The Forgetting Curve: graphical representation of the rate or which memory fades over time

Memory loss is fastest soon after learning, as the brain deems some information non-essential

Encoding failure: occurs when information does not enter long-term memory due to inadequate processing at the time of encoding

• Failure to focus adequately on the material prevent the .. . . . . . .. . . . 

Proactive Interference: occurs when older memories inhibit the ability to learn and remember new information

• P for Prior or Pre-existing

• Older memories make it harder to learn new things that are similar (learning Spanish after learning French)

Retroactive Interference: occurs when new learning impairs the recall of previously encoded information

• Especially impactful when the old and new information are closely related

• R for Recent

• Can’t recall the French after learning the Spanish

• Can’t remember the old password after setting up a new password

Tip of the Tongue Phenomenon: common memory experience where an individual feels confident that they know a word or a name, but cannot immediately recall it.

Source Amnesia: the inability to remember when, where, or how previously learned information has been acquired (lost context), while retaining the factual knowledge.

Anterograde Amnesia: memory disorder characterized by an inability to form new memories following the onset of the amnesia, although memories from before the event remain intact

• A for After

• Older memories are usually preserved

Retrograde Amnesia: memory disorder that involves the loss of memories formed before the onset of amnesia

• New information can still be learned and they can still create new memories

Infantile Amnesia: the phenomenon where people cannot recall personal memories from the early years of life, typically before age 3-4

Alzheimer’s Disease: progressive neurological disorder that leads to memory loss, cognitive decline, and behavioral changes

• As time progresses, memory lapses become more significant

• Control of movement also begins to decline as the Acetylcholine transmitter lessens in the body 

Repression: distressing thoughts and memories are unconsciously blocked from entering conscious awareness

Constructive Memory: the process by which memories are not merely retrieved but actively constructed

• memory consolidation: new memories can be integrated with existing memories, influenced by prior knowledge, beliefs, and experiences

• imagination inflation: imagining an event that never occurred can increase confidence that it did occur

Misinformation Effect: when new, incorrect information influences how we remember past events. 

• New details can distort or replace parts of the original memory.

• People may remember the false information instead of what actually happened.

• This effect is important for understanding eyewitness accounts and the reliability of memory.

Improving Memory:

• Study repeatedly to boost long-term recall.

• Spend more time rehearsing or actively thinking about the material.

• Make material personally meaningful.

• Use mnemonic devices:

  • associate with peg words — something already stored

  • make up a story

  • chunk — acronyms

• Activate retrieval cues — mentally recreate the situation and mood.

• Recall events while they are fresh — before you encounter misinformation.

• Minimize interference:

  • Test your own knowledge.

  • Rehearse and then determine what you do not yet know.