Module 6: Memory

Question 1

Memory stores

Answer 1

sensory memory (SM), short-term memory (STM), long-term memory (LTM)

Question 2

What are the differences in the memory stores?

Answer 2

they vary by function, duration, and capacity

Question 3

Sensory memory

Answer 3

a lingering activation of perceptual brain areas

Question 4

Duration for sensory memory

Answer 4

very short of 0.25 seconds

Question 5

Capacity of sensory memory

Answer 5

fairly large of at least 12 items

Question 6

Echoic memory

Answer 6

momentary, auditory stimuli

Question 7

Iconic memory

Answer 7

momentary, visual stimuli

Question 8

Short-term memory

Answer 8

also called working memory; useful for remembering numbers, language use, and getting information to LTM

Question 9

Duration of short-term memory

Answer 9

20-30 seconds

Question 10

Capacity of short-term memory

Answer 10

relatively small at 7 items (+/- 2)

Question 11

Chunking

Answer 11

extends STM by combining items into meaningful chunks that use smaller slots

Question 12

Rehearsal

Answer 12

extends the duration of STM and it works until the individual is interrupted

Question 13

Working memory

Answer 13

what can actively be held at a time; contains the phonological loop and the visuospatial sketchpad

Question 14

Phonological loop

Answer 14

focuses on speech, words, and numbers; limited by time

Question 15

Visuospatial sketchpad

Answer 15

stores and manipulates visual and spatial information

Question 16

Central executive

Answer 16

coordinates the phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad

Question 17

Memory curve

Answer 17

better recall occurs earlier and later compared to in the middle

Question 18

Primacy effect

Answer 18

memories are making their way to LTM because they have spent more time being processed

Question 19

Recency effect

Answer 19

the most recent thoughts are easier to remember because they are still prevalent

Question 20

Long-term memory

Answer 20

has a limitless capacity and duration, but it can be tricky to access the necessary information

Question 21

Explicit memory

Answer 21

having the awareness (consciousness) of a memory; split into episodic and semantic

Question 22

Implicit memory

Answer 22

unaware of accessing or using specific memories

Question 23

Examples of implicit memory

Answer 23

procedural, priming, classical conditioning, and non-associative learning

Question 24

Priming

Answer 24

the facilitation of a response to a stimulus based on a past experience with that or a related stimulus

Question 25

Procedural memory

Answer 25

involves skills and habits

Question 26

Episodic memory

Answer 26

memory for one's past experiences that are identified by a time and place

Question 27

Semantic memory

Answer 27

memory for facts independent of personal experience

Question 28

Encoding

Answer 28

process by which the perception of a stimulus or event gets transformed into a memory

Question 29

Dual-coding hypothesis

Answer 29

information that can be coded visually and verbally will be remembered more easily

Question 30

Schemas

Answer 30

cognitive structures in semantic memory that help with perception, organization, understanding, and use of information

Question 31

Maintenance rehearsal

Answer 31

repeating an item over and over to encode it

Question 32

Elaborative rehearsal

Answer 32

thinking conceptually about an item in order to encode it more meaningfully

Question 33

Chunking

Answer 33

breaking down information into meaningful units

Question 34

Mnemonics

Answer 34

learning aids or strategies to help improve memory

Question 35

Storage

Answer 35

perception ends and the perceived information is still available for processing

Question 36

Serial position effect

Answer 36

the ability to recall items from a list depends on the order of presentation

Question 37

Consolidation

Answer 37

the gradual process of memory storage in the brain

Question 38

Long-term potentiation (LTP)

Answer 38

strengthening of a synaptic connection, making the postsynaptic neurons more easily activated by presynaptic neurons

Question 39

Flashbulb memories

Answer 39

vivid episodic memories during which people first learned about a surprising and emotional event

Question 40

Reconsolidation

Answer 40

the re-storage of memory after retrieval

Question 41

Retrieval cue

Answer 41

anything that helps a person recall a memory

Question 42

Encoding specificity principle

Answer 42

any stimulus encoded along with an experience can later trigger a memory of the experience

Question 43

Prospective memory

Answer 43

remembering to do something at a future time

Question 44

Retrieval-induced forgetting

Answer 44

retrieving an item from LTM impairs the ability to recall a related item in the future

Question 45

Savings

Answer 45

the difference between the original learning and the relearning

Question 46

Proactive interference

Answer 46

old information inhibits the ability to remember new information

Question 47

Retroactive interference

Answer 47

new information inhibits the ability to remember old information

Question 48

Blocking

Answer 48

being temporarily unable to remember something

Question 49

Absentmindedness

Answer 49

comes from shallow (inattentive) encoding of events

Question 50

Persistence

Answer 50

unwanted memories are remembered despite the desire to not have them

Question 51

Memory bias

Answer 51

the changing of memories over time so that they become consistent with current beliefs

Question 52

Source misattribution

Answer 52

misremembering the time, place, person, or circumstance involved in a memory

Question 53

Source amnesia

Answer 53

form of misattribution that occurs when people have a memory for an event but can't remember where the information came from

Question 54

Cryptomnesia

Answer 54

type of misattribution in which people think they have come up with a new idea that actually came from elsewhere

Question 55

Suggestibility

Answer 55

development of biased memories from misleading information