Unit 5: Cognitive Psychology Flashcards
Memory
The persistence of learning over time through the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information
Encoding
The processing of information into the memory system
Storage
The process of retaining encoded information over time
Retrieval
The processing of getting information out of memory storage
Parallel Processing
The processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions
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 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 information retrieved from long-term memory. AKA short-term memory that works off of long-term memory
Explicit Memory
Memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and declare (also known as declarative memory)
Implicit Memory
Retention independent of conscious recollection, also known as nondeclarative memory
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 meaning
Iconic Memory
A momentary sensory memory of visual stimulus, a photographic 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 be recalled within 3 to 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 Effects
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 rereading, information
Shallowing 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
Explicit Memory System
Includes the frontal lobe and hippocampus. Damage to this structure disrupts recall of explicit memories. EX trouble remembering verbal information, but no trouble recalling visual designs or locations
Hippocampus
A neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage
Implicit Memory System
Includes the cerebellum and basal ganglia
Cerebellum
Has a key role in forming & storing implicit memories created by classical conditioning. If damaged, people cannot develop certain conditioned reflexes, such as associating a tone with an impending puff of air; thus, not blinking in anticipation of the puff
Basal Ganglia
Deep brain structures involved in motor movement, facilitate formation of procedural memories or skills; EX learning how to ride a bike
Emotions & Memory
Emotions trigger stress hormones that influence memory formation. When excited/stressed, these hormones make more glucose energy available to fuel brain activity, signaling the brain that something important is happening; this provokes the amygdala to initiate a memory trace in the frontal lobes and basal ganglia and to boost activity in the brain’s memory forming areas
Flashbulb Memory
A clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event
Synaptic Changes / Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)
An increase in a cell’s firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation and believed to be a neural base for learning and memory
Recall
People must retrieve information learned earlier (EX a fill in the blank test)
Recognition
Identifying items previously learned (EX a multiple choice test)
Relearning
Learning something more quickly the second+ time (EX easier studying for the final exam than it was studying for the initial test)
Priming
The activation, often unconsciously, of associations in memory
Context-Dependent Memory
Putting yourself back in the context where you experienced something can prime your memory retrieval
State-Dependent Memory
What we learn in what state - be it drunk or sober - may be more easily recalled when we are in that state
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 (a recency effect) and first (a primary effect) items in a list
Anterograde Amnesia
An inability to form new memories. In the prefrontal cortex
Retrograde Amnesia
An inability to retrieve information from one’s past. In the hippocampus
Encoding Failure
Information never enters the long-term memory. Age effects: as age increases, encoding decreases - the brain is less responsive with age
Proactive Interference
The disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information
