in the brain of what has been learned.

Anterograde amnesia

Inability to form new memories after brain damage.

Retrograde amnesia

Inability to recall memories prior to brain damage.

Explicit memory

Memory for information that one recognizes as a memory; requires conscious thought.

Implicit memory

Unconscious and automatic memories, such as skills and tasks.

H.M. (Henry Molaison)

A famous case study of amnesia involving a bilateral medial temporal lobectomy.

Long-term memory (LTM)

'Permanent' memory that can last from minutes to years and has virtually unlimited capacity.

Short-term memory (STM)

Memory information that lasts for seconds to minutes and has limited capacity.

Consolidation of memory

Processes that stabilize a memory trace and consolidate it into long-term storage.

Episodic memory

Memory for personally experienced events.

Semantic memory

Memory for facts and knowledge about the world.

Long-term potentiation (LTP)

A long-lasting increase in synaptic strength following high-frequency stimulation.

Long-term depression (LTD)

A long-lasting decrease in synaptic strength following low-frequency stimulation.

Hebbian plasticity

The theory that neurons that fire together wire together, enhancing synaptic strength.