Chapter 6

Question 1

memory

Answer 1

the ability to store and retrieve information over time

Question 2

encoding

Answer 2

the process by which we transform what we percieve, think or feel into and enduring memory

Question 3

storage

Answer 3

the process of maintaining information in memory over time

Question 4

retrieval

Answer 4

the process of bringing to mind information that has been previously encoded and stored

Question 5

memories are:

Answer 5

constructed not recorded

Question 6

elabroative encoding

Answer 6

the process of actively relating new information to knowledge that is already in memory

-enhances long-term retention

Question 7

semantic judgments

Answer 7

require people to think about the meaning of (words) to remember them

Question 8

rhyme judgements

Answer 8

required people to think about the sound (of words) to remember them

Question 9

visual judgements

Answer 9

require people to think about the appearance (of words) to remember them

Question 10

visual imagery encoding

Answer 10

the process of storing new information by converting it into mental pictures

Question 11

organizational encoding

Answer 11

the process of categorizing information according to the relationships among a series of items

Question 12

other types of encoding used in tests:

Answer 12

survival encoding - rate and remember words based on how useful they were in survival

moving encoding - rate/remember words based on how useful they are for setting up a new home

pelasantness encoding - rate/remember words based on how pleasant they are to you

*survival encoding = most memory retention

Question 13

sensory memory

Answer 13

a type of storage that holds sensory information for a few seconds or less

*use iconic memory test to test this

Question 14

iconic memory

Answer 14

a fast-decaying store of visual information

Question 15

echoic memory

Answer 15

a fast-decaying store of auditory information

Question 16

short-term memory

Answer 16

a type of storage that holds nonsensory information for more than a few seconds but less than a minute

Question 17

rehearsal

Answer 17

the process of keeping information in short-term memory by mentally repeating it

Question 18

how many meaningful tiems can short-term memory hold at once?

Answer 18

7

*numbers, letters, words, etc

Question 19

chunking

Answer 19

combinging small pieces of information into larger clusters or chunks that are more easily help in short-term memory

Question 20

working memory

Answer 20

active maintenance of information in short-term storage

Question 21

long-term memory

Answer 21

a type of storage that holds information for hours, days, weeks or years

Question 22

hippocampus

Answer 22

region of the brain that is critical for putting new information into the long-term store

• if hippocampus is destroyed, these people cannot make new memories but they can remember old ones

Question 23

anterograde amnesia

Answer 23

the inability to transfer new information from the short term store into the long term store

Question 24

retrograde amnesia

Answer 24

the inability to retrieve information that was aquired before a particular date, usually the date of an injury or operation

Question 25

consolidation

Answer 25

the process by which memories become stable in the brain

Question 26

reconsolidation

Answer 26

memories can be vulnerbale to disruption when they are recalled, requiring them to be consolidated again. - even seemingly consolidated memories can again become vulnerable to disruption when they are recalled, thus requiring them to be consolidated again

Question 27

synapse

Answer 27

researchers suggest that this is where memories are

Question 28

Aplysia

Answer 28

the sea slug that has a very simple nervous system, so scientists study memory using the slug

Question 29

long-term potentiation (LTP)

Answer 29

A process whereby communication across the synapse between neurons strengthens the connection, making further communication easier

Question 30

NMDA receptor

Answer 30

a receptor site on the hippocampus that influences the flow of information between neurons by controling the initiation of long-term potentiation.

