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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
9646761752memorythe persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information.0
9646761753encodingthe processing of information into the memory system—for example, by extracting meaning.1
9646761754storagethe retention of encoded information over time.2
9646761755retrievalthe process of getting information out of memory storage.3
9646761756sensory memorythe immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system.4
9646761757short-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
9646761758long-term memorythe relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.6
9646761759working 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
9646761760parallel 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
9646761761automatic processingunconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.9
9646761762effortful processingencoding that requires attention and conscious effort.10
9646761763rehearsalthe conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage.11
9646761764spacing effectthe tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice.12
9646761765serial position effectour tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list.13
9646761766visual encodingthe encoding of picture images.14
9646761767acoustic encodingthe encoding of sound, especially the sound of words.15
9646761768semantic encodingthe encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words.16
9646761769imagerymental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding.17
9646761770mnemonicsmemory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices.18
9646761771chunkingorganizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically.19
9646761772iconic memorya momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second.20
9646761773echoic memoryA momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds.21
9646761774long-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
9646761775flashbulb memorya clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.23
9646761776amnesiathe loss of memory.24
9646761777implicit memoryretention independent of conscious recollection. (Also called non-declarative or procedural memory.)25
9646761778explicit memorymemory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare." (Also called declarative memory.)26
9646761779hippocampusa neural center that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage.27
9646761780recalla measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.28
9646761781recognitiona measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test.29
9646761782relearninga measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time.30
9646761783primingthe activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response.31
9646761784déjà vuthat eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.32
9646761785mood-congruent memorythe tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood.33
9646761786proactive interferencethe disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information.34
9646761787retroactive interferencethe disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information.35
9646761788repressionin psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness.36
9646761789misinformation effectincorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event.37
9646761790source 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
9646761791serial processingoccurs when the brain computes information step-by-step in a methodical and linear matter39

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