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