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MCAT Psych/Soc > Memory > Flashcards

Memory Flashcards

(71 cards)

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1
Q

information processing model

A

conceptual theory of the events that occur in the brain between taking in a sensory stimulus to making a long term memory
helps explain encoding, retrieval, and learning

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2
Q

sensory memory (sensory register)

A

short term storing of information taken in from the environment
includes iconic and echoic memory

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3
Q

iconic memory

A

short-term storage of information that is seen that lasts about half a second

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4
Q

echoic memory

A

short-term storage information that is heard that lasts about 3-4 seconds

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5
Q

working memory (short-term memory)

A

storage of about 5-9 pieces of information that are being processed in a given moment

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6
Q

visuospatial sketch pad

A

part of working memory that maintains visual information for manipulation
used for navigation and processing images

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7
Q

phonological loop

A

part of working memory involved in the processing of words and numbers

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8
Q

central executive (information processing model)

A

part of working memory that processes all information that is taken in and sends it to either the visuospatial loop or the phonological loop

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9
Q

episodic buffer

A

the part of working memory that combines and integrates the information from the visuospatial sketch pad and the phonological loop

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10
Q

long-term memory

A

unlimited storage of information that is retained for more than a few minutes

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11
Q

explicit (declarative) memory

A

long-term storage of information that can be consciously recalled, like knowing what you ate for dinner last night or remembering the meaning of a word

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12
Q

semantic memory

A

type of explicit memory that includes all knowledge not acquired through life events
stores general facts, word meanings, etc.

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13
Q

episodic memory

A

type of explicit memory that includes information on personal events and things that were experienced
ability to make this type of memory decreases over time

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14
Q

implicit (non-declarative memory)

A

long-term storage of information that cannot be consciously recalled, but can affect behavior or thoughts

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15
Q

procedural memory

A

type of implicit memory that includes information on completing tasks or performing behaviors

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16
Q

priming

A

the effect that a previously presented stimulus has on perception and response to another through subconscious guidance

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17
Q

encoding

A

the process of creating long-term memories from working memory

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18
Q

rote rehearsal

A

relatively ineffective encoding strategy that involves repeating the information over and over to memorize it

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19
Q

chunking

A

an encoding strategy that involves grouping items into familiar categories in order to better remember them

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20
Q

mnemonic devices

A

encoding strategies that involve linking the new information to information that has already been learned

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21
Q

imagery mnemonic

A

creating a visualization of the thing you are trying to remember

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22
Q

pegword mnemonic

A

way of remembering sequential information by linking the new information to a word that rhymes with or sounds like its number in the list
eg “bun” rhymes with one

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23
Q

method of loci mnemonic

A

a way of remembering sequential information by linking the new information to locations along a familiar route

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24
Q

acronym mnemonic

A

using each letter of a word to stand for a piece of new information

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25
self referencing
encoding strategy that involves linking new information to yourself in some way
26
preparing to teach method of encoding
involves learning the new information in a way that could be explained to others requires organizing and understanding the information
27
spacing
encoding strategy that involves spreading out study time to better remember information
28
retrieval
process of recalling information that has been stored in long-term memory
29
retrieval cues
stimuli that help with the accurate recall of information
30
context cues
stimuli in the environment where information is learned that can cause more accurate retrieval of the information
31
context dependent memory
memory that is recalled better when the environment of recall matches the environment of encoding
32
state dependent memory
memory that is recalled better when recalled while in a similar mood or set of internal conditions as were present during encoding
33
free recall
a memory task involves presenting a list of items, waiting some amount of time, and seeing what items can be remembered
34
primacy effect
fact that recall of the first few items in a list is often more accurate than for items in the middle
35
recency effect
recall of the last few items in a list is often more accurate than for items in the middle
36
serial position curve
graph that displays the probability of remembering items in a list based on their order in the list higher for items at the beginning and end and low for items in the middle
37
serial position effect
probability of remembering items at beginning or end of a list is higher than in the middle
38
cued recall
memory task that involves presenting a list of items, waiting some amount of time, and seeing what items can be remembered when a hint such as the first few letters of a word or initials is given
39
recognition test
memory task that involves presenting a list of items, waiting some amount of time, and seeing if the participant can identify a previously said word from another list
40
reconstructive memory
idea that each time information is retrieved it is modified slightly due to mood, imagination, or beliefs
41
source monitoring error
memory mistake that results from difficulty separating where information came from may entail believing you saw something you only heard about
42
flashbulb memory
highly emotional, vivid memory of an event | positively and negatively valenced memories
43
long-term potentiation
increase in synapse strength after repeated stimulation | method by which learning is thought to occur
44
synaptic plasticity
ability of neuronal connections to change in number or strength
45
synapse
gap between two neurons where neurotransmitters flow from one neuron to another
46
presynaptic neuron
neuron that has its axon terminal immediately prior to the synapse
47
neurotransmitters
chemical signals released from a neuron when it is stimulated
48
postsynaptic neuron
neuron that is found immediately after the synapse | takes in and responds to neurotransmitters released in the synapse
49
neuron potential
difference in electrical charge between the outside and inside of the neuron
50
synapse strength
level of change to the postysnaptic potential that occurs after presynaptic stimulation and neurotransmitter release
51
memory decay
the ability to recall information decreases over time
52
rate of forgetting
speed at which memory decays | differs little between people but can be influenced by sleep, stress, and psychological factors
53
Ebbinghaus's Forgetting Curve
graph that tracks memory over time | usually has a drastic drop in accuracy over the first few days, and then flattens out over time
54
relearning
second time memorizing a list that takes less time to learn with equal accuracy
55
savings (memory)
small bit of information that is maintained even if the memory cannot be retrieved it is what makes relearning occur faster
56
retroactive interference
acquisition of new information that impairs the ability to recall previously learned information
57
proactive interference
previously learned information that impairs the ability to learn and recall new information
58
crystallized intelligence
accumulation of knowledge through experience and the ability to use this knowledge increases with age
59
emotional reasoning
ability to make sense of emotionally charged problems | increases with age
60
divided attention
concentration on multiple stimuli at one time | the ability to do this decreases with age
61
processing speed
rate at which mental tasks can be completed | decreases with age
62
dementia
disorder characterized by damage to brain tissue that causes excessive forgetting that interferes with a person's life
63
Alzheimer's Disease
condition characterized by the buildup of amyloid plaques and neuronal death symptoms include memory loss, inability to encode new memories, attention difficulties, and impaired language abilities
64
Korsakoff's Syndrome
type of dementia caused by a lack of thiamine (vitamin B1), which is often linked to alcoholism, eating disorders or malnutrition symptoms include severe memory loss and confabulation
65
confabulation
making up stories or distorting stories without the intention of manipulation or deception common symptom of Korsakoff's Syndrome
66
Wernicke's encephalopathy
reversible precursor to Korsakoff's Syndrome with symptoms including poor balance, mild confusion, and memory loss
67
semantic networks
a representation of the organization of knowledge in the brain based on relatedness of concepts can be modeled by showing each idea as a node and the distance and connections between the nodes represent how closely related the ideas are
68
hierarchical semantic network
representation of how knowledge is stored in the brain based on the idea that pieces of information are organized in the brain starting with broad categories and progressively get more specific
69
modified semantic network
representation of how knowledge is stored in the brain based on the idea that pieces of information are not stored hierarchically but rather in a way that makes sense based on the person's individual experiences and knowledge
70
principle of cognitive economy
idea that the brain stores information in effective, simple schemes
71
spreading activation
process by which recalling one piece of information makes other related concepts more accessible for retrieval

MCAT Psych/Soc (23 decks)

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