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AP Psychology - Cognition - Memory Flashcards

Advanced Placement Psychology
Enterprise High School, Redding, CA
All terms from Myers Psychology for AP (BFW Worth, 2011)

Terms : Hide Images
4200408863memorythe persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information.0
4200408864encodingthe processing of information into the memory system—for example, by extracting meaning.1
4200408865storagethe retention of encoded information over time.2
4200408866retrievalthe process of getting information out of memory storage.3
4200408867sensory memorythe immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system.4
4200408868short-term memoryactivated memory that holds a few items briefly, such as the seven digits of a phone number while dialing, before the information is stored or forgotten.5
4200408869long-term memorythe relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.6
4200408870working memorya newer understanding of short-term memory that focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial information, and of information retrieved from long-term memory.7
4200408871parallel processingthe processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving.8
4200408872automatic processingunconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.9
4200408873effortful processingencoding that requires attention and conscious effort.10
4200408874rehearsalthe conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage.11
4200408875spacing effectthe tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice.12
4200408876serial position effectour tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list.13
4200408877visual encodingthe encoding of picture images.14
4200408878acoustic encodingthe encoding of sound, especially the sound of words.15
4200408879semantic encodingthe encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words.16
4200408880imagerymental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding.17
4200408881mnemonicsmemory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices.18
4200408882chunkingorganizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically.19
4200408883iconic memorya momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second.20
4200408884echoic memoryA momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds.21
4200408885long-term potentiation (LTP)an increase in a synapse's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory.22
4200408886flashbulb memorya clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.23
4200408887amnesiathe loss of memory.24
4200408888implicit memoryretention independent of conscious recollection. (Also called non-declarative or procedural memory.)25
4200408889explicit memorymemory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare." (Also called declarative memory.)26
4200408890hippocampusa neural center that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage.27
4200408891recalla measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.28
4200408892recognitiona measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test.29
4200408893relearninga measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time.30
4200408894primingthe activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response.31
4200408895déjà vuthat eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.32
4200408896mood-congruent memorythe tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood.33
4200408897proactive interferencethe disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information.34
4200408898retroactive interferencethe disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information.35
4200408899repressionin psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness.36
4200408900misinformation effectincorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event.37
4200408901source amnesiaattributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined. (Also called source misattribution.) Source amnesia, along with the misinformation effect, is at the heart of many false memories.38
4200408902serial processingoccurs when the brain computes information step-by-step in a methodical and linear matter39

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