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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
8803445942memorythe persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information.0
8803445943encodingthe processing of information into the memory system—for example, by extracting meaning.1
8803445944storagethe retention of encoded information over time.2
8803445945retrievalthe process of getting information out of memory storage.3
8803445946sensory memorythe immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system.4
8803445947short-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
8803445948long-term memorythe relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.6
8803445949working 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
8803445950parallel 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
8803445951automatic processingunconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.9
8803445952effortful processingencoding that requires attention and conscious effort.10
8803445953rehearsalthe conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage.11
8803445954spacing effectthe tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice.12
8803445955serial position effectour tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list.13
8803445956visual encodingthe encoding of picture images.14
8803445957acoustic encodingthe encoding of sound, especially the sound of words.15
8803445958semantic encodingthe encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words.16
8803445959imagerymental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding.17
8803445960mnemonicsmemory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices.18
8803445961chunkingorganizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically.19
8803445962iconic memorya momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second.20
8803445963echoic memoryA momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds.21
8803445964long-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
8803445965flashbulb memorya clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.23
8803445966amnesiathe loss of memory.24
8803445967implicit memoryretention independent of conscious recollection. (Also called non-declarative or procedural memory.)25
8803445968explicit memorymemory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare." (Also called declarative memory.)26
8803445969hippocampusa neural center that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage.27
8803445970recalla measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.28
8803445971recognitiona measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test.29
8803445972relearninga measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time.30
8803445973primingthe activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response.31
8803445974déjà vuthat eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.32
8803445975mood-congruent memorythe tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood.33
8803445976proactive interferencethe disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information.34
8803445977retroactive interferencethe disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information.35
8803445978repressionin psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness.36
8803445979misinformation effectincorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event.37
8803445980source 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
8803445981serial processingoccurs when the brain computes information step-by-step in a methodical and linear matter39

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