Chapter 8 - 8.1 Studying and Encoding Memories

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

It would be better to test your memory with recall (such as with short-answer or fill-in-the-blank self-test questions) rather than recognition (such as with multiple-choice questions). Recalling information is harder than recognizing it. So if you can recall it, that means your retention of the material is better than if you could only recognize it. Your chances of test success are therefore greater.

flashbulb memory:

a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event

recall:

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

relearning:

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

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.

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.

hippocampus:

a neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage.

working memory:

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

short-term memory:

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

long-term potentiation (LTP):

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

Procedural memory requires activation of the:

basal ganglia.

The brain structure involved in motor movements is the:

basal ganglia.

The brain structure(s) that facilitate(s) formation of our procedural memories for skills is(are) the:

basal ganglia.

The formation of implicit memory created by classical conditioning needs the:

cerebellum.

Children who are afraid of thunderstorms have created a _______ memory.

classically conditioned

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

testing effect:

enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information. Also referred to as a retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning.

semantic memory:

explicit memory of facts and general knowledge; one of our two conscious memory systems (the other is episodic memory).

episodic memory:

explicit memory of personally experienced events; one of our two conscious memory systems (the other is semantic memory).

Remontia is trying to remember events from when she was 18 months old but is unable to do so. This is likely due to the fact that her _____ was not fully developed at that age.

hippocampus

Simona has suffered brain damage from a near-fatal motorcycle crash. She is able to remember verbal information but cannot recall visual designs and locations. She has probably suffered damage to her right_____.

hippocampus

The _____ is the neural center involved in processing explicit memories for storage.

hippocampus

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:

hippocampus.

What type of memory is not consciously accessible to us?

implicit memory

When someone is unsuccessfully trying to remember something, there is activity in the:

left frontal lobe.

mnemonics:

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

The memory storage process is called

memory consolidation

explicit memory:

memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare." (Also called declarative memory.)

Procedural memory involves:

motor movement.

chunking:

organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically.

serial position effect:

our tendency to recall best the last (recency effect) and first (primacy effect) items in a list

implicit memory:

retention of learned skills or classically conditioned associations independent of conscious recollection. (Also called nondeclarative memory.)

The happier Judie feels, the more readily she recalls experiences with former teachers who were warm and generous. This BEST illustrates that emotional states can be

retrieval cues

Zorana is trying to remember the name of a woman sitting next to her on the bus. She knows she met her at a party and is able to imagine where the woman was sitting. Zorana is using _____ to remember the woman's name.

retrieval cues

Our conscious, declarative memory systems are:

semantic and episodic memory.

When learning occurs in the California sea slug, Aplysia, more of the neurotransmitter _____ is released at certain synapses.

serotonin

Consolidation is the process by which:

short-term memory can be encoded to form long-term memories.

priming:

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response.

When we place ourselves in the physical space our original learning process occurred, we prime ourselves to more readily retrieve memories that were encoded in the same space. This is called:

the encoding specificity principle.

sensory memory:

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

_____ aids in memory consolidation.

Sleep

How does the working memory concept update the classic Atkinson-Shiffrin three-stage information-processing model?

The newer idea of a working memory emphasizes the active processing that we now know takes place in Atkinson-Shiffrin's short-term memory stage. While the Atkinson-Shiffrin model viewed short-term memory as a temporary holding space, working memory plays a key role in processing new information and connecting it to previously stored information.

memory consolidation:

the neural storage of a long-term memory.

memory:

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

retrieval:

the process of getting information out of memory storage.

storage:

the process of retaining encoded information over time.

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.

long-term memory:

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

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.