Exam 2 Vocab - Study Guide Terms Flashcards
(47 cards)
Memory
The mental operations that store, recover, and retrieve information
The Forgetting Function
A rapid decline (hours) in the ability to recall information followed by a more gradual decline (days and months)
Central Executive
A component of working memory that controls the activity of the helper systems (phonological loop and visuospatial sketch pad) and communicates with long-term memory
Chunk
A meaningful unit of information held in short-term memory
Rehearsal
Repeating information in your mind keeps it activated in short-term memory
Decay
Information reaches such a low activation level that normal retrieval cues are not sufficient for recall (some information must just disappear/be gone forever)
Encoding
The storage of new information in long-term memory
Retrieval
The recall of previously encoded information
Episodic Buffer
A helper system in working memory for storing integrated chunks of information
Phonological Loop
A helper system in working memory responsible for storing information encoded as sound (verbal and auditory information)
Phonological Similarity Effect
A reduction in working memory span for similar-sounding words
Word-Length Effect
A reduction in working memory span for longer words (more syllables) compared to shorter words
Articulatory Suppression
A reduction in working memory span when people simultaneously perform irrelevant articulations
Visuospatial Sketchpad
A helper system in working memory responsible for storing information encoded spatially or visually
Sensory Memory
A large capacity, but highly transient, storage space for information that has recently entered your sensory system
Short-Term Memory
Small amounts of information actively held in the mind for a short period of time
Long-Term Memory
Large capacity storage for enduring memories
Digit-Span Task
A test of working memory in which participants are presented with a sequence of digits (not necessarily numbers) and must recall them; magic number of 7 +/- 2 items
Henry Molaison
Suffered from severe epileptic seizures, leading to the complete removal of his hippocampus. This resulted in profound amnesia where HM could function normally moment-to-moment, but he could no longer form any new long-term memories.
Working Memory
A cognitive system responsible for temporarily holding and manipulating information for processing; not just storage!
Working Memory Capacity
The limited amount of information that can be held and processed in our mind at any given time; individual differences in capacity may help explain differences in cognitive abilities
Encoding Specificity
Retrieval is most effective when the information available at encoding is also available at retrieval (location matters - think scuba divers)
State-Dependent Retrieval
Retrieval is most effective when your mental state at encoding matches your mental state at retrieval
Deese-Roediger McDermott (DRM) Paradigm
A false memory paradigm in which participants presented with a list of semantically related words (e.g., nurse, hospital, etc.) at encoding are likely to falsely remember a non-presented, but semantically related, word (e.g., doctor) at recall
