Untitled Flashcards Set

Key points about memory in AP Psych:

• The three stages of memory:

  • Encoding: The initial process of registering information into the memory system, which can be visual, auditory, or semantic. 

  • Storage: The retention of encoded information over time, where memories are held in different parts of the brain depending on the type. 

  • Retrieval: The process of accessing and bringing stored information back to conscious awareness. 

• Types of memory:

  • Sensory memory: Brief, fleeting storage of sensory information, like seeing an image for a split second. 

  • Short-term memory (STM): A limited capacity store that holds information for a short period (around 20 seconds) unless actively rehearsed. 

  • Long-term memory (LTM): A relatively permanent storage system with seemingly limitless capacity for information. 

• Explicit (declarative) memory:

  Conscious recollection of facts and events. 

  • Semantic memory: General knowledge and facts. 

  • Episodic memory: Personal experiences and events. 

• Implicit (non-declarative) memory:

  Unconscious memories that influence behavior without conscious awareness. 

  • Procedural memory: Motor skills and habits. 

• Factors affecting memory:

  • Chunking: Grouping information into meaningful units to improve recall. 

  • Rehearsal: Repeatedly practicing information to strengthen memory. 

  • Spacing effect: Distributed practice (studying over time) leads to better retention than cramming. 

  • Primacy effect: Tendency to remember the first few items in a list better. 

  • Recency effect: Tendency to remember the last few items in a list better. 

• Memory impairments:

  • Amnesia: Severe memory loss due to brain damage. 

  • Retrograde amnesia: Inability to recall memories from before the injury. 

  • Anterograde amnesia: Inability to form new memories after the injury.