remembering and forgetting things

5.4, 5.5

retrieval process

how we access stored memories

recognition

identifying previously learned material correctly
eg. multiple choice questions

recall

directly retrieving of facts or information
eg. free-response questions

retrieval cues and associations

information/hints to help one retrieve information
includes sensations

priming

 triggers a thread of associations that bring us to a concept
when exposure to stimuli previously influences our later decisions/thinking

context dependent memory

when recall in stronger when a subject is present in the same environment where the memory was formed
eg. remembering a psych fact when it is raining because it was raining outside in the class where it was first taught

encoding specificity principle

the idea that memory retrieval is better when the context of retrieval is similar/identical to the context of encoding

mood-dependent memory

information can be retrieved while in a mood similar to when it was acquired

state-dependent memory

is the phenomenon where people remember more information if their physical or mental state is the same at time of encoding and time of recall
eg. retracing footsteps to remember where something was put

serial position effect

refers to the tendency, when learning information in a long list, to more likely recall the first items (primacy effect) and the last items (recency effect).  

retrieval failure

 Although the information is retained in the memory store it cannot be accessed (eg. Tip of the Tongue Phenomenon)

mnemonics

memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices
(eg. images, acronyms)

chunking

combining/grouping bits of related information

method of loci

a strategy of memory enhancement by visualizing familiar spatial environments in order to enhance the recall of information

peg word system

mnemonic device: used to memorize lists that need to be in order
An object or image is visualized, holding the information that needs to be recalled and makes it easier to remember

spacing effect

the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention compared to massed study or practice

testing effect

 enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading information

self-reference effect

a tendency for people to encode information differently depending on the level on which they are implicated in the information

retrograde amnesia

inability to remember information previously stored in memory

anterograde amnesia

inability to form memories from new material

proactive interference

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

retroactive interference

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

repression

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

misinformation effect

incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event.
by Elizabeth Loftus

source amnesia

attributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined