Memory and language

Encoding	The process of converting sensory information into a form that can be organized and stored into memory. It is the first step into creating a memory.
The Spacing Effect	Also known as Distributive Practice, spreading out learning over time to improve retention rather than cramming into one session.
Retrieval Cues	Hints that assist in retrieving information from memory. This can come from smells, words and sounds.
Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve	Three principles: memories weaken over time, the biggest decline in retention happens soon after actually learning it, and the mood while learning affects the retention of the information.
Repression	A theory that defense mechanisms in our bodies cause us to block out traumatic memories to prevent us from emotional harm.
Context Effects	How the context or environment one is in affects one’s perception of a stimuli.
Sensory Memory	Holds information received from our senses for brief moments of time. Majority of information gotten from sensory memory is lost. Selective attention helps bring this to a short term.
Short-Term Memory	Also known as working memory. Holds information for around 30 seconds. Additional processing such as rehearsal moves this to the long term. Overcoming these limitations needs rehearsing and repeating it. The more time we spend, the better we retain it.
Long-Term Memory	30 seconds to a lifetime permanent storage. Subdivided into explicit and implicit memory.
Explicit Memory	Memory that we can verbalize. Divided tino semantic memory, which is general knowledge, and episodic memory, which is personal experiences.
Implicit Memory	Memory that we don’t think about but we can do, such as tying a shoelace.
Iconic Memory	These are visual, lasting just under a second, such as seeing a sparkler’s trail of light.
Echoic Memory	Auditory lasts under four seconds, such as a sudden loud noise lingering in your ear.
Rehearsal	Practicing something to better recall it for the future.
Recognition	Seeing and identify items previously learned, like on a multiple choice.
Relearning	Learning material again, it takes a shorter amount of time, allowing you to save time as you can recall information.
Automatic Processing	Unconscious encoding of information, needing little to no effort to think about, like seeing a native language and being able to translate it in your head.
Semantic Encoding	A form of deep processing, involving encoding information based on its meaning. Imagine relating the new information to the old to better remember it.
Context-Dependent Memory	The tendency to recall information more easily when one is in the same place they learnt it.
Mood-Congruent Memory	The tendency to recall information better when you’re in the same mood as when you learnt it.
State-Dependent memory	The tendency to recall information when one is in the same mental state as when they learnt it, such as being under the influence of alcohol.
Misinformation Effect	A person’s memory is being altered by misleading information after the event, leading to inaccurate recollections.
Source Amnesia	The inability to remember where or how information was acquired.
Chunking	Breaking down information into smaller pieces to remember it better
Hierarchical Organization (Hierarchies)	Structures information in levels of importance of specificity, helping to organize complex information better.
Retroactive Interference	When newer information learnt disrupts the recall of previous learnt information.
Proactive Interference	When older information disrupts the ability to recall new information.
Effortful Processing	Encoding that refuses our focused attention and actually needing to think to process the information.
Phonemes	Smallest unit of sound.
Morphemes	Smallest unit of meaning.
Semantics	The study of meaning in words or sentences.
Grammer	Rules on how a language is structured.
Syntax	Rules on arranging words.
Cooing	Using vowel shapes to name sound.
Babbling	Combining vowels and consonants.
One Word (Holophrastic) Stage	Using single words to represent entire ideas.
Telegraphic Speech	Putting 2-3 words to form phrases that have a deeper meaning.
Overgeneralization	Applying grammar rules too vaguely.