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EHS AP Psychology Unit 7A - Cognition - Memory Flashcards

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

Terms : Hide Images
863054298memorythe persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information.0
863054299encodingthe processing of information into the memory system—for example, by extracting meaning.1
877015235storagethe retention of encoded information over time.2
877015236retrievalthe process of getting information out of memory storage.3
877015237sensory memorythe immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system.4
877015238short-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
877015239long-term memorythe relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.6
877015240working 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
877015241parallel 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
877015242automatic processingunconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.9
877015243effortful processingencoding that requires attention and conscious effort.10
877015244rehearsalthe conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage.11
877015245spacing effectthe tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice.12
877015246serial position effectour tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list.13
877015247visual encodingthe encoding of picture images.14
877015248acoustic encodingthe encoding of sound, especially the sound of words.15
877015249semantic encodingthe encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words.16
877015250imagerymental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding.17
877015251mnemonicsmemory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices.18
877015252chunkingorganizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically.19
877015253iconic memorya momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second.20
880164240echoic memoryA momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds.21
880164241long-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
880164242flashbulb memorya clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.23
880164243amnesiathe loss of memory.24
880164244implicit memoryretention independent of conscious recollection. (Also called non-declarative or procedural memory.)25
880164245explicit memorymemory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare." (Also called declarative memory.)26
880164246hippocampusa neural center that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage.27
880164247recalla measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.28
880164248recognitiona measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test.29
880164249relearninga measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time.30
880164250primingthe activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response.31
880164251déjà vuthat eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.32
880164252mood-congruent memorythe tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood.33
880164253proactive interferencethe disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information.34
880164254retroactive interferencethe disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information.35
880164255repressionin psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness.36
880164256misinformation effectincorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event.37
880164257source 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
2798532912serial processingoccurs when the brain computes information step-by-step in a methodical and linear matter39

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