Ch 7: Memory

Question 1

memory

Answer 1

the retention of information over time

Question 2

paradox memory

Answer 2

our memories are surprisingly good in some situations and surprisingly bad in others

Question 3

memory illusion

Answer 3

a false but subjectively compelling memory
- brain creates false but useful picture of the world, sometimes sacrificing detail

Question 4

reconstructive memory

Answer 4

memory is reconstructed
- affected by old knowledge, new info, expectations, etc

Question 5

sensory memory

Answer 5

momentary storage of perceptual information
- each sense has its own sensory memory

Question 6

iconic memory

Answer 6

• visual
• lasts 1 secondd

Question 7

echoic memory

Answer 7

• auditory
• lasts 5-10 seconds

Question 8

short term memory (STM)

Answer 8

takes perceptual info and gives it meaning
- brief: 5-20 seconds
- only some info passes to long term memory
- hippocampus

Question 9

miller’s law

Answer 9

the number of objects the average person can hold in working memory is about seven

Question 10

decay

Answer 10

info fades over time

Question 11

interference

Answer 11

loss of info due to competition with other info

Question 12

retroactive interference

Answer 12

learning new information hampers recall of earlier info

Question 13

proactive interference

Answer 13

old knowledge hampers ability to learn new info

Question 14

primary effect

Answer 14

memory is better for words at the beginning of a list rather than words in the middle

Question 15

recency effect

Answer 15

memory is better for words at the of a list rather than words in the middle

Question 16

rehearsal

Answer 16

repeating info mentally or aloud

Question 17

maintenance

Answer 17

repeat stimuli in their original form

Question 18

elaborative

Answer 18

linking stimuli together in a meaningful way to improve retention of info in STM

Question 19

chunking

Answer 19

organize info into meaningful groups

Question 20

long term memory (LTM)

Answer 20

relatively enduring information storage
- prefrontal cortex
- amygdala

Question 21

explicit LTM

Answer 21

• semantic
• episodic

Question 22

semantic

Answer 22

facts about the world

Question 23

episodic

Answer 23

recall of personal experiences

Question 24

implicit

Answer 24

• procedural
• conditioning
• priming
• habituation

Question 25

procedural

Answer 25

how to do things

Question 26

conditioning

Answer 26

classical, operant

Question 27

priming

Answer 27

increases accessibility

Question 28

habituation

Answer 28

decrease in response to a repeated stimulus, but it is deemed safe enough to ignore

Question 29

encoding

Answer 29

getting information from memory - attention is crucial to retaining information - better memory when learning conditions match recall

Question 30

storage

Answer 30

keeping info in memory

Question 31

schemas

Answer 31

organized knowledge - mental maps for how to go about the world - scripts: set order of events

Question 32

problems with storage

Answer 32

- oversimplification/overgeneralization - overlooking differences between situations - may make us "remember" events that didn't happen

Question 33

retrieval/recall

Answer 33

reactivating or reconstructing experiences from memory

Question 34

long term potentiation

Answer 34

strengthening of connections between neurons with repetitive use (learning)

Question 35

retrograde amnesia

Answer 35

loss of past memories

Question 36

anterograde amnesia

Answer 36

loss of ability to form new memories

Question 37

infantile amnesia

Answer 37

don't remember first 3-5 years, except sometimes traumatic events

Question 38

senility

Answer 38

loss of memory as a person ages

Question 39

dementia

Answer 39

severe memory loss

Question 40

alzheimer's disease

Answer 40

associated with a loss of memory and intellect

Question 41

flashbulb memories

Answer 41

emotional, highly detailed memories - often inaccurate

Question 42

implanting memories

Answer 42

suggestive techniques can cause people to recall false memories that never actually occurred

Question 43

misinformation effect

Answer 43

receiving misleading info after an event causes false memories about the event

Question 44

source monitoring

Answer 44

lack of clarity about the source of a memory

Question 45

cryptonesia

Answer 45

when we forget that one of our ideas actually originated with someone else

Question 46

eyewitness testimony

Answer 46

- weak correlation between confidence and accuracy

Question 47

repressed memory

Answer 47

occurs when trauma is too severe to be kept in conscious memory, and is removed by repression or dissociation or both