Unit 2.5: Storing Memories

Question 1

Sensory Memory

Answer 1

The briefest form of memory, lasting only a few seconds, that captures sensory information in large amounts.

Question 2

Iconic Memory

Answer 2

A type of sensory memory that stores visual information.

Question 3

Echoic Memory

Answer 3

A type of sensory memory that stores auditory information.

Question 4

Short-Term Memory (STM)

Answer 4

Temporarily holds about 7 items for 20–30 seconds.

Question 5

Working Memory

Answer 5

An active system for temporarily storing and processing information used for cognitive tasks.

Question 6

Maintenance Rehearsal

Answer 6

Repeating information to keep it active in short-term or working memory.

Question 7

Elaborative Rehearsal

Answer 7

Connecting new information to existing knowledge for deeper encoding into long-term memory.

Question 8

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

Answer 8

Has unlimited capacity and stores information for long durations (facts, experiences, skills, etc.).

Question 9

Memory Consolidation

Answer 9

The process of converting short-term memories into long-term memories by strengthening neural connections, often during sleep.

Question 10

Explicit Memories

Answer 10

Memories of facts and experiences that can be consciously recalled; processed in the hippocampus and frontal lobes.

Question 11

Implicit Memories

Answer 11

Unconscious memories such as skills and conditioned responses; associated with the cerebellum and basal ganglia.

Question 12

Autonomic Processing

Answer 12

Encoding of information with little or no conscious effort.

Question 13

Effortful Processing

Answer 13

Encoding that requires attention and conscious effort.

Question 14

Flashbulb Memories

Answer 14

Vivid, detailed memories of emotionally significant or traumatic events.

Question 15

Autobiographical Memory

Answer 15

Memories related to personal life experiences, often more vivid due to emotional or personal relevance.

Question 16

Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM)

Answer 16

A rare ability to recall personal life events in extraordinary detail, often years later.

Question 17

Hippocampus

Answer 17

A brain structure involved in processing and temporarily holding explicit memories before they are stored elsewhere.

Question 18

Frontal Lobes

Answer 18

Brain region involved in processing and storing explicit memories.

Question 19

Cerebellum

Answer 19

Brain structure associated with forming and storing implicit (procedural) memories.

Question 20

Basal Ganglia

Answer 20

Brain structures that help process implicit memories and motor skills.

Question 21

Amnesia

Answer 21

A condition involving memory loss, either temporarily or permanently.

Question 22

Anterograde Amnesia

Answer 22

Inability to form new memories after the onset of amnesia; often linked to hippocampal damage.

Question 23

Retrograde Amnesia

Answer 23

Inability to retrieve past memories formed before the onset of amnesia.

Question 24

Source Amnesia

Answer 24

Inability to remember where, when, or how one learned information, despite knowing the information itself.

Question 25

Infantile Amnesia

Answer 25

The inability of adults to recall memories from early childhood, typically before age 3 or 4.

Question 26

Alzheimer’s Disease

Answer 26

A neurodegenerative disorder that progressively impairs memory and cognitive function, affecting both new and old memories.