Chapter 7

Question 1

encoding

Answer 1

inputting information into memory

Question 2

memory traces

Answer 2

the stored code that represents a piece of information that has been encoded into memory

Question 3

storage

Answer 3

where information is retained in memory

Question 4

retrieval

Answer 4

accessing information in memory and pulling it into consciousness

Question 5

consciousness

Answer 5

your awareness of your mental processes and/or environment

Question 6

attention

Answer 6

your ability to focus your consciousness on some aspect of your own mental processes and/or environment

Question 7

explicit memory

Answer 7

the conscious use of memory

Question 8

implicit memory

Answer 8

the unconscious use of memory

Question 9

sensory memory

Answer 9

a memory system that briefly stores sensory impressions so that we can extract relevant info from them for further processing

Question 10

short-term memory (STM)

Answer 10

a memory system that is limited in capacity and duration; in the three-stages model, STM is seen as an intermediate stage between sensory memory and long-term memory

Question 11

long-term memory (LTM)

Answer 11

a memory system that works to store memories for a long time, perhaps even permanently

Question 12

coding system

Answer 12

a system of encoding in which memories can be stored in memory using a visual, acoustic, verbal, or semantic format

Question 13

chunking

Answer 13

using your limited short-term memory resources more efficiently by combining small bits of information to form larger bits of information (or chunks)

Question 14

maintenance rehearsal

Answer 14

repeating information over and over again to keep it in short term memory for an extended period of time

Question 15

forgetting curve

Answer 15

a graph of the amount of learned information that’s forgotten over time

Question 16

elaborative rehearsal

Answer 16

forming links between the information you’re trying to learn and the information already in your long-term memory with the goal of transferring this new info into long-term memory

Question 17

levels-of-processing model

Answer 17

this model predicts that information that is processed deeply/elaborately will be best retained in and recalled from long-term memory

Question 18

primacy effect

Answer 18

the tendency of people to recall words from the beginning of a list better than words that appeared in the middle of the list

Question 19

recency effect

Answer 19

the tendency for people to recall words from the end of a list better than words that appeared in the middle of the list

Question 20

working memory

Answer 20

a multifaceted component of long-term memory that contains a central executive, an episodic buffer, a phonological loop, and a visuospatial sketchpad: it functions to access, move, and process information that we are currently using

Question 21

central executive

Answer 21

the attention-controlling component of working memory

Question 22

semantic encoding

Answer 22

encoding memory traces in terms of the meaning of the information being stored

Question 23

schema

Answer 23

an organized, generalized knowledge structure in long-term memory

Question 24

declarative memory

Answer 24

a type of long-term memory containing memories that are easily verbalized, including episodic and semantic memories

Question 25

semantic memory

Answer 25

long-term, declarative memory for conceptual (abstract) information

Question 26

episodic memory

Answer 26

memory for the recent events in our lives

Question 27

autobiographical memory

Answer 27

memory for our past that gives us a sense of personal history

Question 28

procedural memory

Answer 28

long-term memory for skills and behaviors

Question 29

retrograde amnesia

Answer 29

an inability to recall previously stored declarative memories from long-term memory [can remember new information but cannot remember events from before the onset of amnesia.]

Question 30

anterograde amnesia

Answer 30

an inability to store new declarative memories in long-term memory [cannot remember new information but can remember events from before the onset of amnesia.]

Question 31

recall

Answer 31

a type of retrieval process in which the probe or cue does not contain much information

Question 32

recognition

Answer 32

a type of retrieval process in which the probe or cue contains a great deal of information, including the item being sought

Question 33

decay theory

Answer 33

a theory about forgetting that proposes that memory traces that are not routinely activated in long-term memory will degrade

Question 34

tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

Answer 34

knowing that you know a piece of information, even though you can't recall it at the moment

Question 35

proactive interference

Answer 35

a type of forgetting that occurs when older memory traces inhibit the retrieval of newer memory traces

Question 36

retroactive interference

Answer 36

a type of forgetting that occurs when newer memory traces inhibit the retrieval of older memory traces

Question 37

cue-dependent forgetting

Answer 37

a type of forgetting that occurs when one cannot recall information in a context other than the context in which it was encoded

Question 38

repression

Answer 38

a type of forgetting proposed by Sigmund Freud in which memories of events, desires, and impulses that we find threatening are pushed into an inaccessible part of the mind called the unconscious

Question 39

flashbulb memory

Answer 39

an unusually detailed and seemingly accurate memory for an emotionally charged event

Question 40

motivated forgetting

Answer 40

the idea that people can block out, or forget, upsetting or traumatic memories because there is a motivation to do so

Question 41

reconstructive memory

Answer 41

memory that is based on the retrieval of memory traces that contain the actual details of events we have experienced

Question 42

constructive memory

Answer 42

memory that utilizes knowledge and expectations to fill in the missing details in retrieved memory traces

Question 43

misinformation effect

Answer 43

the distortion of memory that occurs when people are exposed to misinformation

Question 44

memory consolidation

Answer 44

the stabilization and long-term storage of memory traces in the brain