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AP Psychology - Memory Flashcards

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

Terms : Hide Images
4877290210memorythe persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information.0
4877290211encodingthe processing of information into the memory system—for example, by extracting meaning.1
4877290212storagethe retention of encoded information over time.2
4877290213retrievalthe process of getting information out of memory storage.3
4877290214sensory memorythe immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system.4
4877290215short-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
4877290216long-term memorythe relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.6
4877290217working 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
4877290218automatic processingunconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.8
4877290219effortful processingencoding that requires attention and conscious effort.9
4877290220rehearsalthe conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage.10
4877290221spacing effectthe tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice.11
4877290222serial position effectour tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list.12
4877290223visual encodingthe encoding of picture images.13
4877290224acoustic encodingthe encoding of sound, especially the sound of words.14
4877290225semantic encodingthe encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words.15
4877290226imagerymental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding.16
4877290227mnemonicsmemory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices.17
4877290228chunkingorganizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically.18
4877290229iconic memorya momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second.19
4877290230echoic memoryA momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds.20
4877290231long-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.21
4877290232flashbulb memorya clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.22
4877290233amnesiathe loss of memory.23
4877290234implicit memoryretention independent of conscious recollection. (Also called procedural memory.)24
4877290235explicit memorymemory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare." (Also called declarative memory.)25
4877290236hippocampusa neural center that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage.26
4877290237recalla measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.27
4877290238recognitiona measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test.28
4877290239relearninga measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time.29
4877290240primingthe activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory.30
4877290241déjà vuthat eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.31
4877290242mood-congruent memorythe tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood.32
4877290243proactive interferencethe disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information.33
4877290244retroactive interferencethe disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information.34
4877290245repressionin psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness.35
4877290246misinformation effectincorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event.36
4877290247source amnesia (source misattribution)attributing 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.37
4877290248serial processingoccurs when the brain computes information step-by-step in a methodical and linear matter38

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