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Psychology Chapter 8
Memory
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Memory | the persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information. |
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 again. |
Encoding | the processing of information into the memory system—for example, by extracting meaning. |
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 seven digits of a phone number while dialing, before the information is stored or forgotten |
Long-term memory | the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences. |
Working memory | a 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. |
Explicit memory | memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and “declare.” |
Effortful processing | encoding that requires attention and conscious effort. |
Automatic processing | unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings. |
Implicit memory | retention independent of conscious recollection |
iconic memory | a momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture - 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. |
chunking | organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically. |
mnemonics | memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices. |
spacing effect | the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long - term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice |
testing effect | enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply reading, information. |
shallow processing | encoding on a basic level based on the structure or appearance of words. |
deep processing | encoding semantically, based on the meaning of the words; tends to yield the best retention. |
hippocampus | a neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage. |
flashbulb memory | a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event. |
long-term potentiation | an increase in a cell’s firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory. |
priming | the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory |
mood-congruent memory | the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one’s current good or bad mood. |
serial position effect | our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list. |
anterograde amnesia | an inability to form new memories. |
retrograde amnesia | an inability to retrieve information from one’s past. |
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 | the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety - arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories. |
misinformation effect | incorporating misleading information into one’s memory of an event. |
source amnesia | attributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined. |
deja vu | that eerie sense that “I’ve experienced this before.” Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience. |