Chapter 6- PSYCH
engram
an assumed electrical circuit in the brain that corresponds to a memory trace
working memory
another term for short term memory
long-term potentiation (LTP)
enhanced efficiency in synaptic transmission that follows brief, rapid stimulation
anterograde amnesia
failure to remember events that occur after physical trauma because of the effects of the trauma
paired associates
nonsense syllables presented in pairs in experiments that measure recall
misinformation effect
the shaping of bogus or slanted memories by providing inaccurate information as, for example, in the form of "leading questions"
serial-position effect
the tendency to recall more accurately the first and last items in a series
long-term memory
the type or stage of memory capable of relatively permanent storage
sensory memory
the type or stage of memory first encountered by a stimulus, sensory memory holds impressions briefly, but long enough so that series of perceptions are psychologically continuous
short-term memory
the type or stage of memory that can hold information for up to a minute or so after the trace of the stimulus decays
interference theory
the view that we may forget stored material because other learning interferes with it
method of savings
a measure of retention in which the difference between the number of repetitions originally required to learn a list and the number of repetitions required to relearn the list after a certain amount of time has elapsed is calculated
icon
a mental representation of a visual stimulus that is held briefly in sensory memory
echo
a mental representation of an auditory stimulus (sound) that is held briefly in sensory memory
chunk
a stimulus or group of stimuli that are perceived as a discrete piece of information
hippocampus
a structure in the limbic system tha plays an important role in the formation of new memories
hippocampus
a structure in the limbic system that lays an important role in the formation of new memories
schema
a way of mentally representing the world, such as a belief or an expectation, that can influence perception of persons, objects, and situations
memory trace
an assumed change in the nervous system that reflected the impression made by a stimulus
retrograde amnesia
failure to remember events that occur prior to physical trauma because of the effects of the trauma
semantic memory
general knowledge, as opposed to episodic memory
repression
in Freud's pschodynamic theory, the ejection of anxiety-evoking ideas from conscious awareness
displace
in memory theory, to cause information to be lose from short-term memory by adding new information
infantile amnesia
inability to recall events that occur prior to the age three or so, also termed childhood amnesia
infantile amensia
inability to recall events that occur prior to the age three or so; also termed childhood amnesia
context-dependent memory
information tha tis better retrieved in the context in which it was encoded and stored, or learned
state-dependent memory
information that is better retrieved in the physiological or emotional state in which it was encoded and stored, or learned
dissociative amnesia
loss of memory of personal information thought to stem from psychological conflict or trauma
nonsense syllables
meaningless sets of two consonants, with a vowel sandwiched in between, that are used to study memory
episodic memory
memories of events experienced by a person or that take place in the person's presence
explicit memory
memory that clearly and distinctly expresses specific information
implicit memory
memory that is suggested but not plainly expressed, as illustrated in the things that people do but do not state clearly
retrospective memory
memory to perform an act in the future, as at a certain time or when a certain event occurs
prospective memory
memory to perform an act in the future, as at a certain time or when a certain events occurs
maintenance rehearsal
mental repetition of information to keep it in memory
encoding
modifying information so that it can be placed in memory, the first stage of information processing
priming
the activation of specific associations in memory, often as a result of repetition and without making a conscious effort to access the memory
savings
the difference between the number of repetitions originally required to learn a list and the huber of repetitions required to relearn the list after a certain amount of time has elapsed
savings
the difference between the number of repetitions originally required to learn a list and the number of repetitions required to relearn the list after a certain amount of time has elapsed
tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) phenomenon
the feeling that information is stored in memory although it cannot be readily retrieved
retroactive interference
the interference by new learning with the ability to retrieve material learned previously
proactive interference
the interference by old learning with the ability to retrieve material learned recently
retroactive interference
the interference of new learning with the ability to retrieve material learned previously
elaborative rehearsal
the kind of coding in which new information is related to information that is already known
retrieval
the location of stored information and its return to consciousness, the third stage of information processing
eidetic imagery
the maintenance of detailed visual memories over several minutes
storage
the maintenance of information over time, the second stage of information processing
memory
the processes by which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved
echoic memory
the sensory register that briefly hold mental representations of auditory stimuli
iconic memory
the sensory register that briefly holds mental representations of visual stimuli