AP Psychology Topic 2.5 - Storing Memories

EQ: How do memory storage processes retain information in memory?

I. How Do We Remember?

Differences in Memory Storage - There are several types of memory storage, including sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory, each varying in duration and capacity.
Prolonging Storage of Memories - To effectively prolong the storage of memories, strategies such as rehearsal, mnemonic devices, and the use of imagery can be employed, enhancing both consolidation and retrieval processes.
Autobiographical Memory - Refers to the recollection of personal experiences and specific events from one’s life, typically forming an integral part of our identity and self-concept.
Factors That Negatively Affect Memory Storage - These include stress, distraction, and lack of sleep, all of which can significantly impair our ability to encode, consolidate, and retrieve memories.

II. Key Terms

Alzheimer’s disease - A progressive neurological disorder that causes memory loss, cognitive decline, and personality changes; associated with deterioration of brain cells.
Amnesia - A condition in which a person loses memories, such as facts, information, or experiences, typically due to brain injury or trauma.
Anterograde amnesia - The inability to form new memories after the onset of amnesia, while past memories may remain intact.
Autobiographical memory - A type of long-term memory consisting of personal experiences and life events.
Capacity - The amount of information a memory system can hold at one time.
Content - The type of information stored in memory (e.g., visual, auditory, semantic).
Duration - The length of time information is held in a memory system.
Elaborative rehearsal - A memory technique that involves thinking about the meaning of the information and making connections to existing knowledge to enhance long-term retention.
Highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM) - A rare condition where individuals can remember an extraordinary amount of detail about their personal past.
Infantile amnesia - The inability to recall memories from the early years of life (typically before age 3).
Long-term memory - A relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system, containing knowledge, skills, and experiences.
Maintenance rehearsal - Repeating information over and over to keep it in short-term memory; not effective for long-term retention.
Memory storage process - The process of keeping encoded information in the brain for future retrieval; includes sensory, short-term, and long-term memory stages.
Retrograde amnesia - The loss of memories from before the onset of amnesia, often due to injury or trauma.
Sensory memory - The very brief storage of sensory information (like sights and sounds) before it's either forgotten or processed into short-term memory.
Short-term memory - A temporary memory store that holds a limited amount of information for a brief period (about 15–30 seconds).
Working memory - An active form of short-term memory that not only stores information temporarily but also manipulates it for cognitive tasks like problem-solving and comprehension.