AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

AP Psychology- Cognition (Memory, Thinking, Language) Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
6657489818cognitionall the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.0
6657489819concepta mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people.1
6657489820prototypea mental image or best example of a category.2
6657489821algorithma methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem. Contrasts with the usually speedier—but also more error-prone—use of heuristics.3
6657489822heuristica simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve problems efficiently; usually speedier but also more error-prone than algorithms.4
6657489823insighta sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem; it contrasts with strategy-based solutions.5
6657489824creativitythe ability to produce novel and valuable ideas.6
6657489825confirmation biasa tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence.7
6657489826fixationthe inability to see a problem from a new perspective, by employing a different mental set.8
6657489827mental seta tendency to approach a problem in one particular way, often a way that has been successful in the past.9
6657489828functional fixednessthe tendency to think of things only in terms of their usual functions; an impediment to problem solving.10
6657489829representativeness heuristicjudging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they seem to represent, or match, particular prototypes; may lead us to ignore other relevant information.11
6657489830availability heuristicestimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps because of their vividness), we presume such events are common.12
6657489831overconfidencethe tendency to be more confident than correct—to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments.13
6657489832belief perseveranceclinging to one's initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited.14
6657489833intuitionan effortless, immediate, automatic feeling or thought, as contrasted with explicit, conscious reasoning.15
6657489834framingthe way an issue is posed; how an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgments.16
6657489835languageour spoken, written, or signed words and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning.17
6657489836phonemein language, the smallest distinctive sound unit.18
6657489837morphemein a language, the smallest unit that carries meaning; may be a word or a part of a word (such as a prefix).19
6657489838grammarin a language, a system of rules that enables us to communicate with and understand others.20
6657489839semanticsthe set of rules by which we derive meaning from morphemes, words, and sentences in a given language; also, the study of meaning.21
6657489840syntaxthe rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences in a given language.22
6657489841babbling stagebabies spontaneously uttering a variety of words, such as ah-goo23
6657489842one-word stagethe stage in which children speak mainly in single words24
6657489843two-word stagethey start uttering two word sentences25
6657489844telegraphic speechearly speech stage in which a child speaks like a telegram—"go car"—using mostly nouns and verbs.26
6657489845linguistic determinismWhorf's hypothesis that language determines the way we think.27
6657489846memorythe persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information.28
6657489847encodingthe processing of information into the memory system—for example, by extracting meaning.29
6657489848storagethe retention of encoded information over time.30
6657489849retrievalthe process of getting information out of memory storage.31
6657489850sensory memorythe immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system.32
6657489851short-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.33
6657489852long-term memorythe relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.34
6657489853working 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.35
6657489854parallel 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.36
6657489855automatic processingunconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.37
6657489856effortful processingencoding that requires attention and conscious effort.38
6657489857rehearsalthe conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage.39
6657489858spacing effectthe tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice.40
6657489859serial position effectour tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list.41
6657489860visual encodingthe encoding of picture images.42
6657489861acoustic encodingthe encoding of sound, especially the sound of words.43
6657489862semantic encodingthe encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words.44
6657489863imagerymental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding.45
6657489864mnemonicsmemory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices.46
6657489865chunkingorganizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically.47
6657489866iconic memorya momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second.48
6657489867echoic memoryA momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds.49
6657489868long-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.50
6657489869flashbulb memorya clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.51
6657489870amnesiathe loss of memory.52
6657489871implicit memoryretention independent of conscious recollection. (Also called non-declarative or procedural memory.)53
6657489872explicit memorymemory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare." (Also called declarative memory.)54
6657489873hippocampusa neural center that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage.55
6657489874recalla measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.56
6657489875recognitiona measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test.57
6657489876relearninga measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time.58
6657489877primingthe activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response.59
6657489878déjà vuthat eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.60
6657489879mood-congruent memorythe tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood.61
6657489880proactive interferencethe disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information.62
6657489881retroactive interferencethe disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information.63
6657489882repressionin psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness.64
6657489883misinformation effectincorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event.65
6657489884source 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.66

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!