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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
9215303075memorythe persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information.0
9215303076encodingthe processing of information into the memory system—for example, by extracting meaning.1
9215303077storagethe retention of encoded information over time.2
9215303078retrievalthe process of getting information out of memory storage.3
9215303079sensory memorythe immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system.4
9215303080short-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
9215303081long-term memorythe relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.6
9215303082working 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
9215303083parallel 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
9215303084automatic processingunconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.9
9215303085effortful processingencoding that requires attention and conscious effort.10
9215303086rehearsalthe conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage.11
9215303087spacing effectthe tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice.12
9215303088serial position effectour tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list.13
9215303089visual encodingthe encoding of picture images.14
9215303090acoustic encodingthe encoding of sound, especially the sound of words.15
9215303091semantic encodingthe encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words.16
9215303092imagerymental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding.17
9215303093mnemonicsmemory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices.18
9215303094chunkingorganizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically.19
9215303095iconic memorya momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second.20
9215303096echoic memoryA momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds.21
9215303097long-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
9215303098flashbulb memorya clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.23
9215303099amnesiathe loss of memory.24
9215303100implicit memoryretention independent of conscious recollection. (Also called non-declarative or procedural memory.)25
9215303101explicit memorymemory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare." (Also called declarative memory.)26
9215303102hippocampusa neural center that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage.27
9215303103recalla measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.28
9215303104recognitiona measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test.29
9215303105relearninga measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time.30
9215303106primingthe activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response.31
9215303107déjà vuthat eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.32
9215303108mood-congruent memorythe tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood.33
9215303109proactive interferencethe disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information.34
9215303110retroactive interferencethe disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information.35
9215303111repressionin psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness.36
9215303112misinformation effectincorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event.37
9215303113source 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
9215303114serial processingoccurs when the brain computes information step-by-step in a methodical and linear matter39

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