General Psychology Test 2 Ch.8 Learning Notes

The neural basis for learning and memory found at the synapses in the brains memory circuit connections results from brief rapid stimulation. It is called __________

Long term potential

When you feel sad, why might it help to look at pictures that reawaken some of your best memories?

Memories are stood within a web of many associations, one of which is mood. When you recall happy moments from your past, you deliberately activate these positive links. You may them experience mood-congruent memory and recall other happy moments, which could improve your mood and brighten our interpretation of current events.

flashbulb memory

a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event

Recognition

a measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test

relearning

a measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material again

Which of the following is most likely to be stored as an implicit memory? a conditioned fear of guns the date of one's own birth a mental image of one's best friend one's own name

a mental image of one's best friend

Echoic Memory

a momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds EX: if you look at your phone mid conversation with someone and the ask you what they just said you can recall the last few words

iconic memory

a momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second

working memory

a newer understanding of short-term memory that focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial information, and of information retrieved from long-term memory

reconsolidation

a process in which previously stored memories, when retrieved, are potentially altered before being stored again

Short-Term Memory

activated memory that holds a few items briefly, such as the seven digits of a phone number while dialing, before the information is stored or forgotten

anterograde amnesia

an inability to form new memories

retrograde amnesia

an inability to retrieve information from one's past

long-term potentiation

an increase in a cell's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory

Source Amnesia

attributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined. Also called SOURCE MISATTRIBUTION. Source amnesia along with the misinformation effect is at heart of many false memories

When you hear familiar words in your native language, it is virtually impossible not to register the meanings of the words. This best illustrates the importance of the spacing effect. the peg-word system. iconic memory. automatic processing.

automatic processing.

Children can be accurate eyewitnesses if a. interviewers give the children hints about what really happened b. a neutral person asks non leading questions soon after the event, in words the children can understand c. the children have a chance to talk with involved adults before the interview d. interviewers use precise technical and medical terms

b. a neutral person asks non leading questions soon after the event, in words the children can understand

When a situation triggers the feeling that "I've been here before," you are experiencing ______________ ______________.

deja vu

Shallow Processing

encoding on a basic level based on the structure or appearance of words

Deep Processing

encoding semantically, based on the meaning of the words; tends to yield the best retention

Effortful Processing

encoding that requires attention and conscious effort

The psychologist terms for taking in info, retaining it, and later getting it back out are _____ , _____, _____.

encoding, storage, retrieval

Testing Effect

enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information

Many people can easily recall exactly what they were doing when they first learned of the death of a close friend or family member. This best illustrates ________ memory. flashbulb state-dependent implicit iconic

flashbulb

Having read a story once, certain amnesia victims will read it faster the second time even though they can't recall having seen the story before. They have most likely suffered damage to the cerebellum. amygdala. hippocampus. basal ganglia.

hippocampus.

Sensory memory may be visual (_______ memory) or auditory (__________ memory)

iconic, echoic

Amnesia following hippocampus damage typically leaves people unable to learn new facts or recall recent events. However, they may be able to learn new skills, such as riding a bicycle, which is an ______________ (explicit/implicit) memory.

implicit

Repression

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

Mnemonics

memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices

Explicit memory

memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare" -also called DECLARATIVE MEMORY

Memory aids that use visual imagery (such as peg words) or other organizational devices (such as acronyms) are called _______

mnemonics

Whenever Valerie experiences intense feelings of fear, she is overwhelmed with childhood memories of her abusive parents. Valerie's experience best illustrates mood-congruent memory. the serial position effect. implicit memory. memory consolidation.

mood-congruent memory.

Chunking

organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically

Serial Position Effect

our tendency to recall best the last (a recency effect) and first items (a primacy effect) in a list Explains why we may have large holes in our memory of a list of recent events

Activating memories of your childhood by forming vivid mental images of various locations in your childhood home best illustrates priming. automatic processing. a primacy effect. the serial position effect.

priming.

A psychologist who asks you to write down as many objects as you can remember having seen a few minutes earlier is testing your _______?

recall

Multiple choice questions test our _____. Fill in the blank questions test our _______.

recognition, recall

Freud proposed that painful or unacceptable memories are blocked from consciousness through a mechanism called ________

repression

Implicit memory

retention of learned skills or classically conditioned associations independent of conscious recollection -also called NONDECLARATIVE MEMORY

Specific odors, visual images, emotions, or other associations that help us access a memory are examples of _____ _______.

retrieval cues

The hour before sleep is a good time to memorize info. because going to sleep after learning new material minimizes _______ interference.

retroactive

At which of Atkinson-Shiffrin three memory stages would iconic and echoic memory occur?

sensory memory

When we are tested immediately after viewing a list of words, we tend to recall the first and last items best, which is known as the ______________ ______________ effect.

serial position

Our short-term memory for new information is limited to about ______________ items.

seven

When you have to make a long-distance call, dialing an unfamiliar area code plus a seven-digit number, you are likely to have trouble retaining the just-looked-up number. This best illustrates the limited capacity of ________ memory. explicit long-term short-term implicit

short-term

We may recognize a face at a social gathering but be unable to remember how we know that person. This is an example of ______________ ______________.

source amnesia

Several months after watching a science fiction movie about spaceship travel and alien abductions, Steve began to remember that he had been abducted by aliens and personally subjected to many of the horrors portrayed in the movie. His mistaken recall best illustrates anterograde amnesia. implicit memory. proactive interference. source amnesia.

source amnesia.

deja vu

that eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.