Question 31

retrieval cue

Answer 31

external information that helps bring stored information to mind

Question 32

encoding specificity principle

Answer 32

the idea that a retrieval cue can serve as an effective reminder when it helps re-create the specific way in which information was initially encoded - ex: if you take a test in the same room where you learned the information, you'll do better

Question 33

state-dependent retrieval

Answer 33

the tendency for information to be better recalled when the person is in the same state during encoding and retrieval -ex: if you're happy you will most likely remember happy memories/episodes

Question 34

transfer-appropriate processing

Answer 34

the idea that memory is likely to transfer from one situation to another when the encoding context of the situations match

Question 35

retrieval can imprive subsequent memory

Answer 35

ex: if you quiz yourself on stuff you jsut studied rather than re-study it, you'll remember it more in the long run

Question 36

retrieval-induced forgetting

Answer 36

a process by which retrieving an item from long-term memory impairs subsequent recall of related items

Question 37

separtate components of retrieval in the brain:

Answer 37

- trying to recall an episode and actually, successfully recalling it happen in 2 different parts of the brain - trying = left frontal lobe - successfully recalling = hippocampus

Question 38

explicit memory

Answer 38

the act of consciously or intentionally retrieving past experiences "I remember when..."

Question 39

implicit memory

Answer 39

the influence of past experiences on later behavior, even without an effort to remember them or an awareness of the recollection -

Question 40

procedural memory

Answer 40

the gradual acquisition of skills as a result of practice, or "knowing how" to do things - translated into actions - and can be things you can explain or things you can't - ex: riding a bike

Question 41

priming

Answer 41

an enhanced ability to think of a stimulus, such as a word or object, as a result of a recent exposure to the stimulus

Question 42

two types of priming:

Answer 42

1. perceptual priming = reflects implicit memory for the sensory features of a word (like visual features) -- visual cortex 2. conceptual priming = reflects implicit memory for the meaning of a word or how you would use an object --frontal lobes

Question 43

semantic memory

Answer 43

a network of associated facts and concepts that make up our general knowlegde of the world

Question 44

episodic memory

Answer 44

the collection of past personal experiences that occurred at a particular time and place -we rely on this heavily to envision our future

Question 45

Seven "sins" of memory (cause memory errors)

Answer 45

1. Transience 2. Absentmindedness 3. Blocking 4. Memory Misattribution 5. Suggestibility 6. Bias 7. Persistance

Question 46

transience

Answer 46

forgetting what occurs with the passage of time

Question 47

retroactive interference

Answer 47

situations in which information learned later impars memory for information aquired earlier

Question 48

proactive interference

Answer 48

situations in which information learned earlier impairs memory for information aquired later

Question 49

absentmindedness

Answer 49

a lapse in attention that results in memory failure

Question 50

lower left frontal region of the brain

Answer 50

greater activity in this area during encoding results in better memory

Question 51

prospective memory

Answer 51

remembering to do things in the future

Question 52

blocking

Answer 52

a failure to retrieve information that is available in memory even though you are trying to produce it -"tip of your tongue" experience

Question 53

memory misattribution

Answer 53

assigning a recollection or an idea to the wrong source

Question 54

source memory

Answer 54

recall of when, where, and how information was aquired

Question 55

false recognition

Answer 55

a feeling of familiarity about something that hasn't been encountered before

Question 56

destination memory

Answer 56

trouble in remembering to whom we have told something before

Question 57

hippocampal activity

Answer 57

is the same during true and false recognition

Question 58

suggestibility

Answer 58

the tendency to incorporate misleading information from external sources into personal recollections ex: psychotherapists may make you rouse up memories of abuse that didn't actually happen

Question 59

Bias

Answer 59

the distorting influences of present knowledge, beliefs, and feelings on recollection of previous experiences

Question 60

consistency bias

Answer 60

the bias to reconstruct the past to fit the present

Question 61

change bias

Answer 61

the tendency to exaggerate differences between what we feel or believe now and what we felt or believed in the past. ex; egocentric bias = the tendency to exaggerate the change between present and past in order to make ourselves look good in retrospect

Question 62

persistence

Answer 62

the intrusive recollection of events that we wish we could forget

Question 63

flashbulb memories

Answer 63

detailed recollections of when and where we heard about shocking events ex: september 11th

Question 64

amygdala

Answer 64

- the brain remembers more emotional/shocking events better - amygdala is activated and releases hormones during these events