The ability to remember events of one’s life in extremely vivid detail
Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM)
Memories for information; factual or autobiographical
Declarative Memory
Converting the original memory “trace” into something stable and long-lasting
Memory Consolidation
Brain’s system for temporarily holding and manipulating information to perform cognitive tasks
Working Memory
Utilized when we encounter information and our brain holds on to it for a brief time (30s or less)
Short-term Memory
Memories that guide behavior in an unconscious manner. We have the memory of how to complete these things (tying shoes, brushing teeth) but do not have to consciously think about each step
Non-declarative Memory
A type of dementia–involves memory loss and other cognitive difficulties
Alzheimer’s Disease
Memories held on to for days, weeks, months, etc. They create our frame of reference, perception of ourselves, and and the knowledge we use in our daily lives
Long-term Memory
The synaptic changes that facilitate interactions between neurons making the synapses stronger/more potent for a long period of time
Long-term Potentation
Patient with a severe form of amnesia known as global/total amnesia. Condition includes both anterograde amnesia (inability to form new memories) and retrograde (inability to recall memories). Despite this, his ability to play and conduct music have stayed intact.
Clive Wearing
Where long-term memory traces are stored throughout, in the same network of brain regions initially activated during the experience.
Cortex
Narrow, c-shaped section of brain tissue incredibly important in forming memories
Hippocampus
Brain structure crucial for memory. Modulates how emotional events are processed and consolidated in other brain regions.
Amygdala
Result of damage to the parietal lobe of the right hemisphere. Causes patients to fail to pay attention to one side of their visual field
hemispatial neglect
Attention is naturally drawn away by something else in the environment (hearing your name, hearing a glass shatter).
exogenous attention (bottom-up attention)
The brain’s extreme rationalization when confronted with something it can’t make sense of. Caused by disorders like hemispatial neglect
Confabulation
Being able to ignore/filter out the flow of words in neighboring conversations while engaged in your own
Cocktail Party Effect
Technically “task-switching.” The brain’s ability to attend to one task, switch to another, then switch back
Multitasking
Characterized by symptoms of inattention; being easily distracted, having problems focusing, and/or symptoms of hyperactivity
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ADHD
Focusing our attention on something because we want to. The inclination is coming from the upper level of the brain’s hierarchy of desires, AKA: conscious wishes
Endogenous Attention (top-down attention)
The (incorrect) idea that listening to Mozart, or any classical music makes you smarter. In reality, listening to anything promoting enjoyment, alertness, or interest can have a very slight positive impact on performance
Mozart Effect
The idea that when dopamine levels are low, the brain has a harder time devoting the right amount of attention to something. So, someone might compensate for the lack of stimulation by becoming hyperactive
Low Arousal Hypothesis
Found in the frontal lobes of both cerebral hemispheres. Play an important role in focusing visual gaze based on endogenous attention (keeping your eyes on a book while you’re reading it)
Frontal Eye Fields
Found in the parietal lobe. Highly active when focusing on something deemed important
Intraparietal Sulcus