Priming

the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory Ex: seeing a gun might temporarily predispose someone to interpret an ambiguous face as threatening or recall a boss as nasty

Which brain area responds to stress hormones by helping to create stringer memories?

the amygalda

retroactive interference

the backward-acting disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information

proactive interference

the forward-acting disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information

encoding specificity principle

the idea that cues and contexts specific to a particular memory will be most effective in helping us recall it

Sensory Memory

the immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system

Misinformation Effect

when misleading information has corrupted one's memory of an event Ex; yield sign becomes stop sign, breakfast cereal becomes eggs

What are the two basic functions of working memory?

1. Active processing of incoming visual-spatial and auditory information 2. focusing our spotlight of attention

What are three ways we forget, and how does each of these happen?

1. Encoding failure: unattended info never entered our memory system 2. Storage Decay: info fades from our memory 3. retrieval Failure: we cannot access stored info accurately, sometimes due to interference or motivated forgetting

The concept of working memory a. clarifies the idea of short term memory by focusing on the active processing that occurs in this stage b. splits short-term memory into two subcategories - sensory memory and working memory c. splits short term memory into two areas- working (retrievable) memory and inaccessible memory. d. clarifies the idea of short term memory by focusing on space, time, and frequency

A

The hippocampus seems to function as a a. temporary processing site for explicit memories b. temporary processing site for implicit memories c. permanent storage area for emotion-based memories d. permanent storage area for iconic and echoic memoires

A

When tested immediately after viewing a list of words, people tend to recall the first and last items more readily than those in the middle. When retested after a delay, they are most likely to recall a. the first items on the list b. the first and last items on the list c. a few items at random d. the last items on the list

A

Recall

A measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.

Hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage.

What is the difference between automatic and effortful processing, and what are some examples of each?

Automatic processing occurs unconsciously (automatically) for such things as the sequence and frequency of a days events, and reading and comprehending words in our own language. Effortful processing requires attention and awareness and happens, for examples, when we work hard to learn new material in class.

One reason false memories form is our tendency to fill in memory gaps with our reasonable guesses and assumptions, sometimes based on misleading information. This tendency is an example of a. proactive interference b. the misinformation effect c. retroactive interference d. the forgetting curve

B

Psychologist involved in the study of memories of abuse tend to disagree about which of the following statements? a. memories of events that happened before the age of 3 are not reliable b. we tend to repress extremely upsetting memories c. memories can be emotionally upsetting d. sexual abuse happens

B

Long term potential (LTP) refers to a. emotion-triggered hormonal changes b. the rile of the hippocampus in processing explicit memories c. an increase in a cells firing potential after brie, rapid stimulation d. aging peoples potential for learning

C

Ebbinghaus' "forgetting curve" shows that after an initial decline, memory for novel information tends to a. increase slightly b. decrease noticeably c. decrease greatly d. level out

D

When forgetting is due to encoding failure, meaningless information has not been transferred from a. the environment into sensory memory b. sensory memory into long term memory c. long term memory into short-terms memory d. short-term memory into long-term memory

D

Eliza's family loves to tell the story of how she "stole the show" as a 2-year-old, dancing at her aunt's wedding reception. Even though she was so young, Eliza can recall the event clearly. How is this possible?

Eliza's immature hippocampus and lack of verbal skills would have prevented her from encoding an explicit memory of the wedding reception at the age of two. Its more likely that Eliza learned info ( from hearing the story repeatedly) that she eventually constructed into a memory that feels very rea.

What are recommended memory strategies?

REHEARSE REPEATEDLY to boost long term recall. Schedule spaced (not crammed) study times. Spend more times rehearsing or actively thinking about the material. MAKE THE MATERIAL personally MEANINGFUL, with well organized and vivid associations. Refresh your memory by returning to contexts and moods to ACTIVATE RETRIVAL CUES. Use mnemonic devices. MINIMIZE INTERFERNCES. Plan for a complete nights rest SLEEP. TEST YOURSELF repeatedly retrieval practice is a proven retention strategy.

What given the commonality of source amnesia might life be like I we remembered all our waking experiences and all our dreams?

Real experiences would be confused with those we dreamed. When meeting someone, we might be unsure whether we were reacting to something they previously did or to something we dreamed they did.

If you want to be sure to remember what your learning for an upcoming test, would it be better to use recall or recognition to check your memory?

Recall would be better

Which parts of the brain are important for implicit memory processing, and which parts play a key role in explicit memory processing?

The cerebellum and basal ganglia are important for implicit memory processing and the frontal lobes hippocampus are key to explicit memory formation

After absorbing the false suggestion that as children they became ill after eating spoiled egg salad, Dutch university students were less likely to eat egg salad sandwiches. Their behavior best illustrates the impact of the misinformation effect. repressed memories. proactive interference. anterograde amnesia.

the misinformation effect.

Memory Consolidation

the neural storage of a long-term memory

Memory

the persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information

Retrieval

the process of getting information out of memory storage

Encoding

the processing of information into the memory system—for example, by extracting meaning.

parallel processing

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving.

Long-term memory

the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.

Storage

the retention of encoded information over time

Spacing Effect

the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice

mood-congruent memory

the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood

automatic processing

unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings