AP Psych. Unit 5 Quiz 1

learning that has persisted over time, information that has been stored and can be retrieved

• in large part, you are what you remember

model of memory, compares our mind to a computer in a series of three stages

1. encoding

2. storage

3. retrieval

the process of putting information into the memory system “get information into our brain”

• sensory receptors send impulses that are registered by neurons in our brain

we process an enormous amount of information effortlessly at once where you don’t think about it, such as the following: space, time, frequency

encoding that requires attention and conscious effort. You must purposely try to remember

• engage in any technique to help remember information better

the creation of a permanent record of the encoded information “retain the information”

• storage is for a period of time, ranging from a moment to a lifetime

the calling back of stored information on demand when it is needed “get the information back out”

• we must locate it and return it to our consciousness. Some retrieval attempts may be effortless due to the type of information

being able to access the information without being cued

• fill in the blank test without word bank

identifying information after experiencing it again

• multiple choice test

reconstructing memory

• writing answer on essay

how long and how well we remember information depends on how deeply we process the information when it is encoded

• no clear distinction between short term and long term memory

encoding on a basic level based on the structure of appearance

• we assign no relevance to shallow processed information

encode physical qualities

encode sound

occurs when we attach meaning to information and create associations between the new memory and existing memories

• most of the information we remember over long periods is semantically (meaning-based) encoded

three different memory systems characterized by time frames

• sensory memory

• short-term memory

• long-term memory

external events from our senses are held just long enough to be perceived

• our selective attention, focusing of awareness on specific stimulus in sensory memory, determines which very small fraction is encoded into short-term memory

sensory input to the visual system goes into iconic memory, duration of less than a second

the branch of sensory memory used by the auditory system

• echoic memory is capable of holding a large amount of auditory information, but only for 3-4 seconds

the branch of sensory memory used by the sense of touch

• sensory receptors all over the body detect sensations which are briefly held in haptic memory before vanishing or being transported to short-term memory

• haptic memory seems to decay after about two seconds

the information we are currently aware of or thinking about

• information found in short-term memory comes from paying attention to sensory memory

all the memories we hold for periods of time longer than a few seconds

• long-term memory has an incredibly vast storage capacity, and some memories can last from the time they are created until we die

the capacity for holding a small amount of information in an active, readily available state for a brief period of time (about 20 to 30 seconds)

• very sensitive and vulnerable to interruption or interference

system in your brain that allows you to temporarily retain and manipulate the stored information involved in a complex process

• “active state” working memory contains the information of which you are immediately aware

number of items a person can remember and repeat back using attention and short-term memory

• experiments by George Miller demonstrated that the capacity of STM is approximately seven (plus or minus two) unrelated bits of information at one time

process of taking individual pieces of information (chunks) and grouping them into larger units

• by grouping each piece into a large whole, you can improve the amount of information you can remember

straight repeating of information in order to memorize it to prolong its presence in STM, can increase the length of time information can be stored to about thirty seconds

ex.: list of items needed form the store

• “bread, milk, eggs, paper towels, ice cream, bread milk, eggs, paper towels, ice cream, bread, milk, eggs, paper towels, ice cream

the storage of information over an extended period

• long-term memory is also susceptible to the forgetting process, long-term memories can last for a matter of days to as long as many decades

information that you have to consciously work to remember

• memory of facts, concepts, and events that require conscious recall of the information and can verbalize

• we encode explicit memories through conscious, effortful processing

long-term memory that involves the recollection of specific events, situations, and experiences

• autobiographical memory or your memories of your own personal life history

• episodic and autobiographical memories play an important role in your self-indentity

these are memories of facts, concepts, names, and other general knowledge

• you use semantic memory when you take a test

a person has visual images clear enough to be retained for seconds and realistic in their vividness

• photographic memory-is the ability to recall an image for a much longer period

process where our brains convert short-term memories into long-term ones

strengthening of a synaptic connection that happens when the synapse of one neuron repeatedly fires ad excites another neuron

• currently believed to be a biological basis for learning and memory in mammals

• LTP occurs in the hippocampus, transfer of information from short-term to long-term

observed such changes in the sending neurons of a simple animal, the California sea slug, aplysia

involved in declarative and episodic memory, primary processor of emotional reactions

involved in implicit memories (conditioned associations)

memory retrieval and procedural memory (creating and maintaining habits)

first to conduct experimental studies on memories by using himself as a subject

• the exponential loss of information shortly after learning it

• research has found that around 70 percent of information is forgotten with 24 hours of initial learning

over time, our memories biologically degenerate

• short term memory assumes that memories leave a trace in the brain (physical/chemical change)

• forgetting occurs as a result of the automatic decay of fading of the memory trace

occurs when a person experiences the full or partial loss of memory, injury, or trauma can create problems with various brain functions

cannot remember things that happened before the event that caused their amnesia

condition in which a person is unable to create new memories after an amnesia-inducing event

• may involve either partial or total inability to remember events that have happened

• case study of H.M

when we try to retrieve a long list of words we usually recall the last words and first words bes, forgetting the words in the middle

refers to better recall of the first items from greater rehearsal

refers to better recall of the last items, still in working memory

the failure to recall a memory due to missing stimuli or cues that were present at the time the memory was encoded to help trigger the memory

the feeling that a memory is available but not quite retrievable

• people often experience when trying to recall a particular word or name

• it is often frustrating, but is a normal part of memory and recall

occurs when a memory was never formed in the first place (without effort, many memories never form)

• “in one ear and out the other”

• we cannot learn or recall what we do not perceive and attend to

some memories interfere with the retrieval of other memories, forgetting in long-term memory

older memories interfere with the retrieval of newer memories

• it is often easier to recall previously learned information rather than more recent learning

newer memories interfere with the retrieval of older memories

• learning new things can make it more difficult to recall things that we already know

vivid and detailed memories that people create during times of personal tragedy, accident, or emotionally significant world events

• can develop in response to big events in our own lives

approach to understanding memory as a cognitive process and the errors that occur within it

• we often construct our memories as we encode them, and we may also alter our memories as we withdraw them for our memory bank

• people update their memories with logical processes, reasoning ew information perception, imagination, beliefs, and cultural biases

false memories that person believes to be true

• though they will view their memories as being honest and correct, research has shown that their recollections are not entirely accurate

extensive research on memory construction and false memories and how memory is changeable, it is not always accurate

exposed to misleading information we tend to misremember

the inability to remember the source of a memory while retaining its substance

• false memories created by suggested misinformation and misattributed sources may feel as real as true memories and may be very persistent

• source amnesia explains deja vu