| Term | Definition |
| acoustic encoding | the encoding of sound, especially the sound of words |
| amnesia | the loss of memory. |
| automatic processing | unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings |
| chunking | organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically |
| déjà vu | that eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience. |
| 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. |
| effortful processing | encoding that requires attention and conscious effort |
| encoding | the processing of information into the memory system—for example, by extracting meaning |
| explicit memory | memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare." (Also called declarative memory. |
| flashbulb memory | a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event |
| hippocampus | a neural center that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage. |
| 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. |
| imagery | mental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding. |
| implicit memory | retention independent of conscious recollection. (Also called non-declarative or procedural memory. |
| long-term memory | the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences. |
| long-term potentiation | an increase in a synapse's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory. |
| memory | the persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information |
| misinformation effect | incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event. |
| mnemonics | memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices |
| mood-congruent memory | the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood |
| parallel processing | processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving |
| priming | the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory |
| proactive interference | the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new 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 |
| rehearsal | the conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage |
| relearning | a measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time. |
| repression | in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories |
| retrieval | the process of getting information out of memory storage |
| retroactive interference | the disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information. |
| semantic encoding | encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words. |
| sensory memory | the immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system |
| serial position effect | our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list |
| short-term memory | activated 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. |
| source amnesia | attributing 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. |
| spacing effect | the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice |
| storage | the retention of encoded information over time. |
| visual encoding | the encoding of picture images. |
| working memory | 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. |
