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Intro to Psychology - Chapter 7 Flashcards

Memory - Laura A. King

Psychology 101 BSU

Professor Clark

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486202530MemoryThe retention of information or experience over time as the result of three key processes: encoding, storage, and retrieval
486202531EncodingThe first step in memory; the process by which information gets into memory storage
486202532Divided attentionConcentrating on more than one activity at the same time
486202533Sustained attentionAlso called vigilance, the ability to maintain attention to a selected stimulus for a prolonged period of time
486202534Levels of processingA continuum of memory processing from shallow to intermediate to deep, with deeper processing producing better memory
486202535ElaborationThe formation of a number of different connections around a stimulus at a given level of memory encoding
486202536StorageThe retention of information over time and how this information is represented in memory
486202537Atkinson-Shiffrin theoryTheory stating that memory storage involves three separate systems: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory
486202538Sensory memoryMemory system that involves holding information from the world in its original sensory form for only an instant, not much longer than the brief time it is exposed to the visual, auditory, and other senses
486202539Short-term memoryLimited-capacity memory system in which information is usually retained for only as long as 30 seconds unless we use strategies to retain it longer
486202540Working memoryA three-part system that allows us to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks; a kind of mental workbench on which the brain manipulates and assembles information to help us understand, make decisions, and solve problems
486202541Long-term memoryA relatively permanent type of memory that stores huge amounts of information for a long time
486202542Explicit memoryAlso called declarative memory, the conscious recollection of information, such as specific facts or events and, at least in humans, information that can be verbally communicated
486202543Episodic memoryThe retention of information about the where, when and what of life's happenings-that is, how individuals remember life's episodes
486202544Semantic memoryA person's knowledge about the world, including his or her areas of expertise; general knowledge, such as of things learned in school; and everyday knowledge
486202545Implicit memoryAlso called non-declarative memory, memory in which behavior is affected by prior experience without a conscious recollection of that experience
486202546Procedural memoryMemory for skills
486202547PrimingThe activation of information that people already have in storage to help them remember new information better and faster
486202548SchemaA preexisting mental concept or framework that helps people to organize and interpret information. Schemas from prior encounters with the environment influence the way we encode, make inferences about, and retrieve information
486202549ScriptA schema for an event, often containing information about physical features, people, and typical occurences
486202550ConnectionismAlso called parallel distributed processing (PDP), the theory that memory is stored throughout the brain in connections among neurons, several of which may work together to process a single memory
486202551RetrievalThe memory process that occurs when information that was retained in memory comes out of storage
486202552Serial position effectThe tendency to recall the items at the beginning and end of a list more readily than those in the middle
486202553Autobiographical memoryA special form of episodic memory, consisting of a person's recollections of his or her life experiences
486202554Flashbulb memoryThe memory of emotionally significant events that people often recall with more accuracy and vivid imagery than everyday events
486202555Motivated forgettingForgetting that occurs when something is so painful or anxiety-laden that remembering it is intolerable
486202556Interference theoryThe theory that people forget not because memories are lost from storage but because other information gets in the way of what they want to remember
486202557Proactive interferenceSituation in which material that was learned earlier disrupts the recall of material that was learned later
486202558Retroactive interferenceSituation in which material that was learned later disrupts the retrieval of information that was learned earlier
486202559Decay theoryTheory stating that when we learn something new, a neuro-chemical memory trace forms, but over time this trace disintegrates; suggests that the passage of time always increases forgetting
486202560Tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) phenomenonA type of effortful retrieval that occurs when we are confident that we know something but cannot quite pull it out of memory
486202561Retrospective memoryRemembering information from the past
486202562Prospective memoryRemembering information about doing something in the future; includes memory for intentions
486202563AmnesiaThe loss of memory
486202564Anterograde amnesiaA memory disorder that affects the retention of new information and events
486202565Retrograde amnesiaMemory loss for a segment of the past but not for new events

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