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Discovering Psychology Chapter 6 - Memory

Terms in this set (56)

Memory
the mental processes that enable you to retain and retrieve information over time
encoding
the process of transforming information into a form that can be entered and retained by the memory system
storage
process of retaining information in memory so that it can be used at a later time
retrieval
the process of recovering information stored in memory so that we are consciously aware of it
stage model of memory
model describing memory as consisting of three distinct stages: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory
sensory memory
stage of memory that registers information from the environment and holds it briefly
short-term memory
active stage of memory in which information is stored for about 20 seconds
long-term memory
stage of memory that represents the long term storage of information
maintenance rehearsal
mental or verbal repetition of information in order to maintain it beyond the 20 second duration
chunking
increasing the amount of information that can be held in short term memory by grouping related items into a single unit
working memory
temporary storage and active, conscious manipulation of information needed for complex cognitive tasks (reasoning, learning, and problem solving)
elaborative rehearsal
rehearsal that involves focusing on the meaning of information to help encode and transfer it to long term memory
procedural memory
category of long term memory that includes memories of different skills, operations, and actions
episodic memory
category of long term memory that includes memories of particular events
semantic memory
category of long term memory that includes memories of general knowledge, concepts, facts, and names
explicit memory
information or knowledge that can be consciously recollected
implicit memory
information or knowledge that affects behavior or task performance but can not be consciously recollected
clustering
organizing items into related groups during recall from long term memory
semantic network model
describes units of information in longer term memory as being organized in a complex network of associations
retrieval
process of accessing stored information
retrieval cue
cue or prompt that helps trigger recall of a given piece of information stored in long term memory
retrieval cue failure
failure to real long term memories because of missing cues
tip of the tongue experience
the sensation of knowing that specific information is stored in long term memory, but being temporarily unable to retrieve it
recall
test of long term memory that involves retrieving information without the aid of cues
cued recall
test of long term memory that involves remembering an item of information in response to a cue
recognition
test of long term memory that involves identifying correct information out of several choices
serial position effect
tendency to remember items at the beginning and the end of the list better than the middle
encoding specificity principle
when the conditions of information retrieval are similar to the conditions of information encoding, retrieval is more successful
context effect
tendency to recover information more easily when the retrieval occurs in the same setting as the original learning
mood congruence
a given mood tends to evoke memories that are consistent with that mood
flashbulb memory
recall of very specific images or details surround a vivid, rare, or significant personal events; details may or may not be accurate
forgetting
inability to recall information that was previously available
Ebbinghaus
developed the curve of forgetting
encoding failure
inability to recall specific information because of insufficient or faulty encoding of the information
déjà vu experience
memory illusion characterized by brief but intense feelings of familiarity in a situation that has never been experienced before
source memory
memory for when, where, and how a particular experience or piece of information was acquired
prospective memory
remember to do something for the future
decay theory
view that forgetting is due to normal metabolic processes that occur in the brain over time
interference theory
theory that forgetting is caused by one memory competing with or replacing another
retroactive interference
forgetting in which a new memory interferes with remembering an old memory; backward-acting memory interference
proactive interence
forgetting in which an old memory interferes with remembering a new memory
suppression
motivated forgetting that occurs consciously; a deliberate attempt to not thinking and remember specific information
repression
motived forgetting that occurs unconsciously; a memory that is blocked and unavailable to consciousness
misinformation effect
a memory distortion phenomenon in which a person's existing memories can be altered if the person is exposed to misleading information
source confusion
memory distortion that occurs when the true source of the memory is forgotten
false memory
a distorted or fabricated recollection of something that did not actually occur
schema
organized cluster of information about a particular topic
script
schema for the typical sequence of an everyday event
imagination inflation
vividly imagination an event markedly increases confidence that the event actually occurred
memory trace
hypothetical brain changes associated with a particular stored memory
long term potentiation
long lasting increase in the synaptic strength between two neurons; the more you repeat something, the more likely you will be able to retrieve it long term
amnesia
severe memory loss
retrograde amnesia
inability to recall memories during a certain period of time
anterograde amnesia
inability to store new memories
dementia
progressive deterioration and impairment of memory, reasoning, and other cognitive functions occurring as the result of a disease or a condition
Alzheimer's disease
progressive disease that destroys neurons, gradually impairing memory, thinking, language, and other cognitive functions
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