| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Memory | The persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrival of information |
| Encoding | The processing of information into the memory system |
| Storage | The retention of encoded information over time |
| Retrieval | The process of getting information out of memory storage |
| Sensory Memory | The immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system |
| Short-Term Memory | Activated memory that holds a few items briefly, such as the seven digits of a phone number while dialing, before information is stored or forgotten |
| Long-Term Memory | The relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system, which includes knowledge, skills, and experiences |
| Automatic Processing | Unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings |
| Effortful Processing | Encoding that requires attention and conscious effort |
| Rehearsal | The conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage |
| Spacing Effect | The tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice |
| Serial Position Effect | Our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list |
| Visual Encoding | The encoding of picture images |
| Acoustic Encoding | The encoding of sound, especially the sound of words |
| Semantic Encoding | The encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words |
| Imagery | Mental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding |
| Mnemonics | Memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organization devices |
| Chunking | Organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically |
| Iconic Memory | A momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or phicture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second |
| Echoic Memory | A momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds |
| Long-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 |
| Flashbulb Memories | A clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event |
| Amnesia | The loss of memory |
| Implicit Memory | Retention independent of conscious recollection |
| Explicit Memory | Memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and 'declare' |
| Hippocampus | A neural centre that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage |
| Recall | A measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test |
| Recognition | A measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test |
| Relearning | A measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time |
| Retrieval Cues | Anchor points you can use to access the target information when you want to retrieve it later |
| Priming | The activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory |
| Deja Vu | That eerie sense that "I've experienced this before;" Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience |
| Mood-Congruent Memory | The tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood |
| Absent-Mindedness | Inattention to details leads to encoding failure |
| Transcience | Storage decay over time |
| Blocking | Inaccessibility of stored information |
| Misattribution | Confusing the source of information |
| Suggestibility | The lingering effects of misinformation |
| Bias | Belief-coloured recollections |
| Persistence | Unwanted memories |
| Proactive Interference | The disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information |
| Retroactive Interference | The disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information |
| Repression | In psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, or memories |
| Misinformation Effect | Incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event |
| Source Amnesia | Attributing to the wrong source of an event we have experienced, heard about, or imagined |
Combine with other sets
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