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AP Psychology - Cognition - Memory Flashcards

All terms from Myers Psychology for AP (BFW Worth, 2011)

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6643647606memorythe persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information.0
6643647607encodingthe processing of information into the memory system—for example, by extracting meaning.1
6643647608storagethe retention of encoded information over time.2
6643647609retrievalthe process of getting information out of memory storage.3
6643647610sensory memorythe immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system.4
6643647611short-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
6643647612long-term memorythe relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.6
6643647613working 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
6643647614parallel 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
6643647615automatic processingunconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.9
6643647616effortful processingencoding that requires attention and conscious effort.10
6643647617rehearsalthe conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage.11
6643647618spacing effectthe tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice.12
6643647619serial position effectour tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list.13
6643647620visual encodingthe encoding of picture images.14
6643647621acoustic encodingthe encoding of sound, especially the sound of words.15
6643647622semantic encodingthe encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words.16
6643647623imagerymental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding.17
6643647624mnemonicsmemory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices.18
6643647625chunkingorganizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically.19
6643647626iconic memorya momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second.20
6643647627echoic memoryA momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds.21
6643647628long-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
6643647629flashbulb memorya clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.23
6643647630amnesiathe loss of memory.24
6643647631implicit memoryretention independent of conscious recollection. (Also called non-declarative or procedural memory.)25
6643647632explicit memorymemory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare." (Also called declarative memory.)26
6643647633hippocampusa neural center that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage.27
6643647634recalla measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.28
6643647635recognitiona measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test.29
6643647636relearninga measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time.30
6643647637primingthe activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response.31
6643647638déjà vuthat eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.32
6643647639mood-congruent memorythe tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood.33
6643647640proactive interferencethe disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information.34
6643647641retroactive interferencethe disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information.35
6643647642repressionin psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness.36
6643647643misinformation effectincorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event.37
6643647644source 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
6643647645serial processingoccurs when the brain computes information step-by-step in a methodical and linear matter39

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