AP Psych Unit 5A- Cognition Vocab

Question 1

memory

Answer 1

the persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information

Question 2

relearning

Answer 2

measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time

Question 3

automatic processing

Answer 3

unconscious encoding of incidental information

Question 4

effortful processing

Answer 4

encoding that requires attention and conscious effort

Question 5

rehearsal

Answer 5

conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or encode for storage

Question 6

spacing effect

Answer 6

tendency for distributed study or practice to have better long term retention than massed study

Question 7

serial position effect

Answer 7

our tendency to recall best the first and last terms in a list

Question 8

visual encoding

Answer 8

encoding of picture images

Question 9

acoustic encoding

Answer 9

encoding of sounds, especially the sound of words

Question 10

semantic encoding

Answer 10

encoding of meaning ex. words

Question 11

imagery

Answer 11

mental pictures; powerful aid to effortful processing especially with semantic encoding

Question 12

mnemonics

Answer 12

memory aids that use vivid imagery and organizational devices

Question 13

priming

Answer 13

unconscious activation of certain associations, predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response

Question 14

mood-congruent memory

Answer 14

tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with current mood (good/bad)

Question 15

recognition

Answer 15

measure of memory in which one must identify items previously learned (multiple-choice test)

Question 16

sensory memory

Answer 16

immediate, very brief recording of sensory info into memory system

Question 17

short-term memory

Answer 17

activated memory holds 7, +-2, items before info is stored or forgotten

Question 18

long-term memory

Answer 18

relatively permanent storehouse of memory system

Question 19

working memory

Answer 19

new understanding of short-term memory focussing on conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual spatial, and long-term memory info

Question 20

parallel processing

Answer 20

processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously

Question 21

proactive interference

Answer 21

prior knowledge interfering with the recall of new info

Question 22

retroactive

Answer 22

new info interfering with the recall of old info

Question 23

misinformation effect

Answer 23

incorporating misleading info into one’s memory of an event

Question 24

repression

Answer 24

psychoanalytic theory; defense mechanism to forget traumatic events/feelings

Question 25

source amnesia

Answer 25

attributing to the wrong source of an event we experienced, heard, read, or imagined

Question 26

encoding

Answer 26

processing info into memory system

Question 27

storage

Answer 27

retention of encoded info over time

Question 28

retrieval

Answer 28

process of getting info out of memory storage

Question 29

chunking

Answer 29

organizing items into manageable units; often automatically

Question 30

iconic memory

Answer 30

sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic memory lasting few tenths of a second

Question 31

echoic memory

Answer 31

sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention elsewhere, sounds can be recalled within a few seconds

Question 32

long-term potentiation

Answer 32

increase in synapse’s firing potential after rapid stimulation; believed to be neural basis for learning and memory

Question 33

flashbulb memory

Answer 33

clear memory of emotionally significant moment

Question 34

amnesia

Answer 34

loss of memory

Question 35

implicit memory

Answer 35

retention independent of conscious recollection

Question 36

explicit memory

Answer 36

memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know

Question 37

hippocampus

Answer 37

neural center located in limbic system to process explicit memories for storage

Question 38

recall

Answer 38

measure of memory where one must retrieve info learned earlier (fill-in-the-blank test)

Question 39

shallow processing

Answer 39

encoding on a basic level based on structure or appearance of words