AP Psychology Unit 2 - Encoding & Storing Memories

Encoding

The process of transforming sensory input into a form that can be stored and later retrieved by the brain. This involves various strategies such as elaboration and organization to enhance memory retention. Effective encoding techniques include chunking, mnemonics, and visualization strategies.

Semantic Encoding

The process of encoding information by attaching meaning to it, enabling deeper understanding and better recall.

Visual Encoding

The process of encoding information by converting images and visual information into a format that can be stored in memory. This type of encoding helps to create lasting memories by associating images with information.

Acoustic Encoding

The process of encoding auditory information, such as sounds and spoken words, into memory. This method enhances memory retention by leveraging phonetic and auditory qualities of the input.

Mneumonics

Memory aids that use associations, patterns, or structures to enhance recall. This can include songs, acronyms, rhymes, and visualization techniques.

Method of Loci

The process of remembering items based on location

Chunking Method

A memory technique that involves grouping information into manageable units, or chunks, to enhance recall and facilitate memory storage.

Association Method

A memory technique that links new information to pre-existing knowledge or concepts by creating meaningful connections.

Spacing Effect

The spacing effect is a psychological phenomenon where information is more effectively encoded and recalled when learning is spaced out over time rather than crammed in a short period.

Massed Practice

A study method in which information is learned in a short, intense session without breaks, often leading to lower retention.

Distributed Practice

A learning method where study sessions are spaced out to improve retention and recall, contrasting with massed practice.

Serial Position Effect

The phenomenon refers to the tendency to remember the first and last items in a list better than those in the middle. This phenomenon highlights the importance of the order in which information is presented.

Recency Effect

The tendency to better remember the most recently presented items in a sequence. It is part of the broader serial position effect.

Primacy Effect

The phenomenon where items presented at the beginning of a list are remembered better than those in the middle. It illustrates how the position of information affects memory retention.

Storage

The process of maintaining information in memory over time, which involves encoding, consolidation, and retrieval stages.

Memory Consolidation

The process by which newly acquired information is transformed into a stable, long-term memory. It often involves the strengthening of neural connections after learning.

Short Term Memory

The part of the memory system that temporarily holds a limited amount of information for a brief period, typically about 20-30 seconds.

Working Memory

A cognitive system that temporarily holds and manipulates information needed for complex tasks such as learning, reasoning, and comprehension.

Baddley’s Model of Working Memory

A cognitive framework that describes how information is processed and manipulated in memory, consisting of a central executive system overseeing phonological and visuospatial subsystems.

Long Term Memory

The part of the memory system that can store vast amounts of information for extended periods, ranging from days to a lifetime.

Procedural Memory

A type of long-term memory that involves the automatic recall of skills and actions, such as riding a bike or typing.

Semantic Memory

A type of long-term memory involving the storage of factual information and general knowledge about the world.

Episodic Memory

A type of long-term memory that involves the recollection of specific events, situations, or experiences, often tied to personal context and emotional responses.

Procedural Knowledge

The type of long-term memory that involves recalling how to perform tasks and skills without conscious awareness, often acquired through repetition and practice.

Knowing “how”

Declarative Knowledge

The type of long-term memory that involves the conscious recall of facts and events, which can be further divided into semantic and episodic memory.

Knowing “what”

Maintenance Rehersal

A memory retention technique that involves repeatedly verbalizing or thinking about information to keep it in short-term memory.

Elaborative Rehersal

A memory retention technique that involves linking new information to pre-existing knowledge to enhance understanding and transfer to long-term memory.

Autobiographical Memory

A specific type of episodic memory that pertains to an individual's recollection of their life's experiences and personal events.

Amnesia

A loss of memory that can occur due to brain injury, disease, or psychological trauma, affecting the ability to recall past events or learn new information.

Retrograde Amnesia

A type of amnesia that affects the ability to recall memories formed before the onset of amnesia, often due to injury or trauma.

Anterograde Amnesia

A type of amnesia characterized by an inability to form new memories after the onset of the disorder, while previously formed memories remain intact.

Alzheimer’s Disease

A progressive neurodegenerative disorder that impacts memory, thinking, and behavior, leading to a decline in cognitive function and eventually, daily living activities.

Infantile Amnesia

The inability of adults to retrieve memories from early childhood, typically before the age of 3. It is thought to be related to the development of the brain and cognitive changes during infancy.